Physics Photo Contest

The contest is open to students in grades 7-12.

Students are challenged to submit a photo illustrating a physics concept.

The students are required to take the photo themselves and include a written summary of the physics occurring in the photo.

Photos may be entered in one of two categories described below, and will be judged on the quality of the photo and the accuracy of the physics in the explanation that accompanies the photograph.

Entries are welcome anytime beginning December 16 and up to the December 28 deadline.

Finalist photos will be submitted to the AAPT High School Physics Photo Contest in USA.

For the contest details, visit www.aapt.org

http://www.aapt.org/Programs/contests/photocontest.cfm

For more information, ask your Physics Teacher.

Natural photos are those that involve everyday situations that may demonstrate a variety of physics concepts. Any spontaneous event is considered natural.

Sample Natural Photo: In this picture, one can see a girl’s eye with an image of a doorway and a boy’s fgure. The cornea acts as a convex mirror. Such a mirror will always produce an image that is upright and smaller than the object. Because the human eye is so smooth, it produces a very clear image. The girl is standing inside of a doorway, looking out. The light coming through the doorway has created the virtual image of the doorway on her eye.

Contrived photos are those that are set up to show a particular physics concept or related set of concepts. Contrived Photos represent non-spontaneous events.

Sample Contrived Photo: In this photo, my Dad tossed a glass of water at my dog, Buddy. When my Dad jerked the glass and stopped it, the water, due to inertia, kept moving. The water moves in a parabolic path due to projectile motion. The water had an initial velocity which carried it forward and a downward pull of gravity. These two motions produce the typical parabola of projectile motion, causing the water to go into Buddy’s mouth and quenching his thirst.