Absolute Absolute Zero Zero
Issue 2 Summer 2013
Issue 2 Summer 2013
Godolphin and Latymer’s Science Magazine
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Contents
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EASTER CHICKENS PAGE 3
RESCUING THE LEANING TOWER OF PISA PAGE 4
‐ BIG BANG FAIR PAGE 5 ‐ SCIENCE MUSEUM SHOWS PAGE 6 ‐ SCIENCE NIGHTCLUB PAGE 8 ‐ DEBATING FINAL & PUB QUIZ PAGE 10 ‐ STEVE MOULD PAGE 11 ‐ ENGINEERING CHALLENGE PAGE 12 ‐ SCIENCE WEEK WORLDWIDE PAGE 13 ‐ ACCIDENTAL INVENTIONS PAGE 14 Welcome to another issue of Absolute Zero. This term has been a busy one for science both in school and across the UK. Read on to find out about the events that took place at Godolphin, from the hatching of our very own Easter chickens to a thought provoking lecture from Steve Mould on the workings of the mind. We enjoyed documenting the activities of Science Week 2013, and we hope that as many as you as possible got involved in one way or another! “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is to not stop questioning.” ― Albert Einstein From The Editors Design Editors: Kaya Olczak and Kitty Walker
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Easter Chickens
The biology department is no stranger to unusual and unwholesome smells – enough onions have been doused in enough vinegar over the years to send hoards of girls running, screaming, out of the aromatic labs. However, during the weeklong science fest that was science week, a new and exciting smell emanated from the last biology lab near the Astroturf. A waft of old popcorn, and not even the chicken kind, was seeping slowly and thickly from what seemed to be a clear plastic igloo, containing some muddy little eggs. Yes, the time for chicken hatching had come upon us. Every year, we are privy to the wonders of new life, right here in our Godolphin biology lab. And indeed, a few days later, the stench increased threefold as I realised that spring had truly come. Never mind the torrential rain outside of the poorly ventilated biology lab, the eggs had
So what did we call them? This was a process resulting in some mildly amusing punny names, such as:
Jessica Eggnis Shelldon Yolko Repecker Rebeaka How does something so small smell so bad
Soon, we will have to say goodbye to our fluffy little balls of delight, and wish them luck on the next leg of their journey, wherever that may take them. It is not every day that us city girls get to see real life, non‐pigeon animals, and it is for that, and my new‐found aversion to buttery popcorn, that I thank those chickens for choosing to be born (are chickens born? Does one say hatched instead?) at our school, in our humble little biology lab. I’d also like to congratulate the lab itself, for despite being woefully under ventilated, it did remarkably well in its role as a gallinaceous maternity ward and really helped us see the preciousness and fleetingness of life, and the importance of good air freshener. Thank you, chickens. Clara de Pretis LVI‐4
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Rescuing the Leaning Tower of Pisa As part of this year’s Annual Giving, we were fortunate to host an inspirational talk from Professor John Burland, the brains behind stabilising the Leaning Tower of Pisa, in the Royal Society. Professor Burland’s team came up with a simple but hugely effective solution to the problem that has left engineers puzzled for hundreds of years. Think back to the Middle Ages, when the tower had not yet acquired its trade‐mark tilt. Unbeknown to many, it was constructed in three stages, each differing slightly in their design. Standing tall at nearly 56 metres, the Italians began to notice that the Tower was not quite as vertical as it had once been. Now fast forward to 1990 and the Tower had acquired a 5.5 degree slant, meaning that the top had displaced sideways by a massive 3.9 metres. After years of unsuccessful attempts the Italian Prime Minister, Andreotti, assigned Professor Burland and his team to the job, in order to prevent the imminent collapse of their most prized landmark. But how do you go about fixing something when the cause is unknown? Professor Burland found that Pisa lies on a thin layer of alluvial silt. Beneath this there is equally soft marine clay and he found that the fluctuation in the water table, due to the changing seasons, had caused the South side of the Tower to sink into the terrain more than the North, creating a non‐centralised moment (bare with me) at the point where the second section of the tower had been constructed.
