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This competition involves two parts: tuning the bottles and playing a tune. The objective in tuning the bottles is to duplicate the standard C-major musical scale by ear alone. The objective in playing a tune is to perform a short musical tune using only the tones generates by the water filled bottles. This is a three-person team event where the total involvement of the team will be included as part of the scoring. Teams must compete in both parts of the competition. The excitation of the bottles is to be accomplished by blowing across the mouth of the bottle. Striking bottles will not be accepted. Musical instruments, such as tuning forks or pitch pipes are not to be used in the competition. Teams are required to bring their own bottles. Water funnels will be provided at the site. Tuning: Each three-member team is required to bring eight identical unmarked 16-oz bottles, unfilled and subject to examination and randomization by the judges. It is the job of the team to tune the unfilled bottles by adding water provided at the site. There is a five-minute time limit for tuning. The Tuning competition will be scored as follows:
Playing: The eight tuned bottles from the tuning competition must be used as the foundation for the song used in the playing competition. In addition to the eight bottles from the tuning, the team may bring up to 16 glass bottles of any size and shape. These additional bottles may be tuned as desired but must be already tuned prior to the competition. The team may choose any short musical selection desired but all sounds must be generated by blowing across the bottle opening with a five-minute time limit. The playing competition will be scored as follows:
Team score will be found by summing the scores on the two sub-parts.
The purpose of this competition is to build a balsa wood bridge to support the maximum weight. Materials and Construction Rules: 1. Total mass of the bridge plus cement shall not exceed 110.0 grams. 2. The bridge shall contain no element wider than neither 0.953 cm nor thicker than 0.635-cm commercial balsa stock. Two or more single pieces each separately qualifying may be attached by the student without violating this requirement. 3. Balsa wood and glue are the only materials that may be used. 4. No fastening mechanism except mechanical interlock of the balsa pieces or gluing with commercial glue is allowed. Design and Capacity Rules: 5. The bridge shall allow a 10.0-cm cube to slide underneath its span without touching. 6. The bridge shall allow a 40.0-cm wide 2.0 cm tall board to slide underneath without touching. 7. The bridge must be "free standing." 8. The bridge must provide an approximately horizontal "roadway" above the 10 cm level and extending at least 40 cm upon which a small car of the "Hot Wheels" or "Matchbox" variety can roll if given a slight push by hand. 9. This "roadway" must allow the standard test frame to rest on it at its center with its load support rods extending to the sides. Testing: 1. The bridge will be placed upon a test stand which will consist of two flat, level surfaces allowing all of the "foot" of the bridge on each side of the span to rest flat. 2. Two one-inch (1.27 cm radius) dowels will be rested on the "roadway" separated by 6.0 cm and the test block (10.5 cm long X 3.68 cm X 2.54 cm high) will be rested upon them. Either a single steel rod on the middle of the test block, or two rods 6.0 cm apart (thus 3.0 cm from center in either direction) will be rested on the block extending beyond the sides of the bridge in either direction. Load will be applied to the bridge on these projecting rods. 3. In its simplest form, a hopper will be hung from the rods and weight added slowly. 4. Testing will end in either the catastrophic collapse of the bridge (i.e., a broken member) or at any loud crackling sound indicating that collapse is impending. With the approval of the student builder, testing may proceed beyond a crackling sound, but will stop there in his or her absence. The score will based on the greatest weight the bridge supports before catastrophic collapse or any loud crackling sound indicating that collapse is impending.
The objective of the coathook cannon competition is to use a simple apparatus to launch a projectile on a predictable trajectory to hit a prescribed target after clearing an intervening obstacle. 1. Competitors may design and construct their own "coathook cannons" prior to the competition, or they may use the cannon available at the site. 2. All cannons are made from a single wire coat hanger, consisting of the single round hook at one end to hang over a bar, a long straight section, and a right-angle bend at the bottom to a short spur to hold the projectile. 3. The projectile is to be a 2.54-cm steel or brass ball with a hole drilled through the center to accommodate the lower spur of the cannon. Such spheres are available in physics labs where they are used as pendulum bobs. Competitors may use their own ball or use the one supplied, which will have a 0.635-cm hole. 4. All cannons are to be suspended from 1.3-cm steel launch rods that will be provided at the launch site. 5. Release occurs when the cannon swings and encounters a crossbar, adjustable in height, which may be positioned at any distance in front of the launch rod by the competitors. 6. The projectile must clear a barrier, adjustable in height, which will be set beforehand by random draw, but will not be higher dm 50 cm. This may be placed at any position between the release and the target, for example the midpoint, by the competitors. The Competition: 1. Each team will draw for a barrier height and be furnished a target range. 2. The team will have a maximum of ten minutes for calculations and planning before the start of their round. 3. The team will be given a maximum of three minutes to arrange their cannon and position the crossbar and barrier (which will be preset by the judges to the drawn height). NO PRACTICE SHOTS WILL BE ALLOWED! 4. The projectile must be drawn back and released from between thumb and forefinger of the competitor. No mechanical release shall be allowed. 5. Only one competitor may touch the apparatus during a run, although other team members may take measurements and provide information during the run. 6. No measuring instruments may be used which attach to the launching apparatus. Apart from this, any measuring instruments or calculating devices are allowed. 7. Three minutes will be allowed for the three shots that will be scored. 8. The distance (D) from the point at target level directly below the cannon attachment rod to the center of the target will be recorded. 9. Each of the three impacts will be spotted and the radial distance (X) from the center of the target will be recorded. The score earned will be calculated from: Score = { D - [X(l) + X(2) + X(3)] } / D x I 00
