The ongoing political turmoil spewing violence in Bangladesh has influenced young minds, which was evident in the fifth Physics Olympiad.
The young scientists came up with their ideas on protection against a petrol-bomb attack, railway security and so on at the Olympiad being held at the Dhaka University’s Curzon Hall on Friday.
The organiser of the ‘Fifth Dutch-Bangla Bank Bangladesh Physics Olympiad’ has named the exhibition, ‘Technology Fair.’
From 3pm started two and a half hour-long written test which 720 participants from across the country took.
Member of the examination committee Tomal Hossain said students of seventh and eighth grades were taking part in ‘Group A’ of the Olympiad, while ninth and tenth grades were in ‘Group B’ and eleventh and twelfth grades in ‘Group C.’
Awards will be handed out to the winner of each group at a function at the university’s Senate Hall on Saturday.
Representatives from Bangladesh Engineering Students’ Association, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Society, students of Dhaka University’s Bio-Medical Physics and Technology Department and various other educational institutions of Dhaka presented their inventions and ideas.
Students of Bangladesh Bank High School Rahid Ikram and Abadulla Rupam exhibited ways to protect vehicles and passengers from petrol-bomb attack.
Explaining their invention, Rahid said a pipe filled with fire extinguishing gas and dry powder would be fixed around the vehicle. The pipe would melt down and release fire-extinguishing gas and powder if the vehicle caught fire.
Similar tube could also be fitted with passenger seats, the two young scientists suggested.
Using a toy car, they also demonstrated how their invention would work.
During the ongoing blockade enforced since Jan 5 by BNP-led Alliance, scores of vehicles have been gutted in petrol-bomb attacks. Railways, too, have been targeted by removing the fishplates on rail lines.
Two innovations on railway security were displayed as well.
According to the young inventors, solar panels would be installed in every railway station to transmit 20 volt of electricity to railway tracks.
Nobody would be electrocuted by this amount of electricity, but it would help identify if a fishplate on a track was removed, they added and thus accident would be averted.
To avoid any problem due to friction of wheels on the electrified lines, they also came up with a ‘special device’ to be fitted with the wheels.
Apart from these, water purifier, tools to prevent excessive sweating, ECG machine for Tk 500 and many other inventions and ideas were on display at this year’s ‘Technology Fair.’
Source: Bd news24
