The Olympic Events
Event
#Participants
Prior
Construction
Myspace.void
5
no
Marshmallow
Engineering
5
Simply
Irresistanceable
Materials
Available
Day
Points
1st
Points
2nd
Points
3rd
Points
4th
Points
5th
At games
1
5
4
3
2
1
no
At games
1
5
4
3
2
1
5
no
At games
1
6
5
4
3
2
Linear
Accelerator
5
no
At games
1
6
5
4
3
2
Name that
Note
5
no
At games
1
6
5
4
3
2
Crash Test
Dummies
5
yes
At games
2
6
5
4
3
2
MPTM
5
yes
Before
games
2
6
5
4
3
2
Jump
2
no
At games
2
5
4
3
2
1
Slow
Bike Race
2
no
At games
2
5
4
3
2
1
Fermi
Questions
5
no
At games
2
6
5
4
3
2
Olympic
Video
5
yes
Before
games
1
4
3
2
Olympic
Theme Song
5
yes
Before
games
1
3
2
1
* Video and theme song are optional events which, if produced, must be presented to the
Olympic Committee by 3:00 PM on Wednesday, February 11, in room 215 or 217.
Specific Event Descriptions and Rules
I. Myspace.void: Determine the radius of an unknown spherical void inside a sphere of
uniform density.
Materials Provided: Sphere with unknown void, excess material from which sphere is
constructed, ruler, tape measure, balance, string
Time Limit: Five minutes
Description: A spherical “void” (negligible mass) will be placed at the center of a
rectangular prism constructed from an unknown material of uniform density. A fixed
quantity of the material used to construct the rectangular prism will be provided for teams
to investigate the nature of the material. Using only the provided materials, teams must
determine the radius of the void.
Judging: First through fifth place awards will be given to the teams having the five lowest
differences between the predicted and actual radius of the spherical void.
Physics Connection: Density
Planning: Research density, volume, and circumference equations.
II. Marshmallow Engineering: Construct a bridge using an unlimited number of
provided toothpicks, uncooked spaghetti, and mini-marshmallows to span a 30 cm chasm
and support the greatest load per unit mass of building materials.
Materials Provided: Round wooden toothpicks, mini-marshmallows, uncooked spaghetti,
Time Limit: 5 minutes
Description: A 30-cm chasm will be created between two desks. The constructed bridge
must be entirely supported by the two desks without use of adhesives or other outside
materials. No part of the bridge may touch the floor, team members, or any other surface.
Marshmallows may not be melted, moistened, or heated. Marshmallows, toothpicks, and
spaghetti may be broken as needed for construction purposes.
Teams will have 3 minutes to construct the bridge, after which the judge will measure its
total mass. Teams will then place the bridge across the chasm. Teams will attach slotted
100-gram masses to the bridge, one at a time, until the bridge fails. The entire surfaces of
all masses must be located within the middle 15 cm of the span. Masses may be loaded on
top of the bridge or attached to toothpicks using the slots. After each mass is added, the
bridge will undergo a 5-second evaluation period to check for failure. Failure is defined as
occurring when any part(s) of the bridge drop into the chasm or any masses drop into the
chasm.
Middle
15 cm
Desk
Desk
30 cm
Judging: First through fifth place awards will be given to the teams with the five highest
scores as determined by the following formula:
Score 
# of 100 g masses
(mass of bridge ) 2
Physics Connection: Stress and strain, static equilibrium
Planning: Practice using your own materials
III. Simply Irresistance-able: Given a piece of conductive paper of known resistance,
cut a new piece of paper to match a specified resistance.
Materials Provided: 1 cm x 14 cm sample strip of conductive paper, sheet of conductive
paper, scissors, ohmmeter, bulldog clips, ruler
Time Limit: 5 minutes
Description: Each team will be given a 1 cm x 14 cm sample strip of conductive paper.
They will connect bulldog clips (of negligible resistance) to the paper 1 cm from each edge
so that the distance between clips is 12 cm (see below).
