University of Missouri Physics Contest

Welcome to the University of Missouri Physics Contest! This is a free competition open to high school students interested in physics. Compete with your friends or make new ones while solving exciting physics challenges!

Rules

• The contest is free to participate and will be held on April 5, 2025.

• Students compete in teams of four. Students without teams will be assisted in finding a team on the day of the contest if possible.

• Schools can send multiple teams; each team will be scored separately.  There will be prizes both for team and individual winners.

• The contest covers topics from the high school physics curriculum. Calculus is not required, but students may use any method to solve problems.

• Calculators are allowed but not required.

Schedule

• 10:00 AM: Individual round (30 questions in 45 minutes)

• 11:00 AM: Talk by a member of the physics faculty

• 12:00 PM: Lunch break

• 1:00 PM: Team round (10 challenging questions in 45 minutes)

• 2:00 PM: Short talks by undergraduate student researchers

• 2:30 PM: Relay round (3 relays with up to 10 points each)

• 3:15 PM: Physics demos

• 3:45 PM: Awards ceremony

Scoring

• Individual Round: 1 point per question, top 3 scores of 4 team members count toward team score.

• Team Round: 5 points per question (10 questions total).

• Relay Round:

  • 10 points if answered within 3 minutes

  • 7 points if answered within 6 minutes

  • 5 points if answered within 9 minutes

  • Only the final submitted answer is graded.

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