Chemistry Grabber
Pioneer High School students resort to window
peeping to catch a glimpse of a chemislry demon-
stration during their lunch hour. Some 200 students
janmmed into the classroom to watch substitute
teacher Bob Marzewski freeze flowers. balloons and
Twinkies in liquid nitrogen. Once frozen, the items
were shattered with a hammer. Marzewski, a U-M
graduate, leaves in May for Victoria, Australia,
where he will teach science. (News Photo by Jack
Stubbs)
BAHS holds mousetrap car races
by Cindy Markley
The physics students at Byron Area
High school held their first mousetrap
car race recently. The school hall
served as the track and physics
teacher, Bob Marzewski, waved the
checkered flag.
Each student was given a mousetrap
and instructions to build a car using the
mousetrap as the source of power. The
race was not judged on speed but by
distance travelled. Marzewski gave the
assignment in order to show the
application of physics to a practical
problem.
The cars crossed the finish line in
this order:
Dale Schaefer's Speedster 14.06
meters; Kevin Robert's Rat Racer
11.4; Tony Galilei's Gear Grinder 7.1;
Dan Helm's Hot Wheels 4.75; Laurie
Robinson's Rocket 2.00; Mike Gru-
now's Great Gunner 1.85; Cindy
Markley's Mean Machine 1.83; Carl
Eklund's Earthmover 1.01; Connie
Jackson's Junker .99 and Ed Miller's
Mighty Mouse .5.
Next the students will be construct-
ing bridges out of toothpicks. The
bridge must be able to hold a standard
size brick.
BYRON STUDENTS line up for their first mousetrap car race. It was
a physics class project. It is hoped to make the race an annual
event.
Class of the Byron Area High school held its second annual
mousetrap car race. As in any race, there were both winners and
losers, like Lisa Galilei, whose record albums whizzed a
triumphant 20 meters, and Lucy Sutton, whose tinker toy truck
never made it past the starting line. Everyone had a good time,
though, no matter how far their jalopy managed to roll.
THE TEACHER OF THE COURSE, Bob Marzewski, gave his students
the assignment of creating a vehicle that would be powered by the
spring of a mousetrap only. The students came up with several
unique ideas, most of which fell into these two categories: 1. The
cars whose traps were set off at the starting line. 2. The cars
whose traps were geared down for gradual spring release.
Overall, the geared down traps travelled longer distances.
The results of the race were as follows: Lisa Galileis' Galloping
Grooves 21.0 meters; Bill Juntenen's Jetster 12.8; Chuck Gurden's
Gunning Discs 10.26; Julie Vince's Valiant Pinwheels 8.65; Tammy
Gilbert's Grinding Pizza Boards 8.35; Cliff Woodgate's Weighty
Tank 4.95; Lisa Fisher's Fiesty Barbie Car 4.6; Kathy Wilson's
Winding Wheels 4.26; Kurt Rivard's Rolling Erector set 3.68; Mike
McGuire's Metal Monstrosity 2.8; Suzy Harris' Heaving Hunk a
Junk 1.73; Dennis Oliver's Original Butter Top Flop .5; Lucy
Sutton's Stubborn Tinker Truck .38; Carrie Jackson's Joke .25.
Marzewski likes to see his students involved in projects that will
require common sense and a knowledge of physics. Some other
projects that he has planned for this year are: building a toothpick
bridge that could support a brick and constructing of a container
that would prevent the breakage of an egg when dropped with
four rocks from the top of a stadium. The Byron Physics students
are looking forward to a very interesting year.
Lisa Fisher, reporter.
