The National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) competition has over the years been characterized by wrong calculations by organizers, the management of Prempeh College has said while protesting the exit of the school from this year’s competition at the semi-final stage.
They observed that the competition is taking on a computation that does not augur well for the future of the contest.
Acting for and on behalf of Prempeh College, the coordinators of the Prempeh College NSMQ team and Old Boys wrote to register their displeasure at the events leading to the conclusion of the 2nd Semifinal contest of the competition held at the Saarah Mensah Auditorium of KNUST Kumasi Thursday 19th day of October 2023 among Prempeh College, Pope Johns Senior High and Opoku Ware School.
At the end of the contest Prempeh College had 36 points, Pope John had 36 and Opoku Ware School had 38, the Quiz Mistress, Professor Elsie EffahKaufman, said.
But Prempeh College were unhappy with the results.
“We have however noticed that over time the competition is taking on a computation that does not augur well for the future of the contest. Over the years we have had to endure a few missteps and miscalculations on the part of the organizers which have been inimical to our interest.
#NSMQ2023 SEMI-FINAL STAGE | OPOKU WARE SCHOOL VS POPE JOHN SHS & MIN. SEM. VS PREMPEH COLLEGE https://t.co/5WYRi10MwF
— National Science & Maths Quiz (@NSMQGhana) October 19, 2023
“We are however constrained at this time to protest and draw your attention to the glaring injustice meted to us and to seek your urgent intervention to right an obvious injustice and repair a wrong,” a statement the issued stated.
At the said contest during the last round (Round 5), a particular riddle was posed to the teams with the following clues:
- I am a physical principle
- Even though there is no theoretical basis for me, I am an experimentally confirmed
Principle (rho
- I operate across many domains of physics including mechanics, electromagnetism, and
even quantum mechanics
- According to me, the whole is equal to the sum of the parts
- You call on me whenever you determine the electric field or the scalar potential at a point due to a collection of stationary charges
So, who am I?
The Prempeh College contestant gave the answer as the principle of superposition, but the
consultant argued that the answer was the principle of linear superposition. He claims there exists other types of superposition like exponential superposition hence the answer the student gave is incorrect.
Customarily, competing schools are allowed to protest if decisions taken do not go their way.
During such protests, protesting schools are allowed to air their grievances for the consultants to assess and make a judgment on them.
Opoku Ware School, during this same competition, went down this same tangent and got themselves three (3) extra points after the first round.
However, upon protesting, the consulting Physics Professor present, disallowed the answer given by the contestant from Prempeh College arguing that there could also be the existence of the Principle of Exponential Superposition.
We argue that the student was correct based on the following points:
1, There are several sources that show that the principle of superposition when used applies to only linear systems. When applied in the broadest sense the principle of superposition is also known as the principle of linear superposition. See the image of Freedman Physics attached below.
2, There is no clue in the riddle that restricts the answer to the principle of linear superposition.
- The application of the principle of superposition to electrical circuits would be the only point that nullifies it being the correct answer to the riddle. The third clue did not include electrical circuits.
- What’s the principle of superposition as defined in physics?
How different is its definition as given in literature from the principle of linear superposition?
Which clue in the riddle defies it?
