2008 HS Photo Contest Pictures

2008 AAPT High School Physics Photo Contest
Winner's Showcase

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Honorable Mention - Natural

Title: Water
Student: Yuntao Bai
School: A.Y. Jackson Secondary School, Toronto,
Teacher: Sai Chung

Held together by cohesion, a water droplet adheres at the tip of a flower. Dipolar attractions of millions of water molecules induce a strong surface tension along the air-water interface. As a result, these molecules form a bead on the flower's surface. The droplet's thickness near the center allows it to behave like a convex lens, thus warping and inverting the image of a tree from behind. However, deeply beyond this picture is a diversity of organisms that proliferate in this remarkable liquid. After all, water is the beginning of all life on earth. Held together by cohesion, a water droplet adheres at the tip of a flower. Dipolar attractions of millions of water molecules induce a strong surface tension along the air-water interface. As a result, these molecules form a bead on the flower's surface. The droplet's thickness near the center allows it to behave like a convex lens, thus warping and inverting the image of a tree from behind. However, deeply beyond this picture is a diversity of organisms that proliferate in this remarkable liquid. After all, water is the beginning of all life on earth.