Science Domain 

Physics

If you have wandered around our Bluff Road Campus Discovery Centre lately, you may have sighted a stray marshmallow or two lurking in the nooks and crannies. These remnants are the aftermath of a recent Year 7 assessment on catapults. Armed with nothing more than a plastic spoon, a handful of paddle pop sticks, and rubber bands, students discovered the power of simple machines. They launched marshmallows to impressive heights and distances, disappearing into the unknown! These antics are all thanks to the laws of Physics, which many Sandy students have learned about in Term 2.

The catapult task is just one part of our Year 7 science curriculum that explores the world of forces. They cover the basics—gravity, friction, magnetism—and how these shape the movement of objects. Armed with this knowledge, they put their skills to the test, tinkering with simple machines and fine-tuning their scientific investigations. Predictions were made, experiments conducted, and conclusions drawn, all in the name of sharpening those scientific skills.

Meanwhile, over in Year 8, they have been focusing on energy, looking at the various forms, and how it can be transferred or transformed. Through experimentation, they measured the work of different energy types, and some engaged in Rube-Goldberg machine building. Later in the term, they focused on light energy. Using light boxes and simulations, students investigated the laws of reflection and refraction, saw how mirrors can manipulate reflected images, learnt about colours and how rainbows are formed. 

At Holloway Road, it has been a packed semester for the Physical and Space Sciences. Year 10 students, in their Astronomy and Space Science class, have done everything from sizing up the sun to constructing planetary orbits and even producing tourist brochures for distant planets. Their adventures didn't end there—a nighttime visit to Mt Burnett Observatory and a live video chat with a NASA Mars scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory just outside of Los Angeles added some real-world excitement. Their final topic for the semester is a detailed investigation into the possibility of life in space. Are there aliens?

In the world of VCE Physics, Year 11 students have been immersed in thermodynamics, nuclear physics, and electricity. From understanding the intricacies of climate science to exploring the potential of nuclear energy, it's been a whirlwind of discovery. For our Year 12 physicists, it's been a journey into the depths of Newton's laws, the mysteries of fields, and the power of electricity and magnetism—all building towards a deeper understanding of the world around us.

From marshmallow catapults to interstellar explorations, it has been a great term for Science at Sandringham College.