Spectacular Science
21 October 2022
The Beacon Science department has been bursting with exciting topics and exhilarating experiments this term. Boys from Year 3 all the way up to Year 8 have had the opportunity to take part.
Our Year 3 boys have been investigating bubbles and had to answer two questions during their Science lesson: “Is the shape dependent on the shape of the wand?” and “Are the bubbles always the same colour?” The boys were challenged to make their own wands and used them to blow bubbles from two different bubble mixtures. Our boys thoroughly enjoyed watching their bubbles fly through the Quad!
Year 4 have completed their topic on electricity and after carrying out their own experiments on static electricity, we demonstrated this phenomenon on a larger scale using the Van der Graaf generator. The boys enjoyed seeing mince pie trays flying into the air and watching a wig slowly get bigger and bigger. The boys were desperate to give it a go, so one by one, they all had a turn to place their hands on the generator whilst their friends watched as their hair began to stand on end.
Year 5 boys have been studying the planets of our solar system. In space, distances are huge and are difficult to appreciate. To help the boys visualise this, they made a scale model of the system on Willsfield using different sized balls to represent the planets. They then used 1 strip of toilet paper to represent 20 Million km. Our boys really enjoyed heading over to Willsfield and doing this activity. It gave them a much better understanding of size and distances in space.
Year 6 have now finished their topic of Sound. The final experiment was to measure the speed of sound. To do this, they ventured over to Willsfield and waited for a Teacher to shoot a starter pistol into the air. The boys watched the smoke from the pistol and started their stopwatch as soon as they saw it, stopping it again once when they heard the sound of the gun.
The boys have also been investigating sound waves. They were able to see how the pitch and amplitude changed the shape of a wave when their Teachers demonstrated the Rubens’ tube.
Our Year 7 boys have been comparing the properties of metals and non-metals in their Science lessons. They studied the effect of different metals being heated up and then plunged into a tube of oxygen. The end product was a basic oxide (non-metals form acidic oxides). The boys were shown four reactions of metals/non-metals in oxygen and the properties of their oxides.
Finally, Year 8 have enjoyed studying plant reproduction during their Science lessons this term, they started dissecting a lily to see if they could find the key parts needed for reproduction. They were also challenged to observe the pollen grains using a microscope.
It’s been a great term in the Science department and our boys have thoroughly enjoyed getting stuck in.
Take a look below to see our gallery of images.
