The 2009 paper leans on fluent use of core formulas: mechanics and electromagnetism carry most of the weight, numbers stay tidy, and unit conversion is the real test. As one of the earliest years in this archive, it keeps the classic 40-question, 45-minute format. Scan the QR code for the past paper and answers.
The 25 online practice questions start instantly; the full past-paper & answers PDF is available free from an advisor via the QR code — it is not a direct download on this page.2009 Physics Bowl paper overview and exam highlights.
The 2009 Physics Bowl kept its classic format: 40 multiple-choice questions in 45 minutes, an all-English paper, calculators allowed, points for correct answers and no penalty for wrong ones. Division 1 serves first-year students and beginners, with no calculus on the paper; Division 2 serves second-year and AP Physics C students. The two divisions are ranked and awarded separately, and entering both is not allowed. The contest is held in spring each year (around late March to early April), with registration deadlines per the official announcement.
As one of the three earliest years in this archive, the 2009 paper is dominated by direct and combined use of core formulas: kinematics, Newton laws, momentum and energy cover roughly forty percent of the paper, with gravitation and simple harmonic motion appearing steadily. Electromagnetism spans fields, series-parallel circuits, magnetic forces on currents and induction, with capacitance showing up often; thermodynamics centers on specific heat and the pressure-temperature relation of an ideal gas; optics is represented by refraction and double-slit interference; modern physics brings photon energy, the photoelectric effect and time dilation. The computation load is moderate, the numbers are tidy, and fluency and unit discipline matter more than clever tricks.
For a first taste of a complete year, this paper works well as a starting point for timed practice. Scan the QR code to add our consultant on WeChat and receive the 2009 past paper, answers and full explanations, then use the 25 original practice questions on this page to check your review.
2009 Physics Bowl main topic areas, weights and emphasis.
Kinematics, force and momentum-energy work make up about forty percent, with gravitation and simple harmonic motion holding fixed slots.
Electric fields, series-parallel circuits, magnetic forces and induction all appear, and capacitance shows up steadily.
Refraction and double-slit interference lead, with v = fλ sound questions appearing steadily.
Specific heat and the pressure-temperature relation of an ideal gas are steady scoring points.
Photon energy, the photoelectric effect and time dilation take turns appearing.
2009 Physics Bowl-style mock questions (Basic · Medium · Hard) — submit to grade and view step-by-step solutions.
A cross-country skier glides along a flat, straight trail at a steady 8 m/s for 25 s. What distance is covered?
Correct answer: C
Uniform motion: s = vt = 8 × 25 = 200 m; 3.2 m comes from dividing 25 by 8. Core: displacement = speed × time.An 800 kg dragster is pushed by a net force of 2400 N during a test run. What is its acceleration?
Correct answer: B
a = F/m = 2400/800 = 3 m/s2; 0.33 uses m/F and 3200 adds F and m. Core: a = F/m.The gravitational acceleration on the surface of the Moon is about 1.6 m/s2. What is the weight of a 70 kg astronaut standing on the Moon?
Correct answer: D
W = mg = 70 × 1.6 = 112 N; 700 N wrongly uses the surface g of Earth. Core: weight = mg using the local g.A 60 kg hiker climbs steadily through a height of 20 m in 40 s (g = 10 m/s2). What is the average power spent working against gravity?
Correct answer: A
Work against gravity W = mgh = 60 × 10 × 20 = 12000 J, so P = W/t = 12000/40 = 300 W; 3000 W forgets to divide by time. Core: P = mgh/t.A car headlamp filament has a resistance of 6 Ω and is connected to a 12 V supply. What current flows through it?
Correct answer: A
I = V/R = 12/6 = 2 A; 0.5 A uses R/V and 72 A multiplies V and R. Core: I = V/R.Two parallel metal plates 0.1 m apart hold a potential difference of 200 V. What is the magnitude of the uniform electric field between the plates?
Correct answer: C
E = V/d = 200/0.1 = 2000 V/m; 0.0005 V/m uses d/V. Core: between parallel plates E = V/d.A supercapacitor stores 0.6 C of charge when charged to 12 V. What is its capacitance?
Correct answer: B
C = Q/U = 0.6/12 = 0.05 F; 7.2 F multiplies Q and U. Core: C = Q/U.A laser travels through a certain glass at 2×108 m/s (light travels at c = 3×108 m/s in vacuum). What is the refractive index of the glass?
