Jackson-Milton wins YSU Physics Olympics again

By DENISE DICK

denise_dick@vindy.com

NORTH JACKSON

Jackson-Milton High School students continued their reign of physics prowess at the Youngstown State University Physics Olympics.

This marks the second year that Stephen Mohr’s class won first place at the event. This year, 15 schools competed in the contest Saturday.

Mohr and the school place high expectations for the students, “and they rise to the occasion every year,” he said.

After last year’s team brought home the win, beating several teams from larger school districts with more members, the Blue Jays team — all seniors — were confident in their knowledge and skills.

Students compete in 12 events, and Jackson-Milton entered each. First-, second- and third-place teams were determined based on how students from each school scored in the individual events.

Lisbon got second place, and Lowellville earned third.

Jackson-Milton’s Caleb Spalding racked up first places in two events: Mousetrap Racer and Bridge Building.

In Mousetrap Racer, the students create a mousetrap-propelled vehicle that must transport a 500-gram weight.

Spalding’s vehicle, which used compact disks for wheels, a rod attached to the trap and tied to a string that wound around the axle, traveled the farthest of all of the vehicles, 145 feet, 5.5 inches.

Mohr thinks that may be a record.

Spalding said Mohr sets a pretty high standard for his physics students, and they make mousetrap cars in class.

“Ours have to travel at least 20 meters for us to get an A,” he said.

In Bridge Building, students construct a free-standing balsa-wood bridge. The spans must sustain weight, and the one with the greatest ratio of weight held by the bridge at collapse and weight of the bridge itself wins.

Spalding’s held 131 pounds.

In Making Music, groups of up to three students each make their own instruments and perform “Hang On Sloopy.” No commercially manufactured instruments are permitted in the contest, and contestants’ lungs are the only air source that may be used.

Mack Mohan, Tommy Carnes and Kori Edwards created Jackson-Milton’s

entry in that category.

They used a bucket filled with metal rods for a snare drum, a lidded cardboard box for a bass drum and two dowel rods for sticks.

“You have to have a drum because someone has to keep the beat,” Mohan, who played percussion, explained.

Carnes’ and Edwards’ instruments, which sort of resembled the pipe portion of a pipe organ, carried the melody.

They used 2-by-4s with sections of PVC pipe screwed in. The varied lengths of the pipe produce different notes when struck with the base part of an old flip-flop.

“We all have spent time in band,” Edwards said.

Carnes said the trio got the idea by watching other performances on YouTube. The Blue Man Group is one example.

He started out with tubes slightly longer than what he thought was needed and then tuned them and sliced to the appropriate length to achieve the correct notes.

The group placed eighth.

Teams from Champion, Chaney and Columbiana won first, second and third places in that event, respectively.

Judges scored competitors based on originality of the instruments, musicality of the performance and written and oral technical explanations.

Other Jackson-Milton Physics Olympics team members are Sierra Graham, Jarrod Kegley, Nate Kramer, Ryan Moore, Tyler Totani and Jeffrey Voland.