Alton High School Physics Club is looking beyond their textbooks and equations and applying it to real life this year. The students are excited to test their knowledge of physics with the teachers’ clever challenges. This club makes science fun and engaging, making students learn their love for physics.
Every year the physics teachers start a club for their students to apply the concepts they learned in classes. These challenges test the students abilities to overcome challenges. Senior Gavin Geisen, who is a member of the Physics Club and also taking Physics 2, said the challenges are both fun and demanding. “I love the creativity in the physics challenges and think they are fun,” Geisen said. “I just wish that we could get more time to think over the projects.”
Anyone can join Physics Club. However, for people taking physics they have to do one challenge a semester for a grade. Most of the Physics Club members are students in a physics class, though. These challenges include but are not limited to the classic egg drop, a pumpkin catapult, a potato battery and a cardboard boat race.
The club has done their first physics project, the toothpick bridge. The students have to design a bridge that can hold at least 10 pounds and span an 18-centimeter wide gap. They are given two weeks to come up with a bridge. On the day of the contest, the students line up and put their bridges on the gap. The teacher then slowly adds weight until it fully breaks, or in some cases, they run out of weights.
The club does eight total projects spanning through the year with small prizes for the person who does the best in each contest. The club helps with critical thinking and builds a community for the future. Talk to Mr. Spainhour for more information on how to join Physics Club.
