On Saturday January 30, the USIYPT happened online. Our tournament is not the same on zoom as it is in person - but, nevertheless, eleven schools shared and discussed their solutions to these four problems (this link here gives more detail on the problems):
- Physics of the "chatter ring"
- Physics of the Lava Lamp
- Modeling impact craters
- Joseph Henry's rocking motor
After the preliminary rounds, The Nueva School of California was in front; they, Phillips Exeter Academy of New Hampshire, and Woodberry Forest School of Virginia made the final round.
Final round scores:
- Phillips Exeter Academy, 174 points - CHAMPIONS
- Woodberry Forest School, 173 points - SECOND PLACE
- The Nueva School, 167 points - CLIFFORD SWARTZ TROPHY
All participating schools this year won the Bibilashvili Award for excellence in physics - this award is given each year at the tournament director's discretion, usually for those whose preliminary round score is above 100. This year, with the unusual online format, and knowing that just showing up at all represented a major accomplishment in the pandemic times, the tournament director decided that all schools earned this prize.
Bibilashvili Award winning schools:
- Cary Academy, North Carolina
- Rye Country Day School, New York
- Phillips Andover Academy, Massachusetts
- The Harker School, California
- Shenzhen Middle School, China
- Vanke Meisha Academy, China
- Qingdao No. 2 High School, China
- Episcopal High School, Virginia
Big thanks to tournament director Tengiz Bibilashvili of UC Santa Barbara, and to Chief Juror Peter Sheldon of Randolph College, for leading the logistics of what proved to be a long but very fun day. I can't here thank each of the 24 jurors and 11 team leaders... but thank you nonetheless!
Want to get involved? If you're looking for a venue for your strongest physics students to share their research, this is the place to go. The tournament is competitive, of course, yet we steadfastly maintain a culture of cooperation and camaraderie. Our goal is the Search for Nature's Truth. Contact me via email. I'd suggest coming next year as a juror; then, when you're ready, prepare and bring a team!
The 2022 tournament will be - hopefully - at The Science House at North Carolina State University next January. Dates and final site logistics will be posted at the USAYPT website this summer - once we can plan for the future again.
Problems for 2022 are available here - even if you don't come to the tournament, these are excellent advanced high school or undergraduate physics research questions.
And here is the updated list of all teams who have participated in our tournament since its inception in 2007. As of 2021, Exeter joins The Harker School as three-time champions.
Interesting problem list for 2022. Very much classics, and all require some historical research as well as physics knowledge. (At least two of the problems might be assisted by a full watch of the original 1980 Cosmos series, if memory serves. It's been a while.)
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