6 July 2024, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Singapore Physics League
A fast-paced team contest to solve fun physics problems
What is Physics League?
The Singapore Physics League (SPhL) is a 4-hour
online competition, where teams of 3 - 5 students race
to solve fun physics problems. Learning and doing physics is a team sport - gather your group of fellow physics enthusiasts to participate as a team and discuss interesting physics together!
scheduleWhen and
where?
SPhL 2024 will be held on
6 July 2024 (Saturday), from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
As the competition is fully online, you and your team may be physically located at any spatial coordinates of your choice!
All you need is a computing device with a modern web browser and a stable Internet connection in order to gain access to our online platform. You must log in to view problems and submit answers.
groupsWho can
participate?
This competition is open to all students currently
studying in a Singapore secondary school or junior
college (or equivalent). There are two categories in the
league:
SPhL (Junior): for teams whose members are all in secondary school
SPhL (Senior): for teams whose members are all in junior college.
You should form teams of 3, 4 or 5 students. Your team can comprise students from different schools.
How it works
settingsMechanics
At any time, your team will be given access to 4
problems. You can submit your answer for any of these
problems whenever you wish, and the website will give
instant feedback on it:
done If your answer is correct, you gain points, and you will be prompted to select a new problem to unlock.
close If your answer is incorrect, you can re-attempt the problem for partial points.
quizProblems
Problems vary greatly in difficulty level; some are
comparable to questions from your school exams, others
are closer to national olympiad questions or even
beyond. The examinable scope will follow the
IPhO syllabus. There will be some differences in the problems for each category (Junior / Senior).
For a rough sense of the style of problems, view past years' SPhL problems here.
lightbulbStrategy
You should communicate and coordinate closely with your
teammates, but there should be no communication with
anyone else during the competition (e.g. family members,
friends in other teams, etc.).
This competition is completely "open-book", so you are allowed to use any reference materials or even computational tools at your disposal. You can even learn some physics on the fly if the problem uses unfamiliar terminology.
Devise a team strategy to tackle the problems effectively and efficiently!
Why should I participate?
For the fun of it! The competition will be thrilling and
dynamic - similar to a game. You can look forward to
many exciting elements, like progressive unlocking of
problems, live leaderboards, and
Half Hour Rush. The competition will require lots of collaboration and is designed to stimulate fruitful and enjoyable discussions of physics. Hopefully, you will find our problems innovative, interesting and intellectually stimulating!
You also stand a chance to win awards, prizes, and glory!
Are you excited?
assignmentRegister for Physics
League!
Once you have chosen your dream team and decided on a team
name, we just need one member of your team to fill in the registration form!
There is no limit to how many students from each school can participate. So, don't be shy - go ahead and register!
The deadline for registration is 29 March 2024 (Friday), at 11.59 PM. Only one registration is required for each team i.e. it is not necessary for every team member to fill up the registration form.
A few weeks after the registration deadline, we will send more information to your registered email address - check your spam folder too! Please email us at [email protected] if you still have not heard from us by 1 May 2024.
There is no limit to how many students from each school can participate. So, don't be shy - go ahead and register!
For secondary school students: Important
note about registration
This information only concerns teams in the
SPhL (Junior) category. If your team is in the
SPhL (Senior) category, none of this applies to
you.
With effect from 2024, SPhL (Junior) is officially delinked from SJPO and you may sign up for either or both competitions independently. The awards for SPhL (Junior) and SJPO will continue to be judged separately.
With effect from 2024, SPhL (Junior) is officially delinked from SJPO and you may sign up for either or both competitions independently. The awards for SPhL (Junior) and SJPO will continue to be judged separately.
The deadline for registration is 29 March 2024 (Friday), at 11.59 PM. Only one registration is required for each team i.e. it is not necessary for every team member to fill up the registration form.
If your dream team comprises students from
different schools…
Such an arrangement is perfectly fine by us!
Make sure you register as a team with your team members from other schools.
For example, suppose your team comprises 2 members from school X, 2 members from school Y, and 1 member from school Z. One member of this team simply fills up the registration form and includes all 5 of these students in the form. The admin personnel in the OT will receive this information and compile a list of students participating in SPhL to send to the respective schools (in this case, school X, school Y and school Z). Each school will be informed that these students will be participating with team members from other schools.
