LITTLETON — We’ve all seen the formula E = mc2, or at least heard of it by the time we’ve reached high school. The question, however, is could most of us explain it in a few seconds?
That was the type of task competitors faced in the 18th annual Colorado High School Science Bowl, held Saturday at Dakota Ridge High School.
As for E = mc2, it is Einstein’s theorem explaining the concept that any mass has an associated energy.
A bit geeky for your taste? Not for the high school students applying to the Colorado School of Mines, the University of Colorado at Boulder, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and California Polytechnic State University, to name just a few.
“It’s fun, and how else can you hang out with fellow geeks on a Saturday?” said Kathryn Archer, 18, from Standley Lake High School in Westminster. “It’s also somewhat empowering, especially when we keep up with the guys or even surpass them on our team, and then we can brag about it.”
High school students from all over the state answered questions about physics, math, biology, astronomy, chemistry, computers and earth sciences. Sponsors of the event included the U.S. Department of Energy, the Xcel Energy Foundation, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Twenty-nine high school teams competed to answer the most questions correctly, hoping to win an all-expense-paid trip to the Energy Department’s National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C., in May.
Last year’s national winner was Poudre High School of Fort Collins.
This year’s Colorado winner, beating Denver’s D-evelyn High School, is Centennial High School from Pueblo, who has won the state competition once before.
“What determines the rotational vortex of a hurricane?” the Centennial High School team was asked early in the contest.
And naturally, a member of the team had the answer: the Coriolis effect.
Former participant and current tournament judge Michelle Harris said the tournament lets it be OK to be geeky and involved in science.
“It’s a validation for geeks, but I don’t think there is a stigma at all,” Harris said. “When I participated, I had teammates involved in sports and other activities. It’s just a support system for academic students.”
Are you smarter than a high school scientist?
Below are some of the questions asked at Saturday’s 18th annual Colorado High School Science Bowl:
1. What is the common name for Canis familiaris?
Answer: Dog
2. From what sugar or sugars is cellulose normally composed?
Answer: Glucose
3. Which of the following is the BEST example of a colloid where the dispersing medium is a liquid and the dispersed phase is a gas:
a) whipped cream
b) steel alloy
c) aerosol spray
d) marshmallow
Answer: a) whipped cream
4. What is the general term for a type of solution that resists a change in pH?
Answer: Buffer
5. Tommy travels north 30 kilometers then west 40 kilometers. What is his total magnitude of displacement, in meters?
Answer: 50,000
6. Which one of the Jovian planets is farthest from the Sun?
Answer: Neptune
7. Name all of the following four organisms that are generally considered to have no anatomical symmetry in the adult phase: sea urchin; star fish; agnathan; sponge
Answer: Sponge
8. The salivary glands, liver and gallbladder are organs that are most commonly classified under what Human organ system?
Answer: Digestive
