May 2009
It's been another year of growth! 151 students, 31 teams, and 18 high schools competed in the fifth annual JPEC. The events were:
- Mouse Trap Cars
- Block and Tackle
- Jelly Bean Estimation (Mystery Event)
After a great performance in the Block and Tackle, and solid placing in the other two events, Collingwood School rose just above the rest to become the "Undisputed Champions" for 2009.
This year we consumed 50 large pizzas, a 6% increase over 2008.
Mouse Trap Cars
Build a car powered by a single mousetrap that will go the distance, but also do well in a short sprint. Head to head race positions were determined by ranking cars in distance trials (contest rules here). Templeton Secondary took the Gold with their featherweight design coming in at a mere 187 grams!
- Winners: Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary
- 2nd: Templeton Secondary
- 3rd: Magee Secondary
Block and Tackle
Build a pulley device that will lift 100 kg with a counterweight of no more than 5 kg (contest rules here). This was a tough one! Despite many varied and clever designs, only 15 of 31 teams managed to get their pulley devices working properly. A morale beater, but they don't call it the "Olympics" because its easy.
- Winners: Collingwood School
- 2nd: Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary
- 3rd: West Point Grey Academy
Jelly Bean Estimation (Mystery Event)
Given a 210 mL cup filled with jelly beans, estimate how many jelly beans are held in the JPEC cup. Teams were given a scaled diagram of the trophy with measurements. Closest guess wins. The event rules are here).
- Winners: Sir Winston Churchill Secondary
- 2nd: Howe Sound Secondary
- 3rd: West Point Grey Academy
UBC Phsyics Show
Dr. Waltham and Dr. Kotlicki were away this year, but Theresa Liao and Sean stepped into the breech to deliver a great show replete with some big physics toys. All the while, judges worked hard to tally the final scores. After significant speeches and hands aching from continuous applause, awards were given to the top three teams in each event. A fantastic effort by all!