Make sure you register as a team with your team members from other schools.
For example, suppose your team comprises 2 members from school X, 2 members from school Y, and 1 member from school Z. One member of this team simply fills up the registration form and includes all 5 of these students in the form. The admin personnel in the OT will receive this information and compile a list of students participating in SPhL to send to the respective schools (in this case, school X, school Y and school Z). Each school will be informed that these students will be participating with team members from other schools.
If your dream team comprises students from
different levels…
This is permitted,
as long as your team members' categories do not
mix.
In other words:
done Secondary school students from different levels are permitted to join SPhL (Junior) as a single team.
done Junior college students from different levels are permitted to join SPhL (Senior) as a single team.
close However, a team cannot comprise both secondary school and junior college students.
As long as these conditions are met, having members from different levels is permitted.
No special procedure is needed for registration here, simply indicate each team member's level in the registration form accurately.
done Secondary school students from different levels are permitted to join SPhL (Junior) as a single team.
done Junior college students from different levels are permitted to join SPhL (Senior) as a single team.
close However, a team cannot comprise both secondary school and junior college students.
As long as these conditions are met, having members from different levels is permitted.
No special procedure is needed for registration here, simply indicate each team member's level in the registration form accurately.
If you are a teacher looking to register students
from your school…
First of all, thank you for your support in
facilitating the registration process for SPhL! Our
efforts would not reach as many students without
your invaluable assistance, and we are immensely
grateful for it.
Your HOD (Science) should have received an email from MOE in February 2024, with detailed instructions for registration. Please direct your students to form teams to fill in the registration form on our website. The deadline for submission is 29 March 2024 (Friday), at 11.59 pm.
If you did not receive the MOE email, please drop us an email via [email protected], and we will forward all the information you need. Should you have any technical queries regarding the registration procedure, or any other aspect of SPhL, feel free to ask too.
Your HOD (Science) should have received an email from MOE in February 2024, with detailed instructions for registration. Please direct your students to form teams to fill in the registration form on our website. The deadline for submission is 29 March 2024 (Friday), at 11.59 pm.
If you did not receive the MOE email, please drop us an email via [email protected], and we will forward all the information you need. Should you have any technical queries regarding the registration procedure, or any other aspect of SPhL, feel free to ask too.
A few weeks after the registration deadline, we will send more information to your registered email address - check your spam folder too! Please email us at [email protected] if you still have not heard from us by 1 May 2024.
Having trouble finding teammates? Or unclear
about how the competition works?
We have set up a Discord server to help you! Join at https://discord.gg/VRszZ6yyGH to connect with other interested participants and us organisers.
We have set up a Discord server to help you! Join at https://discord.gg/VRszZ6yyGH to connect with other interested participants and us organisers.
question_answer
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this an official competition?
Yes! SPhL is strongly supported by the
Institute of Physics Singapore (IPS)
- the same organisation that also runs national
physics competitions like SJPO, SPhO, SYPT. We are
also supported by the Singapore Ministry of
Education (MOE) and sponsored by
Micron.
We require all participating students to register through their schools. All participants will also receive certificates, and some teams will win awards based on their performance.
We require all participating students to register through their schools. All participants will also receive certificates, and some teams will win awards based on their performance.
What information do I need to provide when
registering?
You need to give us your team name - a moniker that
uniquely identifies your team. Go for something fun,
casual, or quirky! Some examples from past contests
include “Sherlock Ohms”, “Newton's Apples”,
“Complicated Harmonic Motion”.
We will also need a little information about each of your team members: Name, level, school, and most importantly… email address! Please provide us a working email address that you check regularly. We will send out some really important information to whichever email address you give us here. We want this delivered to you - and not into a black hole.
We will also need a little information about each of your team members: Name, level, school, and most importantly… email address! Please provide us a working email address that you check regularly. We will send out some really important information to whichever email address you give us here. We want this delivered to you - and not into a black hole.
Is it better to join as a team of 3, 4, or 5?
We definitely encourage teams of 5. There is
tremendous strategic benefit to having more members!