A team of up to three students is to design and build a vehicle that will travel exactly 2 meters down a 15º plywood grade and then coast on level plywood coming to rest with the front wheels on a line exactly 2 meters from the end of the incline. 1. There is no limit on the amount or type of materials used, but the finished vehicle must fit inside a 10 cm (4 inch) x 15 cm (6 inch) x 30 cm (12 inch) box. Lubrication may be used, but cannot dirty the plywood grade. All parts must remain within the vehicle throughout the trip. 2. The only source of power allowed is the result of the gravitational force exerted on the vehicle down the incline (NO PUSHING). No power source direct or indirect is allowed. 3. Friction - based braking systems may be used. 4. Each contestant will be allowed only one run. The winner will be the vehicle coming to rest with its front wheels closet to the 2-meter line. Measurements will be made in 0.5 cm units with partial units being assigned the next higher value. The measurements will be made between the point of contact of the wheel with the ground and 2-meter line. One point will be deducted for each cm the front axle is away (either side) from the 2 cm line.
The objective of this event is to package an egg so that it may survive a fall from a considerable height and remain unbroken. 1. Participants will design and construct a packaging according to the following specifications: a. Maximum weight of 3.0 newtons (300 grams). 2. A grade A medium chicken egg will be supplied for each entry. It cannot be chemically or physically altered. It must be inserted into the package immediately prior to the drop. The contestant will have a maximum of ten minutes to insert the egg and present the package for testing. 3. The egg packages must be checked in, measured, loaded with eggs and stored for testing in the morning according to schedule. 4. The procedure for testing later in the day, at a posted time and place, will be as follows: a. The package will be attached to the release mechanism by means of the
support ring. For unbroken eggs the score will be calculated using: Score = 1 / (time x length x weight).
The purpose of this competition is for a three person team to construct an aluminum foil barge, out of materials provided at the site, that can hold the greatest weight without sinking. 1. There will be a ten minute time limit for the construction of all barges. 2. All barges will be constructed during the same ten minute time period, with no modifications allowed after the constructed period has elapsed. 3. After construction, the barges will be held in the shipyard until the assigned time for testing. 4. All barges will be constructed from a 15 x 15 cm piece of standard aluminum foil provided at the event site. No other material may be used. There are no other design or shape limitations. 5. One team member must be designated as barge captain and be present for the testing. He or she shall do all handling of the barge. Barges will be tested in a container of water by allowing the competitor to slowly place pennies into the barge until the competitor decides it has reached a safe limit of loading. -If the barge sinks it is disqualified. 6. After the competitor stops adding weight, the barge must remain afloat for at least one 1-minute before it qualifies to be scored. If it sinks during this minute it is disqualified. 7. The barge captain shall have a maximum of five minutes to add weights to the barge. If that time elapses before he or she has chosen to stop, no further weight may be added and the one minute free-float time test will begin automatically. At the end of a successful one minute free-float test, the barge may be scored by counting the number of pennies supported.
The objective of this competition is to produce the poster judged to be the most (a) to the point, (b) visually compelling, and (c) best executed of the posters submitted for judgment. 1. Each team of 3 students will be allowed to bring to the construction site a shopping bag of their own materials. These may include (but are not limited to): adhesive - tape and glue 2. Each team will be provided a standard size sheet of posterboard at the start of the competition. The posterboard provided will be in white OR any standard color of our choosing, at our discretion, and will have an identifying mark on its back, making it official. 3. At the appointed time the topic will be announced to all competing group. (For example a typical topic might be "Newton's First Law of Motion.") Teams will then have one hour to turn in a completed poster on the announced topic for judging. 4. Posters will be judged on:
The objective of this event is for a team of four students to direct a laser beam around an obstacle and back to its original point of incidence on a screen using only the provided optical components, which are to be placed in the light path by the students in positions and orientations of their choosing. THE PROBLEM: 1. A laser will be placed in a fixed position at one end of a table with a screen a distance of D away at the other end of the table, such that, when turned on, the laser beam is incident on a marked target dot on the screen. 2. Neither the laser nor the screen may be moved during the competition. 3. A barrier of width W will be introduced in the light path at a distance X from the laser. 4. The job of the team is to direct the beam from its original direction, around the barrier and back to fall onto to the original point of incident on the unmoved screen. 5. To deflect the beam two prisms will be provided: a semicircular prism of radius R and index of refraction, N(1) 6. The original light path will be marked on the table as a reference and each prism will be supplied with a sheet of polar coordinate graph paper to allow setting angles. THE COMPETITION: 1. The team will receive a starting time when first reporting in for the day. 2. At the appointed time the team will be given five minutes to see the apparatus and discuss the setup among themselves or ask questions. 3. Following this, the team will designate one or two of the team members as experimentalists and the remaining two or three as theorists. The experimentalist(s) will leave to return in a half-hour and the theorists will move to a different room. 4. The theorists will be given precise values of D, W, X, R, N(1) and N(2), as defined above, and will have a maximum of 30 minutes to calculate and specify the precise positioning of each prism to divert the laser beam from its original path, around the barrier and back to its original point of incidence on the screen. 5. The theorists shall be allowed trig tables and regular calculators; judges before use will erase programmable calculators. 6. The theorists will produce, on a sheet of paper provided, the most precise specifications for the positioning of each prism on the table surface that they can. 7. This specification sheet will be handed to the event judge at the end of 30 minutes, complete or not. The judge, in turn, will deliver it to the returning experimentalist(s) who has been absent. 8. Without conferring with his or her theorist colleagues, the experimentalist(s) will have 10 minutes to follow the specifications on the sheet and set up the prisms as directed on the sheet as precisely as possible. 9. Following this, the judge will turn on the laser and measure the distance from its original target dot to its new position on the screen. The team closet to the original position will win.
