Science

Our SAC scientists have been busy learning about various phenomena and conducting experiments to investigate what they have learned and test their hypotheses.

Year 7

Year 7 students have been learning all about forces, the factors that influence forces and conducting the relevant calculations. One experiment conducted involved our SAC scientists to investigate what impacts the amount of friction between objects. Students designed their own experiments where they determined whether or not the surface or the mass of an object increases or decreases the frictional force between two objects. Some students measured the time it took for a toy car to roll down a ramp, landing on different surfaces, others measured the distance the toy car travelled. Each group of SAC scientists were careful in designing their experiments to ensure their methods were valid and reliable. 

Year 8

The SAC scientists of Year 8 have been looking into our solar system, recognising the change in theories over time, as well as the technologies and accompanying discoveries that caused a change in theories. Students have also been learning about astronomical understanding from different countries, cultures and times in the past, including Indigenous Australians, Incas, ancient Greece, early Middle Eastern, that of the Renaissance, as well as early Chinese and Indian understandings and interpretations of the stars. Students have also learned about Earth’s moon, its phases and how it impacts the tides, as well as how the Earth’s rotation, revolutions and tilt determine and influence the timing of one Earth day, one Earth year, and the seasons. Year 8 engaged in an activity representing the phases of the moon by using Oreo biscuits.

Year 9

Our Year 9 SAC scientists have been looking into ecosystems, the different factors involved and how they can influence the populations and species within an ecosystem. Students have learned about the different cycles (water, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus), food chains and food webs, as well as the biotic and abiotic factors within a habitat. Year 9 students have measured some abiotic factors and observed biotic factors to determine whether there is a significant difference in the ‘health’ of a habitat, such as testing the temperature and pH levels of soil, and taking note of the plants and animals nearby. 

Year 10

The SAC scientists of year 10 finished off their Motion unit, which involved learning about why and how things move, as well as factors influencing the movement of objects, including Newton’s laws of motion. Students conducted various experiments testing Newton’s different laws of motion, such as investigating whether the angle of a ramp impacts the speed of a collision trolley, whether mass influences the acceleration of an object, and observing how an object can have an equal and opposite reaction to a force as per Newton’s third law of motion. Year 10 students had the opportunity to create ‘balloon rockets’ which were conducted in the upper Junior quadrangle between B-block and C-block on the first floor, allowing a balloon to travel along a piece of string which was attached to a straw. Students devised different ways to allow the balloon to travel the entire distance between the two buildings, but unfortunately lacked some necessary materials. The investigation was conducted nonetheless with many considerations and logical reasonings as to why the balloons were not able to travel the entire distance, making it a project for the future.

Following the Motion unit, year 10 students are now doing a deep dive into the Universe unit, learning about the vastness of the universe and the many mind-boggling interesting facts about the universe. Students are realising just how huge the universe is, and are considering what else may be understood and discovered about the universe that we currently do not know about - something for our scientists to discover now or in the near future!

Mrs Carmela Hollero

Assistant Leader of Learning Science