The physics Olympiad program follows the following 5 stages:

Stage I: National Standard Examination in Physics (NSEP),

Stage II: Indian National Physics Olympiad (INPhO),

Stage III: Orientation cum Selection Camp (OCSC) in physics,

Stage IV: Pre-departure Training Camp (PDT) for IPhO,

Stage V: Participation in International Physics Olympiad (IPhO).

Stage I is entirely the responsibility of IAPT. All the remaining stages are organized by HBCSE.

The detailed information about eligibility and structure of the stages is given below:

Stage I: National Standard Examination in Physics (NSEP)

NSEP is the first stage of selection of students in the physics Olympiad Programme which is organised by the Indian Association of Physics
Teachers (IAPT). Every student aspiring to go through successive stages of the programme must enroll for NSEP. NSEP is held at a large
number of centres in the country.

Date of NSEP 2013:

24 November 2013 (Sunday)

Time of NSEP 2013:

09:30 am to 11:30 am

Last Date for Enrollment for NSEP:

15th September 2013

Eligibility:

All Indian students who are born on or after July 1, 1994 and, in addition, are in Class XII or lower as of November 30, 2013, are eligible to
appear for NSEP 2013 - 2014. A student may appear for more than one subject provided the examination schedule allows it. See information
about the examination schedule under various subjects. Students who have passed Class XII are not eligible to enroll for NSEP.

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that the eligibility criteria are satisfied. In case at any stage of the programme it is found that the
student does not satisfy the eligibility criteria, he/she may be disqualified from the programme.

Syllabus:

The syllabus for NSEP is broadly equivalent to the senior secondary level (Class XI and Class XII) of CBSE Physics. This is only a rough
guideline, and there is no detailed syllabus given for NSEP.

Question Paper:

NSEP emphasizes comprehension of the subject, not rote memory. Its format is as follows:

Part A (180
marks):

50 multiple choice questions consisting of:

(A1
)

40 questions, each with only one of the four options correct

(A2
)

10 questions, each with one or more than one options correct. To get credit, all correct option(s) and no incorrect option(s) should be marked.

Part B (60
marks):

5 (or 6) questions which are problems or short-answer type. All questions carry equal marks.

Language:

English. (However, NSEP question papers may be available in Hindi, and some other regional languages provided there are more than 300 students for
that language. Please check with IAPT.)

Qualifying for the Second Stage:

The aim of the first stage examination is to have a wide reach, to progressively increase this reach and to attain nationwide representation for
stage II without overly compromising on merit. Hence the selection to the stage II examinations i.e. Indian National Olympiad Examinations
(INOs) is based on the following scheme.

a.

Eligibility Clause: A candidate must secure a score equal to or greater than a Minimum Admissible Score (MAS) to be eligible for
the Stage II INO exam leading to the International Olympiad . The MAS for a given subject will be 40% of the maximum score in
that subject.

b.

Proportional Representation Clause: The number of students selected for Stage II (INO) in each subject is around 300. The
number of candidates who appeared for NSE in 2011-12 in a subject from centers in each State or Union Territory (UT) will be
considered the baseline for calculating the number qualifying from centers in that State or UT for that subject. Suppose this number
in 2011-12 for centers in a given State in a given subject is S, and the total number that appeared in 2011-12 in that subject for the
country is T, then the number selected to Stage II in that subject from that State would be S/T times 300, rounded off to the nearest
higher integer. In the event of a tie at the last position in the list all students with the same marks at this position will qualify to
appear for the Stage II examination. The selected students must nevertheless satisfy the eligibility clause laid out above. The total
number to be selected from centers in each State for each subject will be displayed on the IAPT and HBCSE websites (click here for
the list).

c.

Minimum Representation Clause: Notwithstanding the proportional representation clause the number of students selected for
INO from each State and UT must be at least one, provided that the eligibility clause is satisfied.

d.

