Since completing their Winchester Entrance exams, 8W and I have been having some fun in Science, looking at designing rockets to go to Mars, as well as doing some interesting practical experiments. On Monday this week, we looked at the ‘Blue Bottle’ reaction. I asked 8W to explain what could be happening in the reaction between an alkaline solution of glucose and methyl blue as it turned from colourless to blue and back to colourless again, numerous times, as it was shaken in a closed conical flask. Gladly, they came up with the correct answer: it is a redox reaction, with methyl blue acting as a catalyst, of course. And now, onto the preparations for the ‘Elephant’s Toothpaste’ and the ‘Iodine Clock’ experiments… Get those thinking caps on, 8W!

Mrs Bryony Carpenter
Science Teacher

8S have started their post-examination project with great enthusiasm. The project, 'Let's go to Mars', involved designing a spaceship that would take a group of 3 or 4 people from Low Earth Orbit to Mars and return started with great gusto. 

We spent some time all contributing to a mind map in which the pupils raised a variety of problems to overcome. That included propulsion type, fuel, living conditions, food, health energy and electricity, oxygen, protection from Gamma Rays and, not to be forgotten, the GWFS - the Great Wee Filtration System! Recovering and reusing water. 

Artificial gravity was discussed and how centripetal/centrifugal force can be used to provide this. 

It is hoped that by the end of the term that models will have been built in Lego, Meccano or balsa and card and a large plan to display with the model drawn.

This project requires logical thinking, an ability to change ideas, thinking outside the box and knowledge acquired in the pupils' Science lessons over the last few years.

We all look forward to the results: perhaps we should be selling the ideas to the European Space Agency?

Tim Fry
Science Teacher