SFA PHYSICS OLYMPICS

Event Results for 2004

 

More than 91 area high school students participated in the annual Physics Olympics sponsored by the Society of Physics Students at SFA on Saturday, March 6, 2004.

 

The students, representing 12 area high schools and junior high schools, formed 19 teams and competed in six events designed to utilize the principles of physics.   The schools were Carlisle High School, Center High School, Corrigan-Camden High School, Diboll High School, Garrison High School, Hemphill High School, Joaquin High School, Overton High School, Regents Academy, Rusk Junior High, San Augustine High School, and Waskom High School.

 

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 teams also constructed a glider which was designed to travel the greatest possible distance in a given horizontal direction when dropped from a stationary position.

 

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 Jordan Cox, Alex McSwain, Emily Jones, Justin Smith, and Megan Odom.  The team sponsor was their physics teacher Randy Smith.

 

A team from Corrigan-Camden High School won second place overall in the competition.  Team members were Homer Monroe, Jessica Dickens, Chris Foster, David Perez, and Rey Cruz.  The team sponsor was their physics teacher Michael Johnson.

 

A team from Carlisle High School won third place overall in the competition.  Team members were Ricky Martin, Kyle Ross, Ashley Green, Whitney King, and Heath Sutlive.  The team sponsor was their physics teacher Loren Lykins.

 

A team from Garrison High School won forth place overall in the competition.  Team members were Shadey Hester, Clayton Norman, Katie Bell, Katie Allen, and Kyle Rhodes.  The team sponsor was their physics teacher Tony Jacobs.

 

The Physics Olympics is an annual event sponsored by the Society of Physics Students at SFA.  http://www.physics.sfasu.edu/olympics/index.html

 

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.
  • AIRPLANE DROP
    • Objective: To construct a glider which will travel the greatest possible distance in a given horizontal direction when dropped from a stationary position.
  • 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

 

Airplane Drop

 

 

 

Eggstraction

 

First Place

Joaquin 1

 

 

First Place

Hemphill 1

Second Place

Regents Academy 1

 

 

Second Place

Carlisle 1

Third Place

Center 1

 

 

Third Place

Corrigan-Camden 1

Fourth Place

Corrigan-Camden 2

 

 

Fourth Place

Waskom 1

Fifth Place

Hemphill 1

 

 

Fifth Place

Garrison 1

Sixth Place

Corrigan-Camden 1

 

 

Sixth Place

Rusk 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mousetrap

 

 

 

Water Rocket Ribbons

First Place

Garrison 1

 

 

First Place

Corrigan-Camden 2

Second Place

Corrigan-Camden 2

 

 

Second Place

Regents Academy 1

Third Place

Corrigan-Camden 3

 

 

Third Place

Garrison 1

Fourth Place

Joaquin 1

 

 

Fourth Place

Hemphill 1

Fifth Place

Waskom 1

 

 

Fifth Place

Rusk 2

Sixth Place

Corrigan-Camden 1

 

 

Sixth Place

Rusk 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Egg Drop

 

 

 

Trebuchet

 

First Place

Hemphill 1

 

 

First Place

Hemphill 1

Second Place (Tie)

Corrigan-Camden 3, Overton

 

 

Second Place

Center 1

Third Place

Carlisle 1

 

 

Third Place

Carlisle 1

Fourth Place

Rusk 1

 

 

Fourth Place

Rusk 1

Fifth Place

Waskom 1

 

 

Fifth Place

Corrigan-Camden 2

Sixth Place

Center 1

 

 

Sixth Place

Rusk 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trophies for Overall Competition

 

 

 

 

First Place

Hemphill 1

 

 

 

 

Second Place

Corrigan-Camden 2

 

 

 

 

Third Place

Carlisle 1

 

 

 

 

Fourth Place

Garrison 1