Field trip to Nehru Science centre IGCSE - 1 [13-14] WIS,Malad

                          

 

                           Field trip to Nehru Science Centre IGCSE -I

 

Students of Igcse 1 set out on a field trip to Worli, to experience the basic principles and marvels in science and technology at ‘The Nehru Science Centre,’ on Friday, 4^th October 2013.

We arrived at 10 am to the science center and proceeded towards the reception hall.

In the reception hall students saw exhibits on Energy transfer, Electric Potential, Vortices and Electromagnetism.

Then the students were taken to the Spark theatre where the students had a hair raising experience & enjoyed many other exciting static electricity demonstrations with Van de Graaff generator having a 75 cm dome.

Students experienced their hair standing up due to static electricity as well as saw bubbles repelling and aluminium cup flying away due to the charge of the generator.

 

A harmonograph is a mechanical device that uses swinging pendulums to draw pictures, believed to be originally invented in 1844 by Scottish mathematician Hugh Blackburn.Then students experienced how to make a harmonograph. Two lateral pendulums swing back and forth at right angles to each other with arms connecting to a pen. One moves the pen from side to side, and the second moves it from front to back on the paper. A third "rotary" pendulum moves the paper by swinging on any axis or in circular motions, while the pen is drawing on it. The combined motions of all three pendulums generate the resulting drawing.

 

Then the students proceeded towards ‘Science Show’.Students were shown exciting chemical reactions on the following:

1)      Invisble disappearing Ink:  Base: This demonstration shows that phenolphthalein is a chemical that displays different colors depending on either the acidity and the basicity of the environment.

2)      Feeling blue: Redox reaction: When a solution of potassium hydroxide, dextrose and methylene blue is shaken, the oxygen dissolves into the colorless solution causing the methylene blue to oxidize into its blue form. As the blue solution is left to stand, the solution turns colorless as the methylene blue is reduced.

3)      Burning Money: The water from the water-alcohol mixture absorbs much of the heat energy that is generated when you ignite the bill. The temperature of the paper money does not rise above the temperature required to burn the paper. The water is first heated to its boiling point and then vaporized by the heat of combustion from the burning alcohol.

4)      Super absorbent: The secret water-absorbing chemical in a diaper is a superabsorbent polymer called sodium polyacrylate. A polymer is simply a long chain of repeating molecules.Superabsorbent polymers expand tremendously when they come in contact with water because water is drawn into and held by the molecules of the polymer. They act like giant sponges. Some can soak up as much as 800 times their weight in water!

5)      Elephant toothpaste: Elephant toothpaste is a foamy substance caused by the rapid decomposition of hydrogen peroxide.

 

 

Students then proceeded for the I am Mother show. Students learnt about human anatomy as the different internal organs in a life size transparent glass model of a human body light up. Synchronised commentary supported with PowerPoint  presentation and animations explained the functions of these organs.

 

All students then divided into two groups.The respective groups saw Physics and Biology Exhibits and then interchanged after an hour.

In Physics students explored Hall of Light and Hall of  Sound and learnt about:

1)      Wave propogation

2)      Doppler effect

3)      How sound travels

4)      Physics behind Musical Experiments

5)      Frequency and Resonance

6)      Hyperboloid

7)      Electric Potential

8)      Fiber optics/ speakers/3D image

 

In Biology students explored the Hall of Human and Machine and learnt about the following:

1)      Nervous system:Brief outline on human brain Anatomy with Animations.

2)      Digestive system Exhibit. : Parts of the alimentary canal are highlighted specific to the item that is digested.

3)      Specimens of heart, featus etc

4)      Reflex action: Probing the brain; Shaking hand: Sensory, relay and motor neuron.

5)      Replacement of organs.

6)      Giant heart with vessels and valves.

7)      Eye and vision

8)      Respiratory System

9)      DNA quiz

10)  Excretory system: activity

12)  Stem cell research

 

Finally after a fun filled educational experience students of Igcse 1 of Witty International School departed from Nehru Science Centre at 3 pm.