The senior classroom has transformed into a crime lab as students learn scientific skills to assist them to solve an as yet, uncommitted "crime" that the dastardly teachers are planning.

On Wednesday we started learning about powder analysis.  We looked at the properties of four different powders: sodium bicarbonate, sugar, citric acid and cornflour.

We tested to see what happened when each was mixed with vinegar, water and indicator. We also looked at what each powder looked like under a microscope.

We observed that citric acid turns indicator water bright red, while sodium bicarbonate turns it a fabulous teal colour and when sodium bicarbonate is mixed with vinegar it foams up in quite a dramatic fashion! We also saw that under a microscope, sugar crystals look like rocks, while cornflour looks like snow.

Our next step is to find out why these things happen and to look at some of the common uses of these powders in every day life.