to counteract the leaning, proving successful. This unsightly solution could only last for so long and fortunately in 1995, the Commission opted for 10m underground anchors. A few months before installing these, they froze the ground to stop it from flooding whilst construction occurred. The aftermath, which they dubbed “Black September”, caused a shocking increase in the incline, putting the Tower, and the team, in a very vulnerable position. After much deliberation and even more tortuous negotiation through Italian bureaucracy, Professor Burland came to the rescue through soil extraction. Using Archimedes‐screw drills the team removed calculated volumes of soil, and left gravity to coax the foundations back into a stable position. The Tower maintained its renowned slant but it was decreased by half a degree, allowing it to open to the public in 2001. The talk was both informative and entertaining, providing a sneak‐peek into the work of an Engineer in our modern society. It was also a fitting way to launch the Annual Giving campaign in which we hope to raise funds for the modernisation of our school laboratories. Tilly Walker LVI
And so, in 1992, the Tower was greeted with 600 tons of lead ingots on the North side, in an attempt
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The Big Bang Fair
On Thursday 14th of March, the LV visited the Big Bang (UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair) at the huge ExCel centre in London. It was a great opportunity for us to see all of the ways in which science, maths and engineering can lend to exciting career paths in the future. As soon as we arrived at the venue we headed straight for the Guinness World Records live show where we watched some members of the audience attempt to break records and met some previous record‐ breakers including Gary Turner, the man with the stretchiest skin and (my personal favourite) Tillman the bulldog, who holds the record for the fastest 100m on a skateboard by a dog! At the end of the show we all split up to explore the fair and to visit any of the huge number of stalls, stands, shows and demo areas we wished. There was even an opportunity to take a quiz that helped you figure out what types of science or engineering jobs you were most suited for. That helped us to narrow down our conquests for stalls and
demonstrations that we found particularly fascinating. I, for example, was unexpectedly captivated by the bio‐engineering presentations and, much to my friends’ annoyances, insisted upon constantly returning to learn more from the volunteers on hand. At the end of an inspiring, but extremely full‐on day of incredible science and maths and engineering and medicine, we all headed back to school with images of ourselves either working in labs with a team of impressive chemists, travelling the globe to explore new energy resource opportunities, working with computer programmers to help solve economic crises, or perhaps receiving a Nobel Prize for discovering the cure for cancer! Overall, the day proved to be a great experience, which broadened our perspectives and aspirations towards futures in science.
By Annika Engstrom LVW
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SHOWS On the 21st of March, your correspondent was privileged to be able to attend one of what, I am assured, are the very few social occasions which involve a bottle of warm saliva, footage from an endoscopy and a hundred‐plus grossed‐out fourteen‐year‐olds shouting the word ‘rectum’ at the top of their voices. If that sentence triggered your gag reflex, stop reading now. We at Absolute Zero take no responsibility for any lasting trauma derived from the reading of this article. If some kind of morbid curiosity does tempt you to read this, your correspondent would like to warn you that the nature of this talk is shown in that the fact that both I and my photographer emerged from the experience with the contents of their breakfasts still within their digestive tract only serves to reinforce the astonishing nature of what people will do in the name of journalism. You have been warned. Godolphin and Latymer students were honoured to have the Science Museum on the premises for a successive occasion. This year, the Upper Four Outreach talk was called It Takes Guts (you may be able to see where this is going). The subject of the talk, namely what goes on within the human digestive system, happily coincided with the Upper Four curriculum topic. However, luckily for Godolphin students, our teachers do not profess such a profound taste in gore, and so this talk came as something as a shock, introducing to your correspondent the previously unknown sensation of what an entire year group screaming in unison actually sounds like‐ something I only ever thought I would discover if it was announced in a year group meeting that One Direction would be performing a snap gig on the Astro. Tracy, our speaker, began by explaining the power of energy within food. She did this by explaining that a single candle, some of which are made of human fat, contains enough energy to blow Godolphin several hundred feet above Iffley Road and by propelling a cloud of cornflower through the flame from a blowtorch. After a quick pop quiz on the vitamins contained in different fruits and vegetables, she then demonstrated what happens in the digestive system by putting a ‘meal’ in a bowl.
