Question

Focal conic domains in these materials can form striking textures like the “flower.” The Kibble–Zurek mechanism was first demonstrated in these materials, because their topological defects, such as disclinations, are easily imaged with POM. The real projective plane is the configuration space of a unit vector describing these materials that is used to define the distortion free energy, the director. (10[1])Landau–de Gennes mean-field theory describes the phase transition from an isotropic phase to these (10[1])materials. Applying a voltage between a pair of polarizing (-5[1])filters (-5[1])aligns molecules in one of these materials, (-5[1])preventing light transmission, in the twisted (10[1]-5[1])nematic effect. (10[2])Cholesteryl (10[1])benzoate was the first of these materials, which (-5[1])have orientational order but (10[1])flow freely. For 10 points, name these (10[1])soft materials (-5[2])used in electronic displays. (10[2])■END■ (10[11]0[4])

ANSWER: liquid crystals [or mesogens; accept liquid crystal displays; accept nematic liquid crystals or smectic A liquid crystals; accept nematics until read or smectics; prompt on LCDs]
<Physics>
= Average correct buzz position

Summary

2024 ACF Regionals @ JMU01/27/2024Y1100%0%0%124.00
2024 ACF Regionals @ Nebraska01/27/2024Y667%0%50%123.25
2024 ACF Regionals @ Ohio State01/27/2024Y367%0%67%118.00
2024 ACF Regionals @ Imperial01/27/2024Y8100%0%25%106.63
2024 ACF Regionals @ Vanderbilt01/27/2024Y1100%0%0%96.00
2024 ACF Regionals @ MIT01/27/2024Y5100%0%0%114.60

Buzzes

PlayerTeamOpponentBuzz PositionValue
Jacob RobertsonOxford ADurham A5910
Jason HongBrown ABrandeis A7310
Emmett Bicknell (DII)CedarvilleMichigan C82-5
Ben Russell JonesEdinburghCambridge A83-5
Alexander BakerOxford BBristol90-5
Andrea YuUW AUBC A96-5
Arunn SankarGeorgia Tech AGeodesic9610
Jake RobertsDurham BKiel9810
Jaime Salamanca CamachoImperial BWarwick9810
Adam JonesImperial ACambridge B9910
Aswath KaraiMichigan State AIowa B107-5
Alexander HarmataMichigan AMichigan B11110
Dimitris KalafatisTexas A&M BTexas A11810
Akshay SeetharamClaremont AAppalachian State120-5
Jacob Goodson (DII)Ohio State BKenyon120-5
Munir Siddiqui (UG)Maryland B (UG)UNC C (UG)12410
Maxwell YeCambridge AEdinburgh12410
Cameron WilliamsAppalachian StateClaremont A12510
Russell NipUBC AUW A12510
Anwitha VempaliIowa BMichigan State A1250
Deepak MuthyalaTexas A&M AIowa A1250
Cormac BeirneSorbonneRice A12510
Grace EarlyIowa ATexas A&M A1250
Iris Pardue (UG)KenyonOhio State B12510
Alessandro BogoKCLOxford C12510
James ByrneBristolOxford B12510
Linus LuuCambridge CSheffield12510
Michael SunBrandeis BDartmouth B12510
Michael SunBrandeis BDartmouth B12510
Andrew MinagarYale BHarvard B1250
Justin DuffyHarvard ATufts B12510
Max NealHarvard BYale B12510