Problem Solving Success

A team of six Lower Sixth pupils made it to the final of the Surrey SATRO Problem Solving Challenge last week. Surrey SATRO have been running an annual Problem Solving Challenge for more than 20 years. Teams of six are given a limited set of materials and just 90 minutes to solve a challenging problem.

Our Lower Sixth team performed well at the heats of the competition, beating some stiff competition from other local schools to win a place at the final. The team was apprehensive as we drove to the competition venue, but they made a rapid start on the problem – to design a miniature ferris wheel, powered only by the weight of some polo mints.

The team developed an impressive design which worked well during practices, but which unfortunately collapsed (literally) during the judging! The photo shows the team with their design… before disaster struck.