The 2022 paper follows the house style: mechanics leads, electromagnetism follows, and modern physics stays with classic models. Scan the code for the 2022 paper, answers, and explanations.
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.2022 Physics Bowl paper overview and exam highlights.
The Physics Bowl is hosted by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) each spring, with registration and contest dates per the official AAPT announcement. It is a 40-question multiple-choice contest in 45 minutes: correct answers score, wrong answers carry no penalty, calculators are allowed, and the paper is fully in English.
The 2022 paper keeps the mechanics-first layout: kinematics, Newton laws, and momentum-energy take the largest share, while gravitation and simple harmonic motion are steady easy marks. Electromagnetism spans Ohm law, mixed circuits, capacitors and inductors, and forces from magnetic fields, with electromagnetic induction often closing the paper. Waves and optics centre on refraction, double-slit interference, and basic lenses; thermodynamics revolves around specific heat, latent heat, and the first law; modern physics sticks to nuclear decay, the photoelectric effect, and basic relativity.
Division 1 (ninth-graders and beginners, no calculus) and Division 2 (eleventh-graders and AP Physics C students) are ranked and awarded separately and cannot both be entered. Scan the code for the 2022 paper with answers and explanations, and use a full paper to build a feel for the real difficulty and pace.
2022 Physics Bowl main topic areas, weights and emphasis.
Everything from uniform motion to momentum-energy synthesis, with gravitation and SHM as steady easy marks.
Ohm law, mixed circuits, capacitors and inductors, and magnetic forces form the core, with induction as a closer.
Refraction, double-slit interference, and basic lens items dominate, with pipe calculations appearing at times.
Specific heat, latent heat, and the first law are the three regulars.
Nuclear decay and the photoelectric effect are fixed, with relativity limited to basic conclusions.
2022 Physics Bowl-style mock questions (Basic · Medium · Hard) — submit to grade and view step-by-step solutions.
A cyclist rides 300 m at a steady pace in 60 s. What is the speed, in m/s?
Correct answer: C
v = s/t = 300/60 = 5 m/s. Choice C. Core: speed = distance / time.An electric car accelerates from rest to 24 m/s in 8 s. What is its average acceleration, in m/s2?
Correct answer: B
a = Δv/Δt = 24/8 = 3 m/s2. Choice B. Core: acceleration = change in velocity / time.At an altitude of twice the Earth radius from the centre (like some satellite orbits), what is the acceleration produced by Earth gravity, in m/s2? (g = 10 m/s2 at the surface)
Correct answer: D
With g′ = GM/r2, doubling the distance gives g′ = 10/22 = 2.5 m/s2. Choice D. Core: gravitational acceleration falls with the square of distance.A capacitor stores a charge of 3.6×10-5 C when charged to 12 V. What is its capacitance, in μF?
Correct answer: E
C = Q/V = 3.6×10-5/12 = 3×10-6 F = 3 μF. Choice E. Core: capacitance = charge / voltage.A 0.1 H inductor is placed in a 50 Hz AC circuit. What is its inductive reactance, in Ω? (π ≈ 3.14)
Correct answer: A
XL = 2πfL = 2 × 3.14 × 50 × 0.1 = 31.4 Ω. Choice A. Core: reactance = 2π × frequency × inductance.Water waves on a lake have wavelength 2 m and travel at 6 m/s. What is their frequency, in Hz?
Correct answer: C
f = v/λ = 6/2 = 3 Hz. Choice C. Core: frequency = speed / wavelength.2 kg of a liquid absorbs 7200 J of heat and warms from 20 ℃ to 24 ℃. What is its specific heat capacity, in J/(kg·℃)?
Correct answer: B
c = Q/(mΔT) = 7200/(2 × 4) = 900 J/(kg·℃). Choice B. Core: specific heat is heat per unit mass and degree.Which nuclide results from one alpha decay of 23892U?
Correct answer: D
An alpha particle is 42He: the mass number drops by 4 to 234 and the charge by 2 to 90, giving 23490Th. Choice D. Core: alpha decay removes 4 from A and 2 from Z.At 1 atm, how much heat, in J, turns 0.2 kg of water at 100 ℃ entirely into steam? (latent heat of vaporization = 2.3×106 J/kg)
Correct answer: A
Vaporizing at constant temperature: Q = mL = 0.2 × 2.3×106 = 4.6×105 J. Choice A. Core: heat of vaporization = mass × latent heat.A winch does 1000 J of work in 20 s. What is its average power, in W?
Correct answer: E
P = W/t = 1000/20 = 50 W. Choice E. Core: power = work / time.A skateboarder rolls horizontally off a 20 m high platform at 15 m/s (g = 10 m/s2). How far from the edge does the board land, in m?
Correct answer: C
Fall time t = √(2h/g) = √(40/10) = 2 s, so x = 15 × 2 = 30 m. Choice C. Core: horizontal and vertical motion are independent.An elevator accelerates upward from rest at 2 m/s2. What force does a 60 kg passenger (g = 10 m/s2) exert on the floor, in N?
Correct answer: A
Apparent weight: N = m(g + a) = 60 × 12 = 720 N. Choice A. Core: accelerating upward makes the normal force exceed gravity.A mass-spring oscillator keeps the same spring while its amplitude grows from A to 2A. By what factor does its total mechanical energy change?
Correct answer: B
SHM energy is E = ½kA2, so doubling the amplitude quadruples the energy. Choice B. Core: SHM energy scales with amplitude squared.A 4 Ω and a 12 Ω resistor in parallel are connected in series with a 5 Ω resistor. What is the total equivalent resistance, in Ω?
