October 28, 1998

Dear Physics/Science Teacher,

You and your students are invited to participate in the twenty-first annual Physics Olympics, which is sponsored by the Society of Physics Students and the Physics Department of the University of North Texas. This event is designed to excite and challenge students using teaching methods that show students that learning can be fun. In these Olympics, area high schools compete in events that test the students’ knowledge of basic physics principles and problem solving skills. Events include the Bridge Build, Egg Drop, Electromagnet, Fermi Questions, Mousetrap Car Race, Quiz Show, Softball Catapult, and one New Event.

This year’s Physics Olympics will be held on Saturday, April 10, 1999, with the day’s activities lasting from 8:00AM until approximately 6:00PM. Each school will be allowed up to five teams. A team consists of a maximum of five members and a minimum of three members. The entry fee is $70.00 per team. Among the prizes to be awarded are scholarships for the top-winning students.

We have included in this letter a general description of the events. For detailed rules please visit our website at http://www.unt.edu/orgs/sps/physolym.htm. Be sure to read them carefully; a few rules have changed from previous years. I apologize if you are unable to view these rules over the net. If this is a problem please select either fax or postal mail on the included registration form to receive them.

Please complete the enclosed registration form and return it to us postmarked by February 26, 1999. Please include a $10.00 per team registration deposit (applicable to entry fee) Registrations post marked after this date should include an additional $5.00 late registration fee.

This is my second (and probably last) year as president of SPS at UNT. I would like to thank all of you who attended last years Olympics and I hope you had as much fun as I did. I am looking forward to the 99 Olympics; we at UNT are working hard to ensure this year’s Olympics will be even better than the last. We have changed a few details in some of the old events including raising the egg drop from three stories to five. We have also added a completely new event and though I can’t tell you about it just yet, I can say that I think the students will enjoy it. We will email you the rules for the New Event as soon as we receive your registration form.

Sincerely,




Rudolf H. Potter
President, Society of Physics Students