On May 9th, the annual "Physics Day", which is deeply loved by students, came as expected. This week-long physics-centered event is comprised of all kinds of interesting physics experiments and physics lectures, stimulating students' interest in physics, enriching physics knowledge, and improving comprehensive physics literacy. Due to the epidemic, this year's Physics Day was carried out online. But this did not affect the enthusiasm of the students, as a series of wonderful activities added another color to the studying at home.

01 Shock! Things People don't Know about Physics Teachers

Through the process of learning physics, we inevitably encounter problems such as why we have to perform those troublesome experiments, how we get ourselves to enjoy this subject, or even questioning the purpose of studying this course. Two very experienced physics teachers, Mr. Zhang Dongsheng and Mr. Xu Zhencheng, answered these questions in an interview with Grade 11 students Eric and Amanda.

02 Making a Water Rocket

A water rocket, also known as an air pressure water jet rocket and water propulsion rocket, is a utility model that uses recycled beverage bottles to make a power cabin, an arrow body, an arrow, a tail wing, and a parachute. A water rocket is a model designed by using the ratio of mass to air pressure. It is one of the typical cases often used in physics teaching.

According to the original plan, this activity was to be held on campus. Students would have had the opportunity to design and launch their own water rockets. The judges would have scored rockets according to the flying height, stability, and production method of the water rockets made by the contestants. Due to the epidemic , this activity could not be held as scheduled. Fortunately, one of our students completed the production of a water rocket at home. Jonathan Zhu from 10(2) completed the production of a water rocket alone during the epidemic.

03 Physics behind a Water Rocket

The water rocket can be categorized into three categories, including single-stage single-push rocket (one-stage rocket, one-propeller nozzle), single-stage multi-push rocket (one-stage rocket, multiple-propeller nozzles), and multi-stage multi-push rocket (multi-stage rocket, multiple-propeller nozzles).

The launching of the water rocket is based on Newton’s second law, Newton’s third law, and the pressure formula. When the rocket is sitting on the launcher, the forces are balanced because the surface of the launcher pushes the rocket up while gravity pulls it down. Newton’s first law says that objects at rest will stay at rest unless they are acted on by an unbalanced force.

When we pressurize the water inside the rocket and it releases from the launch pad, the forces become unbalanced. The small opening at the bottom of the rocket allows fluid to escape in one direction and, in doing so, provides thrust (force) in the opposite direction. Now, the new force of the water rocket is equal to the thrust force – gravitational force, and, according to Newton's second law, the net force is proportional to the acceleration and the acceleration of the water rocket is in the same direction as its net force. Thus, the water rocket will start heading towards the sky.

04 ‘Project Electron’ Production

Project Electron, a new game produced by the SHSID Game Development Club (aka Bakeneko Studios), brought this year’s Physics Day to a climax. The game revolves around the basic physics principle that opposite charges attract and like charges repel. Related concepts including electromagnetic interaction force, Newton’s second law, and the Culomb’s law were exquisitely integrated in the game.

To make a more enjoyable and meaningful game, developers decided to include a story to the electron (It’s not in the demo yet). The plot revolves around an “overworked” electron that is stuck inside a speaker and suffering. The player needs to help it escape and it is gradually revealed that the machine is a speaker. After the escape, the player helps the electron explore the outside world, which includes many different areas and themes/biomes to explore. However, the electron never truly escaped, as the noise from the speaker can still be heard. It eventually reaches an area where it’s silent, and it’s the end of the game when it truly escapes the machine. Developers plan on having 10 worlds, and each world will have a separate theme and soundtrack.

05 Physics behind the Game

The leading theory of the game is based on the electromagnetic interaction force. Electric force, one of the four fundamental forces, exists everywhere in our life. Many of the forces that we can feel have come from the electric force. The electric force is the Van der Waals force, the intermolecular force between the nucleus and the electron.

It would be great to learn about physics and even relieve stress while playing the game. Now, the game has been released on the AppStore and the official website of the SHSID Game Development Club (aka Bakeneko Studios) for mobile phone and PC access. If you haven't tried it yet, please go to the AppStore to download it, or you can follow the development website (www.bakeneko.games).

The one-week online activities of Physics Day was carried out in full swing. Whether it was a physics experiment at home or finishing online games, students experienced the fun brought on by physics. The school believes this seed of love for physics will continue to take root and sprout and grow into a towering tree in the future! Dear students, the future is yours, so go for it and enjoy!

(Written/Pictures by High School Physics Department Reviewed by Qian Zuo)