Grammar Gazette- Issue 2, 2013

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ARTICLE

FIGHTING FOR PHYSICS

AUTHOR

ALLISSA LI

A momentous occasion within the week was when Professor Douglas Osheroff, a Physics Nobel Laureate, spoke about his journey through physics and how he eventually earned a Nobel Prize for his discovery of the Superfluidity of Helium-3. He told us to be persistent, as Mother Nature wishes to keep her secrets and only lets the determined find out what she is hiding. Not only was the tournament exhilarating, but we also went to many different places in Taiwan. The schedule included a trip to the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Centre in Taipei, Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology, and Yangmingshan National Park. The Yehliu Geopark was a highlight. The park consists of large stones covering its surface, the most iconic being the Queen’s Head. Another unforgettable place was the Night Markets. These markets run along a street and each stall sells something unique. We saw baby turtles, charm bracelets, lasers, authentic Taiwanese snacks and even snakes! After the five-day physics competition, the final — featuring teams from Korea, Switzerland and Singapore — was held at the National Taiwan Normal University. Singapore emerged as the winning team taking the IYPT Trophy. Overall, we came fifteenth out of twenty-six countries. IYPT 2013 was such a wonderful and amazing experience; it is a memory that Sophie, Katie, Heather and I will keep forever.

THE 2013 INTERNATIONAL YOUNG PHYSICISTS’ Tournament was held at Taoyuan, Taiwan in July. Five students were selected to form the Australian Team after the Australian Finals in Melbourne in March. Four of the team were Year 12 Brisbane Girls Grammar students: Heather Hunt, Katie Ward, Sophie Weir, and myself, Allissa Li; Michael Chen from Brisbane Grammar School completed our quintet. The tournament is based on the presentation of solutions to complex physics problems and the discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the solutions with other teams in five intense rounds of ‘physics fights’. Each round consists of three teams each taking a turn in the three roles of presenter, opponent and reviewer. At the start, the opposing team has 1 minute to challenge the presenting team to one of the seventeen problems. This minute is very suspenseful as we do not know what we are being challenged upon. If we accept, then we are given exactly 12 minutes to present our solution, with the chairperson stopping us at 12 minutes whether or not the presentation is finished. There is then a discussion between the opponent and the reporter about the presentation, with the opponent trying to test the reporter’s understanding of the phenomenon. Following this, the reviewer summarises the presentation and the discussion, concluding which side is more convincing. Heather presented her solutions to the problems entitled Meniscus Optics and Carbon Microphone, Katie presented Elastic Space, and I presented Hearing Light. Sophie opposed Water Rise and Coloured Plastic and also reviewed Coloured Plastic. The problems varied in nature and had different focus areas, such as sound, light, thermodynamics, or fluids. We had to investigate each problem in great detail, with most of our solutions exploring concepts taught in university level physics.

IMAGE (L–R) Allissa Li, Michael Chen, Heather Hunt, Katie Ward and Sophie Weir competing at 2013 IYPT.

SPRING ISSUE / 2013