OMEGALEPH INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED EDUCATION
A Festschrift in Honor of Gustavo Haddad Braga, the First Gold Medal for
Brazil, Now the First Among the Ibero-American Countries in the History of
the IPhOs to Receive Gold Medal - IPhO 42nd in Bangkok Thailand, 2011
1/31/2012
International Physics
Olympiads 1967-2011
Part 1 - I - XXIV- IPhO 1967-1993
OMEGALEPH
Criado por: OMEGALEPH COMPILATIONS
SOURCE: www.jyu.fi/tdk/kastdk/olympiads
,International Physics Olympiads
1967-1993
IPhO 1967-1993
Omegaleph Compilations
A Festschrift in Honor of Gustavo Haddad Braga, the First Gold Medal for
Brazil, Now the First Among the Ibero-American Countries in the History of
the IPhOs to Receive Gold Medal - IPhO 42nd in Bangkok Thailand, 2011
, Problems of the 1st International Physics Olympiad 1
(Warsaw, 1967)
Waldemar Gorzkowski
Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland 2
Abstract
The article contains the competition problems given at he 1st International Physics
Olympiad (Warsaw, 1967) and their solutions. Additionally it contains comments of historical
character.
Introduction
One of the most important points when preparing the students to the International
Physics Olympiads is solving and analysis of the competition problems given in the past.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find appropriate materials. The proceedings of the
subsequent Olympiads are published starting from the XV IPhO in Sigtuna (Sweden, 1984). It
is true that some of very old problems were published (not always in English) in different
books or articles, but they are practically unavailable. Moreover, sometimes they are more or
less substantially changed.
The original English versions of the problems of the 1st IPhO have not been conserved.
The permanent Secretariat of the IPhOs was created in 1983. Until this year the Olympic
materials were collected by different persons in their private archives. These archives as a rule
were of amateur character and practically no one of them was complete. This article is based
on the books by R. Kunfalvi [1], Tadeusz Pniewski [2] and Waldemar Gorzkowski [3].
Tadeusz Pniewski was one of the members of the Organizing Committee of the Polish
Physics Olympiad when the 1st IPhO took place, while R. Kunfalvi was one of the members
of the International Board at the 1st IPhO. For that it seems that credibility of these materials
is very high. The differences between versions presented by R. Kunfalvi and T. Pniewski are
rather very small (although the book by Pniewski is richer, especially with respect to the
solution to the experimental problem).
As regards the competition problems given in Sigtuna (1984) or later, they are
available, in principle, in appropriate proceedings. “In principle” as the proceedings usually
were published in a small number of copies, not enough to satisfy present needs of people
interested in our competition. It is true that every year the organizers provide the permanent
Secretariat with a number of copies of the proceedings for free dissemination. But the needs
are continually growing up and we have disseminated practically all what we had.
The competition problems were commonly available (at least for some time) just only
from the XXVI IPhO in Canberra (Australia) as from that time the organizers started putting
the problems on their home pages. The Olympic home page www.jyu.fi/ipho contains the
problems starting from the XXVIII IPhO in Sudbury (Canada). Unfortunately, the problems
given in Canberra (XXVI IPhO) and in Oslo (XXVII IPhO) are not present there.
The net result is such that finding the competition problems of the Olympiads
organized prior to Sudbury is very difficult. It seems that the best way of improving the
situation is publishing the competition problems of the older Olympiads in our journal. The
1
This is somewhat extended version of the article sent for publication in Physics Competitions in July 2003.
2
e-mail:
, question arises, however, who should do it. According to the Statutes the problems are created
by the local organizing committees. It is true that the texts are improved and accepted by the
International Board, but always the organizers bear the main responsibility for the topics of
the problems, their structure and quality. On the other hand, the glory resulting of high level
problems goes to them. For the above it is absolutely clear to me that they should have an
absolute priority with respect to any form of publication. So, the best way would be to publish
the problems of the older Olympiads by representatives of the organizers from different
countries.
Poland organized the IPhOs for thee times: I IPhO (1967), VII IPhO (1974) and XX
IPhO (1989). So, I have decided to give a good example and present the competition problems
of these Olympiads in three subsequent articles. At the same time I ask our Colleagues and
Friends from other countries for doing the same with respect to the Olympiads organized in
their countries prior to the XXVIII IPhO (Sudbury).
I IPhO (Warsaw 1967)
The problems were created by the Organizing Committee. At present we are not able
to recover the names of the authors of the problems.
Theoretical problems
Problem 1
A small ball with mass M = 0.2 kg rests on a vertical column with height h = 5m. A
bullet with mass m = 0.01 kg, moving with velocity v0 = 500 m/s, passes horizontally through
the center of the ball (Fig. 1). The ball reaches the ground at a distance s = 20 m. Where does
the bullet reach the ground? What part of the kinetic energy of the bullet was converted into
heat when the bullet passed trough the ball? Neglect resistance of the air. Assume that g = 10
m/s2.