They will use a digital ohmmeter to
measure the resistance of the strip (to
three significant figures) by touching the
meter probes to the bulldog clips. They
will also be given the sheet of paper from
12 cm
which the sample strip was cut (the sheet
has 1 cm x 1 cm grid lines). Based upon the sample strip measurement, they will need to
determine the size strip of paper to cut from this sheet to match a value that will be given
to them (and different from that of the sample strip). They must allow a one cm length at
each end of the new strip to connect to the bulldog clips. Also, the new strip must be at
least 2 cm wide for at least 2 cm of its length. The cut piece must be a single strip
(separate pieces may not be connected together in any way). After cutting the strip, the
group must attach the bulldog clips prior to judging. They may not use the ohmmeter at
any time other than for the measurement of the original sample strip. The judge will then
measure the resistance of the new strip.
Judging: First through fifth place awards will be given to the teams with the five lowest
differences between the specified resistance and that measured by the judge.
Physics Connection: Electrical resistance
Planning: Research factors affecting the resistance of a conductor.
IV. Linear Accelerator: Walk with a uniform acceleration of 0.5 m/s2 over a linear
distance of 4.0 m.
Materials Provided: Marked 4.0 m course, stopwatch, acceleration measuring apparatus
Time Limit: Five minutes
Description: Each team member will be given one opportunity to walk a 4.0 m, linear
course, starting from rest, attempting to achieve a uniform acceleration of 0.5 m/s2.
Computer hardware/software will be used to plot a graph of velocity versus time. The
slope of the best-fit line over the 4.0 m course will be determined, along with the
correlation coefficient. The score for each team member will be determined by the
following formula:
slope  0.5
correlatio n coefficient
The lowest score for any of the five team members for will be the team score. Teams with
fewer than five members are limited to one attempt per team member.
Judging: First through fifth place awards will be given to the teams with the five lowest
team scores as described above.
Physics Connection: Kinematics
Planning: Research kinematics equations and practice walking with uniform acceleration.
V. Name that Note: Determine the frequency of the output of an audio signal generator.
Materials Provided: Amplified signal generator (set at unknown frequency), speaker,
open glass cylinder, closed glass cylinder, water, meterstick, calipers, thermometer
Time Limit: Five minutes
Description: Using only the materials provided, determine the frequency (in hertz) at
which the signal generator is set.
Judging: First through fifth place awards will be given to the teams with the five smallest
differences between the predicted and actual signal generator frequencies.
Physics Connection: Resonance, standing waves in closed pipes, speed of sound,
relationship between wave speed, frequency, and wavelength
Planning: Practice with tuning forks and glass cylinders. Research equations for standing
waves in closed pipes and the speed of sound in dry air.
VI. Crash Test Dummies: Build a vehicle which transports and protects its passengers
as they travel down an inclined ramp, across a level floor, and crash into a wall.
Materials Provided: Ramp, floor surface, wall, two large raw chicken egg passengers,
string, scissors
Time Limit: Five minutes to prepare passengers for journey
Description: The vehicle may be made only from wood or paper, except for the wheels,
axles, and connecting hardware. Glue, staples, nails, or similar fasteners may be used in
the construction for the purposes of holding the parts together. The vehicle, including its
passengers, may be no more than 15 cm in height. The length must be less than 30 cm,
and the width may not exceed the length. The vehicle must carry two large, raw chicken
eggs whose top must be visible to the judges at all times. The eggs will be held in place by
a 40 cm length piece of string provided by the judges (the seatbelt). The seatbelt must not
be directly fastened to the eggs by any means (including glue or tape). The restraint
system must be designed such that when the seatbelt is removed, the passengers will
immediately fall out of their seats when the car is inverted (in other words, the seatbelt
must be the primary means of restraint). The front and top surfaces of both eggs must be
completely exposed, so that they are restrained only by the seatbelt (provided string). The
other sides of the eggs may be touching wood or paper.