Correct answer: D
4 Ω parallel 12 Ω gives (4 × 12)/(4 + 12) = 3 Ω, plus 5 Ω in series gives 8 Ω. Choice D. Core: the parallel equivalent is smaller than any branch.A particle of charge 2×10-6 C moves at 3×105 m/s perpendicular to a uniform 0.4 T magnetic field. What is the magnetic force on it, in N?
Correct answer: E
F = qvB = 2×10-6 × 3×105 × 0.4 = 0.24 N. Choice E. Core: magnetic force = charge × speed × field strength.A battery has EMF 12 V and internal resistance 1 Ω, and drives a 5 Ω external resistor. When the switch is closed, what is the voltage across the battery terminals, in V?
Correct answer: A
I = ε/(R + r) = 12/6 = 2 A, so the terminal voltage is U = ε - Ir = 12 - 2 = 10 V. Choice A. Core: internal resistance drops the terminal voltage below the EMF.Light from air strikes a water surface at an incident angle of 53° (sin 53° ≈ 0.8); the refractive index of water is 4/3. What is the angle of refraction, in degrees?
Correct answer: C
Snell law: sinθ2 = sinθ1/n = 0.8/(4/3) = 0.6, so θ2 = 37°. Choice C. Core: entering a denser medium bends the ray toward the normal.In a double-slit experiment the adjacent bright fringes are 2.5 mm apart on a screen 1 m away, and the light has wavelength 500 nm. What is the separation of the two slits, in mm?
Correct answer: B
From Δy = λL/d, d = λL/Δy = (5×10-7 × 1)/(2.5×10-3) = 2×10-4 m = 0.2 mm. Choice B. Core: fringe spacing is inversely proportional to slit separation.An ideal gas absorbs 500 J of heat while doing 200 J of work on its surroundings. What is the change in its internal energy, in J?
Correct answer: D
First law of thermodynamics: ΔU = Q - W = 500 - 200 = 300 J. Choice D. Core: internal energy gain = heat in - work out.A metal with work function 1.8 eV is illuminated by photons of energy 2.5 eV. What is the stopping potential, in V?
Correct answer: A
Maximum kinetic energy = 2.5 - 1.8 = 0.7 eV, so the stopping potential is 0.7 V. Choice A. Core: the stopping potential measures the maximum kinetic energy (4.3 V is the add-instead-of-subtract trap).A 20 g bullet moving at 300 m/s embeds itself in a 1.98 kg block resting on a frictionless surface, and the block then slides up a frictionless ramp. What height does it reach, in m? (g = 10 m/s2)
Correct answer: C
Momentum first: v′ = 0.02 × 300/2 = 3 m/s; then energy: h = v′2/(2g) = 9/20 = 0.45 m. Choice C. Core: apply momentum conservation and energy conservation in separate steps.A 0.5 m conducting rod slides at 5 m/s along frictionless rails 0.5 m apart, cutting perpendicularly through a vertical uniform 0.8 T field; the circuit has total resistance 4 Ω. What electric power is dissipated, in W?
Correct answer: A
EMF ε = BLv = 0.8 × 0.5 × 5 = 2 V, current I = ε/R = 0.5 A, and power P = εI = 1 W. Choice A. Core: induction converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.The air column in a closed-end pipe resonates at a fundamental frequency of 125 Hz with the speed of sound 340 m/s. How long is the air column, in m?
Correct answer: D
A closed pipe fundamental fits a quarter wavelength: L = v/(4f) = 340/(4 × 125) = 0.68 m. Choice D. Core: closed-pipe fundamental = v/(4L).A muon at rest lives on average 3 μs. In the lab frame it travels at a steady 0.8c. How far does it typically travel before decaying, in m?
Correct answer: B
γ = 1/√(1 - 0.64) = 5/3, so the lab lifetime is 3 × 5/3 = 5 μs and d = 0.8 × 3×108 × 5×10-6 = 1200 m. Choice B. Core: time dilation lets fast particles travel farther in the lab.The activity of a source falls from 6400 Bq to 400 Bq in 60 s. What is the half-life of the nuclide, in s?
Correct answer: E
6400/400 = 16 = 24, which is 4 half-lives, so T1/2 = 60/4 = 15 s. Choice E. Core: the activity ratio reveals the number of half-lives.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 2022 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 2022 Physics Bowl.
The 2022 style gives plenty of single-formula items: uniform motion, F = ma, Ohm law, and unit conversions must be error-free. Build one-look formula recognition to the maximum before touching the hardest items.
Free-body diagrams, equivalent circuits, and ray diagrams save half the effort: sketch the force directions for apparent-weight problems and redraw mixed circuits before calculating. A correct picture leads to the correct formula.
List the high-frequency formulas from all five blocks, including g = GM/R2, the spring oscillator period, C = Q/U, inductive reactance, and the double-slit spacing, and write them out from memory before the exam.
Calculators are allowed, but simplify first: turn 0.5 × 2.3×106 into 1.15×106 before typing. Practise estimating first and computing second to stay fast and accurate.
The paper is fully in English, so learn the high-frequency terms such as charge, flux, friction, and wavelength early. Reading the final question line before the stem cuts comprehension time sharply.
Frequent questions about the 2022 Physics Bowl papers and answers.
Scan to add the advisor for 2022 Physics Bowl past papers, answer keys and solutions, plus a custom prep plan.
Note: Name + School + Grade + Year
