Welcome to the 2022-2023 TJ Physics Olympiad! This year's contest will run from 5/27 12AM EST to 5/30 11:59PM EST and the registration link is https://forms.gle/ueXK5G84hQzsArVB6. The Thomas Jefferson Physics Olympiad (TJPhO) is a free annual international high school competition that focuses one one applied physics problem every year. Our goal is to reach aspiring physicists from all over the world and introduce them to a variety of topics that will give them the tools to tackle all types of problems. In doing so, we also hope that when working in teams, students will gain valuable experience in collaboration and communication with others.
The theme of this year's exam is equilibriums and deviations! There are several free response questions, each which has multiple subsections. Each free response question focuses on a particular topic in physics and can be approached using AP Physics knowledge. The thought process must be explained, with calculations and diagrams if necessary, to receive credit. Partial credit is given for incomplete solutions. Problems are weighted by difficulty: the test usually gets harder as it goes.
Participants will be given 3 days to complete the TJ Physics Olympiad. It is recommended that participants compete in teams of three, one of whom will register by filling out the form. When the competition starts, you will recieve an email with the problems to submit and a google form to submit your solutions. While the exam is at the high school physics level, middle school students may also participate.
If your team registered, tjhsstphysicsteam@gmail.com will send you a password on the first testing date in order to complete the exam. The test contains background information as well as introductory, intermediate, and advanced problems in order to better understand the material.
Students participating in the competition may only communicate with members of their team. No other collaboration is allowed, including: mentors, teachers, professors, and other students. Teams are not allowed to use online resources, post content on online forums asking questions related to the exam, or books. Teams are welcome to email us if they have any questions about the above rules.
For each question, you must explain how you got a particular answer even if you are not specifically asked to do so. Partial credit will be given, so even if you are not able to solve a problem fully, show us your thought process and what you've gotten so far. Upon the conclusion of the exam, please email a pdf of your team's solutions to tjhsstphysicsteam@gmail.com. The top five teams will receive awards, as indicated below. We will post final results on the main page of our website.
Our sponsor for the 2022-2023 TJPhO is Wolfram Alpha.