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WE AT ABSOLUTE ZERO TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY LASTING STRESS DERIVED FROM THE READING OF THIS ARTICLE
The contents of this ‘meal’ were: American‐style hot dogs, bread, baked beans, a banana, sweetcorn, and a double‐chocolate cupcake which she offered to the audience only after licking it. To emblemise the function of the mouth, she placed in the bowl some ‘saliva’‐ which your correspondent very much hopes was water‐ and some enzymes. By this point she had two volunteers onstage with her, and for a full three minutes she convinced the audience that she was going to make them mash up the food with their hands. This demonstration went on to encompass, along with footage of the endoscopy, the clips of which were announced with periodic shouts of ‘Now, who wants to see Susie’s oesophagus?’, what burps are made of, the function of the small and large intestines, the hydrochloric acid in the stomach, and, finally, a representation of the action of the rectum. Your correspondent does not feel that they are sufficiently articulately qualified to elaborate further on this, and so will leave the reader to construct it in their imagination if they so wish. The Science Museum is a singular institution, and so this lecture was a singular experience. But, although there were laughs, tears, retches, screams, and a rendition of a traumatising childhood toilet experience, I believe I would not be alone in feeling slightly glad that this talk was once‐in‐a‐ lifetime. Helena Coggan UIVW Photography by Hannah Wuensche UIVW
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the key facts about each animal‐ where their native environment is and how they live in the wild. At the end of the session we all lined up and got to have the huge snake placed over our legs!
When the bell rang at 3:05 on Friday, we (the sixth form helpers), descended upon the bottom floor of the science block. Our plan was to transform the corridor into an enchanting rainforest before the arrival of the lower fourths later that evening. After a couple of hours with a staple gun and some blue tack, with the help of some props from the drama department and some rainforest themed mood lighting and sound effects, I think it turned out pretty well. After the lower fours had arrived and participated in a fun science themed quiz by Dr. Jones, we made our way to the hall where a company had come in to show us some exotic animals. This was the first year that the animals had been brought in so no one had any idea what to expect but we were all very excited. On show included a meerkat, crocodile, chinchilla, chameleon, bearded dragon, owl, tarantula, armadillo and many more... Everyone got to hold/ pet at least one animal. We were also taken through
After washing our hands thoroughly we headed down to the Food Tech room where dinner was waiting for us (kindly prepared by some of the teachers). We then settled down to a delicious meal of pizza and salad. After dinner a woman came in and taught us all about LEDs (light emitting diodes), about how they work and how we were going to use them. She then gave us 5 LEDs each (white, orange, red, blue, and green) to assemble ourselves. We then went to the hall and split into groups and planned some photos that we wanted to take using the long exposure setting.
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Whilst the lower fours were going through some pretty incredible optical illusions with Mr. Wong, a couple of us volunteered to make the hot chocolate for them before the night was to come to an official close. We thought that it would be a good idea to make the cocoa as chocolaty as possible, so we ending up using a ridiculous amount of Cadbury powder, none of the year 8s really seemed to mind though. After that we all gathered in B2 for story telling where Mr. McGraph dressed up as an old woman… After a slightly disturbing yet very funny and entertaining story time I was ready for bed...but, like with every scenario involving too much sugar and a bunch of Godolphin girls, going to sleep wasn’t really an option. We proceeded to talk to make a big circle and talk about life (haha) and it was nice to hear things from a younger perspective; we got to see that things really hadn't had changed that much since we were in lower fourth. We woke up bright and early at 7 am; our lack of sleep didn’t seem to damper the mood of the morning as we packed up our labs and made our way to breakfast. Whilst the Sixth Form were filling up balloons with helium and attaching postcards for everyone else, the lower fourths were in B3 attempting a quiz. The winners won an edible prize (classic Godolphin) and then, even though it was pouring with rain, we went outside to release our balloons into the sky.
