Events for the 2002 Western Kentucky Physics Olympics
A team of judges will determine the overall winner based on each
team's score in the five different events.
1) Egg Mail: the Do-Ahead Project
The object of this Do-Ahead Project is to design a container in which a
raw egg can be sent through the U.S. Mail and arrive intact at:
Western Kentucky Science Olympics
c/o Prof. Richard Gelderman
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, KY 42101
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The egg must be a raw (uncooked) Grade A large chicken egg,
unaltered in any fashion.
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The egg may be covered by tape or another coating which is easily
removable.
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Pack the egg in the smallest container possible (smallest volume,
smallest mass).
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Within the package, enclose the egg in a leak-proof container or
plastic bag.
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The size of the package must be bigger than 5 inches by 3 inches
(according to US Post Office regulations) and smaller than 6 inches
by 5 inches by 8 inches (such that it can fit into a standard
rural-style mailbox).
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Using the U.S. Postal Service, mail the packaged raw egg to the
designated address for arrival on or before Wednesday, February 6th,
2001. Late deliveries will not be judged.
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All packages will be opened by the judges on Thursday, February
7th, 2001. A judge will unpack and remove the egg from all
containers and wrappings. The egg must be unblemished, naturally
colored, with no cracks or damage evident. An egg which is damaged
in the normal process of removing it from its containers/wrappings
will be judged as having failed to survive.
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Each team's score is calculated as the sum of points awarded for
the egg's survival (0 to 50) and the product of volume (cm3)
and mass (g). In case of tie scores, the amount of postage will be
considered (less is better). The team with the lowest score wins.
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All contestants will ensure that their entry works through the
application of physics principles and generally follows the spirit
of the competition.
2) Egg Catcher - the Plan-Ahead Competition
Teams do the strategizing and construction ahead of time for the
Plan-Ahead Competition, arriving at the event ready to compete with
their apparatus. For 2002 each team must design and build a stationary,
inanimate, and unattended device that will safely catch an egg dropped
from increasing heights.
The object of this Plan-Ahead Project is to design a device that will
catch a raw egg, dropped from increasing heights, without breaking the
egg.
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There are no restrictions as to the size of the catching device
other than it must fit through a normal-sized door when fully
assembled.
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The catching device must be inanimate, stationary, and unattended
during the testing. No electrically powered or inflating devices may
be used. If such devices are part of the assembly, they will be
considered as part of the mass for scoring.
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Each team will be allowed two minutes to set up and position its
device.
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Each team will decide the initial height (greater than 1-meter)
from which the raw (uncooked) Grade A large chicken egg, unaltered
in any fashion, will be dropped. If a catch is successful, the team
may request that testing continue from a greater height.
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Each team's score is calculated as the maximum height from which
the egg is dropped without breaking divided by the height of the
catching device (measured to its highest point above the floor).
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All contestants will ensure that their entry works through the
application of physics principles and generally follows the spirit
of the competition.
3) Laser Zap - the Impromptu Calculation/Theory Problem
Students will use teamwork, communication and calculation skills to
guide a laser beam around an obstacle and hit a target. Three members of
the team will be presented with a collection of optical components and
must use the appropriate physics concepts to calculate a plan to
redirect the laser beam around an obstacle and hit the target. The
fourth team member follows the team's written instructions to set up the
components with no additional communication. Finally, the judges perform
the test and score the result. For this year's Problem, the first three
team members have 10 minutes to measure the setup and 20 minutes to
produce the written plan for accomplishing the task. Then the written
plan is handed to the fourth team member, who has 10 minutes to execute
the instructions. Finally, the judges turn on the laser and score the
team's effort according to distance from target. The lowest score wins.
4) Impromptu Team Physics Activity
Activity is the key word for this competition, with the goal being for
each team to achieve the desired result as quickly as possible. The
situation is designed to reward teamwork and common sense thinking as
well as knowledge of physics and the ability to work with formulae.
Every team will come away with smiles and good memories regardless of
how well they master the particular challenge.
5) Order-of-Magnitude Quiz (also known as Fermi Questions)
Arrive at a reasonable approximation for the value of a complex
situation with very little to no information available to directly
compute the answer. In this quiz, the contestants will need to quickly
make assumptions for values to use in simple calculations in order to
arrive at the "correct" answer, stated as the power of ten of
the number that fits the accepted value.
Teams will receive 5 questions to complete within 15 minutes. The
teams can divide the work in any way they see fit, but only one answer
per question per team will be accepted.
Answers will be judged according to how many orders of magnitude the
team's answer is from the judge's solution. The lowest score wins -- 0
points awarded for the answer accepted by the panel of judges, with 1
point scored per order of magnitude from the accepted value.
Examples of Order-of-Magnitude Quiz questions include:
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How many electrons enter the starter motor when a new, full-sized
pickup starts?
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How many times would a tire of a Ford Taurus rotate when driven
from NYC to LA?
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Estimate the number of gallons of gasoline used annually by all
the cars in the USA.
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