Five Roslyn High School physics students won first and second-place prizes at the Physics Olympics at Farmingdale State College on March 20.
The one-day competition brought together teams of five students from across Long Island to compete in challenges that tested their physics knowledge, such as rolling a bowling ball with nothing but a flimsy broomstick.
The Roslyn team consisted of students Ethan Berkowitz, Krish Sharma, Justin Marguiles, Ethan Lee, and Zachary David. After competing in the day’s challenges, the Roslyn team earned a trophy for winning first place in the “Torque of the Town” challenge and second place in the “Slow Roller” challenge.
“It was incredible to see our students having so much fun while putting their physics knowledge to the test,” said teacher Alexander Huang. “Their enthusiasm, problem-solving skills, and teamwork were on full display, demonstrating both their dedication and the joy of learning.”
In the “Torque of the Town” challenge, the Roslyn team came out on top after calculating the unknown mass of an altered measuring stick using their knowledge of torque. The team secured first place after having the lowest percent error of .6% with appropriate explanations.
The “Slow Roller” challenge involved students calculating the timing of two wheels of different speeds to reach the finish line. Roslyn won second place in the challenge.
The Long Island Physics Teachers’ Association organizes the annual Physics Olympics and provides professional development and fellowship for physics teachers across the island.
