2018 School Magazine

TITRATION COMPETITION

SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING CHALLENGE On Thursday 1 March, 32 Year 9 and 10 students, accompanied by Mr Van der Ros and Mr Lanning, attended the 2018 Science and Engineering Challenge held at The University of Queensland. Girls Grammar split into teams of four to compete in a variety of different challenges from building bridges to planning a city's transport. Girls reported that they found the activities both challenging and enjoyable. Against stiff competition, Girls Grammar performed above expectation to achieve a commendable second place, testament to the girls’ planning, resilience and determination in finding a solution to their respective challenge. On behalf of the girls who competed, I thank Ms Mazzaglia and Ms Muller who organised the competition and Mr Van der Ros and Mr Lanning who accompanied the girls on the day. All eligible girls are encouraged to apply for next year's competition. Abbey Grice (10E) The Titration Competition was held in Term 2 at Queensland University of Technology. Girls Grammar entered two teams, one from Year 11 and one from Year 12, each comprising three eager students. Teams were given three hours to identify the concentration of a base using the concentration of a known acid. Using said base, girls identified the concentration of a different acid. The principle behind this extensive process was to demonstrate that when an acid and base were mixed at the right proportions they created a neutral substance. Measurements were taken and calculations conducted to determine the concentrations. Every drop mattered in this competition as the indicator had to be a specific shade of light pink for the substance to be neutral and the answer had to be to three decimal places. Scores were determined for a team by calculating the difference between each member’s individual answer and the true concentration of the acid. All three scores were combined to give a final score. Girls Grammar performed well on the day and enjoyed the experience thoroughly. The environment and atmosphere of the teams was tremendously positive. I encourage future Year 11 and 12 students to participate in this uniquely enjoyable and intriguing competition. Priyanka Rudra (11E)

JUNIOR YOUNG PHYSICISTS TOURNAMENT

Since the beginning of Term 1, a number of students from Years 9 and 10 have worked tirelessly in preparing for the Junior Young Physicists Tournament (JYPT). The tournament, which was held in Week 1, Term 4, tested each student’s knowledge and investigative reasoning skills. The tournament consists of multiple physics problems and students presented solutions and discussed these with teams from other schools across Australia and New Zealand. The Girls Grammar team had an excellent tournament and were awarded Bronze Certificates. Charlotte Picker (9M)

BRISBANE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL 2018 | CO-CURRICULUM | 107