North East

Paperclip Physics Report

25-05-07

With University Physics departments shutting down all over the country as a result of waning youth interest in the pursuit of physics, competitions like Paperclip Physics are exactly what is needed to enthuse new generations home-grown physicists. The competition challenges teams of up to five Y11/12 students to demonstrate a physical principle using only items that may be found around the home to construct their demo. The presentations are made to a panel of three judges (incl. one non-physicist) and must be delivered such that a non-scientist can understand. The structure of the competition pits teams from the North East and Yorkshire IOP Branches against each other in intra-Branch heats. The two NE heat winners must then compete against the two Yorks. heat winners in a regional Grand Final.

This year there were seven teams from the NE Branch coming from 5 different schools, namely, Bedlingtonshire Comm. High School, Prudhoe Comm. High School, Durham High School for Girls, Burnside Business & Enterprise College and Royal Grammar School, Newcastle. The judges’ seats were meanwhile filled by journalist Mr. David Whetstone of the Newcastle Journal, and by those affiliates of Durham University: Dr. Stuart Clarke, Dr. David Wood, Dr. Pete Edwards and former Astronomer Royal Prof. Sir. Arnold Wolfendale.

The NE heats took place at Northumbria University during late February and early March. The teams gave demonstrations, often of a most ingenious nature, on a wide range of subjects including aerodynamics, Newtonian mechanics, optics and electromagnetism. Indeed, the quality of the demos and presentations made for interesting viewing and judging, and the heats were enjoyed by all. There could however be only two NE finalists and these were teams from Prudhoe Comm. HS and Business & Enterprise College with their presentations, “Independence of Vertical and Horizontal Motion” and “What’s in the Telly?”.

The NE teams proceeded to compete in the Grand Final held at Leeds Grammar School against the Yorks. heat winners, Harrogate Grammar School and Leeds Girls High School whose presentations were “For your Polarize Only” and “Life of Star” respectively. As it transpired, the latter of these emerged victorious and received the top prize, a digital camera. The runners-up were Prudhoe Comm. HS and they received their prizes, copies of Carlos I. Calle’s “Superstrings and Other Things”. No team went away empty handed however, as each member of the heat winning teams received a copy of “Black Holes, Wormholes and Time Machines” by J. Al-Khalili.

By all accounts the event was a roaring success from beginning

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