Science Infoblog

How much have you learned about metal chemistry. Test your knowledge with this quiz.

As part of their coursework a class of year 11 students had to imagine that they were in a newsroom reporting on increased earthquake activity around Auckland. This seismic activity had finally culminated in the disastrous formation of a new volcanic cone within the Auckland City limits. While students were working on their project the Auckland City Council civil defense planning team were doing an exercise testing their ability to cope with the real thing.

The videos show learning in progress and by themselves are not an outcome .

In the first video a scientist is being interviewed about the causes of the disaster.

and seismic activity shook the newsroom around in the second

The final video in the series rocks!

The winner of the video award will be announced shortly.

Another intrepid band of students doing scientific research at Piha

Create Your Own
What did you think of the field trip?

Sixth from students braved the elements today as they investigated life on the windswept rocky coast at Piha….

Create Your Own
What did you think of the field trip?

Phun lets you move objects around in 2D obeying the laws of physics. You can control gravity, how things collide, friction and the strength of motors. Download the software and see if you can make a simulation like this one on YT. Enter the competition

Competition:

1 Tell Mr West you want to enter the competition (three categories, junior, senior and interested parents/members of the community.

2 Download Phun (see previous post to dowload the software or Mr West for a copy)

3 Use the software to produce a simulation/cartoon (you will have to interact with some physics as you do this!)

4 See Mr West or Mr Duff if you need help to get started.

5 Email your simulation to Mr West (john.west@greenbayhigh.school.nz) or bring it along to E11 on a memory stick.

Entries must be in before the end of term 1

A very handsome trophy will be awarded to the winner in each category.

Have phun….get physical or use your artistic talents and get creative.

Have you ever wondered how cars, bikes helicopters and people move around in games like Grand Theft Auto 4.

Objects that move around in the real world follow Newton’s laws of motion. To develop software that mimics the real world you need to understand the physics of motion.

Rockstar North is the developer behind Grand Theft and they are based in Edinburgh Scotland. They are currently advertising for a physicist and people to test their games to check that they are realistic!

Phun is an educational, entertaining and addictive piece of software for designing and exploring 2D multi-physics simulations in a cartoony fashion and you can download it for free.

ICT Challenge trophy

Release your artistic and scientific skills. Dowload PHUN and use it to illustrate a physics concept (friction, gravity, collsions, billiard table etc)

There are three different categories for junior and senior students and a separate category for enthusiastic parents.

email mr West as an expression of interest and for further details ( john.west@greenbayhigh.school.nz ). Have PHUN

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Chemistry students are practising hard for their NCEA level 2 internally assessed practical achievement standard. They have also discovered that glassware only bounces once when it hits the ground. Just as well Science has a large budget.

Angela Hart the Futureintech facilitator for Central and West Auckland visited the School this week with a team of young engineers to talk to year 11 science students about geological sciences.

Ana Petaia is an engineering Geologist. Ana reckons Geology is a great career for girls because she gets the boys to do all the heavy rock lifting while she has a coffee. No two days are the same and there is no fixed routine in her life. She does consultancy work as well.

Amelia Fillion has travelled extensively and is currently a Senior Civil Engineer. She is tunneling through hillsides making motorways and supervising other major projects at the moment. She is also studying for further qualifications. You never stop learning!

James Beaumont is a Project Geotechnical engineer. He has been working in Tonga recently building a new jetty for large cruise ships. He brought core drilling samples to the seminar. Maths is very important to scientists. James pointed out that “it is the language we use to describe how things work in our everyday lives.

The team stressed the importance of considering subject choice carefully. The careers department can assist you here. Go and talk to them!

Engineering is fun………but first you need to work hard towards level 1 science.

Futureintech will return to school shortly to address sixth form chemistry students.

Congratulations to all students who achieved success in the 2007 NCEA exams.

Parental support in buying workbooks to assist student learning would be appreciated and the link for 2008 requirements can be found at the top of the page.

Communication with students and parents will be a lot easier this year after work developing science blogs in the latter part of 2007.

Links to the senior Biology , Physics and Chemistry blogs can be found on the sidebar under “Senior Sciences”. Information on the Level 1 NCEA Science course can be found on its own page

Watch this space for outstanding examples of student work and general news and information.

Good luck with your studies

Just heading out to BETT  described as the world’s biggest educational technology event……. and then back to a new zealand summer next week.