SFA PHYSICS OLYMPICS

Event Results for 2003

 

More than 110 area high school students participated in the annual Physics Olympics sponsored by the Society of Physics Students at SFA on Saturday, March 22, 2003.

 

The students, representing 12 area high schools and junior high schools, formed 26 teams and competed in six events designed to utilize the principles of physics.   The schools were Chireno High School, Corrigan-Camden High School, Diboll High School, Douglass High School, Hemphill High School, Jacksonville High School, Joaquin High School, Livingston High School, Nacogdoches High School, Rusk Junior High, Woden High School and Woden Junior High School.

 

Each team also built a rubber band powered boat that traverses a distance of 6’4” in the shortest period of time.  Each team produced one vehicle powered by a mousetrap.  The mousetrap vehicles were required to travel a distance of 10 meters in the shortest possible time.  Students participating in the egg drop competition designed a container to protect an uncooked egg dropped from a three-story building onto a concrete surface. The operator of the device was not allowed to enter the circle or the space above it.

 

The goal of the eggstraction competition was to create a device to remove a raw egg from the center of a 28-foot circle.  Water rockets created from plastic, 2-liter soft-drink bottles were launched using water and compressed air as a propellant. Rockets were pressurized with a bicycle tire pump.  The last event of the day was the crowd favorite trebuchet event.   Each team had built a medieval launching device that was required to vault an object, a softball, as far as possible.

 

This year a team from Hemphill High School won first place overall in the competition, based on combined scores from the six events.  Team members were Sean Randle, Baron Easely, Ryan Ince, and Emily Click.  The team sponsor was their physics teacher Randy Smith.

 

A team from Rusk Junior High School won second place overall in the competition.  Team members were Elizabeth Guinn, Daniel Kennedy, Chris Walley, Matthew Wilcox and Ashley Crowley.  The team sponsor was their physics teacher Jane Scallon.

 

This year teams from Douglass High School won third and fourth place trophies for the overall competition.  Team members were Boram Chae, Sam Clinch, Alicai Havard, Sam Watson, Cristin Lane, Sheila Gerrald, Stephen Gerrald, Cliff Surda, and Tony Ferrell.   The team sponsors were physics teachers Coy Harry and Kim Pruitt.

The Physics Olympics is an annual event sponsored by the Society of Physics Students at SFA.

 

 

 

Overview of Events

 

  • MOUSETRAP CAR RACE
    • Objective:  Each team is to produce one vehicle powered by a mousetrap.  The vehicle should travel a distance of 10 meters in the shortest possible time.
  • RUBBERBAND BOAT RACE
    • Objective: To construct a boat powered only by rubber bands that traverses a distance of 6’4” in the shortest period of time.
  • EGG DROP
    • Objective:  To design a container that will protect a Grade A Large egg from a fall of about 13 meters (3 stories) onto a concrete surface of area approximately 3 m x 2.5 m.
  • EGGSTRACTION
    • Objective: To design a device operated by one person that will extract a Grade A Large egg from the middle of a 4.25-meter radius circle.
  • TREBUCHET
    • Objective:  To vault an object, a softball, as far as possible using only gravity.
  • WATER ROCKET
    • Objective: To build a rocket from a 2-liter plastic soft drink bottle.

 

 

 

 

 

Ribbons and Trophies

 

Rubberband Boat Race

 

 

 

Eggstraction

 

 

First Place

Rusk Junior 3

75.5 inches!

 

First Place

Woden 1

3.14 seconds!

Second Place

Douglass 1

 

 

Second Place

Hemphill 2

 

Third Place

Livingston 2

 

 

Third Place

Chireno 2

 

Fourth Place

Chireno 1

 

 

Fourth Place

Hemphill 1

 

Fifth Place

Nacogdoches 5

 

 

Fifth Place

Nacogdoches 4

 

Sixth Place

Nacogdoches 3

 

 

Sixth Place

Nacogdoches 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mousetrap

 

 

 

Water Rocket Ribbons

 

 

First Place

Hemphill 2

10 seconds!

 

First Place

Joaquin 1

9.28 seconds!

Second Place

Douglass 1

 

 

Second Place

Nacogdoches 2

 

Third Place

Hemphill 1

 

 

Third Place

Douglass 2

 

Fourth Place

Douglass 2

 

 

Fourth Place

Livingson 1

 

Fifth Place

Joaquin High School 1

 

 

Fifth Place

Hemphill 2

 

Sixth Place

Diboll 1

 

 

Sixth Place

Livingston 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Egg Drop

 

 

 

Trebuchet

 

 

First Place

Rusk Junior 3

1.57 seconds

 

First Place

Hemphill 2

142.6 feet!

Second Place

Hemphill 2

 

 

Second Place

Chireno 1

 

Third Place

Corrigan-Camden 1

 

 

Third Place

Nacodoches 3

 

Fourth Place

Woden 1

 

 

Fourth Place

Corrigan 1

 

Fifth Place

Rusk Junior 2

 

 

Fifth Place

Douglass 2

 

Sixth Place

Woden Junior 4

 

 

Sixth Place

Nacogdoches 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trophies for Overall Competition

 

 

 

 

 

First Place

Hemphill 2

 

 

 

 

 

Second Place

Rusk Junior 3

 

 

 

 

 

Third Place

Douglass 1

 

 

 

 

 

Fourth Place

Douglass 2