International Young Physicists' Tournament

The International Young Physicists' Tournament ( IYPT ) ( "Physics World Cup " ) is an international competition, which is played between teams from secondary schools. Ask students to solve complicated scientific problems, present them in a convincing form and defend in discussions ( Physics Fights ).

• 2.1 The Selective Fights
• 2.2 Structure of a Fight
• 2.3 Process a Stage
• 2.4 The final

Expiration

Task

Every year, 17 tasks (so-called problem) by an international committee (International Organizing Committee ) set. The objects come from many fields of physics and are often also across disciplines. These are not tasks that ready-made solutions or solution paths exist. Much more is deliberately "open" formulated problems. There are tasks that can be viewed from different angles and with different approaches. The participants should try in the preparatory phase together with their supervisor, to acquire knowledge about the problem identified. Basically, there are all imaginable methods allowed and encouraged. The point of this kind of problems is to enable the participants to the situation of a researcher who is also confronted with unfamiliar problems and questions.

The problem for the IYPT are therefore already about a year before the actual competition announced publicly. This gives the participants ample time for experimentation, literature and Internet research, possibly a conversation with an expert, etc. teamwork and organizational skills of course play an important role.

Preparation phase

One of the most important aspects is the preparation for the tournament. It has two main objectives: on the one hand, the participants will acquire the largest possible background knowledge about the tasks. This is to be in a discussion versed and being able to defend one's own point well either, or to criticize the opposing point of view is necessary. On the other hand, there is of course the main focus also on everything that has been found to be a task to somehow pack in a good presentation.

The tournament

The tournament itself consists of several rounds, called Physics Fights or short fights. First, the so-called Selective Fights take place. These are comparable to the "Group Play " at football tournaments around. On the Selective Fights attended by all teams. Since the last major rule reform in 2001, five Selective Fights will be held at the IYPT. The according to the Selective Fights terms of points -ranked teams are relegated to the final, in which ultimately the winning team is determined.

The Selective Fights

At the start of the tournament there will be a draw, are formed in groups of three teams. If the total number of teams is not divisible by three, so one or two groups of four are formed. Each of these groups then leads ( parallel time ) the first Selective Fight through. According to a well-known before the draw scheme, the teams change then the groups, so do not ever compete in all Fights same teams against each other. This process is repeated until all Selective fights were performed.

Structure of a Fight

A Fight is divided into three or four so-called " Stages", depending on whether three or four teams participate. The reason is that during a stage, each team has a specific role. These roles are then changed after each stage, so that after three (or four ) stages each team each role exactly once held.

The roles are:

• Reporter
• Opponent
• Reviewer
• Only in groups of four: Observer

The exact significance of these roles a Stage will be discussed in more detail in the explanation of the process.

Expiration of a Stage

A so-called "Stage " is a part of a Fight, comparable with, for example, a single " pass" a ski race. A Stage lasts about 45-55 minutes and is performed without interruption. Between the individual stages of a Fight, however, each about 5-15 minutes pause, depending on the available time, as usual.

At the start of Stage usually represent the team and the jurors shortly before, and the chairman of the jury read out the distribution of roles (Reporter, Opponent, Reviewer, Observer ) for the upcoming Stage.

After this informal part of the actual stage, the course is determined precisely by the rules begins. Each of the phases described below has a well-defined maximum time that may take them. Compliance with these hours will be closely monitored. To help you there is a separate monitor on which the remaining time for all is clearly illustrated graphically visible. The following statements are intended to use only the structure and sequence of events. For a detailed overview of the timing requirements, refer to the official tournament rules, which can be found on the website of the IYPT ( www.iypt.org ).

Following that idea, the actual stage begins when the opponent team selects one of the 17 problem and the reporter asks his team solution to this problem at present. The reporter team can take on the task or reject. In this case, the opponent team must select a different task. This is repeated until a task from the reporter team is accepted. Too frequent Reject ( more than 3x) of tasks throughout the tournament, however, lead to points deductions for the reporter team.

If the task was selected for the Stage followed by a five minute preparation time for the reporter team, which is usually used to pick out for necessary documents or prepare to think through your own presentation briefly, or possibly build an experiment that is to be presented.

Following this preparation, the reporter team has a maximum of twelve minutes to present his solution. In what way exactly done this presentation remains the reporter team left to themselves, there are no guidelines.

After the presentation of the Report, the opponent team has the opportunity to ask some questions to eliminate ambiguity. Then the word goes ( also a short preparation time ) to the opponent, who now has the opportunity to present his opinion, the positive and negative aspects of the presentation of the reporter.

This criticism speech of opponents in an equal discussion between reporter and opponent, in which both the reporter has the opportunity to respond to the criticism of the opponent and these can attach reversed more criticism and questions.

Following the discussion gets the third team, the reviewer team, two other teams the opportunity to ask questions for clarification only, and then also to take the floor after a short preparation time and to highlight the positive and negative aspects of the other two teams again.

In the end, the reporter once again the word and can attach some concluding remarks.

Last but not least also have the jurors to judge the possibility of questions to all three teams. Then the judges will evaluate the performances of the teams in the current stage. The assessment concludes the Stage.

In fights with four Teams are in addition to reporter, opponent and reviewer even the Observer team. However, this does not actively take part in the action, but only observed. Of course, the Observer team will therefore not valued. The only purpose of the Observer team is to enable groups of four teams, if the total number is not a multiple of three is on the team.

After a pause proceeding with the next stage, where the teams through change roles until each team has been the Reporter, the Opponent and the Reviewer ( or in groups of four Observer once ) had.

In addition, there are some notable details:

• All communication between the teams and the jury takes place in English.
• The team members may not speak ( the team leader for example ) with outsiders during the fights.
• But all the resources (books, laptops, notes, ... ) Otherwise permitted.
• Only one team member takes over during a Stage 's active role as a reporter, Opponent or Reviewer. This means that in principle that one person speaks and the other team members are allowed to make only brief comments during the entire stage for the team, and may assist in the presentation or in experiments.
• During a Fight a single team member may only be a maximum of 2x active. In other words, it is not allowed that the same team member actively occurs as a reporter, opponent and reviewer.

The final

The three top-ranked teams after the five Selective Fights be part of the finale. This principle runs from exactly the same as a Selective Fight. There are only two small differences:

• Each team selects the task that wants to present it for yourself.
• Each team member may only 1x ( 2x rather than as in the Selective Fights ) active occur as a reporter, Opponent or Reviewer.

The best team in the finals is the winning team. The other two finalists share 2nd place 3rd prize goes to all the teams that have a certain ( fixed by the organizing committee ) minimum number of points achieved.

Team

Each invited country is sending a team. By the year 2007 was an exception that it can be allowed to take two teams to the host country. The teams consist of five high school students ( not universities ), a student ( Captain ) leads the team during the Physics Fights. Each team is represented by two teachers ( called "Team Leader" ) supervised.

The German team is traditionally made ​​up of students from the Student Research Centre Südwürttemberg, physics -AG Lörrach and the Kepler -Seminar Stuttgart. In Austria and Switzerland, the national team is determined by a qualifying tournament, the " Austrian Young Physicists 'Tournament " ( AYPT ) respectively "Swiss Young Physicists' Tournament" ( SyPT ).

Jury

The jury is nominated by the host country and organized, with caregivers of teams will be deployed as members of the jury, but not. Within the groups in which takes up their own team The judges awarded scores, which have a different weighting depending on the task the team.

Venues

Winner

Starting with the IYPT in 2010 new rules regarding the final rankings were introduced.