The car’s length and mass (prior to the addition of passengers) will be measured. The car
will be released from rest at the top of a 245 cm x 40 cm ramp inclined at 10˚ to the
horizontal. Walls (6 cm high) will be located on each side of the ramp to prevent the
vehicle from sliding off. When the car reaches the bottom of the ramp, it will travel a
horizontal distance of 1.50 m along a level floor until encountering a solid wall.
wall
floor
ramp
The wall will consist of three sections, with the center section having a value of w = 2 and
the end sections having a value of w = 1, with the w value being determined by which
section of the wall the car strikes. The speed (v) of the car will be determined on the level
section just before the car strikes the wall. The team score will be determined by the
following formula:
ewv
,
m 2l 2
where e is the egg coefficient (2 if both eggs intact, 1 if either/both eggs cracked but not
broken, 0 if either egg is broken), w is the wall value, v is the speed, m is the empty car
mass, and l is the car length (measured from bumper to bumper).
Judging: First through fifth place awards will be given to the teams with the five highest
scores for a single journey.
Physics Connection: Impulse and momentum
Planning: Build and test car designs using your own eggs.
VII. MPTM (Mousetrap Powered Tape Measure): Build a vehicle that will travel
exactly three meters along a level, tiled floor surface using a provided mousetrap as its
only power source.
Materials Provided: One mousetrap (must be obtained from the Olympic committee)
Time Limit: Two minutes to prepare vehicle for launch
Description: All construction must be completed prior to the event. The only energy
source permitted is the mousetrap spring, which may be altered in any way. The vehicle
must travel as a complete unit (the mousetrap must travel with the vehicle). The vehicle
must start under its own power and may have to cross over floor tape. Each team will be
given two attempts, with the best attempt counting as the score. The team will designate a
point on the vehicle to be used for a measurement reference. This point will be marked
and aligned with the edge of a starting line on the floor. The linear distance from the start
line to the finish line will be 4.0 meters. The width of the course will be 1.5 m. Any
vehicle that goes out of bounds will be disqualified.
Judging: First through fifth place awards will be given to the teams with the five shortest
straight-line distances from the marked reference point on the vehicle to the edge of the
finish line on the floor after the vehicle has come to a complete stop.
Physics Connection: Conservation of energy
Planning: Design, build, and test vehicle using provided mousetrap spring and other
materials you provide.
.
VIII. Jump!: Jump off of a chair onto a platform (force plate) such that the maximum
impact force per unit body weight is minimized.
Materials Provided: Force plate, computer, chair
Time Limit: Three minutes
Description: Two of the five team members will jump off of a 45 cm high chair onto a
force plate located on the floor, a horizontal distance of 30 cm away from the near edge of
the chair. A computer will be used to measure the maximum force of impact for each team
member. The weight of each of the two team members will also be measured. The ratio of
maximum impact force to weight will then be computed for each of the two team
members. The team score will be computed by adding the two ratios together. At no time
during the jump may any part of the person’s body (or anything touching the person’s
body) contact the floor, ceiling, wall, etc.) Also, any jump that does not result in a landing
near the approximate center of the force plate will be repeated.
Judging: First through fifth place awards will be given to the teams with the five lowest
scores. Only one jump will be permitted per team member.
Physics Connection: Impulse and momentum, conservation of energy
Planning: Practice jumping lightly!
IX. Slow Bike Race: Ride a bicycle over a fixed course in the longest interval of time.
Materials Provided: One bicycle.
Time Limit: None
Description: The course will be 15 m long and 0.75 m wide. The course will not be
sloped, and will be clearly marked. No part of the competitor's body (or anything touching
the competitor’s body, other than the bicycle itself) may touch the floor at any time during
the race. The bicycle must maintain forward motion and stay completely within course
boundaries at all times. Each team will be given two attempts to complete the course
(same or different riders), with the longest time being recorded. Additional apparatus may
be added to the rider, but not to the bicycle.
Judging: First through fifth place awards will be given to teams with the longest times.
Physics Connection: Conservation of angular momentum, stability, and center of gravity
Planning: Practice using your own bicycle. Experiment with modifying the rider in some
manner.
X. Fermi Questions: Estimate the order of magnitude of a quantity which is difficult or
impossible to measure.
