The International Physics Olympiad or IPHO is an annual international physics competition for high secondary school students. It is one of the International Science Olympiads. The first International Physics Olympiad was held in Warsaw, Poland in 1967. So, it’s a pretty old and prestigious exam. Each year a national delegation from different countries composed of at most five students and two leaders is selected. Observers may also come with a national team as audience. The students compete as individuals, and face one of the toughest theoretical and laboratory examinations in the world. The efforts put by the students are rewarded by Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal and sometimes honourable mention is also conferred upon certain students.

History of The International Physics Olympiad 

The first International Physics Olympiad took place in 1967. Months before that invitations were sent to all the Central European countries. Five countries including Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania and Poland (the host country) participated in the first tournament. Each team had three secondary school students and one supervisor. The competition was arranged along the lines of the final stage of the Polish Physics Olympiad: one day for theoretical problems and one day for carrying out an experiment. One obvious difference was that the participants had to wait for the scripts to be marked. During the waiting period the organisers arranged two excursions by plane to Kraków and Gdańsk. At the first IPHO the students had to solve four theoretical problems and one experimental problem.

The second Olympiad was organised by Prof. Rezső Kunfalvi in Budapest, Hungary, in 1968. Eight countries took part in that Olympiad. The German Democratic Republic, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia joined the participating countries. Again the same number of students participated with one supervisor accompanying them. Documents related to statues and syllabus was officially accepted by the International Board consisting of the supervisors of the teams that participated in the competition. This took place in Brno, Czechoslovakia, several months after the second IPHO.

The third IPHO was conducted by Prof. Rostislav Kostial in Brno, Czechoslovakia, in 1969. At that time, each team consisted of five students and two supervisors. The next Olympiad took place in Moscow, Soviet Union, in 1970. Now, the students were increased to six and two supervisors accompanied them. During this Olympiad several small changes were introduced into the Statutes.

In the fifth IPHO held in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1971, each team was made up of five pupils and two supervisors. In 1978 and 1980, the IPHO was not organised. This was due to the accession of the Western countries. The first western country to participate was France. The western countries that participated declined the idea of organising the Olympiad exam after every second year in Eastern and Western Bloc country. Thus, eastern bloc countries refuse to be a part of Olympiad and from 1982, yearly competition was started as western countries showed their full interest in participating in the Olympiad exam.

After accession into IPHO, every country had to notify the others within three years about its willingness to host the IPHO. If a country was willing to organise the event it was placed on a waiting list. The failure to organise the IPHO on turn would lead to temporary expulsion from the IPHO. This happened to France in 1986.

Structure of the Competition

The duration of the competition is two days. The theoretical exam is of 5 hours and comprises of three questions. The theoretical questions have multiple parts. The practical examination may consist of one laboratory examination of five hours, or two, which together take up the full five hours.

The theoretical area consists of three problems involving at least four areas of physics taught in secondary schools totalling upto 30 marks. The next day is meant for experimental problems totalling upto 20 marks. A rest of one day is given in between these two days. Students from secondary schools (not colleges or universities) or those who have graduated but are yet to enter university can participate in the competition, but they must be under the age of 20.

Distribution of medals

The minimal scores required for securing a IPHO medal and honourable mentions are decided as per the following rules: A gold medal is to be awarded to the top 8% of the participants. A silver medal or better is to be awarded to the top 25%. A bronze medal is to be awarded to the top 50%. An honourable mention is to be awarded to the top 67%. All other participants receive certificates of participation. The participant with the highest score receives a special prize, in addition to a gold medal.

Information Regarding IPHO 46 Registration

The registration for the 46th International Physics Olympiad to be held in Mumbai is currently open. One can go through the link below for registration:  https://secure.hbcse.tifr.res.in/ipho2015/

Travel

The closest airport is Chattarpati Shivaji in Mumbai. The next best option is Pune airport which is 160 km away from Mumbai. The list of flights are also given below: http://www.mapsofindia.com/international-flight-schedule/
http://www.csia.in/flightinformation/international-airlines.aspx
http://www.travelmath.com/airlines-serving/BOM

Venue

The host institution will be Homi Bhabha Center for Science Education (HBCSE) – Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). The center is into promoting science and mathematics education from primary to undergraduate college level. The opening ceremony will be in Homi Bhabha Auditorium, TIFR and closing ceremony will be held in the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Bombay.

Schedule

Tentative dates for the event are as follows : http://www.ipho2015.in/ipho2015/schedule

Participation

Participation for Indian Students can only be possible by clearing a three level selection process conducted by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education and Indian Association of Physics Teachers.

For the subsequent steps, visit this website: http://www.iapt.org.in/index.php/exams/way-to-international-olympiad-through-nse.html

Important Olympiad Books to Refer to

These are some important Olympiad books that are a must for clearnig the International Physics Olympiad

1. Indian National Physics Olympiad – Theory Problems and Solutions (2006 – 2009), Vijay A. Singh and Praveen Pathak.

2. Indian National Physics Olympiad – Theory Problems (1998 – 2005), Vijay A. Singh and Shirish R. Pathare.

3. Problem Primer for Olympiads, C R Pranesachar, B J Venkatachala and C S Yogananda

Past IPHO problems, solutions and latest syllabus

Go to this link for previous year problem and solutions for IPHO : http://ipho.org/problems-and-solutions.html

Physics Olympiad Syllabus : http://ipho.org/syllabus.html

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