To celebrate British Science week 2022 we  took part in a number of different activities.

During our SODA tasks this week we had to put our observational skills to the test and think about what might happen if the ice caps melted, if our diet only consisted of chips and what would life be like without teeth.

During our WCR sessions we read ‘Counting on Katherine’.  As a child, Katherine Johnson loved to count. She counted the steps on the road, the number of dishes and spoons she washed in the kitchen sink, everything! Boundless, curious, and excited by calculations, young Katherine longed to know as much as she could about math, science and the universe.

Counting on Katherine is the story of a ground breaking American woman who not only calculated the course of moon landings but, in turn, saved lives and made enormous contributions to history.

The space agency noted her "historical role as one of the first African-American women to work as a NASA scientist"

Wow! Look at how we linked maths to science…

Learning objectives

• To show understanding of solids, liquids and gases.

• To understand that gases have mass.

Enquiry skills:

• To take accurate measurements.

• To apply maths skills in science.

In this investigation, we explored how much of the fizzy drink is liquid and how much is carbon dioxide gas that has been added to make it fizzy.  The lesson helped us to understand that a gas has mass, as we were able to see how the mass shown on the scales changes as the gas escapes.

FAQs

1. Why can’t we see the gas inside the liquid?

The gas is invisible. We ‘see’ it as a bubble when it is surrounded by liquid. The gas has dissolved in the liquid, like when salt dissolves in water – it is still there but you can’t see it anymore.

2. Where does the gas go when the drink becomes flat?

The gas spreads out to fill whatever space it is in, so it has been unleashed into the room! When someone opens a door or window, it will continue spreading out.

3. Is carbon dioxide bad for us?

We breathe out carbon dioxide. The amounts in fizzy drinks are very small and will not harm us if we drink them, but carbon dioxide makes the liquid acidic and along with sugar, this can damage our teeth if drunk too often. Carbon dioxide is one of the gases that contributes to global warming. In fact, some manufacturers of fizzy drinks use ‘captured’ carbon dioxide for their fizzy drinks that has been produced by power stations and then cleaned. This puts energy-generation waste to good use.

Click on the link below to view our visit to Martineau Gardens.