Physics Olympiad Exams
published by
the American Association of Physics Teachers
The Physics Olympiad Screening Exams are used each year by the American Association of Physics Teachers to help select members for the United State Physics Team. Each year there are two or three rounds of exams consisting of both multiple choice and open response questions. The exams cover a broad range of topics in physics including mechanics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, waves, and optics.
The exams linked below provide examples of the Olympiad screening tests from several previous years. In most cases both exams and exams with solutions are provided.
8 supplemental documents are available
2008 Olympiad F=ma Preliminary Test
In order to access this file, please Login to the Compadre Portal collection. This is the preliminary US Physics Olympiad contest for 2008. Solutions are provided on the final page. .pdf file (148 kb Adobe PDF Document) Published: January 1, 2008 Rights: Copyright AAPT. Freely available for non-commercial use with attribution.
2008 Olympiad Quarter Final Questions
In order to access this file, please Login to the Compadre Portal collection. This file contains the free-response quarter-final questions for the 2008 US Physics Olympics team. .pdf file (39 kb Adobe PDF Document) Published: January 1, 2008 Rights: Copyright AAPT. Freely available for non-commercial use with attribution.
2008 Olympiad Quarter Final Solutions
In order to access this file, please Login to the Compadre Portal collection. This file contains the solutions to the open-response quarter-final questions for the US Physics Olympic Team. .pdf file (86 kb Adobe PDF Document) Published: January 1, 2008 Rights: Copyright AAPT. Freely available for non-commercial use with attribution.
2008 Olympiad Semi Final Questions
In order to access this file, please Login to the Compadre Portal collection. This file contains the open-response semi-final questions from the 2008 US Physics Olympics Team selection. .pdf file (100 kb Adobe PDF Document) Published: January 1, 2008 Rights: Copyright AAPT. Freely available for non-commercial use with attribution.
2008 Olympiad Semi Final Solutions
In order to access this file, please Login to the Compadre Portal collection. This file contains the solutions to the open-response semi-final questions from the 2008 Physics Olympics Team selection competition .pdf file (141 kb Adobe PDF Document) Published: January 1, 2008 Rights: Copyright, AAPT. Freely available for non-commercial use with attribution.
2007 Olympiad Tests
In order to access this file, please Login to the Compadre Portal collection. This archive contains all the tests used for the 2007 US Physics Olympics selection. It includes the preliminary and semi-final tests and the solutions. .zip file (410 kb Compressed File) .pdf file (458 kb Adobe PDF Document) Published: January 1, 2007 Rights: Copyright AAPT. Freely available for non-commercial use with attribution.
2004 Olympiad Tests
In order to access this file, please Login to the Compadre Portal collection. This file contains the multiple choice, preliminary, and semi-final tests for the 2004 US Physics Olympics contest. .zip file (597 kb Compressed File) .pdf file (647 kb Adobe PDF Document) Published: January 1, 2004 Rights: Copyright, AAPT. Freely available for non-commercial use with attribution.
2003 Olympiad Tests
In order to access this file, please Login to the Compadre Portal collection. This archive contains the multiple choice, preliminary open-response, and semi-final test for the 2004 US Physics Olympics Team selection contest. Answers to the Multiple Choice questions are available at the end of that test. .zip file (199 kb Compressed File) .pdf file (233 kb Adobe PDF Document) Published: January 1, 2003 Rights: Copyright AAPT. Freely available for non-commercial use with attribution.
Questions show remarkable ignorance of physics
Author: Nona Busen I worked through the first dozen questions of the 2007 test, and I'm dismayed at how little knowledge of physics the question-writers appear to have had. Calling gravitational binding energy "gravitational potential energy" is not a trivial mistake (question 8), nor is asking a question about what happens during a specific time period, and then expecting an answer about what has happened in total from zero to the end of that time period (question 4).
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Re: Questions show remarkable ignorance of physics
Author: Bruce, ComPADRE Dir Nona, the US Physics Olympics Team, the source of these tests, is organized by the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Institute of Physics each year, with the tests provided here written by experienced physicists and physics teachers. The results of these tests have been quite good, with the US Physics Team doing well in international competitions. I don't know precisely the way the tests are written and approved, but I'm sure they are carefully vetted. They are provided mostly for teachers to use in their classes.
» reply
thanks
Author: salvatore viva i hope to use this in phisycs summer school in Lecce, Italy
» reply
Re: thanks
Author: Bruce, ComPADRE Dir I'm glad this can help you out with your class.
» reply
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Record Link
<a href="https://www.compadre.org/portal/items/detail.cfm?ID=390">American Association of Physics Teachers. Physics Olympiad Exams. College Park: American Association of Physics Teachers, February 2, 2009.</a>
AIP Format
(American Association of Physics Teachers, College Park, 1993), WWW Document, (https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=390&DocID=961).
AJP/PRST-PER
Physics Olympiad Exams (American Association of Physics Teachers, College Park, 1993), <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=390&DocID=961>.
APA Format
Physics Olympiad Exams. (2009, February 2). Retrieved April 26, 2024, from American Association of Physics Teachers: https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=390&DocID=961
Chicago Format
American Association of Physics Teachers. Physics Olympiad Exams. College Park: American Association of Physics Teachers, February 2, 2009. https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=390&DocID=961 (accessed 26 April 2024).
MLA Format
Physics Olympiad Exams. College Park: American Association of Physics Teachers, 1993. 2 Feb. 2009. 26 Apr. 2024 <https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=390&DocID=961>.
BibTeX Export Format
@misc{
Title = {Physics Olympiad Exams},
Publisher = {American Association of Physics Teachers},
Volume = {2024},
Number = {26 April 2024},
Month = {February 2, 2009},
Year = {1993}
}
Refer Export Format
%T Physics Olympiad Exams %D February 2, 2009 %I American Association of Physics Teachers %C College Park %U https://www.compadre.org/Repository/document/ServeFile.cfm?ID=390&DocID=961 %O application/pdf
EndNote Export Format
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International Physics Olympiads
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