The Bathurst 1000 - it’s coming! Sometime in November, it will be one thousand kilometres of petrol fumes, high speed and fierce rivalry. There’s little doubt that Mt Panorama is a mecca for the car enthusiast. It could be considered the bastion of Australian car racing. There is no sweeter sound for the diehards, than the one that delights the ears as you stand on the side of a racetrack. Brand loyalties aside (Holden or Ford…maybe Kia?), watching these peacock bright beasts hurtling down a hill at three-digit speeds, certainly gets the heart rate racing. The scream of approaching precision tuned v8 engines is high pitched, as well as simultaneously ear-splitting and adrenaline inducing. Then, in a blur of sponsor logos and glass with a lingering smell of burnt rubber, they flash by. Accompanied by the tell-tale pitch drop, the typical sound of a departing race car, they gradually diminish to nothing.
This is the Doppler Effect. Yes, race cars are exciting but, Science tragic that I am, I have to explain everything. That pitch change, high to low, in the sound of an object (assuming it’s making sound) as it approaches and passes by is called the Doppler Effect. It happens because the sound waves preceding the approaching object are compressed, squashed between you the observer, and the fast approaching object. More sound waves per second, means higher frequency, means higher pitch. Subsequently, as the object disappears into the distance, it takes longer and longer for each sound wave to get to your ears. So…less sound waves per second means lower frequency, means lower pitched sound. Bingo, the thrilling sound of racing cars in their natural habitat.
Funnily enough, astronomers use a variation of the Doppler Effect to gauge how distant big things in space are from us. They call it Doppler Shift. This banks on the fact that high frequency light tends to be blueish (like high frequency sound tends to be higher pitched sound) and low frequency light is red (low pitched sound). By this reasoning, and a with a hint of Doppler Effect, the light coming from a star or galaxy that is moving toward us at great pace, will, to us here on Earth, look bluish. Light waves are compressed and shifted into the blue end of the spectrum. Conversely the light from an object moving away from us will be red shifted, that is, look red. It’s all very intense and just as exciting as race cars.
It’s true then, race cars and immense celestial objects are subject to the Doppler Effect, but seemingly, so are school terms. Term 3 commenced and has progressed in all its busyness and excitement with high pitched energy, illuminated in the bright blue and white of Eddies. Exciting and frenetic, that pace continued at high speed even this week.
Year 10 students braved one of the penultimate activities of The Rite Journey program, the Challenge Camp. Two days and one night away from home at Emu Gully they engaged in activities that would definitely push comfort boundaries. Hearing stories about the lived reality of veterans in various theatres of conflict, WWI, WWII, Vietnam and experiencing, in a small way, the hardships they endured, our young men were challenged into reflection and introspection, while simultaneously having to consider the needs of others in their team. Tunnels and mud pits, night treks and tower jumps are challenging and fun, and a chance for learning beyond the classroom.
On Wednesday, the College Interhouse Athletics carnival screamed through. This community building event, postponed a number of weeks ago, was certainly a successful day for all. Eddies has always appreciated the presence of parents and caregivers to such days and I realise COVID restrictions have stifled this somewhat recently. Please be assured that as this situation eases and as part of the Eddies Team you are always welcome. In amongst the craziness of the day with House colours and logos speeding by, through sheer weight of numbers, and with the impact of sustained participation, Elliott were crowned the champions of the day.
Then without even a toe touching the brake of our speeding term, Wednesday evening saw Ambrose Place as the location for our Cultural Showcase. In a warm and surprisingly intimate venue, the appreciative audience of parents, caregivers and families were regaled with the incredible abilities of our young men. I never cease to be proud or appreciative of the outstanding talent we have at Eddies.
Finally, sitting here on a Thursday afternoon, heart rate slowly returning to rest, it seems that Term 3 has passed - so quickly that it’s remembered now, like a hazy vision of action, fun and hopefully learning. As the high pitch roar of activity subsides into the distance and the bright light of the school day shifts to a slower, lower reddish vacation hue, I hope all in our Eddies Team, our young men, our families and our staff are able to take some time to relax and rest, in preparation for Term 4. Because it is an exciting certainty that, at great pace the end of the year will speed towards us and pass by. High pitched and high energy, crazy busy, shifted into the blue and white, it will be oh so typically, Eddies.
