The 2015 paper follows the classic Physics Bowl recipe: familiar high-school models, moderate computation, and mechanics plus electromagnetism carrying most of the weight. 40 questions in 45 minutes, no penalty for wrong answers, Division 1 / Division 2 scored separately. Scan the code for the 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.2015 Physics Bowl paper overview and exam highlights.
The 2015 paper is a released year. True to the Physics Bowl tradition, every question stays inside the core high-school curriculum: no trick questions, mostly one- or two-step applications of kinematics, Newton laws and energy-momentum models, with mechanics again the largest block and electromagnetism close behind.
The format matches every other edition: 40 multiple-choice questions in 45 minutes, points for correct answers, no deduction for wrong ones, calculators allowed, and the paper entirely in English. Division 1 serves first-year students and physics beginners (no calculus needed), while Division 2 targets second-year and AP Physics C students; the two divisions are ranked and awarded separately and only one may be entered.
Scenarios this year lean on familiar settings such as race cars, elevators, planets and lab circuits, so careful reading and fluent unit conversion often matter more than exotic techniques. Scan the code to get the 2015 paper with answers, then pair it with the 25 original bilingual practice questions on this page for timed drills.
2015 Physics Bowl main topic areas, weights and emphasis.
Kinematics, Newton laws and energy-momentum form the backbone, with circular motion and gravitation appearing routinely.
Electric fields, circuits and magnetism share the weight; induction and capacitors appear in standard forms.
Mostly v = fλ, refraction and double-slit interference at the foundational level.
Gentle points from specific heat, gas laws and engine efficiency.
Entry-level modern physics: photon energy, energy levels and basic relativity.
2015 Physics Bowl-style mock questions (Basic · Medium · Hard) — submit to grade and view step-by-step solutions.
A cyclist rides at a steady 5 m/s for 12 s. How far does the cyclist travel?
Correct answer: D
Uniform motion: s = vt = 5 × 12 = 60 m. Answer D. Core: distance = speed × time.A 3 kg crate on a frictionless floor is pushed by a steady 12 N horizontal force. What is its acceleration?
Correct answer: B
F = ma gives a = F/m = 12/3 = 4 m/s2. Answer B. Core: a = F/m.A 12 V battery is connected across a 4 Ω resistor. What current flows through it?
Correct answer: E
I = U/R = 12/4 = 3 A. Answer E. Core: current = voltage over resistance.Resistors of 2 Ω, 3 Ω and 5 Ω are connected in series. What is the total resistance?
Correct answer: D
Series resistances add: R = 2 + 3 + 5 = 10 Ω. Answer D. Core: in series, resistances add.How much heat is needed to warm 2 kg of water from 20 °C to 30 °C? (c = 4200 J/(kg·°C))
Correct answer: E
Q = mcΔT = 2 × 4200 × 10 = 84000 J = 84 kJ. Answer E. Core: Q = mcΔT with ΔT as the temperature change.A metal block has a mass of 6 kg and a volume of 0.002 m3. What is its density?
Correct answer: A
ρ = m/V = 6/0.002 = 3000 kg/m3. Answer A. Core: density = mass divided by volume.A sound wave has a frequency of 500 Hz and a wavelength of 0.68 m. What is its speed?
Correct answer: C
v = fλ = 500 × 0.68 = 340 m/s. Answer C. Core: wave speed v = fλ.What is the energy of a photon of frequency 6×1014 Hz? (Planck constant 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. Answer A. Core: E = hf; normalize the scientific notation.A crane motor lifts a 100 kg load 4 m at constant speed in 10 s (g = 10 m/s2). What is the output power?
Correct answer: B
W = mgh = 100×10×4 = 4000 J, so P = W/t = 400 W. Answer B. Core: P = W/t with W = mgh.A capacitor holds 2.4×10-5 C of charge with 12 V across its plates. What is its capacitance?
Correct answer: B
C = Q/U = 2.4×10-5/12 = 2×10-6 F = 2 μF. Answer B. Core: C = Q/U.A ball is thrown horizontally at 20 m/s from the top of a 45 m cliff (g = 10 m/s2). How far from the base does it land?
Correct answer: C
The fall time comes from the vertical drop: t = √(2h/g) = 3 s; the range is x = v0t = 20×3 = 60 m. Answer C. Core: for projectiles, find the time first, then the range.A 2 kg mass hangs from a spring of stiffness 200 N/m and moves in simple harmonic motion. What is the period of the oscillation?
Correct answer: E
Simple harmonic motion of a mass-spring system: T = 2π√(m/k) = 2π√(2/200) = 2π×0.1 ≈ 0.63 s. Answer E. Core: SHM period T = 2π√(m/k).A block slides from rest down a smooth ramp 5 m high, then skids across a rough horizontal surface (μ = 0.2). How far does it travel on the rough surface? (g = 10 m/s2)
Correct answer: C
Energy conservation gives mgh = μmgd, so d = h/μ = 5/0.2 = 25 m. Answer C. Core: when potential energy fully turns into friction heat, d = h/μ.A 2 kg cart moving at 6 m/s hits a stationary 4 kg cart and the two couple. What is their common speed?
