The Physics Olympiad Camp (Kem Kecemerlangan Olimpiad Fizik Peringkat Negeri Pulau Pinang 2024) aims to equip students with the skills necessary to tackle practical questions encountered in the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) while also fostering the development of essential experimental skills.
This year’s camp for Penang State was held at DISTED College from February 20 to 22, 2024, organised as part of the events by Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri (JPN). Twenty-two students from Penang State participated, with two specially invited students joining from Perak and Kuala Lumpur. The camp was led by Ms. Chin Mai Ying (Trainer and person in charge), Dr. Tan Fuyi (Trainer and Lecturer from DISTED College), Mr. Lim Duncan (SMJK Chung Ling PP), and Mr. Lai Jian Hou (ex-Olympian), who focused on various aspects of the experimental components of the Physics Olympiad program.
Guided by the trainers, students aged between 14-17 engaged in a series of experiments throughout the 3-day camp. These included activities such as exploring oscillations in physical pendulum and spring-mass systems with the Optical black box (Day 1), conducting optical measurements to determine parameters of a diffraction grating and the refractive index of a triangular prism (Day 2), and investigating the principles of reflection using plane mirrors, concave and convex mirrors to discern the shape of an object (Day 3). Additionally, discussions and demonstrations covered topics like non-inertial mechanics and magnetic braking systems.
Throughout the camp, students gained insights into the fundamental aspects of the experimental setup, including handling unknown experiments with multiple variables to be determined. They were also trained in proper techniques for tabulating experimental data, plotting graphs, assessing the required degree of accuracy and precision for different data collection scenarios, and analysing and interpreting plotted graphs to extract necessary information.
