2nd Class

SCIENCE WEEK:

VISIT FROM NOEL MURPHY

During Science Week a man called Noel Murphy who works for Intel came to our school with a 3D printer. First he showed us a really cool video of the future of fireworks. There were lots of musicians playing in an orchestra and instead of fireworks they were using drones. They made different shapes and at the end it made the word Intel in a speech bubble. It was so cool.

Then he brought us into the halla and showed us the actual 3D printer. He used the printer to make us a referee’s whistle. It took about two hours to print the whistle so it worked while we went back to class and we saw the finished product later that day. He also showed us a sample of other different things made on the printer. One of the samples he showed us was of an elephant. He asked us how we thought it worked to print it. He explained 3D printing works by using melted plastic instead of ink and by building the piece up with the melted plastic layer by layer.

He then asked how we think making the whistle would work because of the ball inside of it. How do you get the ball inside the whistle? Someone answered by saying that you make the ball and then make the other bit beside it and put the ball inside of it. But the 3D printer can’t do that. Then I said that you make it layer by layer so you make the bottom of the whistle then the ball on a tiny post stuck to the base of it then close off the top of it. I was right!

The other materials you can use in a 3D printer are plastic, metals, glass and even chocolate! The products you can make are toys, body armour, helmets etc. You can even make body parts like ears noses and organs! The most interesting fact I learned is that you can construct everything layer by layer. The drones shown in the PowerPoint show was so cool because the drones were moving to the music and it showed how they showed the word ‘Intel’.

I enjoyed Noel’s visit a lot and I hope he comes back again.

BY ELLIE
THIRD CLASS

All About The Science Of Sound!

Today, on the 22nd of November Dr Naomi Lavelle visited our school. She is a scientist and she told us all about the science of sound!

We hear sound with the inside of our ears. Sound travels through the air as something called ‘sound waves’. Dr Naomi taught us how different sounds can be used in different ways.

In her first experiment she had two balloons. Inside one there was a 1 cent coin. In the other there was a ‘hex nut’. It is the nut which you put on a screw. She spun the balloons round and round and they each created a different sound.  Although the hex nut was smaller it created a louder sound. Before we knew this we guessed which object would create the louder sound. I guessed the hex nut would make the noisier sound and I was right!

 

The next experiment was made using a plastic cup, a paperclip and a wet string. There was one small hole in the bottom of the cup which was there for the string to go through. The paperclip was outside the hole and stopped the string falling through the cup. When you squeezed down the string while it was wet it made a sound like a duck or even something very rude! This happened when the string was being pulled it made the cup, the paperclip and the sound waves vibrating in the air inside the cup shake which made the strange noise.

For the next experiment Naomi did the same thing but       with different sized containers. Six volunteers came up and took a container each and in turn they squeezed and pulled the string. We observed and listened to the sound each made. We decided which container made the lowest, deepest noise. We learned the deepest sound was made with a long container, better still with a bit of cardboard and a bit of wood. I think Liam won the ‘deepest sound’ with his but there were some very deep sounds!

 

We had a great visit from Dr Naomi and we learned lots about the science of sound from her! She’s so good and she even has her own website. Check her out on sciencewows.ie! My most interesting fact was that the science of sound could be used in wars as a weapon! I am really glad she came to visit!

By Erin Fahy

3^rd Class