Correct answer: D
n = c/v = 3×108 / 2×108 = 1.5; 0.67 uses v/c. Core: n = c/v, and light travels more slowly in media with a higher index.How much heat is needed to warm 0.5 kg of water from 20 ℃ to 60 ℃ (c = 4200 J/(kg·℃))?
Correct answer: E
Q = mcΔT = 0.5 × 4200 × 40 = 84000 J = 8.4×104 J; 1.68×105 J skips the mass. Core: Q = mcΔT.What is the energy of a photon of frequency 6×1014 Hz (h = 6.6×10-34 J·s)?
Correct answer: A
E = hf = 6.6×10-34 × 6×1014 = 39.6×10-20 ≈ 4.0×10-19 J; option B shifts the exponent by one. Core: photon energy E = hf.A rescue plane flies horizontally at a steady 30 m/s and drops a supply package from a height of 500 m (g = 10 m/s2). How far from the release point does the package land?
Correct answer: B
The fall time is set by the drop height: t = √(2h/g) = √(2×500/10) = 10 s; horizontal distance x = vt = 30 × 10 = 300 m. Core: the time of projectile motion is fixed by height, and the horizontal motion is uniform.A bobsled starts from rest at the top of a 25 m track and reaches the bottom at 20 m/s (g = 10 m/s2). What fraction of the initial gravitational energy is lost to friction?
Correct answer: D
Per unit mass, the initial energy mgh = 250m and the final kinetic energy ½mv2 = 200m, so 50m is lost, which is 50/250 = 20%; 80% inverts the ratio. Core: friction loss = (mgh − ½mv2)/mgh.A 60 kg skater gliding at 5 m/s catches a 20 kg ball moving in the same direction at 15 m/s and holds onto it. What is their common speed afterwards?
Correct answer: C
Momentum is conserved: 60×5 + 20×15 = (60+20)v, so v = 600/80 = 7.5 m/s; 10 m/s is the plain average of the two speeds. Core: a perfectly inelastic catch is solved with momentum conservation.A communications satellite orbits at a height above the ground equal to the radius of Earth. How does the gravitational acceleration at the orbit compare with the surface value g?
Correct answer: E
The orbital radius is twice the surface radius, so with g ∝ 1/r2 the value is g/4; g/2 uses only the first power of r. Core: gravitational acceleration falls off as 1/r2.A 0.5 kg block hangs from a vertical spring of stiffness 200 N/m and oscillates. What is the period of oscillation (π = 3.14)?
Correct answer: B
T = 2π√(m/k) = 2 × 3.14 × 0.05 = 0.31 s; 0.10 s omits the factor π. Core: the spring oscillator period is T = 2π√(m/k).A circuit places a 6 Ω and a 3 Ω resistor in parallel, in series with an 8 Ω resistor, across a 20 V battery. What current leaves the battery?
Correct answer: C
The parallel pair gives 2 Ω, so the total is 10 Ω and I = 20/10 = 2 A; 1.2 A comes from simply adding all three resistances. Core: combine the parallel part first, then add the series resistance.A straight wire 0.4 m long carries a 4 A current perpendicular to a uniform 0.25 T magnetic field. What magnetic force acts on the wire?
Correct answer: A
F = BIL = 0.25 × 4 × 0.4 = 0.4 N; 0.16 N multiplies only B and L. Core: F = BIL when the current is perpendicular to the field.In a double-slit experiment, light of wavelength 600 nm passes through slits 0.2 mm apart, and the screen is 2 m away. What is the spacing of adjacent bright fringes?
Correct answer: D
Δy = λL/d = (6×10-7 × 2)/(2×10-4) = 6×10-3 m = 6 mm. Core: double-slit fringe spacing Δy = λL/d, with careful conversion of nm and mm.A fixed amount of ideal gas is heated at constant volume from 300 K to 600 K. If the initial pressure is 100 kPa, what is the final pressure?
Correct answer: B
At constant volume, pressure is proportional to absolute temperature: P2 = 100 × 600/300 = 200 kPa; 400 kPa wrongly squares the ratio. Core: with V constant, P/T stays fixed.A metal has a work function of 2.0 eV. Light whose photons each carry 5.0 eV shines on it. What is the maximum kinetic energy of the emitted electrons?
