Department of Physics

State of Iowa Physics Olympics Competition

The 2010 State Physics Olympics Competition will be held on April 14th (Wednesday) 2010 at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) McLeod Center in Cedar Falls. Please note change of location for the State Competition.  More information will follow.  

2010 Physics Olympics Rules

Regional Physics Olympics UNI/AEA267

The 2010 UNI/AEA 267 Regional Physics Olympics competition is scheduled to take place on March 25th (Thursday), 2010 at the UNI-DOME with registration beginning at 8 a.m. and the competition ending about Noon. Over 200 high school students representing about 17 different schools participated in last year's competition. See last year's winners and results. The regional competition, which is coordinated by the UNI Physics Department (contact person, Larry Escalada, Lawrence.Escalada@uni.edu) and AEA 267 (contact people, Laurie Hayzlett, lhayzlett@aea267.k12.ia.us), Dee Dienst, ddienst@aea267.k12.ia.us) and Lynne Campbell lcampbell@aea267.k12.ia.us) features five events that give students the opportunity to apply basic physics principles in designing and constructing devices or laboratory set ups from everyday materials within required specifications to perform specific physical tasks or procedures.

The events for the 2010 competition include the following:

• self-propelled catapult,

• mouse trap car,

• optical slalom,

• student powered water heater, and

• challenge problem

student powered water heater

challenge problem

The students use a variety of everyday, inexpensive materials including mousetraps, compact discs, rubber bands, stationary bicycles, etc. to build their devices to accomplish specific tasks (catapult, mouse trap car, and water heater); place mirrors in an optical maze to navigate a laser beam around obstacles to a desired target (optical slalom); and use existing physics laboratory equipment to determine the mass and uncertainty of an unknown object (challenge problem). Schools can field school teams up to 10 students or event teams with pairs of students participating. The top two school teams and event winners who are not part of the top school teams are invited to participate at the state competition at UNI in Cedar Falls in April.  The regional competition has included team competition activities which provide students with opportunities to be engaged in fun team activities and to compete with one another for prizes between events.

Last year’s UNI/AEA 267 Regional Physics Olympics Competition was partially funded by a grant obtained by the Iowa Mathematics and Science Education Partnership to update and enhance the competition.  The Iowa Mathematics and Science Education Partnership (IMSEP) is a state funded initiative led by the University of Northern Iowa, in partnership with Iowa State University and the University of Iowa.  IMSEP’s goals are to improve the mathematics and science performance of Iowa students; to prepare more high quality mathematics and science teachers for Iowa’s schools; and to promote statewide collaboration and cooperation. 

2010 UNI/AEA 267 Regional Competition Information (coming soon)

• Certification of Compliance Form (only one teacher/students form)
• School Team Registration Form
• Event Team Registration Form
• UNI AEA267POInfo (Specific information about the 2010 competition including registration, parking, and a request for help with scoring and judging.)