M
m v0
h
Fig. 1
s
A Festschrift in Honor of Gustavo Haddad Braga, the First Gold Medal for
Brazil, Now the First Among the Ibero-American Countries in the History of
the IPhOs to Receive Gold Medal - IPhO 42nd in Bangkok Thailand, 2011
1/31/2012
International Physics
Olympiads 1967-2011
Part 1 - I - XXIV- IPhO 1967-1993
OMEGALEPH
Criado por: OMEGALEPH COMPILATIONS
SOURCE: www.jyu.fi/tdk/kastdk/olympiads
,International Physics Olympiads
1967-1993
IPhO 1967-1993
Omegaleph Compilations
A Festschrift in Honor of Gustavo Haddad Braga, the First Gold Medal for
Brazil, Now the First Among the Ibero-American Countries in the History of
the IPhOs to Receive Gold Medal - IPhO 42nd in Bangkok Thailand, 2011
, Problems of the 1st International Physics Olympiad 1
(Warsaw, 1967)
Waldemar Gorzkowski
Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland 2
Abstract
The article contains the competition problems given at he 1st International Physics
Olympiad (Warsaw, 1967) and their solutions. Additionally it contains comments of historical
character.
Introduction
One of the most important points when preparing the students to the International
Physics Olympiads is solving and analysis of the competition problems given in the past.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to find appropriate materials. The proceedings of the
subsequent Olympiads are published starting from the XV IPhO in Sigtuna (Sweden, 1984). It
is true that some of very old problems were published (not always in English) in different
books or articles, but they are practically unavailable. Moreover, sometimes they are more or
less substantially changed.
The original English versions of the problems of the 1st IPhO have not been conserved.
The permanent Secretariat of the IPhOs was created in 1983. Until this year the Olympic
materials were collected by different persons in their private archives. These archives as a rule
were of amateur character and practically no one of them was complete. This article is based
on the books by R. Kunfalvi [1], Tadeusz Pniewski [2] and Waldemar Gorzkowski [3].
Tadeusz Pniewski was one of the members of the Organizing Committee of the Polish
Physics Olympiad when the 1st IPhO took place, while R. Kunfalvi was one of the members
of the International Board at the 1st IPhO. For that it seems that credibility of these materials
is very high. The differences between versions presented by R. Kunfalvi and T. Pniewski are
rather very small (although the book by Pniewski is richer, especially with respect to the
solution to the experimental problem).
As regards the competition problems given in Sigtuna (1984) or later, they are
available, in principle, in appropriate proceedings. “In principle” as the proceedings usually
were published in a small number of copies, not enough to satisfy present needs of people
interested in our competition. It is true that every year the organizers provide the permanent
Secretariat with a number of copies of the proceedings for free dissemination. But the needs
are continually growing up and we have disseminated practically all what we had.
The competition problems were commonly available (at least for some time) just only
from the XXVI IPhO in Canberra (Australia) as from that time the organizers started putting
the problems on their home pages. The Olympic home page www.jyu.fi/ipho contains the
problems starting from the XXVIII IPhO in Sudbury (Canada). Unfortunately, the problems
given in Canberra (XXVI IPhO) and in Oslo (XXVII IPhO) are not present there.
The net result is such that finding the competition problems of the Olympiads
organized prior to Sudbury is very difficult. It seems that the best way of improving the
situation is publishing the competition problems of the older Olympiads in our journal. The
1
This is somewhat extended version of the article sent for publication in Physics Competitions in July 2003.
2
e-mail:
, question arises, however, who should do it. According to the Statutes the problems are created
by the local organizing committees. It is true that the texts are improved and accepted by the
International Board, but always the organizers bear the main responsibility for the topics of
the problems, their structure and quality. On the other hand, the glory resulting of high level
problems goes to them. For the above it is absolutely clear to me that they should have an
absolute priority with respect to any form of publication. So, the best way would be to publish
the problems of the older Olympiads by representatives of the organizers from different
countries.
Poland organized the IPhOs for thee times: I IPhO (1967), VII IPhO (1974) and XX
IPhO (1989). So, I have decided to give a good example and present the competition problems
of these Olympiads in three subsequent articles. At the same time I ask our Colleagues and
Friends from other countries for doing the same with respect to the Olympiads organized in
their countries prior to the XXVIII IPhO (Sudbury).
I IPhO (Warsaw 1967)
The problems were created by the Organizing Committee. At present we are not able
to recover the names of the authors of the problems.
Theoretical problems
Problem 1
A small ball with mass M = 0.2 kg rests on a vertical column with height h = 5m. A
bullet with mass m = 0.01 kg, moving with velocity v0 = 500 m/s, passes horizontally through
the center of the ball (Fig. 1). The ball reaches the ground at a distance s = 20 m. Where does
the bullet reach the ground? What part of the kinetic energy of the bullet was converted into
heat when the bullet passed trough the ball? Neglect resistance of the air. Assume that g = 10
m/s2.
M
m v0
h
Fig. 1
s
