Avery, a self-proclaimed science lover, entered the fair not expecting to win, but rather to come up with a creative way to utilize friction to his advantage. So often, we seek ways to either slow or stop friction; however, Avery's project aimed to do the opposite. He explored how friction could be harnessed to benefit society by cooking food without the use of electricity.
Using a kick-powered pottery wheel, Avery attached copper wiring to its top before adding a piece of wood containing a pan drilled into it. To make the project work and generate friction, he had to push down on the pan while spinning the wheel. Each attempt resulted in an increase of approximately 10 degrees, from 80 to 111 degrees.
While Avery was unable to reach the required 130 degrees to cook the egg, he was proud of the progress he observed after each attempt.
He came up with the idea for his project after talking with his dad about ideas on how to use friction to his advantage instead of viewing it as a disadvantage.
This is his third year participating in the fair, but his first time being eligible to win.
Avery is overjoyed that he won at the Middle School level and is already thinking about projects for next year's event.