Physics Contests
I love competition, even in the classroom...and, it does not just have to be about who received the best grade on a quiz. Actually, I am not a big fan of that type of competition...but, I do like to provide opportunities for my students to compete against one another in a "nice" physics way. Each one of these contests requires students to strive to do better than their peers. Points are certainly earned for completing the contest, but winning the contest is where all the points truly come from. Can you design a boat to move faster than your peers? Can your car powered by a mousetrap go down the hallway a greater distance than your friends? That is what it is all about...the students have a good time with it and there is usually extra credit built in for the student group that has the best design for the entire day. In the end, the grades all turn out very well, some good competition is experienced, and everyone has a good time.
Be prepared to get messy and wet with this one! You will need to get a couple long sections of gutter and cap them off to make the raceway. You can get as construction crazy as you want with the raceway design...all depends on how much you like the contest and how handy you are with the power tools. A lot of water is needed and a lot of water ends up on the floor, so be prepared for the mess and have a mop and bucket nearby (along with A LOT of paper towels). I tried this contest once with my students and, although it was a lot of fun, I decided it was too much work and too much mess to continue using it. Do you really want to challenge your students try the photo contest above!
Talk about getting messy...this is the ultimate! Depending on how you design the contest, you could be smelling and seeing egg yolks for many days after the completion of this contest. This is another activity that requires a stairwell or easy/safe access to an elevated position. For the first part of my career, this was my favorite contest and one I thought I would always do. Then, I changed schools and now teach in a ranch-style high school...no stairs. Oh, well... have fun with it and be sure to have plenty of paper towels, cleaner, and trash bags available for the clean up.
I used to do this with a group of low performing high school students. I would provide the materials and they would provide the designs...it worked great! It was fun to watch them struggle with the designs and to come up with innovative ways to keep the ice cube from melting. Lots of physics talk going on with students that are not usually interested in physics.
The go-to contest for many physics teachers. I have been doing mousetrap cars for so many years now, but they are just so much fun! Watching your students get so excited when their car goes just a couple of meters and then to watch another car go all the way down the hallway. But, to each one of the students the sense of accomplishment is unmatched...a must-do in any physics class. I once had a parent ask me what physics was involved in making a mousetrap car...implying that there was none. I went on to explain to him that there were many physics concepts that were required in order for the car to work effectively. Now, I just put this picture at the start of my slide show when I introduce this contest to my students...have not been asked since.
Came up with this idea when I was trying to find a creative way to fill up time near the end of the school year...you know, when all that learning is happening! I thought what better way to keep my students excited about class than to make up a decathlon physics contest! Oh, the amount of work...there was a lot! But, it was a lot of fun! All three of us physics teachers did this the one year and we ranked the scores and came up with winners...we compared all the students the same way, regardless of teacher. Took up a lot of time in preparation and in determining the results, but is was a lot of fun and the students did like it. Of course, the fact that they were outside for many of the activities I am sure helped keep them smiling.
Recently created project for my AP Physics 2 students. Not sure how it will go, but they have enjoyed the other projects? I am lucky enough to have a lot of robotics students in my classes that love working with their hands.