2003 HS Photo Contest Pictures

2003 High School Photo Contest Winners
Sponsored by Vernier Software and Technology
127th AAPT National Meeting , Madison, WI

Honorable Mention - Contrived Category

Title: The Effects of a Milk Drop
Student: Nicole Cooper
School: Rockport High School, Rockport, MA
Teacher: Bill Johnson

This image shows drops of red colored milk hitting a pan of milk that is dyed green with food coloring. The result of the drop's impact on the smooth surface of the milk is a visual example of conservation of momentum. The food coloring is present not only for artistic purposes, but to highlight the drops juxtaposed against the pan of milk. The food coloring also enhances the visual display of conservation of momentum along the vertical Z﷓axis. Because the momentum in the XY plane of the milk is initially zero, the momentum in the XY plane will remain zero. In order for this to occur, the crown produced by the drop must be symmetric parallel to that plane. The change in momentum of the drop is applied to the milk. This impulse causes the milk to splash in the positive Z direction, creating the crown of milk.