Correct answer: E
KEmax = 5.0 − 2.0 = 3.0 eV; 7 eV adds the two energies. Core: maximum kinetic energy = photon energy − work function.A 50-turn circular coil of radius 0.1 m sits in a uniform magnetic field that drops steadily from 0.2 T to zero in 0.1 s. What is the induced EMF in the coil (π = 3.14)?
Correct answer: C
The coil area is A = πr2 = 3.14×10-2 m2, so ε = N·A·ΔB/Δt = 50 × 0.2 × 3.14×10-2 / 0.1 = 3.14 V. Core: Faraday law, ε = N ΔΦ/Δt = N A ΔB/Δt.A 4 μF capacitor is charged to 50 V and disconnected from the supply, then connected in parallel with an uncharged 6 μF capacitor. What is the common voltage after connection?
Correct answer: A
Charge is conserved: Q = 4 μF × 50 V = 200 μC; the parallel combination is 4 + 6 = 10 μF, so U = 200/10 = 20 V; 25 V is the plain average of the two voltages. Core: charge conservation plus parallel capacitances adding.A uniform disk of mass 2 kg and radius 0.5 m rotates about its central axis. A steady torque of 1.0 N·m is applied. What is the angular acceleration (for a uniform disk, I = ½MR2)?
Correct answer: D
I = ½ × 2 × 0.52 = 0.25 kg·m2, so from τ = Iα, α = 1.0/0.25 = 4 rad/s2; 0.25 stops before dividing by I. Core: first find I = ½MR2, then use α = τ/I.A 10 g bullet moving horizontally at 400 m/s embeds itself in a stationary 1.99 kg block hanging from a string (g = 10 m/s2). How high does the block with the bullet inside swing?
Correct answer: E
Momentum first: v′ = 0.01 × 400 / 2 = 2 m/s; energy next: h = v′2/2g = 4/20 = 0.2 m; 40 m wrongly starts from the initial kinetic energy of the bullet. Core: a ballistic pendulum needs momentum conservation first, then energy conservation.A spaceship travels at a steady 0.6c. A clock on the ship reads 10 s for some process. How long does that process last for an observer on the ground?
Correct answer: E
The Lorentz factor is γ = 1/√(1 − 0.62) = 1/0.8 = 1.25, so t = γt0 = 1.25 × 10 = 12.5 s; 8 s divides by γ instead of multiplying. Core: a moving clock runs slow, t = γt0.Unified Physics Bowl specs, consistent across years.
Division 1 is for first-year physics students (no calculus); Division 2 is for second-year and AP Physics C students. The two divisions are ranked and awarded separately — students must choose one and cannot take both. Pick based on your level; our advisor can help.
Four steps · Overview / Topics / Practice / Prep
Read the 2009 Physics Bowl overview and format specs to grasp the year’s style.
Review the key topics and weights, and locate your weak areas.
Complete the 25 mock questions; submit for auto-grading and right/wrong marks.
Open the step-by-step solutions, learn from mistakes, and scan for full papers to push for national and global rankings.
Prep tips and score-boosting advice for the 2009 Physics Bowl.
The 2009 paper has tidy numbers and a low trick barrier, which makes it a good first full-length timed run. Do the whole paper in 45 minutes, then review question by question to expose gaps in formulas and unit conversion.
No formula sheet is provided, so everything from v = fλ to the photoelectric equation must be recalled from memory. Write the core formulas of the five blocks onto one page each, review them daily, and aim to match a question to its formula on sight.
40 questions in 45 minutes means about 67 seconds per question on average. In timed runs, do the easy ones first, skip anything that stalls you beyond 90 seconds, and come back at the end so one question never sinks the whole paper.
Division 1 is for first-year students and beginners, with no calculus involved; Division 2 is for second-year and AP Physics C students. The divisions are ranked and awarded separately and cannot both be entered, and registration deadlines follow the official announcement, so settle your choice ahead of time.
Label every missed question as wrong formula, wrong unit, wrong sign or wrong order of magnitude, and keep one list per type. When the same type repeats, drill that block specifically; before the test, review only your lists.
Frequent questions about the 2009 Physics Bowl papers and answers.
Scan to add the advisor for 2009 Physics Bowl past papers, answer keys and solutions, plus a custom prep plan.
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