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In the end, Science Night Club 2013 was a great success, I’m pretty sure that everyone had a great time and I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Mr. Barot and all of the other teachers in the science department who made it possible. If you are in Upper Third or Upper Fifth this year, I would seriously encourage you to get involved next year! BY DAYLA PASCADOR
The Great Debate
This year the final of the debating competition was aptly scientifically themed to coincide with science week: This house would make the study of science in the sixth form compulsory. This was an extremely pertinent motion to everyone in the audience. To some, the idea of being forced to relive their GCSE horrors of lab coats and safety goggles was frankly unthinkable. Others could see the benefits of compulsory science, either because they were scientists themselves or they could appreciate the relevance of science in today’s society. And even those who have no strong feelings about science were involved as the motion raised After some convincing arguments from both the proposition issues such as freedom of choice. and the opposition, the audience was split 50: 50. However someone had to be crowned the winner, so an outside judge from Sacred Heart eventually awarded the Elizabeth Crane prize to the proposition. Congratulations go to Issy Snape and Ellie Mobed for their confident speaking, convincing arguments and assertive responses to points of information. However commiserations are due to the opposition who made some incredibly persuasive points about freedom to choose your own path, and the impact of studying a subject you do not enjoy on your overall sixth form experience. All in all it was an impressive debate, and made everyone consider why science is such a relevant and useful discipline. Emma Staveley LVI
Pub Quiz
Signing up for the Science Pub Quiz, we naturally all assumed that the questions would be based on Science. After scanning through the list to find our groups we sat down at our allocated table and introduced ourselves to the others. Being group 1, we already were certain that we in fact will be number 1, which was quite the opposite of what happened at the end. But not because we were bad at science. Oh no. One of the first questions was “What is a sphygmomanometer?” and in this instance everyone looked at each other with a bewildered expression and a sense of hopelessness. We now all knew that this was not one of your standard quizzes you get in your Biology lesson. However, after a lot of eavesdropping between groups during the break we all came back to our tables and wrote that in fact it measures blood pressure. Moving on from that, the quiz did not get much easier. Being scientists, many of us were not in touch with the social world happening around us, which came as a disadvantage when the questions included “When is the royal baby due?” (June, in case you were wondering) or “Which film won the most Oscars this year?” – no one expected Life of Pi. After the teachers sneakily stumped us with such questions it made us all wonder about our ‘common’ knowledge. The overall experience was fun, despite lack of beer, and we certainly learnt a lot about crustaceans and what Brian Cox’s nose looks like up close. However, I’m sure that I’m not the only one who thinks that the chicken goujons and mini desserts provided by our lovely catering staff was a highlight. Kaya Olczak LVI 10
Steve Mould – Illusions and the Brain To mark the end of Science Week each year, we have a visiting lecturer come to Godolphin. This year we were lucky enough to have Steve Mould give his talk ‘Illusions and the Brain’, in which he looked at the way our brains work. Steve Mould is a scientific presenter, often seen on BBC1. His lectures are fun and informative and ours certainly was! Steve experimented with our senses in weird and wacky ways, and then explained the fascinating science behind all of these phenomenon. There was something for everyone; photons and sound wave frequencies for the physicists, neurons and rods and cones for the biologists and elements, like sodium, for the chemists ‐ one of the more crazy experiments, involving turning the lights off and electrocuting a pickle! There were optical illusions which produced oohs and aahs from the audience, as our eyes were tricked into seeing black and white images in full colour, and blue dots vanish and reappear, and sound illusions that divided the room into those who heard a higher sound and
those who heard a lower sound, and those who heard ‘gaa gaa’ or ‘daa daa’. It was very interactive, giving volunteers the change to try on some interestingly modified stethoscopes, which meant their ears were switched to the opposite side of their heads, resulting in pointing fingers in all directions when Steve asked them to point to where they thought he was standing. And then Steve described the mystery behind these illusions and how our brains piece all this information together in our brains to produce a picture of the world around us. After having our brains thoroughly ‘poked’, and a large amount of skittle eating with our noses pinched, we have to say a massive thank you to Steve Mould for his lecture; it was the perfect way to end to Science Week! Ashlyn 0’Riordan LVI
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As well as our own Godolphin science week, there have been numerous events taking place across the country as part of National Science & Engineering Week. From 15th to the 24th March around 4500 events took place throughout the whole of the UK with the aim of celebrating science, engineering and technology and its importance in our lives. This year the theme was Invention and Discovery. Among the big events in the country was the Big Bang Fair held in London this year which the (year group) attended.