Merit Clause: Given the eligibility clause, it is conceivable that 300 students may not qualify for Stage II in a subject. Should this
occur, the shortfall (from 300) will be selected based purely on merit without further consideration to proportional representation and
minimum representation clauses. In the event of a tie at the last position in the list all students with the same marks at this position
will qualify to appear for the Stage II examination.

There will be no other criterion or provision for selection to the Indian National Olympiad Examinations (INOs).

All students who qualify to appear for the INPhO get a certificate of merit from IAPT.

For any queries or clarifications and for any difficulties regarding enrollment for NSEP, please contact:

Prof. M. L. Oglapurkar
Co-ordinator (NSE)
IAPT Office, I.I.E. Campus,
128/2, J. P. Naik Marg, Kothrud, Pune - 411 038.
Tel : (Off.) 020 - 25420163.
(9:00 AM to 7:00 PM)
Email: iapt .AT. vsnl.net

Stage II: Indian National Physics Olympiad (INPhO)

INPhO is organized by HBCSE at about 15 centres in the country.

Eligibility: Students selected from Stage I examination (NSEP) are eligible to appear for INPhO. In addition, those students, who have been
exempted from NSEP as described in the Enrollment page, are also eligible to appear for INPhO. Besides these two, there is no other way by
which a student becomes eligible to appear for INPhO.

The tentative date and time of INPhO 2014 examination are as follows:

February 2, 2014 (Sunday) :

09:00 am --- 12:00 noon (3 hours)

The confirmed date and schedule will be announced in the first week of January 2014 on this website and communicated by post to the
eligible students. Students appearing for INPhO are eligible for TA/DA as per norms of the programme.

Syllabus : The syllabus for INPhO is broadly similar to NSEP.

The syllabus, however, is only a broad guideline. Questions and problems in National Olympiads are usually non-conventional and of high
difficulty level, comparable to International Olympiads.

On the basis of performance in INPhO, the top 35 students in the merit list will be selected for Stage III: Orientation Cum Selection Camp
(OCSC) in physics.

In the event, there is a tie at the last position, all students with the same marks at this last position will qualify for OCSC.

There will be no other criterion or provision for selection to OCSC.

Stage III: Orientation Cum Selection Camp (OCSC) in Physics

OCSC in physics will be organized by HBCSE sometime in April to June 2014 for 2-3 weeks. The precise dates will be announced prior to or
along with the announcement of the selection list for the OCSC.

Eligibility for OCSC : Only the students selected from the merit list of Stage II (INPhO) are eligible. There will be no other criterion or
provision.

The dates of OCSC 2014 will be announced later.

The camps include several theoretical and experimental tests. Orientation is provided to students especially in experiments. The camps
conclude with a valedictory function where distinguished scientists are invited to speak to the students.

The merit list of OCSC is prepared on the basis of the combined theoretical and experimental score aggregated over all the tests in the camp,
with 60% weightage for theory and 40% weightage for experiment. Performance in previous stages (NSEP and INPhO) will not be a
consideration for the merit list and awards of the OCSC.

The top 5 students in the OCSC physics merit list are declared to be special merit awardees. These special merit awardees are given Rs.
5,000/- each in the form of books and cash. In addition there are special prizes to recognize meritorious performance in theory and
experiments.

The 5 special merit awardees in physics selected at the end of the OCSC constitute the 5 member student team for the International Physics
Olympiad (IPhO), provided they satisfy required criteria such as age limit, holding valid Indian passport, medical fitness, parental consent,
etc.

Stage IV: Pre-departure Training (PDT) Camp for IPhO

The selected 5 member Indian team undergoes a rigorous training programme at HBCSE in theory and experiments. Special laboratories
have been developed at HBCSE for the purpose of experimental training. Resource persons from HBCSE and different institutions across the
country train the students.

Stage V: Participation in International Physics Olympiad (IPhO)

The 5 member student team, 2 teacher leaders and 1 scientific observer constitute the delegation to represent India at the International
Physics Olympiad (IPhO).

