Our students have had a good start to term 3. This week we will show students have engaged in practical work and excursions to complement and extend the work studied in class.

Year 7 Science

Year 7 students are currently completing a Physics unit on Forces. Here we see students conducting a prac on the relationship between angle of inclination and effort force.

Year 11 Chemistry

Year 11 Chemistry students have been completing experiments investigating the properties of acids and bases.

Year 11 and 12 Physics

The Year 11 Physics students held balloon races illustrating the net force propelling the balloon forwards.

We see the Year 12 students creating standing waves and learning harmonics through creating standing waves on a long slinky spring. 

Year 12 Chemistry

Year 12 Chemistry excursion to Ecolinc 

On Thursday the 18th of July, the year 12 Chemistry class took a train to Bacchus Marsh to attend Ecolinc, a science and technology innovations centre. On this day, we took part in a combination of theory and hands on learning, where we were able to use equipment that’s not available in the classroom. We explored the analysis of hydrocarbons using infrared spectroscopy (IR) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Through this, we were able to expand upon our knowledge of organic chemistry, and develop our skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration.  – Laura McDonald

Year 11 and 12 Chemistry students analytical analysis workshop with Victoria University

Year 11 Chemistry students had a fantastic opportunity to work with lecturers from Victoria University and complete an experiment focussing on the determination of the concentration of caffeine in some energy drinks using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).

Using UV Visible Spectrophotometry, they determined the amount of iron present in commercially-available iron supplement tablets. The year 12 chemistry students used Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Infrared Spectroscopy (IR) to analyse spectrum to match unknown substances. Both classes really enjoyed the experience that was made available to them and we thank Jen Montgomery for organising the workshops with Victoria University.