October 26-November 2, 1998
Teams from Connecticut and New York high schools came together to compete on Oct. 17 in the Yale Physics Olympics. The event, held at Sloane Physics Laboratory, was designed to stimulate interest in science and to provide support for physics teachers in the region.
"The goal is to have fun while learning and applying basic ideas from physics with practical experiments," explains Cornelius Beausang, assistant professor of physics. "The emphasis is on using common-sense ideas and team work to solve experimental problems."
About 120 students attended the competition, which was in the form of a pentathlon, consisting of five competitions of 35 minutes each. An awards ceremony concluded
the day's events.
PHOTO BY MICHAEL MARSLAND
| These participants in the Yale Physics Olympics used bricks of different weight balanced for maximum effect to create the longest possible horizon- tal structure. Here, they look on anxiously as their creation is measured.
| |