The Triple Science logo rationale

Biology - Chemistry - Physics

The logo incorporates three symbols representing the Triple Science GCSEs of Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

Biology subject symbol - a sunflower

The sunflower head contains many small flowers -- called florets -- arranged in a pattern of interconnected spirals. Mathematicians are fascinated by sunflowers: one floret and the next are separated by the golden angle, and the number of left and right spirals are in the Fibonacci sequence. Sunflowers are heliotropic plants: during the day most sunflowers move with the sun as it travels across the sky, from east to west. Before dawn, they move to face the sun as it rises in the east. Most sunflowers permanently face eastwards when they are in bloom. Sunflowers are farmed for sunflower seeds, used as food for people and animals, and sunflower oil, for cooking. Sunflower oil is also used to make biodiesel -- a low-emissions fuel sometimes used for heating systems and instead of petrol or diesel for cars and trucks. Some sunflowers can grow to 3.5 metres tall but a few have been even taller. Several sunflowers have reached 8 metres and one, in 1567, is thought to have reached 12 metres -- more than twice the height of a double-decker bus!

Chemistry subject symbol - a fluorite crystal

Fluorite is a mineral compound: calcium flouride, written as CaF2. Its crystals can be cubic, octahedral (resembling two square-based pyramids stuck together) or more complicated shapes -- 20cm wide cubic crystals have been discovered in Russia! Fluorite crystals can be blue, green, pink, purple, red, white or yellow. Some fluoresce -- they glow under ultraviolet light -- and some thermoluminesce -- they glow when exposed to heat. In fact, fluoresce takes its name from fluorite. Fluorite is often found in rocks formed by hydrothermal (hot water) circulation, which usually occurs deep in the Earth's crust and around volcanoes and ocean ridges. Fluorite is also found in granites and other igneous rocks, which are formed by when molten rock -- called magma -- cools and solidifies. The purest grade of flourite is used to make hydrofluoric acid, but other grades are used to make aluminum and steel, enamels, non-stick coatings and opalescent glass. Flourite diffracts light less than glass, so it is often used in high-performance lenses for cameras and telescopes.

Physics subject symbol - an oxygen atom

Oxygen is a simple chemical element. Each atom comprises a nucleus of eight protons and eight neutrons, surrounded by two shells of electrons -- an inner shell of two electrons and an outer shell of six electrons. About 20% of the air we breathe is diatomic oxygen (a molecule comprising two oxygen atoms, written as 02), which is made by plants during photosynthesis. Diatomic oxygen is essential for animal life because of its role in aerobic respiration -- in animal cells oxygen reacts with glucose (from food) to release large amounts of energy plus water and carbon dioxide. Triatomic oxygen (a molecule comprising three oxygen atoms, written as 03) -- also called ozone -- is made in the upper layers of the atmosphere and prevents the most harmful part of the sun's ultraviolet radiation from reaching the surface of Earth. Oxygen readily bonds with other chemical elements to make compounds -- everyday examples are water (oxygen and hydrogen, written as H20), sand (oxygen and silicon, written as Si02) and rust (oxygen and iron, written as Fe203).