The Future Scientific Elite. Young physicists from Vitebsk Gymnasium Compete with the Country's Lyceums
The law of conservation of energy operates flawlessly within the "RemerUmki" team of Gymnasium No. 5 in Vitebsk named after I.I. Lyudnikov. This is how physics teacher Nika Tishchenko briefly explains the students' enthusiasm and dedication to their work. This energy, as it should be, neither arises from nothing nor disappears, but merely transforms from one form to another. It then transforms into the matter of victories achieved through diligent study of theory, problem-solving, and lengthy experiments. "RemerUmki" today consists of five promising gymnasium students (four tenth-graders and one eighth-grader). In this composition, they participated in the XXXII Republican Physics Tournament, held at the BSU Lyceum in February. The Vitebsk team returned with a third-degree diploma.
To an unfamiliar person, young physicists might seem quite reserved and taciturn. However, a single request to demonstrate an experiment seems to switch them into a completely different "mode of operation." Within seconds, the now lively and inspired teenagers are arranging a set for another experiment on a school desk.
They demonstrate a trick with a ruler. Physics teacher Nika Gennadyevna explains that it is described in the school curriculum. The measuring instrument is placed so that half of it is on the edge of the table and the other half is in the air. A small ball is dropped onto the free end of the ruler. If, at that moment, the part of the ruler on the table is covered with a sheet of paper, it will stay on the table. "It's written that it's due to atmospheric pressure. No. Everything actually manifests differently," asserts the educator.
Having prepared everything necessary for the experiment, tenth-grader Kirill Sukharev throws a ball onto a ruler covered with an A4 sheet of paper. After the impact, it changes position but remains on the table. He repeats the same action without the paper. "The differences are noticeable to the naked eye," the young man summarizes. Another tenth-grader, Stanislav Garanin, clamps a spring with a caliper and dips it into a soapy solution. "Then the slinky stretches. Loops form, we pierce the soap film with a needle. We filmed slow-motion video and analyzed the film's movement," he clarifies.
The teacher adds that only the movement of the film when the puncture is made from below was considered on the internet. "It was also positioned vertically," someone from the young physicists chimes in. "In the version that was on the internet, only one parameter was taken; we investigated many at once. Besides, we found different forms of slinky. Everyone expected the film to run down faster. And when we saw that the soap spiral ran upwards faster than downwards, we started to study it further and found out why. The soap film breaks down. Where it is thicker, the speed will be lower," Nika Tishchenko says during the demonstration of the experiment.
A World of Experiments
They demonstrate a trick with a ruler. Physics teacher Nika Gennadyevna explains that it is described in the school curriculum. The measuring instrument is placed so that half of it is on the edge of the table and the other half is in the air. A small ball is dropped onto the free end of the ruler. If, at that moment, the part of the ruler on the table is covered with a sheet of paper, it will stay on the table. "It's written that it's due to atmospheric pressure. No. Everything actually manifests differently," asserts the educator.
The seemingly simple task turned out to be many times more difficult than expected. And when it was presented at the tournament, many admitted that they racked their brains and didn't know how to approach it at all. "We even took the theory of impact from the 2nd-year university course 'Theoretical Mechanics,' used some additional devices. We even had to buy a blower to prove that it wasn't atmospheric pressure. It's a leaking airflow that creates reduced pressure. And this effect holds the ruler," Nika Tishchenko explains energetically.
Having prepared everything necessary for the experiment, tenth-grader Kirill Sukharev throws a ball onto a ruler covered with an A4 sheet of paper. After the impact, it changes position but remains on the table. He repeats the same action without the paper. "The differences are noticeable to the naked eye," the young man summarizes. Another tenth-grader, Stanislav Garanin, clamps a spring with a caliper and dips it into a soapy solution. "Then the slinky stretches. Loops form, we pierce the soap film with a needle. We filmed slow-motion video and analyzed the film's movement," he clarifies.
