Question

One of these devices “flashing” between tilted flat and sawtooth potentials exhibits Parrondo’s paradox, in which alternating two losing strategies eventually wins. These devices name the effect where directed transport (-5[1])arises in driven, asymmetric periodic potentials, making them useful models for molecular motors. A 1962 lecture updated a thought experiment in which one of these devices in a heat bath is connected to a paddle wheel in a different heat bath. (10[1])That one of these devices appears to violate the second law of (10[1])thermodynamics, (10[2]-5[2])but doesn’t actually (10[1])rotate (-5[1])because thermal fluctuations also affect the pawl and cause the gear to slip. Socket wrenches (-5[1])are alternatively named (10[1])for these mechanisms. (10[2])For 10 points, (10[2])Feynman (-5[1])popularized a “Brownian” example (-5[1])of what mechanisms (10[1])that only allow (10[1])motion (10[2])in one direction? (10[2])■END■ (10[5]0[7])

ANSWER: ratchets [or Brownian ratchets; accept Feynman’s ratchet or Smoluchowski’s ratchet or the Feynman–Smoluchowski ratchet; prompt on Maxwell’s demon]
<Physics>
= Average correct buzz position

Summary

2024 ACF Regionals @ Cornell01/27/2024Y1100%0%0%82.00
2024 ACF Regionals @ JMU01/27/2024Y989%0%11%111.50
2024 ACF Regionals @ Minnesota01/27/2024Y2100%0%0%104.50
2024 ACF Regionals @ Nebraska01/27/2024Y633%0%50%124.50
2024 ACF Regionals @ Rutgers01/27/2024Y580%0%40%107.50
2024 ACF Regionals @ Vanderbilt01/27/2024Y580%0%20%114.75

Buzzes

PlayerTeamOpponentBuzz PositionValue
Zaid Asif (DII)NYU BJohns Hopkins29-5
Noah ChenColumbia BJohn Jay7010
Yared TadesseCornell ACornell B8210
Rasheeq Azad (UG)UNC B (UG)Maryland C (DII)8310
Joel MilesMinnesota BArizona State8310
Russell NipUBC AIowa B83-5
Kevin ParkClaremont ASorbonne83-5
Giovanni Mazzeo (DII)Virginia A (UG)Roanoke College A (DII)8610
Jack LewisMTSUKentucky87-5
Dimitris KalafatisTexas A&M BIowa A102-5
Davin SivertsonAlabamaTennessee10510
Jonathan Bost (UG)Liberty A (Grad)GWU A (UG)10810
Sanjay SrihariGeorgia Tech AGeodesic10810
Michael Eng (UG)UNC C (UG)Virginia C (UG)11110
Albert Zhang (UG)Columbia CColumbia A11110
Caleb Kendrick (Grad)Maryland A (Grad)UNC D (DII)112-5
Ashish KumbhardareRowanHaverford116-5
Rohan DalalGeorgia Tech BVanderbilt A11910
Ryan HumphreyTexas AMichigan State A12210
Jim Fan (Grad)UNC A (Grad)GWU B (Grad)12310
Ethan Furman (DII)HaverfordRowan12310
Conor ThompsonIowa StateMinnesota C12610
Maximilian Niebur (UG)Johns HopkinsNYU B12610
Jacob Martin (UG)Maryland B (UG)JMU A (UG)1270
Jennifer Haller (UG)JMU A (UG)Maryland B (UG)12710
Duncan Griffiths (UG)William & Mary A (UG)Liberty B (DII)12710
Bryce Kline (UG)JMU B (UG)Virginia B (UG)12710
Isaac OlsonUW AAppalachian State1270
Cormac BeirneSorbonneClaremont A1270
Seth WebbTexas A&M ARice A12710
Roan DowlingIowa ATexas A&M B1270
Eshan Pant (DII)NYU AVassar1270
Sam Macchi (DII)VassarNYU A1270
Caleb WestKentuckyMTSU12710
Isaac DaraSouth CarolinaVanderbilt B1270