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50p

The UBC Physics Olympics

6 April 2019
Tochukwu A., Alex '19
The UBC Physics Olympics was held on Saturday, March 9, 2019, and was a fun and engaging way to not only showcase our own knowledge but to learn from others as well. I choose to think of this event in two stages; stage one was the preparation and stage two was the execution. Stage one was a really immersive experience for those of us who were working on the Prebuilts. There were two Prebuilt tasks for our team to tackle and we split the team into two and drew from a hat. One team was tasked with building a Rube Goldberg Machine (a device made to perform a simple task in multiple indirect steps), while the other was asked to build a clock. The tasks seem relatively simple and both groups were eager to tackle them. For the clock, they were not allowed to use any pre-existing pieces of a clock or any other timepiece. For the Rube Goldberg Machine, our task was to put a sugar cube into a coffee cup. The entire machine had to fit within the dimensions of 76 cm by 152 cm by 100 cm. In addition, the final task had to be completed in as close to one minute as possible. There were many more restrictions for both teams that made the tasks seem quite impossible. We also had very limited time and very busy schedules between all of us and Mrs. Lawrence. All this made meeting to work on the projects difficult. We would jump at any opportunity we had to use the MakerSpace. For both groups, there was a fair bit of trial and error and a lot of mishaps, but after a month or so of building and brushing up on our physics concepts, the big day finally came. For me, Stage Two began as we entered the bus loop as both teams struggled to fit their devices into the bus. After some manoeuvring and readjusting we ended up with the timepiece on the bus and the Rube Goldberg Machine in Mrs. Lawrence’s car. The ride to Vancouver was a great opportunity to get to know people that we otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance to. Once we arrived in Vancouver, we checked into our hotel and made last minute repairs to anything damaged in the trip. After that, we got a good night sleep for the competition the next day. The competition was divided into six sections with a maximum of five people per event. When you weren’t participating in an event, it was a perfect chance to explore the UBC campus and spend more time with the other members of the team. When it came time for final quizzics (Physics trivia) and awards, where all the teams (over 70) gathered to witness the top teams in the smaller quizzics rounds battle it out, it was the perfect time to meet and talk to other teams from across British Columbia. At the end of the competition, we placed 5th overall in the Rube Goldberg section and we were closer as a team. The Physics Olympics was a wonderful and thrilling experience that helped us to expand our knowledge and to meet new people and make meaningful connections. Tochukwu A., Alex '19

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