International Young Physicists' Tournament

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The International Young Physicists’ Tournament (IYPT)
Location
IYPT 2025 will take place in Lund, Sweden
Information
Other namePhysics World Cup
TypeSecondary School Scientific Competition
Founded1988
FounderDr. h.c. Evgeny Yunosov
PresidentAssoc. Prof. RNDr. Martin Plesch, PhD.
Teams38
Website https://www.iypt.org
Last updated: January 19, 2024

The International Young Physicists' Tournament (IYPT) [1] , sometimes referred to as the "Physics World Cup", is a scientific competition between teams of secondary school students. It mimics, as close as possible, the real-world scientific research and the process of presenting and defending the results obtained.

Contents

Description

Participants have almost a year to work on 17 open-ended inquiry problems [2] that are published yearly in late July. A good part of the problems involves easy-to-reproduce phenomena presenting unexpected behaviour. The aim of the solutions is not to calculate or reach "the correct answer" as there is no such notion here. The Tournament is rather conclusions-oriented as participants have to design and perform experiments, and to draw conclusions argued from the experiments’ outcome. [3]

The competition itself is not a pen-and-paper competition but an enactment of a scientific discussion (or a defence of a thesis) where participants take the roles of journalist reporter, opponent, and reviewer, learning about peer review early on in their school years. Discussion-based sessions are called Physics Fights and the performances of the teams are judged by expert physicists. [3]

Teams can take quite different routes to tackle the same problem. As long as they stay within the broadly defined statement of the problem, all routes are legitimate and teams will be judged according to the depths reached by their investigations. [3]

The IYPT is a week-long event in which currently around 200 international pre-university contestants participate. [3]

IYPT is associated with The European Physical Society (EPS) and in 2013, IYPT was awarded the medal of The International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) "in recognition of its inspiring and wide-ranging contribution to physics education that has touched many lives and countries, over the past 25 years". [4]

History

The International Young Physicists' Tournament (IYPT) originated in the former Soviet Union and expanded internationally in 1988. Following its European roots, the tournament expanded globally, with the first non-European event held in Brisbane, Australia, in 2004. Participation has since grown to over 38 countries, representing every continent. [3]

Over time the IYPT has transitioned from a community initiative to a formally registered corporation. National organizations now organize qualifying competitions and represent their countries within IYPT committees, with many receiving official recognition. [3]

Tournament structure

The most important structural parts of the IYPT are the physics fights. There are five selective fights, and one final fight for the top teams at the end. The structure of these Fights can be compared to the group phase of a football competition (e.g. FIFA World Cup).

Each fight consists of 3 (or 4) stages. In each stage, every team in a given Fight room has one role of the following: reporter, opponent, reviewer, and observer (if there are 4 teams in a Fight). During the 3 (of 4) stages, they "rotate", so that every team has all the roles exactly once, represented by the following tables:

Three-teams Physics Fight
Stage123
Team 1Rep.Rev.Opp.
Team 2Opp.Rep.Rev.
Team 3Rev.Opp.Rep.
Four-teams Physics Fight
Stage1234
Team 1Rep.Obs.Rev.Opp.
Team 2Opp.Rep.Obs.Rev.
Team 3Rev.Opp.Rep.Obs.
Team 4Ops.Rev.Opp.Rep.

The following table represents the structure of a single Stage:

Stage regulations
EventDurationReporterOpponentReviewerJury
The Opp. challenges the Rep. for the problem1 min.active
The Rep. accepts or rejects the challenge1 min.active
Preparation of the Rep.5 min.
Presentation of the report12 min.active
Short questions of the Opp. to the Rep. and answers of the Rep.2 min.activeactive
Preparation of the Opp.3 min.
Opp. presentationmax. 4 min.active
Discussion10 min. + remaining time from the Opp. presentationactiveactive
Summary of the Discussion1 min.active
Questions of the Rev. to the Rep. and the Opp. and answers3 min.activeactiveactive
Preparation of the Rev.2 min.
Rev. presentation4 min.active
Concluding remarks2 min.active
Questions of the Jury5 min.activeactiveactiveactive

In the last Selective PF and in the Final PF the procedure of challenge is omitted.