With more hands and minds at work, more problems can
be conquered, and consequently, more points scored,
increasing your chances of an award.
Besides, how often do you get such a great excuse to talk all-things-physics and “jam” with fellow physics enthusiasts? As the adage goes: the more the merrier!
Besides, how often do you get such a great excuse to talk all-things-physics and “jam” with fellow physics enthusiasts? As the adage goes: the more the merrier!
I cannot find enough teammates to form a team of
3. Can I take part individually or as a pair?
You can form a team if you just get one or two more
students to join!
If you are still unable to find teammates within your school or amongst people you know, we run a Discord server for you to band together with other like-minded students looking for a team. Click here to join - don't be shy!
The joy of SPhL largely comes from teamwork, team spirit, team bonding. We want you to have the best experience - this is a key element of what sets SPhL apart from other competitions!
If you are still unable to find teammates within your school or amongst people you know, we run a Discord server for you to band together with other like-minded students looking for a team. Click here to join - don't be shy!
The joy of SPhL largely comes from teamwork, team spirit, team bonding. We want you to have the best experience - this is a key element of what sets SPhL apart from other competitions!
My school is not aware of / has not announced
this competition. How can I
register?
Please go ahead and register directly via the registration form on our website.
If your Physics teacher is not aware of this competition, please direct them to our website - particularly our little note for teachers linked here: sgphysicsleague.org/#for-teachers
Do drop us an email should you require additional help on this!
If your Physics teacher is not aware of this competition, please direct them to our website - particularly our little note for teachers linked here: sgphysicsleague.org/#for-teachers
Do drop us an email should you require additional help on this!
Can my dream team comprise students from
different schools? How do we register?
Yes, that is allowed! For additional instructions on
registration for multi-school teams, please read
the note above titled
“If your dream team comprises students from
different schools…”
Can my dream team comprise students from
different levels? How do we register?
This is only allowed if the categories of the
different students do not conflict. For more
information about this, please read
the note above titled
“If your dream team comprises students from
different levels…”
If I am not a student currently enrolled in
secondary school or junior college (or
equivalent), can I take part?
Unfortunately, this is currently not possible, do
drop us an email if you require any further
clarifications!
Nevertheless, we will publish all problems and solutions on our website once the competition ends. You may then attempt our problems informally with your friends or by yourself if you like!
Nevertheless, we will publish all problems and solutions on our website once the competition ends. You may then attempt our problems informally with your friends or by yourself if you like!
About Us
We are a passionate group of fresh junior college graduates
who have enjoyed and excelled in various physics olympiads
and tournaments back in our school days. We are excited to
organise SPhL as a novel way to inspire interest in physics,
and to promote lively discussion of physics. Most of all, we
want students to enjoy the process of thinking about and
talking about challenging physics puzzles.
SPhL is supported by the Institute of Physics Singapore (IPS) and the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE). We are also grateful to Micron for its sponsorship.
This competition was originally inspired by the Online Physics Brawl organised by FYKOS. If you enjoy SPhL, you would probably love Online Physics Brawl too. So do check it out!
While we are not directly associated with them, do also check out the Singapore Chemistry League and the Singapore Biology League if you are interested in other competitions similar to ours!
SPhL 2024 Organising Team
Chief Organiser, Problem Setter
Deputy Chief Organiser, Problem Setter
Lead Developer, Problem Setter
Lead Developer, Problem Setter
Team Leader, Problem Setter
Team Leader, Problem Setter
Problem Setter
Problem Setter
Problem Setter
Problem Setter
Problem Setter
Problem Setter
Problem Setter
Problem Setter
Web Developer
Web Developer
Systems Engineer
Systems Engineer
Graphic Designer
Data Analyst
SPhL is supported by the Institute of Physics Singapore (IPS) and the Singapore Ministry of Education (MOE). We are also grateful to Micron for its sponsorship.
This competition was originally inspired by the Online Physics Brawl organised by FYKOS. If you enjoy SPhL, you would probably love Online Physics Brawl too. So do check it out!
While we are not directly associated with them, do also check out the Singapore Chemistry League and the Singapore Biology League if you are interested in other competitions similar to ours!