Here is the challenge that the Science Club was  given today.

 

We cut up the ransom note to test it using chromatography.   To do this we dropped a small amount of water onto the pen to see what would happen.  We noticed that each pen produced a different pattern when the ink spread out in the water.

Next we tested each of the suspects pens by drawing with them and then putting a drop of water on top.

Finally we compared the suspects pens to the ransom note to determine which pen wrote the note.
Two pens were very similar but most of us got it right.

A Mysterious White Powder

Help - A mysterious white powder has arrived in a letter.  It could be dangerous.  We need a forensic scientist to find out what it is.

This was the challenge that the science club kids had today.  They were given 6 different powders and had to do 3 tests to find out what they were.

 
The tests were:

• Iodine Test  - This tests to see if the substance has starch in it.  If there is starch it will go black.
• Vinegar Test  - This tests to see if the substance is a base.  If it is a base it will fizz.
• Indicator Paper Test  - This tests to see if the substance is an acid, base or neutral.  If it was an acid the paper goes red.  If it was a base the paper goes green/blue.  If it was neutral there was no colour change.

It's fizzing up with the vinegar!

The substance has changed colour when I added the iodine.  It must be starch.

We used a flowchart to determine what the substance was and recorded our results carefully.

We had to record our evidence very carefully.

 Luckily the forensic scientists identified all the powders correctly (and none of them were dangerous)!

Science is Real and Science Rocks at EHS

Last week Eastern Hutt School celebrated Science Week.  Take a look at all the amazing science we got up to.

Crime Scene Science - Fingerprinting

Josh - Today we learnt how to identify fingerprints from different people and ourselves.

Ashni - Today we learnt how to use different skills to identify peoples fingerprints.

Yasmine- We displayed our fingerprints and named each feature.

Ethan - It was interesting when we went around the room to try and identify each persons fingerprints.  This was really hard.

Ashwini - Today we learnt how to be like a forensic scientist and we learnt how to show our fingerprints.  Fingerprints have different patterns.  At the end we had a guessing game and had to work out whose finger print we had.  It was very hard.


Claire - Today at Science Club we had to show many different science skills and try to recognize each others fingerprints.

Rohan - Today I learnt that being a Forensic Scientist is really hard work.  You need to keep on trying when something doesn't work.  You can't give up.

Selena - Did you know there are so many different types of fingerprints?

Matt F - There are different fingerprint types and I had an accidental pattern on my thumb.

Matt B - We learnt how to be Forensic Scientists and study fingerprints.  We tried to take latent fingerprints with baby powder but this was really hard.

Louis - Today we learnt about how to be Forensic Scientists and how to study fingerprints.  We learnt that there are 7 different types of fingerprint patterns.  Mine were mostly central pocket loops.  Who knew there were so many different fingerprint patterns?

Max - Today we studied fingerprints and we played a guessing game to see if we could figure out whose fingerprint we had received.  Instead I used the handwriting on the paper and matched it up to the writing on their fingerprint sheet. (Very clever!)