Newton's Laws of Motion, properties of polarized light and the relationship between pressure, volume and temperature are not concepts generally associated with fun in the minds of Grade Eleven learners. However, like with many scientific rules, there is always an exception.

Thursday 25 October saw the annual explosion of the UCT Phenomenal Physics Expo. The five Grade Elevens who were privileged to attend, Kelly Futter, Abigale Page, Leanne Johansson, Latiefa Paleker and Nancy Schutze, were all in agreement that it was indeed phenomenal. Whoever would have thought to use a banana as a hammer or rubber tubing as nails? And since when are sound waves visible? Demonstrations included lighting a match from across the room and blowing out candles from a similar distance. By lying on a bed of nails and hammering a nail into a block on his chest, one lecturer demonstrated the art of putting into practice the area-pressure relationship. By understanding the effects of polarized light and why the sky is blue, we were able to create an artificial sunset. Creating the comet, however proved even more fun. The involvement of the audience was actively encouraged. An outsider popping in at one moment would have been excused for not believing his or her eyes in seeing hundreds of tiny white balls hovering in the air above the audience's mouths.

It was confirmed that science does have the potential to be fun and none of us will forget that there's more than one way to blow up a balloon or crush a can!

Leanne Johansson