The 2017 USIYPT was hosted at University of the Sciences. 10 years after the first USIYPT, this was a significantly larger tournament and brought together a handful of new teams, including Qingdao No. 2 High School and Vanke Meisha Academy. Additionally, this was the first year of the Bibilashvili medal, awarded to Pioneer School of Ariana, Tunisia.

• Dates

  Saturday, January 28 - Sunday, January 29

• Host Institution

  University of the Sciences

Granular Materials

Build an apparatus that performs the following procedure: a rectangular container is placed on a vibrating base. The container is split into two equal parts by a vertical wall that is shorter than the outer walls of the container. An equal number of beads are placed in both containers at a level slightly less than half the height of the middle wall. As the base oscillates up and down at a constant frequency the beads jump above the middle wall from side to side; eventually they will all be in one side of the container. Explain this phenomenon and estimate how long the process takes for your apparatus.

Blowpipe

Investigate the motion of a projectile inside a blowpipe. Determine the conditions for maximum exit velocity when blown by the mouth.

Geyser

Support a long, vertical tube containing water. Heat the tube directly from the bottom and you will observe that the water erupts. Arrange for the water to drain back into the tube to allow repeated eruptions. Investigate the parameters that determine the eruption frequency

Planck’s Constant

Use LEDs to measure Planck’s constant, and explain the theoretical basis for your experiment. Measure the wavelength of the LED light directly, without relying on the manufacturer’s data. Describe the precision of your experiment and discuss if your margin of error covers the currently accepted value of the constant. You must build the experiment yourself from standard electronic parts, without relying on a commercially available Planck’s constant apparatus.

Champion: Rye Country Day School
2nd Place: RDFZ Beijing
Finalists: Phillips Exeter Academy, The Harker School, Qingdao No. 2 High School, Woodberry Forest School
Swartz Trophy Winner: Vanke Meisha Academy
Bibilashvili Medal: Pioneer School of Ariana, Tunisia