Why do photovoltaic cells have p-type and n-type layers? *
What causes stars to twinkle?*
If you know the answers to these questions, you might qualify for the winning team of the Colorado Science Bowl. You might even be smarter than a Cherry Creek High school student!
Twenty-eight teams of Colorado high school students gathered at Dakota Ridge High School last Saturday for the 22nd annual Colorado Science Bowl. The U.S. Department of Energy started the competition back in 1991, as a way to encourage high school students to explore math and science.
The DOE's field office in Golden was again one of the contest's major sponsors this year. "The Colorado Science Bowl features many of the best and brightest high school students in the nation," says office manager Carol Battershell. "It provides them an opportunity to demonstrate their skills in mathematics and science, as well as inspire young people to become our next generation of engineers and scientists that will help keep our nation globally competitive."
During the competition, students answered rapid-fire questions in rounds lasting sixteen minutes. Subjects ranged from physics to math, biology, astronomy, chemistry, technology, earth and general sciences; the difficulty of the questions was pegged at the college freshman level.
And in the end, Cherry Creek High School came out on top.
Each team is made up of four students and a coach. Cherry Creek teammates Rajeev Vishwamitra , Tae Kim, Patrick McMullen and Atul Tiwary, as well as coach Steve Lohman, will advance to the DOE National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C., April 26-30, where more than 450 students from 68 high schools will compete for the national title.
Could you make the cut? Here are the answers to those two questions:
Q: Why do photovoltaic cells have p-type and n-type layers? *A: To create an electric field .
Q: What causes stars to twinkle? *A: Turbulence in our atmosphere.