Results

The winner of the 2015 Tournament was The Harker School. The second place winner was Woodberry Forest School. The tournament was hosted at Woodberry Forest School. The Swartz Trophy went to Nanjing Foreign Language School.

Problems

Avogadro's Constant: Measure Avogadro’s Constant in as many different ways and methods as you can (at least three, more preferably; the Board knows of approximately twenty methods). Assess the uncertainties of each method and compare your results.

Gauss Rifle: Build and investigate the so-called “Gauss Rifle” that consists of a sequence of magnets and steel balls placed on a rail system. Shortly after one ball is rolled forward at one end of the rail the ball at the other end shoots off with a large speed. Optimize your design to produce the greatest speed of the final ball for a rifle length up to 1 meter.

Parametric Resonance: Below are diagrams of two compound oscillating objects that exhibit parametric resonance. Build one of these devices, and observe and explain the subsequent motion. Explain the relationship, if any, with children pumping their legs on a playground swing.

Teapot Effect, Windowsills, and Drip Kerfs: Recent research results claim to have settled the physics of the “teapot effect” where a fluid flows around an edge and then flows along the subsequent surface. Carpenters have defeated this effect for windowsills by cutting a groove, known as a “kerf”, underneath the edge of windowsills to prevent rain water from flowing back onto the building under the sill, and instead drop onto the ground. Evaluate the recent research, experimentally apply the results to windowsill drip kerfs, and tell the carpenters where the kerfs should be created, and to what depth and width to protect buildings from the teapot effect.