Winter (Wave) Has Come and Gone
Friday, February 18 marked another installment of the long-running Winter Wave for all Physics classes. Using nothing but cardboard, duct tape, and sheer ingenuity, students were required to build a makeshift boat. However, if this were a modeling contest, it would be difficult to pinpoint the winner. Instead, students were not only required to build their boats, but float them across the pool.
As in previous years, the Winter Wave is also used to demonstrate the students’ knowledge and application of Physics. This includes, but is not limited to, the principles of buoyancy, density, and Newton’s Third Law (for every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction).
The event, an in-school field trip of sorts, excused Physics students from any seventh to ninth period classes. Seventh period was used for set-up, with eighth and ninth period reserved for the actual event. Those in participation went in groups of three, in accordance with the size of the pool. The groups were judged on a variety of factors, namely whether or not the boat floated. With myriad designs at hand, the students were also tested on their speed across the pool and back.
Once the events showcasing the Regents classes had taken place, all students, faculty, and onlookers had the opportunity to witness something new: the AP Physics students! Indeed, for weeks the AP students were hard at work designing their own hulking crafts, complete with water cannons and the soundtrack to Pirates of the Caribbean. Once placed on the water, the two massive boats were locked in a “duel,” with the purpose to retrieve the other team’s doll and bring it back to their own side. Call it a water polo, capture-the-flag hybrid.
After all business affairs had settled in the dust, a majority of students involved in the day took to the water with what remained of their already soaking boats. In a scene akin to a West Side Story number, the pool was filled with shouting, splashing, and an all around good time. A special thanks should go out to all faculty members and students involved in the Winter Wave this year. With the event marking the beginning of Winter break, anyone can safely say you’ve all earned it.
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
On Friday, February 12, Physics students competed in a special boat race. Students were excused from their regularly scheduled classes via an in-house field trip.
“The purpose of the competition was to focus on different laws of physics,” said Ted Simons, the High School’s Physics teacher and Science Department chairperson. “These included shear, buoyancy, force, and Newton’s Third Law (for every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction). However, these were just a few of the numerous concepts that applied to both the activity and physics as a whole.
Students participating in the competition were excused from their seventh through ninth period classes, with seventh period being used as a time to prepare and the final two periods of the day used for the actual competition. However, the stands were filled with kids of all grades, hoping to catch some of the action and cheer their fellow students on.
After getting prepared, each group drew for the order in which the competitors proceeded. The groups went in threes, perhaps the best idea since the pool is relatively small. At the sound of the horn, one student raced across the pool area, where they traded places with their partner, who then raced back to the other side for the win.
In the end, the rankings ended up being third place for the boat Sparta, second place for the boat Silver Surfer, and first place for the boat Big Stank. In addition, Silver Surfer won “most appealing boat,” Sparta won the “spirit award,” the flagship award went to Just Ducky, and a “sportsmanship award” went to Senior Danielle Lawrence.
Congratulations to all the competitors and to all those who fell just short of victory, just remember: it’s all in good fun, isn’t it?
