[IPhOO] The Open Olympiad

We are proud to announce the IPhOO Open Olympiad (2014), a 2-round competition open to all ages for anybody anywhere. Here's how it works.

*Who can participate? * Anyone! No matter how old you are and what your interests are, nothing is stopping you from trying Physics. Our IPhOO registrants range in age from 12 to 89, so if you're reading this, you're eligible to at least try it. A big plus about just trying the problems is that you get to learn. You don't learn if you don't try it, so here's where.

*Why should I participate? * If you are a middle-school student who wants to study beginner's Physics, the IPhOO is a good place to start and look ahead. If you are a high-school student learning or mastering Physics, the IPhOO Is a good place to practice. Also, if you are taking the F = ma exam coming up, this is how to prepare! If you a college student, you can think outside the box and challenge yourself further by trying IPhOO problems. Some of our staff members have been high-school Physic coaches and college professors.

*How will it work? * This contest consists of 2 rounds. In Round 1, the open round, there will be 5 multiple choice questions and 10 free-response questions. Your score will be based on a few things (see below). The top 10 from Round 1 will proceed to Round 2. If there are ties, we will allow more than 10 in Round 2. Note that, if you do not submit in Round 1, you cannot participate in Round 2. You must qualify for Round 2 to participate. The top 10 from Round 1 will be announced within a few weeks after the end of the round. Then, Round 2 will start and these 10 will be given 6 Olympiad-level Proof-style problems to work on for 2 weeks. The first 3 will be released on Week 1 and the next 3 will be released on Week 2. This process is similar to that of the USA(J)MO, except in 2 weeks instead of 2 days. Finally, for the top 10, the scores of Rounds 1 and 2 will be combined and the 3 participants with the top 3 cumulative indices will be crowned 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Ties will be dealt with by the score on Round 2. See below for more scoring details.

*Are there prizes? * Yes! These prizes are proudly sponsored by Brilliant.org. In our first and second IPhOO Contests, we awarded T-shirts to the winners. In this contest, we have the following prizes:

All qualifiers for Round 2 get online certificates of qualification (in a printable JPG format). The top 3 get IPhOO T-shirts.
The 3rd place winner will get a Bronze medal.
The 2nd place winner will get a Silver medal.
The 1st place winner will get a Gold medal.

So lots of awesome prizes!

Scoring Details In Round 1, each of the 5 multiple choice questions will be worth 4 points for a correct answer, 1 point for not answering (blank), and 0 points for an incorrect answer. For each of the free-response problems, you will be awarded 8 points for a correct answer and 0 points for an incorrect answer or unanswered problem. Thus, the maximum score is 100. In Round 2, each problem will be worth 7 points, just as in the USA(J)MO and you can score anywhere between 0 and 7, inclusive, depending on the amount of work you show - don't forget, solutions are required in proof problems! Finally, the cumulative indices for the top 10 of Round 1 will the calculated as follows. If x is your Round 1 score and y is your Round 2 score, then your total index for consideration is $x + 2.5 \cdot y - 5$ . Thus, the maximum possible index is 200.

So when is this happening? Round 1 will be released on Sunday, January 12, at 9 AM EST, and you will have one week to submit. The submission deadline is Sunday, January 18, at 9 AM EST. The problems should not take you a week to solve, rather it can be done in less than 2 hours. We provide a week for people to accommodate their schedules. Note, also, that this is the week before the F = ma exam, so this is good prep! Round 2 will be released tentatively around the beginning of February. The exact dates come out later.

Questions? Ask here or e-Mail us at [email protected].

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Math	Appears as
Remember to wrap math in `\(` ... `\)` or `\[` ... `\]` to ensure proper formatting.
`2 \times 3`	$2 \times 3$
`2^{34}`	$2^{34}$
`a_{i-1}`	$a_{i-1}$
`\frac{2}{3}`	$\frac{2}{3}$
`\sqrt{2}`	$\sqrt{2}$
`\sum_{i=1}^3`	$\sum_{i=1}^3$
`\sin \theta`	$\sin \theta$
`\boxed{123}`	$\boxed{123}$

[IPhOO] The Open Olympiad

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