This term, our Year 8 Science students took on the challenge of engineering and experimenting with electric carts in an exciting hands-on practical. Working in small groups, students constructed their own battery-powered carts and explored how adding mass affected the speed of their vehicles.

The experiment was inspired by a real-world problem: If a delivery service used electric carts to transport goods, how much extra weight could be added before the cart became too slow? To investigate this, students added 50g masses incrementally and measured how long it took their carts to travel a set distance.

Through this experiment, students practised key scientific inquiry skills, including formulating hypotheses, identifying variables, designing fair tests, collecting and analysing data and evaluating the reliability of their methods. While collaboration was essential for building and testing the carts, each student individually wrote up their findings in a structured practical report.

Many students observed a clear relationship between mass and travel time, reinforcing fundamental principles of physics such as forces, motion and friction. The activity not only deepened their understanding of scientific concepts but also encouraged teamwork, problem-solving and critical thinking.

Well done to all our budding engineers and scientists for their enthusiasm and dedication to this investigation!

Jonathan Carpenter
Middle School Teacher