The objective of this competition has been changed for this year and is NEW. The objective of this competition is to produce a paper airplane from given materials at the contest location which will fly the longest time and greatest straight-line distance from the launch point before hitting the ground. Preparation: 1. Competitors will construct their airplane at the launch site and only from materials provided there. 2. The following materials will be supplied to each competitor: One 22 x 28 cm sheet of ditto paper One 30-cm long piece of 1.9-cm wide transparent cellophane tape. One #1-GEM paper clip 3. Ten minutes will be allowed to construct the planes. 4. All planes will be constructed at one time and then checked in with the judges to be placed into the "hanger" until launching begins later in the day. Contestants may not touch their planes until their launch time later in the day. Test Flights: 1. Launches will be conducted by each competitor from an elevated platform at one end of the DBCC gymnasium, which is immediately next to the science building. 2. Each competitor is allowed one and only one launch. 3. The flight ends when the released plane touches any surface. 4. The time of flight, T, from launch to the striking of a surface will be measured. 5. The distance, D, from the point on the floor directly below the launch position to the point on the floor directly below the first point touched by the plane will be measured. The score for the event will be the time of flight, T, in seconds times the distance of
flight, D, in meters.
The purpose of this competition is for a team of three members to construct a freestanding tower of maximum height using a single sheet of paper. 1. Each team will be supplied with one sheet of 22x28 cm ditto paper and one 50 cm long strip of 1.9 cm wide cellophane tape on arrival at the construction site.2. No other materials may be used on the tower. Construction aids such as meter sticks or scissors should be brought to the site.3. The sheet of paper may be cut into pieces and reassembled as desired. Parts may be rolled, folded or slit.4. Tape is used to fasten parts of the tower together. It may not be used to attach the tower to the floor or any other object. A tower shall be declared freestanding if it remains self-supporting for more than 10 seconds.5. Height is determined by measuring the vertical distance from the highest point on the tower to the floor at the end of the 10-second period.6. Each team must complete the construction of its tower in ten minutes. The height may be measured as often during that time as the team requests, but the officials do this on a priority basis.
The objective of this event is to mail a Pringle potato chip through the U.S. Postal Service and have it arrive still in one whole piece. The Pringle is appropriate because of its standard, non-planar shape and relative fragility. The chip mailed must be a standard size, non-ridged, whole and unadulterated chip. 1. Packaging must be rectangular in shape such that its volume may be calculated from its length, width and height. The Postal Service has a minimum packaging size requirement, which is 3.5 inches x 5 inches x 0.5 inches. Therefore the minimum package volume is 71.7 cubic centimeters. 2. The package material and weight have no restrictions. 3. The postmark date on the package must be on or before one week prior to the Physics Olympics competition day. 4. The package must be mailed through the United States Postal Service using First Class rates. 5 . The person who is labeled as the return addressee shall be the only person allowed to open the package at the competition. 6. The potato chip must be completely removed from the packaging unbroken. 7. The package should be addressed to the following
Dr. David M. Riban, Science Department Broken chips will be disqualified. The score for each surviving chip
will be calculated using:
The objective of this event is for a 2 or 3 person team to construct the longest possible arm that will support a 100-gram mass. 1. Materials will be supplied at the competition site. Each team will receive 20 plastic (#20) drinking straws and 20 (size # 17) straight pins. 2. Construction time is limited to 20 minutes. Testing is allowed during construction. 3. When the team is ready the judge will witness the official trial. 4. The length of the soda straw strong arm will be measured horizontally by one of the judges. 5. One of the team members will be the sole support for the apparatus. The team member will hold one end of the apparatus while resting his/her elbow or hand on the table provided for a steadying support. 6. The length of the arm will be the horizontal distance from the end of the hand holding the apparatus to the line of force of the 100-gram mass. The team with the longest arm that is able to support the 100-gram mass will be declared the winner of the event.
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