McMaster University’s Department of Physics & Astronomy Physics@Mac Video Contest For Students in Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12
Submission Deadline Friday, May 18, 2012 at 4:00 p.m.
We are pleased to announce McMaster’s Department of Physics & Astronomy’s third annual Physics@Mac Video Contest for High School students in Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12. Students may work in teams of 2, 3 or 4 to produce a short video that demonstrates and communicates a given physics concept in a creative way. We are not looking for a polished product and teams will not be judged on the basis of the quality of their cameras (cell phone cameras are perfectly acceptable). Teams will be judged according to the following criteria:
Conceptual Understanding
Communication
Creativity
Each team, regardless of their grade, will be asked to produce a video related to the same concept. These videos should be a maximum of four minutes long. Once they are satisfied with their video, teams are asked to upload them to youtube. The url should then be given to their teacher.
Registration and Submission
Create a Physics YouTube video and win awesome prizes.
Teachers are asked to register for the contest by contacting Caroline Burgess at
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. Registration is free. Please provide your name, your school name, your board and the number of teams that will participate. On, or before the submission deadline, teachers should submit the video urls and student names and grades for each of their teams to Caroline Burgess,
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. There is no limit to the number of teams that can participate in a given school, but teams must be comprised of a minimum of 2 students and a maximum of 4 students.
Prizes
Cash prizes of $100 per team will be awarded for the best videos as judged by a panel from the Department of Physics & Astronomy. The number of prizes awarded will scale with the number of submissions and their overall quality. Prize winning videos and those awarded Honourable Mention will be posted on our website.
Concept
Physics plays an important role in all living systems and how they interact with the environment. Pick one instance and explain the physical principle at work. Some examples: "How do nerves transmit signals?", "How is it that we can hear, but not see, around the corner of a building?", "How do magnetotactic bacteria navigate?"
If you have questions, if you are having trouble registering, or if you would like further clarification, please contact Caroline Burgess, Outreach Coordinator, at
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.
Students were asked to create a video around the theme "Electrical Potential: Explain It To your Friends
Congratulations to Maddi Carson Bull, Katie Jabbour, Emilka Kuzan and Ellie Roberts from Oakville Trafalgar High School (Oakville, ON). As part of their grand prize, they visited McMaster University and were able to recreate and direct the video using the professional services of the Science Media Lab.
Discussion Questions:
In the light bulb demonstration, what exactly happened when the voltage on the light bulb was increased?
What charged particles were involved in the light bulb demonstration and what were they doing?
How do charges produce light?
In the light bulb demonstration, why did the light bulb burn out when the voltage was increased? Why does a light bulb burn out at all?
Some light bulbs are marketed as “long-lasting light bulbs”. Why do they last longer than regular light bulbs?
How does an “energy efficient” light bulb produce the same amount of light with less energy?
What are some of the challenges associated with energy conservation and sustainability? What research is being carried out at McMaster related to some of these challenges? Hint: See research on superconductors being carried by Dr. Graeme Luke in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, research on nano-wires for solar cells being carried out by Dr. Ray LaPierre in the Department of Engineering Physics, and research on lithium ion batteries being carried out by Dr. Gillian Goward in the Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology.
