Whether a project can win the gold medal at the Qiu Prize doesn’t just depend on its theoretical depth.
To be honest, the theoretical depth of Qiao Fan’s project on the Faraday Wave and pilot waves was indeed far greater than Li Dong’s on the "Hysteresis Loop."
But so what? A look at the judging preferences of past Qiu Prize competitions revealed an underlying logic.
For instance, in the physics division of the very first Qiu Prize, what was the project that won the sole gold medal in the global finals?
It was "An Aerodynamic Analysis of Paper Airplanes."
Meanwhile, over the years, projects in the same category that sounded incredibly impressive—like numerical simulations of quantum entanglement evolution in the curved spacetime of a Kerr Black Hole—had at most only ever won silver medals.
In terms of sheer theoretical depth and mathematical complexity, the projects on black hole quantum entanglement were light-years ahead of the one on paper airplane aerodynamics.
But why could the former only win silver, while the latter took home the gold?
The reason was simple.
When high school students performed quantum simulations of black hole spacetime, they were essentially just applying mature metric models and numerical frameworks already established in university laboratories. The variables they could adjust on their own were extremely limited, making it difficult for judges to recognize any original contribution from a student.
Research into the aerodynamics of paper airplanes, however, was a physics experiment that high school students could genuinely carry out themselves.
From designing a wind tunnel and controlling boundary conditions like takeoff angle and paper type, to conducting countless test flights to collect data and refine the lift model, every step followed a complete, controllable experimental logic that yielded repeatable and verifiable physical conclusions.
It was just like the case of Newton and Einstein.
In terms of the theoretical depth of exploring the fundamental nature of the universe, Einstein’s General Relativity undoubtedly went further than Newton’s Classical Mechanics.
But when it came to contending for the title of the greatest physicist in human history, this didn’t stop the two titans from being locked in a dead heat.
Why? Because while Einstein explained the ultimate romance of the cosmos, Newton’s system of mechanics tangibly built the foundation for the entire Industrial Revolution.
Qiao Fan’s project was beautiful, but at the end of the day, it was just a macroscopic desktop toy simulating quantum mechanics.
Li Dong’s project, on the other hand, could be immediately implemented and transformed into industrial-grade, high-sensitivity tachometers and mechanical threshold switches.
The ultimate goal of science is to drive human progress.
Qiao Fan’s project had no chance of immediate real-world application, while Li Dong’s... Heh.
As this thought crossed his mind, Li Dong suddenly remembered something...
’That’s right! Didn’t my project originally come about when Newton was complaining in the group about some steam engine governor issue, and I just whipped this up on the side?’
’Now that the paper is finished, how could I have forgotten about the big man himself?’
Li Dong took out his phone and scanned his research paper.
[Studying for Senior Year]: @Isaac Newton, Your Lordship, regarding that anomaly you mentioned in the group last time—my nephew, who had some time on his hands, happened to conduct a small experiment and derived a Mathematical Model for it. Have a look.
Immediately after, Li Dong sent the images of his paper—which included the core Lagrangian dissipation equation, the effective potential energy model, and the Hysteresis Loop bifurcation theory—directly into the group chat.
He waited for about two or three minutes.
Finally, there was a stir in the group.
[Isaac Newton]: @Studying for Senior Year, Your Excellency.
[Isaac Newton]: I am currently occupied in the Royal Society workshop, supervising a gaggle of clumsy artisans building that large contraption Von Neumann mentioned. I really cannot spare the time.
[Isaac Newton]: I shall look at these diagrams of yours when I am free.
[Isaac Newton]: Though I still believe that studying such a minute jump on the fringes of macroscopic mechanics is a time-consuming, laborious, and utterly meaningless endeavor.
[Isaac Newton]: Nevertheless, thank your nephew on my behalf.
[Isaac Newton]: The little fellow is finally showing some sense, to be able to grasp such a simple physical phenomenon.
After that message, Newton went silent, evidently having returned to supervising his artisans.
Staring at his phone screen, Li Dong’s expression darkened instantly.
What the hell! What kind of nonsense was that!
’This old geezer has absolutely zero tact! So arrogant! Unbelievably arrogant!’
Just as Li Dong was mentally railing against Newton for his inability to appreciate a good thing...
A red-bordered box suddenly appeared in the chat.
[Isaac Newton has sent a private Red Packet]
’Actually... it’s kind of a good thing that Lord Niu has no tact!’
’He can lay the insults on even thicker, I don’t mind! After all, he’s insulting my nephew. What’s that got to do with me, Li Dong?’
[You have received thanks from Isaac Newton.]
[Item Obtained: Concentration +1]
After more than half a year, Li Dong had finally managed to fleece another one of these divine trial cards, the equivalent of "channeling a god"!
[Description: From the first glimmer of fire struck from flint to the thundering iron tide of the steam engine, every leap in human civilization has been built upon the unwavering focus of giants.]
[When the apple fell, he did not look away. He stared into the abyss of the cosmos until gravity itself was forced to surrender the scepter that governs all things.]
[For the next hour, you will stand shoulder to shoulder with that titan of science!]
[Duration: One hour (can be activated at any time)]
Li Dong read the description and silently swore to himself.
’This time, I absolutely will not be as reckless as I was before!’
The first time, he’d used a trial card on a high school monthly math test.
The second time, he’d used it to tear through a foundational University Physics textbook.
CLICK.
Just as Li Dong’s heart was pounding with excitement, the door to the presentation room at the front of the waiting area was suddenly pushed open from within.
Ms. Su Wan emerged, leading Qiao Fan. Her face was beaming.
Judging by their expressions, they were absolutely certain of their success in the presentation, their confidence practically overflowing.
Qiao Fan spotted Li Dong standing in the waiting area at once.
The eyes of this genius, the great hope of Rongcheng Seventh Middle School, burned with a competitive fire.
He very seriously raised his right hand, clenched it into a fist, and gave an emphatic "Go for it!" gesture.
"Senior Li Dong, good luck!"
Qiao Fan’s voice drew the attention of the surrounding contestants.
’I don’t know him. He’s not cheering for me. I’m not Li Dong. Don’t look at me!’
Li Dong forced a polite smile and nodded.
Just then, a staff member from the organizing committee walked over, holding a roster.
"Next up, Jiangcheng Sixth Middle School, Li Dong."
"Please bring your demonstration equipment and prepare to enter."
"It’s our turn!"
Elder Chen took a deep breath and immediately bent down.
"Li Dong, give me a hand. Let’s carry the equipment in. Be careful not to loosen the encoder wire!"
Li Dong put away his phone. He and Elder Chen each took one side of the experimental case—which contained an acrylic ring, a high-precision servo motor, and a fine-tuning eccentric shaft—and carried it through the doors of the presentation room.
The doors slowly closed behind them.
At the judges’ table, five top-tier experts raised their heads in unison to look at Li Dong, who had just entered.

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