liquid crystals - 2025 PACE NSC

Question

The use of cyano·biphenyls as discotics in these materials was popularized by George Gray. Stephanie Kwolek's work with polymer solutions of these materials led to her discovery of Kevlar. In-plane switching (0[2])improves the performance of devices (0[1])that use these materials, which typically have an order parameter between 0.3 and 0.9. The "cholesteric" (20[1])type of these materials (20[2])form unaligned layers, (20[1])unlike their (*) smectic (10[1])type. (10[2]0[1])An electric field (10[1])polarizes (10[2])these (0[1])materials (0[1])to make them transparent or (10[1])opaque in the twisted (10[1])nematic (0[1])effect. (10[2]0[1])These materials display properties of both fluids (10[1])and (10[2])ordered (0[2])solids, (10[2]0[1])and (0[1])organic (10[1]0[1])LEDs (10[2])are replacing them (10[1])in namesake displays. (10[5])For 10 points, (0[1])name these materials, the "LC" in (10[1])LCD. (10[2])■END■ (10[9]0[1])

ANSWER: liquid crystals [or mesogens; accept liquid crystal displays; prompt on LCDs until "LC" is read; reject partial answers]

= Average correct buzz position

Buzzes

Player	Team	Opponent	Buzz Position	Value
Anirudh "Ani" Srinivasan	Adlai E. Stevenson A	Okemos	30	0
Ameya Bhalerao	Downingtown STEM	Walter Payton B	30	0
Sreekar Vajjha	Classen SAS	Homewood-Flossmoor	35	0
Wyatt Johnson	Solon	Lexington	51	20
Gugan Thuduppathy	Montgomery Blair A	Lincoln-Way East B	55	20
Max Chen	Strake Jesuit A	Quince Orchard	55	20
Tate Osborne	Alabama Cyber Tech	Park Tudor	58	20
Aaryan Sumesh	Thomas Jefferson A	Fairfield County AT	61	10
Anvith Vanukuri	Fremd	Chattahoochee B	62	10
Brodie Henry	West Point	Lee's Summit	62	10
Deepak Viswalingam	Westwood	Lincoln-Way East A	62	0
Jonathan Ouyang	Uni of Illinois Laboratory	Saint Joseph	65	10
Snehan Saroch	Russell	Innovation Academy A	66	10
Evan Xue	Johns Creek	Page	66	10
Karthik Jayaram	Walker	Thomas Jefferson D	67	0
Rochan Saireddy	Lambert B	Thomas Jefferson C	68	0
Nam Dang	Richard Montgomery	Milton	73	10
Camille Pimentel	Hunter B	Hinsdale Central A	77	10
Kaitlyn Leonard	Barrington	Centennial A	78	0
Amber Dong	Adlai E. Stevenson B	Yukon A	79	0
Joseph Harrison	Detroit Catholic Central B	Saratoga	79	10
Kaiden Lee	Northview	Georgetown Day	79	10
Sanjay Shanmuga Perumal	Lambert A	Montgomery Blair B	86	10
Tyler Song	Winston Churchill A	Kane County AT	87	10
Kevin Qiu	Wayzata	Thomas Jefferson E	87	10
Grant Liu	Walter Payton A	Hunter A	88	0
Catherine Chen	North Quincy	Seven Lakes	88	0
Draco Qiao	Carmel A	Winston Churchill B	89	10
Tarun Devi	Chattahoochee A	Virginia	89	10
Jeffrey Lee	Irvington	Grosse Pointe South	89	0
Daniel Guo	Uni School of Nashville A	Centennial B	90	0
Andrew Peuster	Audrain County AT	Carl Sandburg	91	0
Chris Goolsby	Detroit Catholic Central A	Uni School of Nashville B	91	10
Andrew Gao	Belmont	Innovation Academy B	92	10
Kevin Adler	Northmont	White Pigeon	92	10
Beckett Pursey	Edina	Herron	95	10
George Aljarbo	Detroit Catholic Central C	Great Valley	98	10
Maximilian Lin	Eastchester	Coronado	98	10
James Wray	Glenbrook South	Lindbergh	98	10
Winnie Nutkowitz	Northside College Prep	Strake Jesuit B	98	10
Sasha Tripathi	Parkway West	Yukon B	98	10
Keefe Yang	Carmel B	Thomas Jefferson B	101	0
Samin Asif	Seven Lakes	North Quincy	107	10
Aaron Liu	Okemos	Adlai E. Stevenson A	108	10
Everett Van Til	Homewood-Flossmoor	Classen SAS	108	10
Christopher Stewart	Yukon A	Adlai E. Stevenson B	109	10
Sophia Guo	Thomas Jefferson B	Carmel B	109	10
Maxwell Swann	Centennial A	Barrington	109	10
Ryan Chang	Centennial B	Uni School of Nashville A	109	10
Ben Hesser	Walter Payton B	Downingtown STEM	109	0
Dune Joerg	Hunter A	Walter Payton A	109	10
Joshua Koch	Grosse Pointe South	Irvington	109	10
Felix Sacks	Lincoln-Way East A	Westwood	109	10
Nathan Liang	Thomas Jefferson C	Lambert B	109	10
Hrishi Bhooma	Thomas Jefferson D	Walker	109	10

Summary

Tournament	Edition	Exact Match?	TUH	Conv. %	Power %	Neg %	Average Buzz
2025 PACE NSC	06/07/2025	Y	42	95%	10%	0%	87.78