Timeline table

YearNo.VenueHost countryNo. of teamsNo. of countriesGold winner(s)Silver winner(s)
19881stMoscowFlag of the Soviet Union.svg Soviet Union 313 [5] Disputable [5] Disputable [5]
19892ndMoscowFlag of the Soviet Union.svg Soviet Union 87Flag of Germany.svg West Germany,
Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria
Flag of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.svg RSFSR-School 710, Moscow [5]
19903rdMoscowFlag of the Soviet Union.svg Soviet Union 6 [5] 5 * [5] Flag of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.svg RSFSR-School 542, Moscow [5] Flag of Latvia.svg Latvian SSR-Riga,
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands [5]
19914thMoscowFlag of the Soviet Union.svg Soviet Union 7 [5] 6 * [5] Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary [5] Flag of Poland.svg Poland,
Flag of the Soviet Union.svg Soviet Combined team [5]
19925th Protvino Flag of Russia (1991-1993).svg Russia 1210Flag of Belarus (1918, 1991-1995).svg Belarus,
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czechoslovakia [5]
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands,
Flag of Russia (1991-1993).svg Russia [5]
19936th Protvino Flag of Russia (1991-1993).svg Russia 1911Flag of Georgia (1990-2004).svg Georgia Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine,
Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary [5]
19947th Groningen Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands 1211Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic,
Flag of Russia.svg Russia
Flag of Georgia (1990-2004).svg Georgia
19958th Spała Flag of Poland.svg Poland 1512Flag of Germany.svg Germany Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic,
Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary
19969th Tskaltubo Flag of Georgia (1990-2004).svg Georgia 1310Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic Flag of Germany.svg Germany,
Flag of Georgia (1990-2004).svg Georgia-2
199710th Cheb Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic 1511Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary,
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic
Flag of Belarus.svg Belarus
199811th Donaueschingen Flag of Germany.svg Germany 1816Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic Flag of Germany.svg Germany-1,
Flag of Poland.svg Poland
199912th Vienna Flag of Austria.svg Austria 1917Flag of Germany.svg Germany Flag of Georgia (1990-2004).svg Georgia,
Flag of Austria.svg Austria-1
200013th Budapest Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary 1716Flag of Poland.svg Poland-2Flag of Germany.svg Germany,
Flag of Russia.svg Russia
200114th Espoo Flag of Finland.svg Finland 1816Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia,
Flag of Germany.svg Germany
200215th Odesa Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine 2018Flag of Poland.svg Poland Flag of Belarus.svg Belarus,
Flag of Germany.svg Germany
200316th Uppsala Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden 2322Flag of Germany.svg Germany Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea,
Flag of Poland.svg Poland
200417th Brisbane Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia 2624Flag of Poland.svg Poland Flag of Germany.svg Germany,
Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia
200518th Winterthur Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland 2523Flag of Germany.svg Germany Flag of Belarus.svg Belarus,
Flag of the United States.svg United States
200619th Bratislava Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia 2624Flag of Croatia.svg Croatia Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea,
Flag of Germany.svg Germany
200720th Seoul Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea 2221Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea-2,
Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand
200821st Trogir Flag of Croatia.svg Croatia 2121Flag of Germany.svg Germany Flag of Croatia.svg Croatia,
Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand
200922nd Tianjin Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China 2727Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea Flag of Austria.svg Austria,
Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand
201023rd Vienna Flag of Austria.svg Austria 2323Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore,
Flag of Austria.svg Austria,
Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand,
Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea
Flag of Germany.svg Germany,
Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg Chinese Taipei,
Flag of Iran.svg Iran,
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia,
Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia
2011 24th Tehran Flag of Iran.svg Iran 2121Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea,
Flag of Austria.svg Austria,
Flag of Germany.svg Germany
Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg Chinese Taipei,
Flag of Iran.svg Iran,
Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia,
Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore,
Flag of Belarus.svg Belarus
201225th Bad Saulgau Flag of Germany.svg Germany 2828Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea,
Flag of Iran.svg Iran,
Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore
Flag of Belarus.svg Belarus,
Flag of Germany.svg Germany,
Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg Chinese Taipei,
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland,
Flag of Austria.svg Austria
201326th Taipei Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg Chinese Taipei 2626Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore,
Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea,
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland
Flag of Poland.svg Poland,
Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand,
Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia,
Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden,
Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil
201427th Shrewsbury Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 2828Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore,
Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia,
Flag of Poland.svg Poland,
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China
Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea,
Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand,
Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg Chinese Taipei,
Flag of Russia.svg Russia,
Flag of Germany.svg Germany
201528th Nakhon Ratchasima Flag of Thailand.svg Thailand 2727Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore,
Flag of Poland.svg Poland,
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China
Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia,
Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil,
Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria,
Flag of Russia.svg Russia,
Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea
201629th Ekaterinburg Flag of Russia.svg Russia 2929Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore,
Flag of Germany.svg Germany,
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland,
Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg Chinese Taipei
Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea,
Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia,
Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand,
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China,
Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary
201730thSingaporeFlag of Singapore.svg Singapore 3030Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore,

Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China,
Flag of Poland.svg Poland,
Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary

Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand,
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany,
Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg  Chinese Taipei,
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil,
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czechia
201831stBeijingFlag of the People's Republic of China.svg China 3232Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore,

Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China,
Flag of Germany.svg Germany,
Flag of Korea (1899).svg Korea

Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil,
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden,
Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia,
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland,
Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine
201932nd Warsaw Flag of Poland.svg Poland 3636Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore,
Flag of Germany.svg Germany,
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland,
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China
Flag of Korea (1899).svg Korea,
Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil,
Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine,
Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand,
Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden
202033rdNot held due to COVID-19
202134th Kutaisi Flag of Georgia.svg Georgia 1515Flag of Poland.svg Poland,
Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia,
Flag of Austria.svg Austria
Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine,
Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary,
Flag of Georgia.svg Georgia,
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland,
Flag of Russia.svg Russia
202235th Timișoara Flag of Romania.svg Romania 2525Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland,
Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore,
Flag of Poland.svg Poland
Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg Chinese Taipei,
Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine,
Flag of Germany.svg Germany,
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czechia,
Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary
202336th Murree Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan 1414Flag of Poland.svg Poland,
Flag of Thailand.svg Thailand,
Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China,
Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine,
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czechia,
Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary,
Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil
202437th Budapest Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary 3939Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore,
Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine,
Flag of Poland.svg Poland,
Flag of Chinese Taipei for Olympic games.svg Chinese Taipei
Flag of Germany.svg Germany,
Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia,
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland,
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China,
Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria,
202538th Lund Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden 3535Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore,
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China,
Flag of Germany.svg Germany,
Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia

(*) the number of Nations can be disputed as some countries were midway towards a recognized independence

See also

Footnotes

  1. "Official IYPT Website". IYPT.org. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  2. "IYPT 2025 Problems". International Young Physicists’ Tournament. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Basic Facts". International Young Physicists’ Tournament. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  4. "Basic Facts". International Young Physicists’ Tournament. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 [Detailed history of IYPTs in 1988–1993 (preprint) http://ilyam.org/Draft_IM_Detailed_history_IYPT_1988-1993.pdf]