Energy Games

Year 6 have just begin their topic on energy. Join them in their quest to learn more about how to save our planet!
Click here to go to the kids saving energy site to try out some great activities.

Aeroplanes and the Earth

Find out more about what an aeroplane leaves behind by going onto this excellent animation from the Science Museum in London.
Click here
At some point in or lives we will get on an aeroplane to fly to a place which is too far to drive/take a train to. Some of you might even have flown during these holidays. Sometimes when an aeroplane passes above us in the sky, we can see a trail of cloud behind the plane. This trail lingers behind even after the aeroplane has gone. Have you ever wondered what causes that trail? How does it effect the Earth’s atmosphere?

Year 5 have just been learning about some gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxisde which are released into the air from cars and planes as they burn petrol and kerosene for fuel.

Hunt the Higgs Particle

This is a SMASHING activity from the Science Museum website. It teaches you all about what they are doing at CERN, trying to find evidence of a very special particle called the Higgs Particle. Have a go!

A Black Hole at CERN ?

Picture courtesy of CERN

So many of you have mentioned the experiment at Cern to me that I thought it was worth another mention!

The scientists at Cern have been completing a very long circular tunnel ( LHC Large Hadron Collider) deep underground for the last few years. Finally, they completed it this year and then began to cool it using liquid nitrogen gas. They have managed to cool it to the lowest temperatures known anywhere on Earth.

This Wednesday, 10th September, they started the actual experiment: accelarating particles in the tunnel at very fast speeds. They are hoping that the particles will collide and smash each other up, releasing even smaller particles which they hope to detect.

There are some people very worried about the possibility of a Black Hole being formed under these extreme conditions which would absorb everything around it. This is what some of you are also worried about.

Well, these collisions are happening around us all the time, only we can’t detect the particles being released as they disperse or change far too quickly, before we can get our detectors out and run after them. So, basically, at Cern, the super brains have created these collisions in a closed space so that the particles can’t escape and are easier to detect.

Whether the released particles are detected or not is pure chance. They are hoping that by varying the conditions and trying different experiments we will be able to solve some of the mysteries regarding the creation of this Universe. Who knows, we might actually find more mysteries the deeper we go !

If you want to find out more, click here!

An Inconvenient Truth

Year 6 will be looking at climate change and how we can try and save our planet for the future. If you watch this promotional video for the award winning film about climate change you will begin to get an idea of what we may be facing soon IF WE DON’T ACT NOW!

The Science of Fireworks!

This week, we will not be able to escape the spectacular sounds and dazzling lights from exploding fireworks all around us. Fireworks were first made in China about 1000 years ago; people enjoyed frightening their enemies with their new, mysterious, deafening noises and flashing flares as they detonated the chemicals which go into fireworks: China still produces most of the world’s fireworks!

We now understand the science and technology behind the dynamic displays and exhilarating explosions; it is known as PYROTECHNICS.

Chemicals store lots of energy which can be released with great force if we set fire to the chemicals. The stored, or chemical energy, changes very quickly into movement, light and sound energy. The firework shoots up into the sky like a rocket or along the ground if pointing the wrong way!

Chemical Energy = Movement Energy + Sound Energy + Light Energy

The colours, which thrill us so much, are from different metals in the firework mixture. Each metal burns with its own particular coloured flame, some very bright. This adds the sparkle to the fireworks night.

As you enjoy the fireworks this year, remember it is best to go to an organised display where you can watch from a safe distance. Only have fireworks at home in the garden when supervised by an adult and keep yourself and your pets indoors!! I hope you have great fun!

Check out this video. Be patient as it takes one minute to load up!

Farida Mannan