Rustenburg, Keledi Secondary, 20 April 2018

(205 Learners)

The school was in close proximity to the previous school which meant that we had ample time find it. On arrival it was noted that the break time clashed with the demonstration time so we compromised and suggested that we started early. A spot outside the feeding area was selected which meant that we had to finish on time.

A stiff breeze was blowing so it was decided to not use the fan but to rely entirely on clean energy. All systems worked well but it soon became apparent that the turbine challenge could not be put to the learners. Despite this I am comfortable that the demonstration covered that aspect of the session.

In order to refine the presentation new approaches are introduced to reduce the number of miss conceptions. In this instance it was decided to form a bubble of air in the water chamber to demonstrate the downward displacement of water in capturing either the hydrogen and the oxygen. Learners become so engrossed in observing the formation of the bubble that it is important to formulate the link to the generation of the gas itself. In order to achieve this I blew into the tube to catch a small bubble of air before connecting it to the electrolyser.

All in all it was a successful week engaging with many bright young minds. It is a privilege and a pleasure to share this information with them and we look forward to a successful competition at the end of the year.