Q: Do the students need to wear lab coats or is a long sleeve t-shirt sufficient? If a long-sleeve shirt is sufficient, does it matter if they wear it over or under their school science olympiad shirt?
A: Students can wear a lab coat or a long sleeve T-shirt. We suggest that they wear it over the SO T-shirt just for the Potions test session and then remove it (the lab coat is supposed to serve as a safe protective cover for any spills that may occur).
Q: In the 2022 study guide, Colloids are defined as a mixture where microscopic particles of one substance are Evenly distributed throughout another substance. Yet, it is listed under heterogenous mixture. It seems colloids wouldn’t be a heterogenous mixture?
A: Thanks for pointing this out. Colloids are a difficult concept with an ambiguous definition. Please disregard this concept for the Grades 4,5 and the students will not be questioned on this.
Q: In the study guide, page 6, section D, copper is listed as an element to know for the competition. I thought we only needed to focus on the first 18.
A: The students will not be asked to draw the atomic structure of anything beyond the first 18. However, as described in the event description, students need to know the listed characteristics about these basic elements: Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Carbon, Aluminum, Sodium, Copper, Chlorine, Phosphorus, Sulfur, Helium, Argon.
Q: In the study guide, page 16, one question asks (True or False) Acids are electron acceptors? This is a Lewis definition of acid. Are the students expected to know this or just the Bronsted-Lowry acid definition?
A: Thanks for pointing this out. Please disregard the above sample question. Students need to know only the Bronsted-Lowry acid definition.
Q: Are the students expected to know the Lewis dot structure of elements?
A: No.