Students to Compete at UBC's Physics Olympics

Daniel Chow
Move over Elon! Students in Physics 12AP and ADST12 / STEAM have been working hard at completing the pre-builds to compete in UBC's 40th annual Physics Olympics competition, which will be held this Saturday, March 10th. This year, students are building a vinegar and baking soda (CO2) powered rocket that flies through a restriction to hit a target on the ground 8 meters from the launch site. They are also building a spinning top using a ball point pen. The top is powered by a 1KG weight falling a distance of 1.8 meters. Sorry, this is a TOP SECRET build. Mr. Chow regrets the he is unable to show any additional pictures of our solutions at this time. Stay tuned, after the competition I will share video and pictures of their progress.
Students who are taking both Physics 12AP and ADST12 / STEAM have been involved in applying their science knowledge in completing the challenges for UBC’s 40th annual Physics Olympics competition. Last year,  the students built a machine that could sort between American and Canadian coins. They also built a elastic band powered airplane. Be sure to take a moment to have a look at some of the pictures from last year’s Physics Olympics.

This year, Physics 12AP and ADST12 / STEAM students are constructing a baking soda and vinegar powered rocket and a launch system that can accurately propel it through a restriction and hit a targeted area exactly 8 meters away from the launch pad. They are also building a spinning top from a ballpoint pen that is powered by a 1KG weight falling a distance of 1.8M. The rocket with the most accurate trajectory and the top that spins the fastest wins these events. There are four other events which consists of Fermi type physics questions.

Physics Olympics is one of several ways in which students in Physics 12AP and ADST12 / STEAM collaborate. The goal is that students learn theoretical science knowledge in Physics 12AP and then have several opportunities to apply this knowledge in an applied manner within ADST12 / STEAM. Other areas of collaboration are electronics and electrical theory and a bridge building contest. ADST12 / STEAM is applied science and engineering.

In order to solve these problems, the students involved in Physics Olympics employed an engineering design cycle. This is where they identify the problem, hand sketch solutions, build a prototype, and then use tools such as Computer Aided Design (CAD), the laser cutter, 3D printer, miter saws, and drill presses to bring their solutions to life. Students learn to leverage failure to strengthen and refine solutions. They learn to employ a scientific method approach of inquiry to make predictions, gather data and field test. They learn to ask many questions and exercise creative thinking in their quest for a solution. Is it better to mix the vinegar with the baking powder or vise versa? What happens when you mix a bit of water with the baking soda before it contacts the vinegar? How will they mount the spinning top surface perfectly perpendicular to the shaft / pen? What is the optimal width of the top? How do they know? And on top of all of this, they learn project management skills, how to work together as a team to meet a firm, immovable deadline.

Also unique to ADST12 and STEAM is the inclusion of parent mentors. Parents Dale Brown and Kevin Johston are parent volunteers with professional expertise who act as our adult mentors to the students. Both Dale and Kevin are professional engineers who share their expertise and guide the students to apply their knowledge of science and technology in a different way other than writing a test, filling in a worksheet or answering questions at the end of a chapter.

UBC’s Physics Olympics is a competition that involves 39 other secondary schools from around the province. There will be one winner. So, wish us luck this Saturday!
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