The teacher adds that only the movement of the film when the puncture is made from below was considered on the internet. "It was also positioned vertically," someone from the young physicists chimes in. "In the version that was on the internet, only one parameter was taken; we investigated many at once. Besides, we found different forms of slinky. Everyone expected the film to run down faster. And when we saw that the soap spiral ran upwards faster than downwards, we started to study it further and found out why. The soap film breaks down. Where it is thicker, the speed will be lower," Nika Tishchenko says during the demonstration of the experiment.
When arguments from the internet are misleading
Sometimes, the team comes up with solutions suddenly. Nika Gennadievna often looks through books and the internet for new or popular experiments for her subject's school curriculum. The World Wide Web throws up challenging problems when the given answer is fundamentally incorrect.
"We browse the internet to see what experiments are available. And it turns out that the problems for many of them are not solved at all," she says. "That is, these are open problems whose solutions are not yet known. We mainly take children's research, and if the material is from a dissertation or another source of that level, I process it and present it to the children in a form they can grasp. When we look, we see that much of what is written is fake: we develop a theory, start conducting an experiment, and it doesn't work." One such myth concerned the "Ping-Pong Rocket" experiment. A table tennis ball is placed in a container of water, which is then dropped to the ground. After the container falls, the ball can fly to a great height.
"The cumulative effect is studied here. When a vessel with water falls to the ground, a small jet is formed, which can throw something up. Effects were mentioned there, the wetting effect was mentioned. In fact, when we started conducting the experiment, we lubricated the ping-pong ball with oil, glycerin, and so on - the opposite happened. Without glycerin lubrication, the ball bounces 1.5-2 m high, but here the result was 4.26 m," explains the teacher.
The children conducted this experiment on the porch in the presence of numerous spectators - half the gymnasium watched the launch of the "Ping-Pong Rocket."
A physicist's ingenuity. And how Remer appeared in the team's name
Great discoveries begin with small steps, sometimes with a brief answer in class. In this case, it's about the children's talent, which an experienced teacher noticed in time. The current lineup of "RemerUmok" was formed last academic year, completely renewing the team. The gymnasium graduates entered various universities in Belarus.
"Every case is special," says Nika Gennadievna, about how the children joined the team. "Kirill Sukharev, in the 7th grade, when he just started studying physics, received grades of 5-6-7. But he gave specific answers in class, truly non-trivial ones, requiring ingenuity and a sharp insight into a particular situation." That's when she noticed the talent in the gymnasium student that was worth developing. Kirill himself explains that he once observed older students during a basic lesson. They were preparing for the tournament of young physicists. The team, with excitement, conducted an experiment and discussed the process. The gymnasium students were investigating the sound produced when a metal ball hit a rubber membrane stretched over a plastic cup. "That was the starting point for me. Later, I participated in a subject-specific Olympiad and started studying physics additionally," recalls the teenager.
"Other children are exactly the same, but every story has its own peculiarities. Some couldn't speak publicly at all," Nika Tishchenko clarifies. "Artyom Klimovets joined us only this year. He used to observe the team's development, and then he said he wanted to work too. Stas Garanin was initially involved in all subjects, but became particularly interested in physics. Last academic year, there was a regional physics olympiad for 7th graders. Milana Shcherbik became its absolute winner. She also shows good results: sometimes she demonstrates a real knack for physics. Few people have a physical intuition; this has even been proven by scientific research. In general, I give everyone a chance. There are also children who help us with our work. Due to various circumstances, they cannot devote as much time and effort to physics, but they participate on a case-by-case basis."
Nika Gennadyevna tries to recall in detail how the team got its name. The ninth-graders had just begun to study some sections of physics, moving on to optics. And since the teacher advocates a comprehensive approach, the class studied not only the paragraphs themselves but also the history of the subject and the biographies of scientists related to certain discoveries.
"The children became interested in the scientist Reomer, who first determined the speed of light," the teacher smiles. The gymnasium students suggested combining the words "Reomer" and "mind" in the team's name, but Nika Tishchenko gently corrected them: due to their age, they were still "umki" (little minds).
