A group of Comet Bay College students have won the Statistical Society of Australia 2019 National Schools Poster Competition.
Year 7 Gifted and Talented students Joseph Tyrrell, Joseph Chapman and Aiden Thomas were praised for their investigation and poster 'Testing the Placebo Effect (with Chocolate!)'.
The boys tested their peers’ chocolate preferences with mislabeled Cadbury samples, and discovered people choose their favourite by brand rather than taste.
Dean of Mathematics Michelle Wood said it was a creative way to demonstrate their statistic investigations processing skills.
“This is a fantastic competition which challenged our students to develop a hypothesis, collect data and test it, and then document and explain their findings,” she said.
“I’m incredibly thrilled to see Comet Bay College leading the way in Mathematics.
“Joseph, Joseph and Aiden did a remarkable job and should be extremely proud of their efforts."
The win earned the boys $100 for their team, $100 for the College and puts them in the running for the International title.
Joseph Chapman, 13, said he was surprised and excited by the win.
“It was really fun taking chocolate round to our friends to get the data we needed for this investigation,” he said.
“Projects like this make maths really fun.”
Mandurah residents encouraged to have their say on proposed 4.95% rate increase, Long Term Financial Plan
Developers sought for more housing in Rockingham
Lamp electrical fault deemed the cause of Parmelia house fire
Elderly man, woman injured in South Western Highway crash
Mayor denies Waikiki Primary School told to revert back to traditional siren
New AI safety cameras capture shocking images of unrestrained children
Woman arrested after fight breaks out at Cooloongup Salvos
Halls Head Football and Netball Club help tackle childhood hunger
Finalists celebrated at City of Rockingham’s 2026 Volunteer Recognition Awards