Victorian Young Physicists’ Tournament:

Purchase of Audience Tickets

Vicphysics Teachers’ Network, the Laby Foundation and the AIP Victorian Branch invite parents and friends of the students in the competing teams to come along and enjoy the experience of seeing students presenting the results of their experimental investigations and also challenging the results of other students.

Introduction:
In the VYPT Year 10 and 11 students, in teams of three, and during the year experimentally investigate a common set of three topics, see below for the topics. Then, on the Saturday, 10th September, in contests with other teams they present their methods and their findings, while the other team questions and challenges the presentation.

Each contest lasts about 30 minutes. Each team participates in six contests, three as reporter and three as the opponent. Each team member presents on one topic and opposes on another. The teams in each contest are judged by a panel of three, made up the teams’ teachers, retired teachers and university students.

The day starts at 9:00am and finishes about 3:30pm.

Venue: Physics Dept, University of Melbourne

Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea will be provided.

The audience ticket is $20 per person, which can be purchased online here on this website.
To assist with catering we ask you indicate any dietary preference. Your mobile phone number will also allow Vicphysics to send you a text message reminder the day before. Extra tickets can be purchased and paid together at the checkout.

The problems for investigation in 2022 are:

  • Conical Piles Non-adhesive granular materials can be poured such that they form a cone-like pile. Investigate the parameters that affect the formation of the cone and the angle it makes with the ground.
  • Saxon Bowl A bowl with a hole in its base will sink when placed in water. The Saxons used this device for timing purposes. Investigate the parameters that determine the time of sinking
  • Falling Tower: Identical discs are stacked one on top of another to form a freestanding tower. The bottom disc can be removed by applying a sudden horizontal force such that the rest of the tower will drop down onto the surface and the tower remains standing. Investigate the phenomenon and determine the conditions that allow the tower to remain standing.