Consider two stars, one with 50% of the mass of our Sun and
one equal in mass to our Sun. This
binary star system has an orbital period of 30 Earth days. Where could a planet have a stable orbit in
this system? Describe the possible
stable planetary orbits.
A water fountain located at the middle of a circular pond
ejects water straight up, and the water spreads out into a cone shape with the
axis of the cone being vertical. As the water moves, its molecules collide with
each other. Determine the probability that any molecule of the ejected water
hits the pond at the point (x, y). Assume that the fountain’s ejection
point is at (0, 0). From your model, determine the most probable place where
the water lands and also the median circle, that is, that circle around the
fountain inside which exactly half of the water lands.
We are very pleased to announce the results of the
fifth annual University Physics Competition.
The University Physics Competition is an international contest for
undergraduate students, who worked in teams of up to three students at their
home colleges and universities all over the world, and spent 48 hours during the
weekend of November 14, 15, & 16, 2014, analyzing an applied scenario using
the principles of physics, and writing a formal paper describing their work.
In this year’s competition 131 teams submitted
papers for judging. 93 teams selected “Problem
A -Circumbinary Planets” and 38 teams selected “Problem B – A Water Fountain.”
For Problem A, the Gold Medal Winning Team was:
Team 726: Gautam Rai, Sven Wasmus, & Maximilian
Schallwig
Institution: Jacobs University Bremen
Faculty Sponsor: Peter Schupp
The 2014 Problem A Gold Medal Winning Paper
For
problem B, the Gold Medal Winning Team was:
Team 807: Bikun Li, Zichao Yang, Yuan Li
Institution: South University of Science and Technology of
China
Faculty
Sponsor: Jun Yang
The 2014 Problem B Gold Medal Winning Paper
Of the 131 paper submitted in the 2014 University
Physics Competition, 2 teams (1.5%) were ranked as Gold Medal Winners, 23 teams
(18%) were ranked as Silver Medal Winners, 36 teams (27%) were ranked as Bronze
Medal Winners, and 70 teams (53%) were ranked as Accomplished Competitors.
We extend our sincerest congratulations to each of
the 131 competing teams for their excellent work and their enthusiasm for
physics!
Kelly S. Cline
Carroll College; Helena, MT
Director of the 2014 University Physics
Competition
director@uphysicsc.com
www.uphysicsc.com
