An excellent showing by the University of Warsaw Faculty of Physics team in the 18th edition of the International Physicists’ Tournament.

The team delivered a very strong performance, advancing to the semi-finals and placing 8th in the overall ranking. Members of the team also achieved individual distinctions: Adam Gocel received the award for the best presentation outside the main competition. At the same time, Paweł Ptaszek earned the highest score of the entire Tournament for his opposition to the solution of one of the competition problems.

Poland was represented by the team from the Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw. Pictured from left: Dr. hab. Krzysztof Turzyński, University Professor and Vice-Dean for Student Affairs at the Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, wearing a hat; Wojciech Zwoliński, team supervisor; Magdalena Ratyńska; Michał Świątek, team captain; Anna Kudelska; Adam Gocel; Igor Nowik; Stanisław Rakowski, team supervisor; Rafał Dąbek, member of the Technische Universität Wien team; Antoni Zakrzewski; Zofia Piela; Marcel Górski; and Paweł Ptaszek. (Source: Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw).

During the summer break, the student-emptied town of Stillwater, Oklahoma, home to Oklahoma State University, came alive with physics from 25 to 31 May, thanks to the International Physicists’ Tournament.

In this year’s edition of the tournament, twenty teams from eighteen countries presented and debated solutions to seemingly simple problems that, in fact, concealed complex and sophisticated physical phenomena. The tasks included, among others, investigating the stability of foam in a beer mug and determining the discharge state of batteries based on their mechanical properties.

Poland was represented by a team from the Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw, composed of Michał Świątek, captain; Marcel Górski; Anna Kudelska; Igor Nowik; Paweł Ptaszek; and Magdalena Ratyńska. The team supervisors were Stanisław Rakowski and Wojciech Zwoliński, while Dr. hab. Krzysztof Turzyński, University Professor and Vice-Dean for Student Affairs, oversaw the students’ preparations and participation.

On site, the team was also supported by Antonina Białynicka-Birula, Adam Gocel, Zofia Piela, and Antoni Zakrzewski, with additional support from Warsaw provided by Jakub Hevler, Paweł Kałwak, and Danyil Dorosh.

After two days of exceptionally close competition, the University of Warsaw team advanced to the semi-finals and ultimately placed eighth in the overall ranking.

Members of the team also achieved individual distinctions: Adam Gocel received the award for the best presentation outside the main competition. At the same time, Paweł Ptaszek earned the highest score of the entire tournament for his opposition to the solution of one of the competition problems.

Pictured from left: Jeanne Bernard, President of the IPT; Adam Gocel, recipient of the award for the best presentation outside the main competition; and Christos Andrikopoulos, Vice-President of the IPT. (Source: Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw.)

“The tournament problems require a very broad perspective on physics and the ability to combine many different research approaches,” says Wojciech Zwoliński. “Solving them requires not only a solid theoretical background, but also the design and construction of advanced experimental setups, often going beyond the scope of standard university coursework. Discussions are equally important — both those held on stage and assessed by an international jury, and spontaneous conversations during breaks or in the few moments of free time.”

The International Physicists’ Tournament is organized by an international association and is held each year at a different academic institution. The tournament takes the form of so-called Physics Fights — scientific debates in which participants present solutions to selected physics problems or physics-related engineering problems.

The IPT Executive Committee includes Debora Choińska, a student of Physics Studies in English at the Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw.

The team’s participation in the competition was made possible thanks to the support of the University of Warsaw Foundation and the Łukasiewicz Research Network.

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