The 2018 Physics Bowl kept its mechanics-first, concept-plus-calculation style with steady electromagnetism and waves shares and no outlier questions; 40 questions in 45 minutes with separate Division awards. Scan the code for the full paper and answer key.
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.2018 Physics Bowl paper overview and exam highlights.
The 2018 paper stayed anchored in the core high school physics curriculum. Mechanics took roughly forty percent, following the full chain from kinematics through Newton laws to momentum and energy, with a noticeable share of ratio-reasoning and graph-reading items. Electromagnetism covered DC circuits plus magnetic forces on currents and charges, while thermodynamics, wave optics and modern physics each held about ten percent. The later Division 2 items involved more steps but stayed inside the core syllabus.
The format matched previous years: 40 multiple-choice questions in 45 minutes, points for correct answers with no penalty for wrong ones, calculators allowed, and an all-English paper. Division 1 (for first-year students and physics beginners, no calculus) and Division 2 (for second-year and AP Physics C students) are ranked and awarded separately and cannot both be entered. Registration and contest dates follow the official AAPT announcement each year; the contest is typically held in spring, around late March to early April.
The key to this paper is making single-formula calculations fast and accurate so time remains for multi-step synthesis in the second half. The 25 original practice questions on this page span mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, wave optics and modern physics across basic, medium and hard tiers. After finishing, scan the code for the 2018 paper and answer key to review against your work.
2018 Physics Bowl main topic areas, weights and emphasis.
The kinematics-to-energy chain remains the main scoring ground
DC circuits and magnetic forces on currents and charges dominate, with fields and induction accents
Sound and light waves both appear, with steady reflection-refraction and double-slit items
Fixed patterns such as specific heat and gas law calculations, generally friendly
A few but reliable entry-level quantum items such as photon energy and de Broglie wavelength
2018 Physics Bowl-style mock questions (Basic · Medium · Hard) — submit to grade and view step-by-step solutions.
A maglev train travels in a straight line at a steady 120 m/s for 25 s. What distance does it cover in that time?
Correct answer: B
Uniform motion: s = vt = 120 × 25 = 3000 m. Answer B. Core: displacement = speed × time.A 4 kg lab cart is pushed by a 12 N net horizontal force. What is its acceleration?
Correct answer: C
Newton second law: a = F/m = 12 / 4 = 3 m/s2. Answer C. Core: acceleration = net force divided by mass.A planet has mass M = 6.0×1024 kg and radius R = 2.0×107 m. Given the gravitational constant G = 6.7×10-11 N·m2/kg2, what is the gravitational acceleration at its surface?
Correct answer: C
Surface gravity g = GM/R2 = 6.7×10-11×6.0×1024/(2.0×107)2 = 4.0×1014/4.0×1014 = 1.0 m/s2. Answer C. Core: surface gravity g = GM/R2, supplied by the gravitational force.A worker pulls a crate with a constant 80 N force directed 60° above the horizontal while the crate moves 15 m horizontally. How much work does the pulling force do?
Correct answer: A
Work by a constant force: W = Fd cosθ = 80 × 15 × cos60° = 80 × 15 × 0.5 = 600 J. Answer A. Core: work = force × displacement × cosine of the angle between them.A 15 Ω resistor carries a current of 0.4 A. What is the voltage across the resistor?
Correct answer: D
Ohm law: U = IR = 0.4 × 15 = 6.0 V. Answer D. Core: voltage = current × resistance.Three resistors of 3 Ω, 6 Ω and 9 Ω are connected in series across an 18 V source. What current flows in the circuit?
Correct answer: B
Series total R = 3 + 6 + 9 = 18 Ω, so I = U/R = 18/18 = 1.0 A. Answer B. Core: series resistances add, then apply Ohm law.A 25 μF capacitor in a camera flash unit is charged to 8.0 V. How much charge is stored on its plates?
Correct answer: E
Definition of capacitance: Q = CU = 25 μF × 8.0 V = 200 μC. Answer E. Core: charge = capacitance × voltage.How much heat is needed to raise 0.5 kg of water from 20 ℃ to 40 ℃? The specific heat of water is c = 4.2×103 J/(kg·℃).