To the tournament of young physicists, the teacher admits, the team initially went to gain experience. "But I saw that they had a really high potential (I didn't expect them to show such results last year either). Imagine, BSU Lyceum, BNTU (11th graders) were among the competitors. And our Vitebsk tenth-graders received a third-degree diploma – that's a very high award. Even in an olympiad, say, only 12 diplomas are awarded, at a conference – 10-11, but here, for the entire republic, there are only 7-8 diplomas," the teacher cites figures. "And besides Vitebsk, teams from other regions haven't gone this far for a long time. It's mainly Minsk, the Minsk region, and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) from Dolgoprudny. We scored the same number of points as MIPT, and after the first round, we were in second place."
Representatives of the country's leading universities have taken notice of the Vitebsk team's results. The energy faculty of the Belarusian National Technical University has already shown interest in the children, and BSU is also happy to welcome young physicists from Gymnasium No. 5. At the tournament, all five participants received commendations from a jury renowned in the scientific world, and its chairman presented Kirill Sukharev with a special prize.
By the way, the tenth-grader has already decided on his future profession: "I've been to the National Children's Technopark twice for the 'Future of Energy' program. I plan to go again, complete distance learning, and then enroll in the energy faculty at BNTU." When asked if the university has already invited him, the student modestly replies: "The President invited me."
The fact is that the head of state visited the children's technopark in September. Kirill Sukharev asked the Belarusian leader questions and requested a photo together. The picture now adorns the classroom and the gymnasium hall. "The President visited all the programs at the technopark, and he stayed with us the longest. He gave us the opportunity to visit the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant. It was interesting," shares the student.
It's Cool to Work, or Riding the Wave of Physics
When discussing how to motivate children for results and spark their interest in their subject, the educator immediately concludes: it's "mutual charging."
"A cycle of energy exchange," smiles Nika Tishchenko. "The law of conservation of energy applies here too. It's just that a very good team has been assembled. It's really cool to work with them. We start an experiment. I sit down, start fiddling with something from memory. They quietly come up and do something parallel on their own."
And this is not surprising at all, as in Nika Gennadyevna's classes, students simultaneously delve into biology, astronomy, and other subjects. This allows them to understand cause-and-effect relationships and see the big picture. The educator, with over 30 years of experience, acknowledges the importance of a comprehensive approach. Even when "RemerUmki" are on the road, at conferences, tournaments, or festivals in other cities, they study all subjects together. If they are tired from preparing for a physics presentation, they open books on other disciplines and learn together. They reinforce the material with tests on a given topic, which the teacher prepares in advance, even if it's not her subject.
"You can't just rely on dry textbook information. If you simply memorize a formula without the context that shows the true picture, there will be no prospects. When you talk to a child at a conference or tournament, you can immediately see if they've just memorized a formula and recited it. But when they truly possess the information, there's a different sparkle in their eyes," concludes Nika Tishchenko.
She is immensely pleased to witness the victories of "RemerUmok" and, along with them, discover new effects for herself. The successes of her mentees (who have won two dozen different diplomas in this academic year alone) provide the impetus to move forward and the desire to show even more gymnasium students how wonderful physics is.
"The cumulative effect is studied here. When a vessel with water falls to the ground, a small jet is formed, which can throw something up. Effects were mentioned there, the wetting effect was mentioned. In fact, when we started conducting the experiment, we lubricated the ping-pong ball with oil, glycerin, and so on - the opposite happened. Without glycerin lubrication, the ball bounces 1.5-2 m high, but here the result was 4.26 m," explains the teacher.
The children conducted this experiment on the porch in the presence of numerous spectators - half the gymnasium watched the launch of the "Ping-Pong Rocket."
A physicist's ingenuity. And how Remer appeared in the team's name
Great discoveries begin with small steps, sometimes with a brief answer in class. In this case, it's about the children's talent, which an experienced teacher noticed in time. The current lineup of "RemerUmok" was formed last academic year, completely renewing the team. The gymnasium graduates entered various universities in Belarus.
