British Physics Olympiad

The British Physics Olympiad (BPhO) organises four annual national competitions which test students’ understanding of the principles of physics taught at AS / A2 and GCSE, and enable them to compare their attainment with those of students from all over the UK.

The first competition is the British Physics Olympiad itself which is for A2 or equivalent students. There are four rounds to select five students to compete in the annual International Physics Olympiad, which takes place in one of the 76 competing countries. In Round One the first paper is mailed to all UK schools in September and over 6,000 students enter. The top cohort (over 1,200 students) enter Round Two and take a more challenging paper, which is marked at the Olympiad Headquarters. Fifty of the highest scoring students continue to Round Three and the top fifteen are invited to a three-day training camp at Abingdon School in Oxfordshire for Round Four. After a further theoretical and experimental paper, five students are finally chosen to represent Britain in the International Physics Olympiad, who undergo a further three-day training camp at Cambridge University. The 2008 team (above) included Harry Eakins, an Ogden scholar at QEGS Blackburn, who was awarded a bronze medal (see news article).

The second competition is the Physics Challenge for GCSE or equivalent students. There is one paper and the best entries are sent to the Olympiad for further scrutiny. 100 prizes are awarded and the fifteen highest scoring students are invited to a presentation ceremony at The Royal Society in May. Since 2007 there has also been an AS competition along similar lines.

The fourth competition is an experimental project for Years 11, 12 or 13 written up in the form of an academic paper. The best entries are published in an e-journal, and the winners are invited to The Royal Society.

The Ogden Trust and the Institute of Physics will sponsor the British Physics Olympiad from 2008 - 2011 supported by the University of Oxford who will host and administer the Olympiad. The Institute of Physics will continue to provide resources in kind for publications, press releases and PR.

Contact details: Dr. Cyril Isenberg, BPhO Secretary, Tel: 01227 823768, C.Isenberg@kent.ac.uk, Lorna Stevenson, BPhO Administrator, University of Oxford, lorna.Stevenson@oum.ox.ac.uk