The 'Physics Cup': interesting problems are difficult

An overview of the online competition, Physics Cup-IPhO2012 is given. This preceded the 43rd International Physics Olympiad and included ten problems, published monthly. Three problems, the most popular among the contestants, are discussed in detail. These problems deal with laser speckle patterns,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of physics 2013-07, Vol.34 (4), p.S3-S14
Main Author: Kalda, J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Competition
Degrees of freedom
Geometrical optics
Lasers
LC circuits
Mathematical analysis
Online
Speckle patterns
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Summary:An overview of the online competition, Physics Cup-IPhO2012 is given. This preceded the 43rd International Physics Olympiad and included ten problems, published monthly. Three problems, the most popular among the contestants, are discussed in detail. These problems deal with laser speckle patterns, geometrical optics and LC circuits with four degrees of freedom. The results of the competition and of the poll carried out among the contestants are used to discuss the relationship between the properties of the problems: difficulty, closeness to reality and beauty (as perceived by the contestants).
ISSN:0143-0807
1361-6404
DOI:10.1088/0143-0807/34/4/S3