FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 15, 2001 CONTACT: Professor Jack Gerlovich, (515) 271-3912 Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119 PHYSICS OLYMPICS RESCHEDULED FOR FEB. 21 Approximately 150 of central Iowa's top high school physics students will compete in the 23rd annual Physics Olympics at Drake University on Wednesday, Feb. 21. The competition was originally scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 14, but was canceled due to inclement weather. The Physics Olympics, which is free and open to the public, will now be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, in Parents Hall at Olmsted Center, 29th Street and University Avenue. The physics students could be on the verge of developing solutions to California's energy crisis. They're designing and building student-powered water heaters as well as miniature cars powered only by the force of a mousetrap spring. These energy-efficient devices will be put to the test during the competition sponsored by Drake's School of Education and the Heartland Area Education Agency. The competition consists of a series of six events testing the students' ingenuity, their understanding of physics-related principles and their construction skills. The events are as follows: Mousetrap Car. Students build a toy race car powered only by a mousetrap spring. The winning car will be selected on the basis of a formula that rewards the greatest distance traveled and the greatest speed in the first 5 meters of the course. Student-Powered Water Heater. Each team is given a measured amount of water and has five minutes to raise its temperature using human power only. The team whose technique raises the temperature the most wins this event. Falling Mass-Powered Car. Students raise a 1,000-gram mass 50 centimeters above a car, then drop it and try to harness the energy created by the falling mass to power the car. The car that travels the farthest wins. Toothpick Bridges. Students construct a bridge to limited dimensions from toothpicks and Elmer's glue. The bridge that flexes least when stressed with weight wins. Ping-Pong Catapult. Students create and construct a catapult that must move along a marked course, carrying a Ping-Pong ball 2 meters. Then, within the third meter of the course, it must stop and launch the Ping-Pong ball toward a circular target. The device that does not default on the course and that places the ball closest to the center of the target wins. Soda Straw Arm. Each team of two receives 20 jumbo plastic straws and 20 straight pins. The team then has 30 minutes to construct an "arm" that holds a weight while protruding from a table. The winner is the longest device that can hold a suspended 100-gram weight for at least 10 seconds. Team and individual winners from 15 central Iowa high schools will receive prize ribbons and advance to the state competition, which is set for April 3 at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids.