SURREY SATRO PROBLEM SOLVING COMPETITION

On Wednesday, 24^th February, teams of six girls from 6th Form, Year 10 and Year 9 travelled to George Abbot School in Guildford, where they took part in the annual Surrey Satro problem solving competition. This year’s challenge was to create a lunar landing craft with a working light that, when a switch or lever was used, fell from a gantry and landed upright with the light still intact. Points were awarded for design, height of the gantry and a working light. The main challenge was creating a working switch and preventing the light bulb from smashing as the craft landed. It was a very stressful but exciting experience and after some clever sewing with a cocktail stick and a wire and the copious use of sticky tape, the 6^th Form managed to create a working device in the last minute of the time allowed. Luckily when tested the 6th Form’s craft landed safely with the light still working on both attempts. Although taking a different structural idea, the Year 9s and 10s also created successful lunar crafts and gantries. After all the teams’ creations had been measured there was an anxious wait for the results. Unfortunately, due to stiff competition the Year 9 team just missed out but the 6^th Form and Year 10 teams both came runners-up in their category which enables them to go through to the regional finals at Charterhouse School on 18^th March. Thank you to Mrs Blackburn and Ms Davies who accompanied the girls and provided much needed support. Report by Susannah Cant.