The 45th IPhO will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, 13th - 21st of July, 2014.
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Syllabus for IPhO

General :

A.The extensive use of the calculus (differentiation and integration) and the use of complex numbers or solving differential equations should
not be required to solve the theoretical and practical problems.

B.Questions may contain concepts and phenomena not contained in the Syllabus but sufficient information must be given in the questions so
that candidates without previous knowledge of these topics would not be at a disadvantage.

C.Sophisticated practical equipment likely to be unfamiliar to the candidates should not dominate a problem. If such devices are used then
careful instructions must be given to the candidates.

D.The original texts of the problems have to be set in the SI units.

A. THEORETICAL PART

1. MECHANICS

a] Foundation of kinematics of a point mass

* Note: vector description of the position of the point mass, velocity and acceleration as vectors

b] Newton's laws, inertial systems

* Note: problems may be set on changing mass

c] Closed and open systems, momentum and energy, work, power

d] Conservation of energy, conservation of linear momentum, impulse

e] Elastic forces, frictional forces, the law of gravitation, potential energy and work in a gravitational field

* Note: Hooke's law, coefficient of friction (F/R=const), frictional forces static and kinetic, choice of zero of potential energy

f] Centripetal acceleration, Kepler's laws

2] MECHANICS OF RIGID BODIES

a] Statics, center of mass, torque

* Note: couples, conditions of equilibrium of bodies

b] Motion of rigid bodies, translation, rotation, angular velocity, angular acceleration, conservation of angular momentum

* Note: conservation of angular momentum about fixed axis only

c] External and internal forces, equation of motion of a rigid body around the fixed axis, moment of inertia, kinetic energy of a rotating body

* Note: parallel axes theorem (Steiner's theorem), additivity of the moment of inertia

d] Accelerated reference systems, inertial forces

* Note: knowledge of the Coriolis force formula is not required

3] HYDROMECHANICS

No specific questions will be set on this but students would be expected to know the elementary concepts of pressure, buoyancy and the
continuity law.

4] THERMODYNAMICS AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS

a] Internal energy, work and heat, first and second laws of thermodynamics

* Note: thermal equilibrium, quantities depending on state and quantities depending on process

b] Model of a perfect gas, pressure and molecular kinetic energy, Avogadro's number, equation of state of a perfect gas, absolute temperature

* Note: also molecular approach to such simple phenomena in liquids and solids as boiling, melting etc.

c] Work done by an expanding gas limited to isothermal and adiabatic processes

* Note: proof of the equation of the adiabatic process is not required

d] The Carnot cycle, thermodynamic efficiency, reversible and irreversible processes, entropy (statistical approach), Boltzmann factor

* Note: entropy as a path independent function, entropy changes and reversibility, quasistatic processes

5] OSCILLATIONS AND WAVES

a] Harmonic oscillations, equation of harmonic oscillation

* Note: solution of the equation for harmonic motion, attenuation and resonance - qualitatively

b] Harmonic waves, propagation of waves, transverse and longitudinal waves, linear polarization, the classical Doppler effect, sound waves

* Note: displacement in a progressive wave and understanding of graphical representation of the wave, measurements of velocity of sound
and light, Doppler effect in one dimension only, propagation of waves in homogeneous and isotropic media, reflection and refraction, Fermat's
principle

c] Superposition of harmonic waves, coherent waves, interference, beats, standing waves

* Note: realization that intensity of wave is proportional to the square of its amplitude. Fourier analysis is not required but candidates should
have some understanding that complex waves can be made from addition of simple sinusoidal waves of different frequencies. Interference
due to thin films and other simple systems (final formulas are not required), superposition of waves from secondary sources (diffraction)

6] ELECTRIC CHARGE AND ELECTRIC FIELD

a] Conservation of charge, Coulomb's law

b] Electric field, potential, Gauss' law

* Note: Gauss' law confined to simple symmetric systems like sphere,cylinder, plate etc., electric dipole moment

c] Capacitors, capacitance, dielectric constant, energy density of electric field

7] CURRENT AND MAGNETIC FIELD

a] Current, resistance, internal resistance of source, Ohm's law, Kirchhoff's laws, work and power of direct and alternating currents, Joule's
law