Two of the most prestigious awards were: •UK Young Scientist of the Year •UK Young Engineer of the Year
The finalists of the prestigious National science and engineering competition were chosen to showcase their work at the fair and the winners were awarded prizes. The celebrity judging panel included, Brian Cox and two Nobel prizewinners – Sir Tim Hunt (Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine) and Professor Ada Yonath (Nobel Prize in Chemistry) who took part in the first ever ‘Nobels Live’ event on the Big Bang Stage. This was a chance for the competitors to ask the Nobel Laureates questions whose discoveries have changed the world.
UK Young Scientist of the Year was awarded to Emily O’Regan from Newcastle College. Emily investigated the breeding and mating habits of a captive flock of Chilean flamingos – a species that is now endangered. Emily discovered that not only was there a correlation between temperature and breeding, but also that the flamingo’s breeding habits changed when there was an increased seagull population in the area. UK Young Engineer of the Year award was given to Fred Turner from Crossley Heath School. Fred wowed the judges with his engineering project, where he built a home‐made PCR machine for testing genes. A PCR machine, sometimes known as a thermal cycler, amplifies segments of DNA. These machines can cost up to £3,000, but Fred managed to build one from scratch in his cellar at home. They were both awarded £2000, a trophy, a certificate and an experience prize. Why not make next year’s winner one of our very own Godolphins! Elena Stein LVI
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Engineering Challenge We left Godolphin with varied expectations, but with knowledge of the presence of boys and Pizza we were ready to roll. So we walked through Hammersmith, across the bridge and we were at St Pauls. When we arrived at St Pauls we were greeted by the hosts and given the initial safety briefing. After a small delay from the fire alarm drill, we went back inside. We were then split into teams with three G and L girls and one St Paul’s boy. Then we went into the work room where we were given our challenges. The first task was to create a structure with which to hold a mass 10cm above the table, without falling over. The equipment we had was a piece of art straw, two sheets of A4 paper, 10cm of masking tape, and a rubber band. There was the opportunity for us to exchange points for useful materials to aid our structure, such as card, masking tape, string and art straw. The second challenge was to use a piece
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of MDF and a sheet of foam to create a marble run to get a marble from the top to the bottom of the MDF in exactly 6.5 seconds. The tools we were given for this challenge were just a craft knife and a glue gun. We were given a period of 10 minutes to plan, and then 45 minutes to complete the construction of both challenges. Then there was the Pizza we all came for! It was also a really good time to socialise with the people from the other schools, getting to know one another a bit better, and taking advantage of the opportunity to get to know some new people. Everyone was really lovely and I got to meet some awesome people who I hope I can keep in touch with. We then got given the final presentation of the key rings, for souvenirs of the experience, as well as the congratulations for the winning team. There were some brilliant laser cut trophies for the winners from St Paul’s Girls school, then after some final good byes, and a little more Pizza, we went home. Matilda Jarvis UV
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