Correct answer: C
Heating formula Q = mcΔT = 0.5 × 4.2×103 × 20 = 4.2×104 J = 42 kJ. Answer C. Core: heat = mass × specific heat × temperature change.A sound wave in air has a frequency of 425 Hz, and the speed of sound in air is 340 m/s. What is the wavelength of the wave?
Correct answer: D
Wave relation v = fλ, so λ = v/f = 340/425 = 0.8 m. Answer D. Core: wavelength = wave speed divided by frequency.A green light has frequency 5.0×1014 Hz. Given Planck constant h = 4.14×10-15 eV·s, what is the energy of one photon?
Correct answer: A
Photon energy E = hf = 4.14×10-15 × 5.0×1014 = 2.07 ≈ 2.1 eV. Answer A. Core: photon energy = Planck constant × frequency.A player kicks a football at 20 m/s, directed 45° above the horizontal (g = 10 m/s2, ignore air resistance). What is the horizontal range of the football?
Correct answer: C
At 45° the range is R = v2/g = 202/10 = 40 m. Answer C. Core: at 45°, range = v2/g.A 40 kg child slides from rest down a 5 m high slide, reaching the bottom at 8 m/s (g = 10 m/s2). How much mechanical energy is dissipated against friction during the slide?
Correct answer: E
Initial energy E0 = mgh = 40×10×5 = 2000 J; final kinetic energy Ek = ½×40×82 = 1280 J; loss = 2000 − 1280 = 720 J. Answer E. Core: friction loss = initial mechanical energy minus final kinetic energy.A 100 g glider on an air track is attached to a light spring of stiffness 10 N/m and oscillates. What is the period of the oscillation?
Correct answer: A
Spring oscillator period T = 2π√(m/k) = 2π√(0.1/10) = 2π×0.1 ≈ 0.63 s. Answer A. Core: the period depends only on mass and stiffness, not amplitude.A 60 kg sled moving at 4 m/s strikes a 20 kg crate at rest on the ice, and the two stick together. What is their common speed after the collision?
Correct answer: D
Perfectly inelastic collision, momentum conserved: v = (60×4 + 0)/(60+20) = 240/80 = 3.0 m/s. Answer D. Core: common speed = total momentum divided by total mass.A 12 V source drives a circuit with R1 = 4 Ω in series with a parallel pair R2 = 6 Ω and R3 = 3 Ω. What is the voltage across R2?
Correct answer: B
Parallel part Rp = (6×3)/(6+3) = 2 Ω; total 6 Ω; main current I = 12/6 = 2 A, so U2 = IRp = 2×2 = 4.0 V. Answer B. Core: simplify the compound circuit first, then multiply main current by the parallel equivalent.A straight wire 0.3 m long sits perpendicular to a magnetic field of 0.5 T and carries a 4 A current. What is the magnetic force on the wire?
Correct answer: E
Force on a current F = BIL = 0.5 × 4 × 0.3 = 0.6 N. Answer E. Core: with everything perpendicular, force = field × current × length.Light travels from an oil of refractive index 1.25 toward air. What is the critical angle for total internal reflection? (Given sin37° = 0.6 and sin53° = 0.8.)
Correct answer: D
The critical angle satisfies sinC = 1/n = 1/1.25 = 0.8, so C = 53°. Answer D. Core: sin(critical angle) = 1/n when going from denser to less dense medium.In a double-slit experiment, 600 nm laser light passes through slits separated by 0.2 mm, and the screen is 2.0 m away. What is the spacing between adjacent bright fringes on the screen?
Correct answer: A
Fringe spacing Δy = λL/d = (600×10-9×2.0)/(0.2×10-3) = 6.0×10-3 m = 6.0 mm. Answer A. Core: bright-fringe spacing = wavelength × screen distance divided by slit separation.A fixed amount of ideal gas starts at 200 kPa, 6.0 L and 300 K. It is compressed to 2.0 L while its temperature rises to 400 K. What is the final pressure?
