International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) Preparation
Prepare for the International Physics Olympiad with a readiness check, foundation lessons, seven topic strands, official problem sets and a four-phase training plan.
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This course prepares you for the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO). You bridge from school physics, build the core of each theory strand, then move on to unfamiliar transfer problems and timed official papers, with experiment practice every week. It is for students aiming for olympiad training camps or national-team selection, and for anyone who wants physics beyond exam routes.
Be comfortable with: A-Level mechanics, electricity and magnetism, thermal physics and waves (H2 Physics, H3 Physics); calculus and algebra (Mathematics for Undergraduate Physics); and basic uncertainty and graph work.
Learning goals
- Apply mechanics models and problem-solving methods in competition settings.
- Apply electricity & magnetism models and problem-solving methods in competition settings.
- Apply thermodynamics & statistical physics models and problem-solving methods in competition settings.
- Apply waves & optics models and problem-solving methods in competition settings.
- Apply modern physics models and problem-solving methods in competition settings.
- Apply math tools models and problem-solving methods in competition settings.
- Apply experimental skills models and problem-solving methods in competition settings.
- Apply ipho orientation and problem-solving framework models and problem-solving methods in competition settings.
Topics
Work through the topics in order, or open the one you are revising.
IPhO topics
- IPhO MechanicsModelling and approximations, rotation and rolling, fluids, small oscillations, central forces and Lagrangian methods.
- IPhO Electricity & MagnetismElectrostatics with symmetry, capacitance and images, circuit reduction, magnetostatics, transients and induction.
- IPhO Thermodynamics & Statistical PhysicsFirst-law patterns, entropy, kinetic theory, the Boltzmann distribution, transport and thermodynamic potentials.
- IPhO Waves & OpticsPhasors, the wave equation, standing waves and resonance, interference, polarisation and ray optics.
- IPhO Modern PhysicsSpecial relativity, relativistic collisions, quantum estimates, atomic spectra, quantum wells and nuclear decay.
- IPhO Math ToolsScaling, differential equations, series approximations, vector calculus, integrals and normal modes.
- IPhO Experimental SkillsUncertainty, fitting and linearisation, graphing, systematic errors, experiment design and write-ups.
Practise and check
Review
Come back later to see whether your learning has lasted.
About 10 minutes
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Beyond the syllabus: optional enrichment that does not count towards your progress.
Course guides
Official scope and this course
The official IPhO syllabus defines broad theoretical and experimental coverage. It does not set a lesson order or the Entry, Core and Challenge stages used here. Those stages are a Mini Physics teaching sequence that makes the difficulty curve manageable; past IPhO problems still set the expected competition depth.
Each topic moves through the same stages: Entry, Core, then Later. Later combines Challenge lessons and optional extensions; it does not mean the underlying official topic is unimportant.
Readiness check
Choose one familiar A-Level problem in mechanics, E&M, thermal Physics and waves. For each, can you draw the model, choose a governing principle and complete the algebra without hints?
- Four passed: begin at the Entry stage of your weakest IPhO strand.
- Two or three passed: work through the Foundations below, then study one strand at a time.
- Zero or one passed: spend two weeks on H2 Physics first. IPhO lessons should stretch your model choice, not reteach every school-Physics tool at the same time.
A first pass is complete when you can reproduce one worked setup, explain why its method applies, and perform one units or limiting-case check. You do not need the mind stretchers before moving to the next Core lesson.
Foundations
If you are new to olympiad-style problems, start with these. They teach the method that makes the rest of the course usable.
- Problem-Solving Framework (Beginner-Friendly): A reusable checklist: modelling, method choice, approximations, checks.
- Modelling & Approximations: How to simplify without losing the physics.
- Scaling & Dimensional Analysis: Nondimensionalise, spot balances, and bound errors.
- Electrostatics with Symmetry: Choose surfaces/arguments where symmetry collapses the algebra.
- First Law Problem Patterns: System definition, signs, and fast bookkeeping.
- Phasors & Superposition: Add oscillations fast and track phase reliably.
- Special Relativity Toolkit: Invariants, frames, and fast consistency checks.
- Uncertainty & Error Propagation: Uncertainty habits for experimental marks and clean conclusions.
Official problem sets
IPhO Problem Sets collects official IPhO problems for every topic, with solution guidance and method notes. Use guided problems before timed ones.
How to train
- Weekly loop: learn one tool, do 10 problems, keep an error log, redo the 3 hardest.
- Depth over breadth: build fluency with core methods (symmetry, scaling, energy methods) before niche tricks.
- Experiment matters: train uncertainty, fitting, and clean diagrams from week 1.
- Timed routine: at least two timed sessions per week by week 4.
Diagnostic checklist (before week 1)
If you cannot do these quickly, spend 2 to 5 days reviewing first:
- Mechanics: energy/momentum + free-body diagrams + small oscillations basics.
- E&M: Gauss/Ampere instincts + circuit reduction + sign conventions.
- Thermo/stat: first law bookkeeping + entropy direction + ideal-gas fluency.
- Waves/optics: phasors/phase tracking + fringe-scale estimates.
- Modern: γ and invariants + quick quantum scale estimates.
- Math: scaling/dimensional analysis + basic ODE patterns + vector-calculus symmetry.
- Experiment: uncertainties + gradients/intercepts + “dominant systematic + fix” sentences.
Four-phase training plan
Move by evidence, not calendar pressure. A phase may take two weeks or six weeks depending on your starting point.
- Every week: do at least one experimental lesson or paper section and write a clean evaluation. Add timing in Phase 3.
- Every session: end with a 3-line error log (what went wrong, why, what to do next time).
- Every topic: climb the fading-hint ladder in the IPhO Problem Sets before attempting a timed set.
- Phase 1 — Bridge: problem-solving framework, scaling, modelling and uncertainty. Work untimed and narrate method choices.
- Phase 2 — Core: complete Entry and Core lessons across Mechanics, E&M, Thermal Physics, Waves/Optics and Modern Physics. Keep one experimental session every week.
- Phase 3 — Transfer: add Challenge lessons and official problems with fading hints: full outline, then first-step hint, then no hint.
- Phase 4 — Performance: use mixed timed papers, error-log analysis and full experimental write-ups. Add optional extensions only when they solve a recurring bottleneck.
Advance when you can set up two unfamiliar problems in the strand and identify the governing principle without looking at a solution. If setup fails twice for the same reason, return to the relevant Core lesson rather than reading more advanced theory.