The Science Olympiad programme in India is conducted by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai, in collaboration with the Indian Association of Physics Teachers and the Indian Association of Chemistry Teachers. The National Olympiad Programme in physics, chemistry and biology is overseen by a National Steering Committee constituted by the Department of Atomic Energy.

The International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) is held in July in a different country every year. The Physics Olympiad programmes in India are held to select and train participants for the IPhO.

The first stage for selection is to take the National Standard Examinations (NSE). If your school or college is a registered NSE centre, enrol by paying the required fee by the due date. Otherwise, look for a registered NSE centre for enrolment. In case of any problems, contact Prof. M. L. Oglapurkar, Co-ordinator (NSEP), IAPT Office, I.I.E. Campus, 128/2, J. P. Naik Marg, Kothrud, Pune 411038. Tel: 020 25420487 and 020 25420163. Email: iapt@vsnl.net.

For further details, please contact the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, V. N. Purav Marg, Mankhurd, Mumbai 400 088 or log on to www.hbcse.tifr.res.in.

Eligibility

Science students of classes XI and XII are eligible to appear for the Physics Olympiad. The regional co-ordinators may, on their discretion, admit students of lower classes also.

Entrance exam

The selection of Indian participants for the IPhO is carried out in four stages.

Stage 1: The NSE in physics (NSEP) will be held in November from 9 am to 11.30 am at a number of centres in the country.

Stage 2: The top students from NSEPs are selected to appear for the Indian National Physics Olympiad (INPhO), to be held in the last week of January or early February at about 15 centres across the country. On the basis of the performance in the INPhO (theory) about 50 students are shortlisted.

Stage 3: The shortlisted groups of about 35 students are invited to the 10-day Orientation-cum-selection camps (OCSC) at HBCSE. The best 20 students qualify for merit awards by HBCSE, (TIFR), which consists of a certificate and books. The top five students in physics are given Rs 5,000 each, in the form of books and cash, and they also constitute the team to represent India at the IPhO.

Stage 4: The selected Indian team undergoes a rigorous training programme for about three weeks at HBCSE.

Stage 5: The five-member student team, two teachers and one scientific observer represent India at the IPhO.

Pattern of exam

The exam is of four hours’ duration. The syllabus for INPhO (theory) is equivalent to IIT JEE (main) physics, with the addition of special relativity and modern physics.

How to prepare

You can prepare from books like Physics (I &II) by Robert Resnick and David Halliday; University Physics by Hugh Young, Mark Zemansky and Fransis Sears; Physics — A Textbook for Senior Secondary Class (Class XI) — Part I & II and Physics — A Textbook for Senior Secondary Class (Class XII) — Part I & II by NCERT, New Delhi.

sample test paper

A rectangular body is held at rest by pressing it against a vertical wall. Which of the following is generally true?

(a) It will be easier to hold the body if the surfaces in contact are smooth.
(b) Pressing force required is smaller than weight mg of the body.
(c) Pressing force required is greater than weight mg of the body.
(d) The required pressing force is independent of friction between surfaces in contact.

A uniform electric and uniform magnetic fields are present in the same direction. An electron is projected in this region with a velocity in the same direction. Therefore,
(a) the velocity of electron will decrease in magnitude
(b) the velocity of electron will increase in magnitude
(c) the electron will turn to it’s right
(d) the electron will turn to it’s left

Let spherical aberration and chromatic aberration be denoted by S and C respectively. In case of concave mirror,
(a) S and C both may be present.
(b) Both S and C do not exist.
(c) S may be present but C cannot exist.
(d) C may be present but S cannot exist.