* Note: simple cases of circuits containing non-ohmic devices with known V-I characteristics

b] Magnetic field (B) of a current, current in a magnetic field, Lorentz force

* Note: particles in a magnetic field, simple applications like cyclotron, magnetic dipole moment

c] Ampere's law

d] Law of electromagnetic induction, magnetic flux, Lenz's law, self-induction, inductance, permeability, energy density of magnetic field

* Note: magnetic field of simple symmetric systems like straight wire, circular loop and long solenoid

e] Alternating current, resistors, inductors and capacitors in AC-circuits, voltage and current (parallel and series) resonances

* Note: simple AC-circuits, time constants, final formulae for parameters of concrete resonance circuits are not require

8] ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES

a] Oscillatory circuit, frequency of oscillations, generation by feedback and resonance

b] Wave optics, diffraction from one and two slits, diffraction grating, resolving power of a grating, Bragg reflection

c] Dispersion and diffraction spectra, line spectra of gases

d] Electromagnetic waves as transverse waves, polarization by reflection, polarizers

* Note: superposition of polarized waves

e] Resolving power of imaging systems

f] Black body, Stefan-Boltzmanns law

* Note: Planck's formula is not required

9] QUANTUM PHYSICS

a] Photoelectric effect, energy and impulse of the photon

* Note: Einstein's formula is required

b] De Broglie wavelength, Heisenberg's uncertainty principle

10] RELATIVITY

a] Principle of relativity, addition of velocities, relativistic Doppler effect

b] Relativistic equation of motion, momentum, energy, relation between energy and mass, conservation of energy and momentum

11] MATTER

a] Simple applications of the Bragg equation

b] Energy levels of atoms and molecules (qualitatively), emission, absorption, spectrum of hydrogenlike atoms

c] Energy levels of nuclei (qualitatively), alpha-, beta- and gamma-decays, absorption of radiation, halflife and exponential decay,
components of nuclei, mass defect, nuclear reactions.

B. PRACTICAL PART

The Theoretical Part of the Syllabus provides the basis for all the experimental problems. The experimental problems given in the
experimental contest should contain measurements.

Additional requirements:

1] Candidates must be aware that instruments affect measurements.

2] Knowledge of the most common experimental techniques for measuring physical quantities mentioned in Part A.

3] Knowledge of commonly used simple laboratory instruments and devices such as calipers, thermometers, simple volt-, ohm- and
ammeters, potentiometers, diodes, transistors, simple optical devices and so on.

4] Ability to use, with the help of proper instruction, some sophisticated instruments and devices such as double-beam oscilloscope, counter,
ratemeter, signal and function generators, analog-to-digital converter connected to a computer, amplifier, integrator, differentiator, power
supply, universal (analog and digital) volt-, ohm- and ammeters.

5] Proper identification of error sources and estimation of their influence on the final result(s).

6]Absolute and relative errors, accuracy of measuring instruments, error of a single measurement, error of a series of measurements, error of
a quantity given as a function of measured quantities.

7] Transformation of a dependence to the linear form by appropriate choice of variables and fitting a straight line to experimental points.

8] Proper use of the graph paper with different scales (for example polar and logarithmic papers).

9] Correct rounding off and expressing the final result(s) and error(s) with correct number of significant digits.

10] Standard knowledge of safety in laboratory work. (Nevertheless, if the experimental set-up contains any safety hazards the appropriate
warnings should be included into the text of the problem.)

Please note:

The syllabus for National Standard Examination in Physics (NSEP) is broadly equivalent to the senior secondary level (Class XI
and Class XII) of CBSE Physics. This is only a rough guideline, and there is no detailed syllabus given for NSEP.

The syllabus for Indian National Physics Olympiad (INPhO) is broadly similar to NSEP but the difficulty level of the questions will be
higher. Questions and problems in National Olympiads are usually non-conventional and of high difficulty level, comparable to
International Olympiads.