Western Cape College physics students gear up to get a bird’s-eye view of the Queensland capital from the top of the Story Bridge. Photo: Supplied.
Year 11 and 12 physics students from Western Cape College swapped Weipa for the bright lights of Brisbane and the Gold Coast as part of an excursion to experience science outside the classroom last month.
From 24-27 July, the students took part in an action-packed educational excursion to the state’s south-east corner that combined fun with applied physics.
The adventure began at Dreamworld, where students wore data-logging vests on rollercoasters to compare their theoretical G-force and velocity calculations with real world data.
Later that evening, they tackled brain-bending challenges at an escape room in the city.
On 26 July, the group took flight – literally – at iFly indoor skydiving, modelling their bodies to predict terminal velocity before testing it in the wind tunnel.
Year 11 and 12 physics students departed Weipa to experience science outside the classroom during an excursion to Brisbane and the Gold Coast on 24-27 July. Photo: Supplied.
Despite rainy winter weather, they then powered on to the top of Brisbane’s Story Bridge, which rises to 80 meters, to get a firsthand lesson about its structural design.
The final day of the excursion featured a tour of QUT’s science facilities, including hands-on university-level experiments.
At SparkLab, students experienced lightning via a Tesla coil, conducted vacuum experiments and observed a cloud chamber in action.
Thanks to teachers Jemma Collins and Declan Downes, the physics-focused trip was a memorable, engaging way for students to see science come to life in the real world.
The students used the trip as a chance to take flight – literally – at an indoor skydiving facility, which allowed them to model their bodies to predict terminal velocity before testing their theories. Photo: Supplied.