Correct answer: E
Momentum is conserved: v = (2×6)/(2+4) = 12/6 = 2 m/s. Answer E. Core: momentum is conserved, kinetic energy is not.A straight wire 0.3 m long carries a 4 A current perpendicular to a uniform 0.5 T magnetic field. What force does the field exert on the wire?
Correct answer: B
F = BIL = 0.5×4×0.3 = 0.6 N, with the wire perpendicular to the field. Answer B. Core: F = BIL sinθ.A 12 V battery drives two 6 Ω resistors in parallel, with a 3 Ω resistor in series. What total current does the battery supply?
Correct answer: A
The parallel pair gives 3 Ω, the total is 6 Ω, so I = 12/6 = 2 A. Answer A. Core: reduce the parallel part first, then find the total resistance.An electron (charge 1.6×10-19 C) is accelerated through a potential difference of 500 V. How much kinetic energy does it gain?
Correct answer: E
W = qU = 1.6×10-19×500 = 8×10-17 J. Answer E. Core: W = qU for acceleration through a potential difference.Light in air strikes a glass block (n = 1.5) at an angle of 45°. What is the refraction angle inside the glass?
Correct answer: A
From n1sinθ1 = n2sinθ2: sinθ2 = sin45°/1.5 ≈ 0.47, so θ2 ≈ 28°. Answer A. Core: refraction follows n1sinθ1 = n2sinθ2.In a double-slit experiment the slits are 0.1 mm apart, the screen is 2 m away, and the laser wavelength is 500 nm. What is the spacing between adjacent bright fringes?
Correct answer: D
Δy = λL/d = 5×10-7×2/10-4 = 10-2 m = 10 mm. Answer D. Core: fringe spacing Δy = λL/d.A fixed mass of gas is heated at constant pressure from 300 K to 450 K. Its volume grows from 2 m3 to what value?
Correct answer: C
At constant pressure V/T is fixed: V2 = 2×450/300 = 3 m3. Answer C. Core: at constant pressure, V ∝ T.Planets A and B orbit the same star in circles, and the orbital radius of B is 4 times that of A. How many times longer is the period of B?
Correct answer: A
Orbits obey T2 ∝ r3, so TB/TA = 43/2 = 8. Answer A. Core: T2 ∝ r3; four times the radius gives eight times the period.A uniform rod (mass 3 kg, length 2 m) is pivoted freely at one end and released from the horizontal. What is its initial angular acceleration? (g = 10 m/s2, I = mL2/3)
Correct answer: B
The weight acts at the midpoint: τ = mg(L/2) = 30 N·m, and I = mL2/3 = 4 kg·m2, so α = τ/I = 7.5 rad/s2. Answer B. Core: α = τ/I with the weight acting at L/2.A square coil (side 0.2 m, resistance 0.4 Ω) lies in a uniform magnetic field that grows steadily from 0.5 T to 1.5 T in 0.2 s. What current is induced in the coil?
Correct answer: C
ε = ΔΦ/Δt = AΔB/Δt = 0.04×1/0.2 = 0.2 V, and I = ε/R = 0.2/0.4 = 0.5 A. Answer C. Core: Faraday law ε = ΔΦ/Δt, then Ohm law for the current.A string fixed at both ends is 1.5 m long and carries transverse waves at 200 m/s. What is the frequency of its third harmonic?
Correct answer: D
The third harmonic has λ3 = 2L/3 = 1 m, so f3 = v/λ3 = 200 Hz. Answer D. Core: for a string fixed at both ends, λn = 2L/n.A spaceship travels at 0.6c. Its onboard clock records 10 years for a journey. How much time passes on Earth during the same journey?
Correct answer: D
Time dilation: γ = 1/√(1-0.62) = 1.25, so Earth time = 1.25×10 = 12.5 years. Answer D. Core: moving clocks run 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 2015 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 2015 Physics Bowl.
45 minutes for 40 questions means just over a minute each. Sweep through the questions you know first, mark the ones you skip, and return at the end; since wrong answers cost nothing, fill every blank before time is up.
Mechanics and electromagnetism together account for over sixty percent. F = ma, momentum conservation, v = fλ and the series-parallel circuit rules should be reflexes. Writing the formula list out once beats ten fresh problems.
Prefixes like nm, μF and kN appear constantly on the English paper, and scientific notation must be entered fluently on the calculator. Carry units through every step in practice so the last line never slips.
Division 1 avoids calculus and suits first-year students and beginners; Division 2 is aimed at second-year and AP Physics C students. Take a past paper as a self-test before choosing one side.
Scan the code for the 2015 paper and answers, sit it under a strict 45-minute clock, trace every mistake back to a specific topic, then consolidate with the 25 practice questions here.
Frequent questions about the 2015 Physics Bowl papers and answers.
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