"Every case is special," says Nika Gennadievna, about how the children joined the team. "Kirill Sukharev, in the 7th grade, when he just started studying physics, received grades of 5-6-7. But he gave specific answers in class, truly non-trivial ones, requiring ingenuity and a sharp insight into a particular situation." That's when she noticed the talent in the gymnasium student that was worth developing. Kirill himself explains that he once observed older students during a basic lesson. They were preparing for the tournament of young physicists. The team, with excitement, conducted an experiment and discussed the process. The gymnasium students were investigating the sound produced when a metal ball hit a rubber membrane stretched over a plastic cup. "That was the starting point for me. Later, I participated in a subject-specific Olympiad and started studying physics additionally," recalls the teenager.
"Other children are exactly the same, but every story has its own peculiarities. Some couldn't speak publicly at all," Nika Tishchenko clarifies. "Artyom Klimovets joined us only this year. He used to observe the team's development, and then he said he wanted to work too. Stas Garanin was initially involved in all subjects, but became particularly interested in physics. Last academic year, there was a regional physics olympiad for 7th graders. Milana Shcherbik became its absolute winner. She also shows good results: sometimes she demonstrates a real knack for physics. Few people have a physical intuition; this has even been proven by scientific research. In general, I give everyone a chance. There are also children who help us with our work. Due to various circumstances, they cannot devote as much time and effort to physics, but they participate on a case-by-case basis."
Nika Gennadyevna tries to recall in detail how the team got its name. The ninth-graders had just begun to study some sections of physics, moving on to optics. And since the teacher advocates a comprehensive approach, the class studied not only the paragraphs themselves but also the history of the subject and the biographies of scientists related to certain discoveries.
"The children became interested in the scientist Reomer, who first determined the speed of light," the teacher smiles. The gymnasium students suggested combining the words "Reomer" and "mind" in the team's name, but Nika Tishchenko gently corrected them: due to their age, they were still "umki" (little minds).
Route Planned
Representatives of the country's leading universities have taken notice of the Vitebsk team's results. The energy faculty of the Belarusian National Technical University has already shown interest in the children, and BSU is also happy to welcome young physicists from Gymnasium No. 5. At the tournament, all five participants received commendations from a jury renowned in the scientific world, and its chairman presented Kirill Sukharev with a special prize.
By the way, the tenth-grader has already decided on his future profession: "I've been to the National Children's Technopark twice for the 'Future of Energy' program. I plan to go again, complete distance learning, and then enroll in the energy faculty at BNTU." When asked if the university has already invited him, the student modestly replies: "The President invited me."
The fact is that the head of state visited the children's technopark in September. Kirill Sukharev asked the Belarusian leader questions and requested a photo together. The picture now adorns the classroom and the gymnasium hall. "The President visited all the programs at the technopark, and he stayed with us the longest. He gave us the opportunity to visit the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant. It was interesting," shares the student.
It's Cool to Work, or Riding the Wave of Physics
When discussing how to motivate children for results and spark their interest in their subject, the educator immediately concludes: it's "mutual charging."
"A cycle of energy exchange," smiles Nika Tishchenko. "The law of conservation of energy applies here too. It's just that a very good team has been assembled. It's really cool to work with them. We start an experiment. I sit down, start fiddling with something from memory. They quietly come up and do something parallel on their own."
And this is not surprising at all, as in Nika Gennadyevna's classes, students simultaneously delve into biology, astronomy, and other subjects. This allows them to understand cause-and-effect relationships and see the big picture. The educator, with over 30 years of experience, acknowledges the importance of a comprehensive approach. Even when "RemerUmki" are on the road, at conferences, tournaments, or festivals in other cities, they study all subjects together. If they are tired from preparing for a physics presentation, they open books on other disciplines and learn together. They reinforce the material with tests on a given topic, which the teacher prepares in advance, even if it's not her subject.
"You can't just rely on dry textbook information. If you simply memorize a formula without the context that shows the true picture, there will be no prospects. When you talk to a child at a conference or tournament, you can immediately see if they've just memorized a formula and recited it. But when they truly possess the information, there's a different sparkle in their eyes," concludes Nika Tishchenko.
She is immensely pleased to witness the victories of "RemerUmok" and, along with them, discover new effects for herself. The successes of her mentees (who have won two dozen different diplomas in this academic year alone) provide the impetus to move forward and the desire to show even more gymnasium students how wonderful physics is.