Materials Provided: List of Fermi questions
Time Limit: 15 minutes
Description: Each team will be provided with a list of Fermi questions. A single sheet of
answers will be submitted by each team. All answers must be recorded in order of
4
4
magnitude format (e.g., 10 , not 3 x 10 ). No calculators or reference materials may be
used.
Judging: Ten points will be awarded for each correct answer and one point will be
deducted for each order of magnitude the answer differs from the accepted. The minimum
score per question is zero. First through fifth place awards will be given to the teams with
the five highest scores on the test.
Physics Connection: Estimation, orders of magnitude
Planning: Example question: "How many drops of water are there in Lake Erie?" Team
would need to estimate the volume of one drop and, knowing the approximate dimensions
of Lake Erie, estimate its volume. Divide volume of lake by volume of one drop (use the
factor-label method), make sure units are consistent, and round answer to the nearest order
of magnitude. Practice multiplying and dividing orders of magnitude without the use of a
calculator.
XI. Olympic Video: Produce a five-minute video which teaches some physics
concept/application at the high school level.
Materials Provided: Physics apparatus as requested and available
Time Limit: 5 minutes
Description: This is an optional event, which will provide the top video teams with
additional team points, as outlined in “The Olympic Events” table. Videos must be turned
into the committee (room 215 or 217) by Wednesday, February 11. Acceptable video
formats are MPEG, .wmv, .avi, or .mov (please use raw video format—do not convert to
DVD). Videos will be judged prior to the games and shown to any interested students
during the day 1 events. To aide the judges, each video lesson should begin with at
statement of the lesson objective(s). Students may choose to teach any topic/application of
physics which would be appropriate for physics classes at Dallastown High School. They
may use any method/style of presentation to accomplish this goal (e.g., traditional lecture,
demonstration, experiment, drama, etc.). Videos containing or implying profanity of any
type or inappropriate dress will be disqualified.
Judging: Videos will be judged based upon the following criteria:
 technical quality (quality of props, audio/video clarity, acting ability):
entertainment value (holds viewers attention, fun to watch):
educational value (quantity/quality of material taught, teaching techniques):
physics value (depth and correctness of the physics):
25 pts.
25 pts.
25 pts.
25 pts.
First through third place awards will be given to the teams with the top three scores for
their videos.
Physics Connection: Any physics topic!
Planning: Be watching (videos, classroom, etc.) for creative ways to teach physics!
XII. Olympic Theme Song: Compose and produce a musical recording that promotes the
study of physics and/or the physics Olympics.
Materials Provided: None
Time Limit: None
Description: This is an optional event, which will provide the top teams with additional
team points, as outlined in “The Olympic Events” table. Songs must be between one and
three minutes in length and recorded as a CD audio file. A written transcript of the song
lyrics must also be provided. All songs must be turned into the committee (room 215 or
217) by Wednesday, February 11. They will be judged prior to the games and played as
deemed appropriate by the Olympic committee. They may use any artistic style of
presentation to accomplish the goal of promoting the study of physics. Songs containing
or implying profanity will be disqualified.
Judging: Songs will be judged based upon the following criteria:



promotional value of lyrics:
musical/recording quality:
Creativity:
25 pts.
25 pts.
25 pts.
First through third place awards will be given to the teams with the top three scores for
their song.
Physics Connection: Promote the study of physics.
Planning: Design and create song.
23rd Annual
Dallastown Area High School
Physics Olympics
February 17 – 18, 2015
Team Registration/Application Form
Team Name: ______________________________________
School Name: ______________________ Team Captain:_________________________
Please Print Legibly!!!!
Name
Science Teacher
Number of Prior
Years Olympics
Experience
Shirt Size
Note: Any team name which is found to be inappropriate will result in automatic
disqualification of all team members from this year’s Olympics! Choose your team
name carefully!
We, the above members, acknowledge that we have read the Official Rules and
Information Packet for the Physics Olympics and agree to adhere to it throughout the
games. We also agree to accept all judging decisions as final, without protest. Signed,
1. __________________________
2. ___________________________
3. __________________________
4. ___________________________
5. _____________________________
Application Deadline: February 4, 2015