Correct answer: E
Combined gas law P1V1/T1 = P2V2/T2 gives P2 = 200×6.0×400/(300×2.0) = 800 kPa. Answer E. Core: for an ideal gas, PV/T stays constant across all three quantities.A nanoparticle of mass 1.0×10-26 kg moves at 200 m/s. What is its de Broglie wavelength? (Planck constant h = 6.6×10-34 J·s.)
Correct answer: B
Momentum p = mv = 1.0×10-26×200 = 2.0×10-24 kg·m/s, so λ = h/p = 6.6×10-34/2.0×10-24 = 3.3×10-10 m. Answer B. Core: matter wavelength = Planck constant divided by momentum.A uniform disk with moment of inertia I = 2.0 kg·m2 about its central axis is free to rotate. A string wrapped around its rim (radius 0.4 m) is pulled with a constant 10 N tangential force, accelerating the disk from rest. What is the angular speed after 5 s?
Correct answer: D
Torque τ = Fr = 10×0.4 = 4.0 N·m; angular acceleration α = τ/I = 4.0/2.0 = 2.0 rad/s2; from rest ω = αt = 2.0×5 = 10 rad/s. Answer D. Core: τ = Iα is the rotational analogue of F = ma, then use constant angular acceleration.A 10 g bullet moving horizontally at 400 m/s embeds itself in a 1.99 kg block at rest on rough ice (g = 10 m/s2, friction coefficient between block and ice μ = 0.1). How far does the block with the bullet slide before stopping?
Correct answer: C
Momentum conservation gives the shared speed v = (0.01×400)/2.0 = 2.0 m/s; kinetic energy ½×2.0×22 = 4 J is all dissipated by friction, so d = 4/(μMg) = 4/(0.1×2.0×10) = 2.0 m. Answer C. Core: find the common speed from momentum, then let friction dissipate the kinetic energy.A square coil of N = 200 turns and side 10 cm has its plane perpendicular to a uniform magnetic field. The field drops steadily from 0.50 T to 0 in 0.25 s. What is the magnitude of the induced emf in the coil?
Correct answer: E
Faraday law: ε = NΔΦ/Δt = NAΔB/Δt = 200×0.01×0.50/0.25 = 4.0 V, with area 0.01 m2. Answer E. Core: induced emf = turns × rate of change of flux.A string fixed at both ends is 0.6 m long, and transverse waves travel along it at 120 m/s. What is the frequency of its third harmonic (the third allowed standing-wave mode)?
Correct answer: A
For a string fixed at both ends fn = nv/2L, so f3 = 3×120/(2×0.6) = 300 Hz. Answer A. Core: fixed-end harmonics are integer multiples of the fundamental nv/2L.A metal has a work function of 2.0 eV. Photons of energy 4.0 eV strike the metal. What is the maximum kinetic energy of the ejected photoelectrons?
Correct answer: E
Photoelectric equation KEmax = Ephoton − W0 = 4.0 − 2.0 = 2.0 eV. Answer E. Core: maximum kinetic energy = photon energy minus work function.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 2018 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 2018 Physics Bowl.
Run at least one full mock per week to reproduce contest pacing, holding the first 25 questions to one minute each. Track time and accuracy by section to find what really slows you down.
Drill kinematics, Newton laws, momentum and energy in sequence, sharpening graph reading and ratio reasoning. Mechanics is roughly forty percent of the value and the best return on effort.
Be able to compute series and parallel equivalents mentally so Ohm law and power formulas become reflexes. Finding the voltage across one branch in a compound circuit is a typical mid-tier item this year.
The 2018 paper asks for solid graph reading and order-of-magnitude judgment; practice v-t graphs, energy level diagrams and scientific notation. Calculators are allowed, but estimation buys speed.
Sort every mistake into wrong-formula, unit-conversion, sign and order-of-magnitude categories, then patch the gaps. Afterward scan for the 2018 paper and answer key and re-run the same error framework.
Frequent questions about the 2018 Physics Bowl papers and answers.
Scan to add the advisor for 2018 Physics Bowl past papers, answer keys and solutions, plus a custom prep plan.
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