PhysicsBowl - American High School Physics Contest

The most well-known high school physics contest in the U.S.
Hosted by the AAPT - the World's leading science community
Over 500 schools from 11 countries compete and rank together
Significantly enhance top university application.

Introduction

American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) was created in 1930 with the aim of improving physics education. The association has 8,000 registered physics teachers; half of these are professors from famous universities, whilst a third are experienced high school teachers. The association provides the latest physics methodologies and rich educational resources through meetings, forums, magazines, contests and so on.

PhysicsBowl is the most well-known high school physics contest in the US, hosted annually by the AAPT – the World’s leading science community. Experienced registered physics teachers and professors get together to write the competition problems and judge results. Over 500 schools from 11 countries compete and rank together. Outstanding students are invited to advanced science programs.

In 2024, for the first time, the Physics Bowl competition is authorized to be organized in Vietnam by GENIUSSTAR company (Singapore).

Rules and Regulation

Who can register?

High school student
Language: English

The PhysicsBowl Contest is an international high school competition. School teams compete regionally with other school teams. Your students will take a 40-question, 45-minute timed, multiple-choice test under their school’s supervision.

The test is composed of 50 questions, candidates do not need to select a level during the registration process; however, students answer only 40 questions.
Division 1 students will answer only questions 1-40, do not answer questions 41-50.
Division 2 students will answer only questions 11-50, do not answer questions 1-10.
Division 1 is suitable for Grade 10 students (IB Grade10, A-Level G2 students and excellent G1 students). Division 2 is more difficult (is suitable for IB Grade 11-12.A-Level).

The 2024 exam will be given for Vietnamese students:

– Deadline: 15 March 2024

– Date: 3 April 2024

Exam questions are based on topics and concepts covered in a typical high school physics course.

To enhance the distribution of awards, Division I is for first-year physics students and Division II is for second-year physics students. Each Division has 15 regions that have been established across the country to allow schools in each region to compete against one another. Specialized math and science schools compete in their own region. PLEASE NOTE: Test Prep Centers and Educational Services will compete in their own region, and will be eligible for the student award categories only.

Rules summary:

45 minutes
40 questions – NO penalty for wrong answers
calculators are usable… as long as they are non-programmable or have all programs removed before competition
equation sheet and constants are provided
Ties are broken by starting at the END of the exam and moving forward… so there is a reward for answering the more difficult questions correctly.

Awards

Individual Award:

Global top100
National top10
Regional top10
National Gold: National top 10%
National Silver: National top 25%
National Bronze: National top 35%
Honorable Award: Regional top 20%

Team Award:

The top 5 scores from a school in a particular region/ division are added together to give the team score.

Global top 50
National top10 (Division1, Division2)
Regional top10 (Division1, Division2)

Notes: Division 1 and Division 2 are ranked separately

Q&A

What kind of questions appear on this exam?
The questions on the PhysicsBowl are taken from high school physics. This is a broad answer as high school students take everything from conceptual physics to AP Physics B/C and even modern physics. As this is a contest, it is NOT expected that any one person/school will cover all of the topics on the test.

When does the contest take place?
Traditionally, the PhysicsBowl takes place during the month of March. In order to have results at a time when schools are still in session, the date has been moving toward the start of the month. Also, because schools often have a Spring Break in the months of March and April, the contest has a range of dates during which it can be taken. There is a cut-off date for answer sheets to be received for scoring however… typically the last day the contest can be administered.

Who can take this exam?
Any high school student can take the contest, but anyone in K-12 could potentially take the contest.

What is the “team” competition?
The team competition is done by school. The top 5 scores from a school in a particular region/division are added together to give the team score. All schools within the region/division are compared and the top 2 team scores are recognized. A school can compete with fewer than 5 students comprising the team (although this will decrease the probability of winning) and a school can compete with a team in both Division 01 and Division 02.

What are the awards associated with the contest?
The awards change from year-to-year, but there are awards given each year to the top 2 students in each region/division and also to each of the top 2 schools in each region/division.

For which region do my students register? See regions listed below. PLEASE NOTE: Test Prep Centers and Educational Services will compete in their own region, and will be eligible for student awards only.
00    Test Prep Centers and Educational Services
01    Specialized Schools of Science, Mathematics, and Technology (NCSSS members, e.g.)
02    Canadian Provinces and Territories
03    Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
04    New Jersey
05    New York, Maryland
06    Ohio, Pennsylvania
07    Delaware, District of Columbia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia
08    Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin
09    Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Trinidad and Tobago, Virgin Islands
10    Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee
11    Texas
12    California with zip codes <= 92500
13    California with zip codes > 92500
14    Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and all other Countries except China, Asia, and the Middle East
15    North China: Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Inner-Mongolia, Shanxi, Shandong, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning
16    South China: Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macau
17    East China: Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu
18    Central China: Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan
19    West China: Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Shanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Tibet, Xinjiang, Ningxia
20    Asia (non-China)
21    Middle East

Registration Details

– Deadline: 15 March 2024

– Date: 3 April 2024

1. Register by school unit:

The school sends the list of participating candidates to email register@geniusstar.com.sg – Title: Physicsbowl 2024.

After receiving confirmation from the Organizing Committee, the School sends a copy of the exam fee payment voucher to the bank according to instructions.

2. Free contestants: