Physics Bowl

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PhysicsBowl is a national physics competition coordinated by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT). The test is taken during the first half of April each year by approximately 10,000 physics students. [1] Competitors must attempt 40 physics-related multiple choice questions in a 45 minute long time period. First-year physics students take the Division I test, while second-year physics students take the Division II test. [1] The test can be administered physically on paper, but it is now also offered digitally by the online instructional application WebAssign. [2]

Contents

History

Originally based on the American Chemical Society's general chemistry test, PhysicsBowl was used as an external benchmark for physics teachers to assess student performance starting in 1983. The contest was first administered nationally in 1985 as the "Metrologic Exam," named after its original sponsor, and was renamed to "Physics Bowl" in 1990. In 2002, the test expanded to include a second division. Division I students complete questions 1 through 40, while Division II students complete questions 11-50. The Division 2 contest contains more difficult questions and is made for students with advanced conceptual understanding of physics. Students participating in the Division 2 contest usually take more than a year of physics while students who participate in the Division 1 contest usually take a year or less of physics. [3] [4] Thus the whole test is 50 questions long, but each student must only complete 40, and the middle 30 questions overlap between divisions.

2017 Physics Bowl Winners: Division 1

RankScoreStudentSchoolState
138LIU, PATRICK YSpringLight Education InstituteCA
236WANG, LUBeijing New Oriental Foreign Language School at YangzhouJiangsu
336LIU, JASONStamford Polytechnic at BeaconCT
436BIAN, VINCENT WPoolesville High School lMD
536ZHAO, TONGYUBeijing New Oriental Foreign Language School at YangzhouJiangsu
636ZHU, YIFANShanghai Foreign Language SchoolShanghai
735YANG, HAICHUANThe High School Affiliated to Renmin University of ChinaBeijing
835ZHU, JUNZHEShanghai Starriver Bilingual SchoolShanghai
934CHEN, YAOJiangsu Provincial Liangfeng Senior Middle School International DepartmentJiangsu
1034GONG, KEYUANJiangsu Provincial Liangfeng Senior Middle School International DepartmentJiangsu

2017 Physics Bowl Winners: Division 2

RankScoreStudentSchoolState
140HUANG, JONATHAN JUniversity HS - IrvineCA
236NASH, WILLIAM KKing And Low-Heywood Thomas SchoolCT
334XIE, CHENGXIPomona CollegeCA
434XU, JACK YIvy Path SchoolON
534WANG, YANZHENChengdu Foreign Languages SchoolSichuan
633ZHAO, MINGXUANBeijing New Oriental Foreign Language School at YangzhouJiangsu
732YI, JOO SUNGTaft SchoolCT
832ZHANG, NANQINGBeijing New Oriental Foreign Language School at YangzhouJiangsu
931YE, MING YANGBayview Secondary SchoolON
1031MO, GEORGE BBayview Secondary SchoolON

[5]

2016 Physics Bowl Winners: Division 1

RankScoreStudentSchoolState
137LIU, YANWEIWuhan Foreign Language SchoolHubei
236YAN, YANGNanjing Foreign Language SchoolJiangsu
336CHEN, PHIL HUniversity HSCA
436XU, YUHENGOlympiads SchoolON
535ARRIETA, ANDREW JPalos Verdes Peninsula High SchoolCA
635VITTALA, AADITH SThomas Jefferson HS for Science and TechVA
735ZENGXU, ZHAOQIUHigh School Affiliated to Nanjing Normal UniversityJiangsu
835MANSOUR, OMAR BMentor HSOH
934MERCHANT, SOPHIE EHutchison SchoolTN
1034HANG, YUXIAOShandong Experimental High SchoolShandong

2016 Physics Bowl Winners: Division 2

RankScoreStudentSchoolState
140LU, JASONAdlai Stevenson High SchoolIL
239ZHENG, GUOOlympiads SchoolON
338HUANG, JONATHAN JUniversity HSCA
438SHANG, JIAXUANYali High SchoolHunan
538ZHANG, SHUANGYINanjing Foreign Language SchoolJiangsu
638LI, GONGQIShenzhen Middle SchoolGuangdong
738OUYANG, XIAOYIThe First Middle School of Jiujiang Jiangxi ProvinceJiangxi
837CHEN, PANYUHigh School Affiliated To Nanjing Normal UniversityJiangsu
937ZHAI, GANShanghai High SchoolShanghai
1037LIU, YIRANNanjing Foreign Language SchoolJiangsu

[6]

2015 Physics Bowl Winners: Division 1

RankScoreStudentSchoolState
133*ZHANG, XIAOXUANWuhan Foreign Language SchoolHubei
233*LIU, XIAOLINGThe Experimental High School Attached To Beijing Normal UniversityBeijing
333ZHANG, SHUANGYINanjing Foreign Language SchoolJiangsu
432*LUO, JINXUANXi'an Gaoxin NO.1 High SchoolShaanxi
532XIE, BRIAN BMission San Jose High SchoolCA
631*FENG, SIQINHainan Middle SchoolHainan
731*LIU, YIRANNanjing Foreign Language SchoolJiangsu
831*GE, LEThe High School Affiliated to Renmin University of ChinaBeijing
931*REN, TIANSHUXi'an Gaoxin NO.1 High SchoolShaanxi
1031*ZHENG, GEOFFREYLincoln Park AcademyFL

2015 Physics Bowl Winners: Division 2

RankScoreStudentSchoolState
138SAMINENI, ANEESH VThe King's AcademyCA
230*LU, JASONStevenson HSIL
330*WINER, MIKE HMontgomery Blair HSMD
430WANGA, YUANHAOInternational Department of the Affiliated High School of SCNUGuangdong
529*AN, SEUNG HWANOlympiad AcademiaNY
629*SHI, WENZENanjing Foreign Language SchoolJiangsu
729YU, SIQINHigh School Affiliated to Nanjing Normal UniversityJiangsu
828*LI, YIMINGNanjing Foreign Language SchoolJiangsu
928QINN, GUANGHUIThe Affiliated High School of Shanxi UniversityShanxi
1027*GAO, JERRYTroy High SchoolMI

[7]

Scoring

The top ten overall students from each division, as well as the first and second place students in each of 14 geographic regions, are reported each year once the tests are all scored (note that all advanced, magnet, or other special science schools are placed in region one, and therefore do not compete in their geographic regions). [8] The top school team scores are also calculated and reported as the sum of the scores of the top five competing students from that school. [1] The average score, out of 40 points, for the 2014 exam was 17.5 points (43.8%) for Division I and 15.7 points (39.3%) for Division II. [8]

Regions for PhysicsBowl as of the 2014 Contest [9]
RegionGeographic Area
01Specialized Schools of Science, Mathematics, and Technology
02Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
03New York, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia
04New Jersey, Pennsylvania
05Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia
06Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
07Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio
08Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin
09Arizona, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming
10Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee
11Texas
12California with zip codes <= 92500
13California with zip codes >= 92500
14Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Manitoba, Mexico, Montana, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Oregon, Washington, Asia, Europe, and Others

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References