Description |
The International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) is an annual competition of the
brightest high school students from across the world. The 46th IPhO was
hosted by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE-TIFR) in
Mumbai in July, 2015. Nearly 400 high school students from 83 countries
participated in the week-long event. This was the first time that IPhO was
held in India. The year-long academic preparation for the event brought
together leading researchers and teachers from all over the country.
Theoretical tasks were based on solar neutrinos, extremum principles in
physics and the design of a nuclear reactor. The theme of the experimental
component was the use of light to probe matter, using diffraction by
helical structures (motivated from Photo 51 of DNA structure) and
diffraction due to surface tension waves on water surface. The talk gives
an outline of the Physics Olympiad, a description of the challenging
academic component and an analysis of the students' performance.
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