Q&A
What does “IYPT” stand for?
“IYPT” stands for “International Young Physicists’ Tournament”. It is a team-oriented competition for secondary school students, sometimes also referred to as the “Physics World Cup”.
How do I pronounce “IYPT”?
As usual for acronyms, “IYPT” is pronounced letter by letter: I – Y – P – T. IPA: [a: wa: pi: ti:]
How can I participate in the IYPT?
Since the IYPT is a World Cup you must first contact the person responsible for Young Physicists’ Tournament in your country. Most countries have some sort of qualification tournament. If there is no such person (i.e. your country has never participated in the IYPT before) you should contact the IYPT officials for further information.
Who can participate in the IYPT?
Each country may be represented by one team, consisting of five high school (secondary school) students. The participation of university students is not allowed. Each team is accompanied by one or two teamleaders.
Is it possible for single students to participate in the IYPT
No, that is not possibe. The IYPT is a team-oriented competition. Teams must consist of three to five students.
Who formulates the problems for the IYPT?
The problems are formulated by the International Organizing Committee (IOC). Each participating country suggests possible problems. The IOC then chooses from this pool of problems, maybe rewording them partially. The IOC takes care that not all the problems come from the same fields of physics.
What kind of resources may be used by the students during the IYPT?
Generally speaking, all kinds of resources are allowed. It is customary for the teams to use things like pocket calculators, dictionaries, laptops, literature, notes, etc. Everything is allowed. The only thing which is explicitly forbidden is the communication between the students and non-participants during the fights.
Which means of presentation will be present at the IYPT?
It depends on what the Local Organizing Committee can provide. Authoritative information can only be obtained by the LOC. Usual means of presentation are data-projectors (“beamers”), sometimes also overhead projectors and blackboards.
Why are there always exactly 17 problems?
An experienced IOC member once explained it in the following way: “Well,… You see, 16 would be too few, but 18 would be too many.”
What is the origin and historical development of the IYPT logo?
The logo featuring two horses and armed knights has been a central part of the Tournament s visual identity since the early 1980s, when the competition was still a local event within the USSR. Long before the Tournament evolved into the International Young Physicist s Tournament (IYPT) and welcomed its first non-Soviet teams, the emblem had already become a recognizable and enduring symbol.
The logo first appeared publicly in a 1982 issue of Kvant, a Soviet journal of popular physics and mathematics, in an article by Evgeny Yunosov covering the 3rd Moscow YPT. The knights originally bore shields labeled E = mc² and E = ℏω, referencing fundamental physics formulas. Although the artist s identity remained uncertain for decades, it was confirmed in 2012 that the logo was created by Alexander Nikulin, a Russian research physicist.
Over the years, the design was updated – first in a 1987 book, then for the 1st IYPT in 1988, where it appeared on diplomas and informational booklets with simplified formulas (mc² and hν). A refined version was introduced in 1990 and continued to be used through the early 1990s. Digital versions began circulating around 1994, and in the 2000s, high-resolution adaptations were made for modern printing and media use.
Today, this emblem remains an iconic and widely recognized part of the IYPTs identity, seen not only at the international level but also at numerous regional and national tournaments around the world.
