As islanders, the sea forms undoubtedly an integral part of our cultural heritage. Mr Alex Bonavia, teacher of Physics, has thought of doing a lesson about pressure in a very original way.
Lynn Faut, a Grade 12 students relates : "During this scholastic year, 27 Physics
students went on a diving trip, not only to learn but also to experience the
effects of pressure under water. We all met at the Maltaqua Diving Centre, but before
going to the diving site, we watched a video which explained the effects of
being underwater, some of which are related to pressure.
After the video, we all tried out different wet-suits,
flippers and goggles and after that, we left to the diving site near Sirens. Each dive took approximately 30 minutes. We formed groups of two or three students to go with different instructors. They showed us different signs to be able to communicate underwater.
As we were underwater, we not only enjoyed feeling weightless and seeing different marine life, but also had the privilege of doing some small tricks, for example, how to get rid of any water in our goggles or taking off the mouthpiece of the regulator and putting it back in without getting any water into our mouths. The pressure around us wasn’t as we are used to and we actually felt this in our ears. The instructors advised us to keep our nose closed and and blow to equalise the pressure in our ears every meter we descended.
The diving trip was a wonderful experience because we learnt more about Physics while enjoying breathing normally underwater and admiring the beautiful sea life around us together with our friends."
That's a terrific lesson! My congratualtions! The idea was really great!
ReplyDelete