2015 Physics Olympiad

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Egg Catcher

The information on this event is up to date.

Preparation team: James Antonaglia, Joseph Paki, Andira Ramos

Event Description:

Before coming to the Physics Olympiad, participants build a device designed to catch an egg without breaking. The egg will be dropped from a window four floors above the sidewalk by one of the two students who comprise the egg drop team. The second student will stand on the sidewalk below the window and catch the egg.

Teams must also take a 15-minute written quiz concerning mechanics and ballistics.

Event Location and Time:

The eggs will be dropped from a narrow window on the 4^th floor, located near 4251 Randall, onto the sidewalk below.
10:30AM - 11:50AM and 1:00PM - 2:50PM

Apparatus and Materials:

The teams will prepare a hand held device to catch an egg at home and bring it to the event. The device may be no larger than 12 inches on a side. Tape and scissors will be provided for last minute repairs.

Event Rules:

• Every team must have  two students.
• Before a device is used it will be inspected for compliance by the judges.
• In each round, one student will drop a standard grade A egg from 4th floor. The second student will use the hand-held device to catch the egg. The device must not touch the gound when the egg is caught.
• The catcher must wear a face mask and helmet and padding (provided by Olympiad officials).
• No practice drops are allowed at the Olympiad.
• There will be four drops per team. Each team member must function as the catcher for at least one drop.
• Quiz: Each team will take the quiz during their turn of the egg drop-and-catch event.

Judging Criteria:

• Quiz score: 30 points.
• Experimental scoring:
   

  Type of Event	Points
  Egg caught inside catcher without any damage	20
  Egg caught inside catcher with light cracks	15
  Scrambled Egg caught in full inside catcher	10
  Scrambled Egg caught in part inside catcher	5
  Scrambled Egg on the sidewalk	0

  
  
• The condition of the caught eggs as well as the scores will be determined by a team of two judges, and their decision will be final. The total event score will be the sum of the three best egg-catching scores plus the score on the quiz.
• Gold, Silver and Bronze medals will be awarded to the teams with the highest three scores, respectively. In the event of a tie, the tie will be broken in favor of the team with the highest score on the quiz.

Olympiad Contact Information University of Michigan, Physics Department, Randall Laboratory Prof. Georg Raithel, email: graithel@umich.edu

The University of Michigan. All rights reserved. THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN PHYSICS OLYMPIAD is a Service Mark registered in the State of Michigan. The University of Michigan Physics Olympiad has no connection, association, or implied authorization by the USOC, the IOC, or the IPC. Revised: April 2015.