WKU's Department of Physics & Astronomy hosts 20/20 Vision Physics Saturday, February 22nd in Kelly Thompson Hall. High school students are invited to register as teams of four to compete in the Western Kentucky Physics Olympics. This half-day competition consists of a pentathlon of challenging problem-solving activities that reward teamwork, communication and creativity.
The 2020 Physics Olympics competition will commence with two activities that involve teams arriving at the event ready to compete with entries they have designed, constructed, and tested. Hiding a message in a colorful background is the goal for Color Blindness, with judging based on how hidden the message is with normal vision, and how accurately it can be retrieved when viewing through colored filters. Puzzles get created before the competition, and submitted for judging the morning. Droplet Lens Magnification is a challenge that requires each team to design, construct, and demonstrate a microscope using a drop of liquid for the magnifying lens.
This year's "Calculation / Communication Challenge" is titled Corrective Optics, requiring each team to divide into pairs, with one pair devise configurations of corrective optics for various situations and the other pair to follow those directions to make use of the needed corrections. The Visionary Escape Room is this year's "On-the-Spot Activity" and will test each team's ability to be the first to solve a multiple visual puzzles and challenges required to unlock the rewards. The "Order-of-Magnitude Quiz" will remain cloaked in secrecy until the day of the event..
Online pre-registration is required. Teams must register online before 4pm, Thursday, February 20, 2020.
A $600 scholarship to attend Western Kentucky University will be presented to each contestant on the top scoring team. The scholarship is to be used during the freshman year and is awarded above and beyond any other scholarships the student might otherwise earn. Medals for the team members and a plaque for the school will be awarded to the top 3 teams in the overall competition. Certificates will be awarded to the top three teams in each event.
| Time | Activity | Location |
| 8:00 | Mandatory check-in for all teams | Snell 3110 |
| 8:30 | Judging begins for Color Blindness | Snell 3110 |
| 8:45 | Droplet Lens Magnification trials | Snell 3110 |
| 10:00 | Competition begins for Corrective Optics | KTH 2038 |
| 11:30 | Order of Magnitude Quiz | KTH 2038 |
| 11:45 | Lunch | KTH 2038 |
| 12:30 | Impromptu Team Activity | Snell 3110 |
| 1:45 | Awards Ceremony | Snell 3110 |
Please see the Events Description page for a complete listing of the official rules for each event.
If you have questions please check our Frequently Asked Questions list or email your question to Richard Gelderman.