Preparation for Bangladesh Physics Olympiad [Preparation Guideline]

Hello readers! My name is Munirul Alam, and I was a national champion of the Bangladesh Physics Olympiad in 2018 and regional champion in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

I’m writing this blog post in order to share my experience, which I hope will be helpful to guide you in your preparation.

So let’s come to the main point. In order to win a medal at the Physics Olympiad, you don’t have to be a superhuman or something. People who participate in PhO and win there are all normal people just like you. So, how do they manage to triumph over the battle?

In this post, I will try to answer your question. First of all, there are three categories in BDPhO, and I will divide my post in three segments based on each category. 

Three categories in the Bangladesh Physics Olympiad are Category A (Class 7-8), Category B (Class 9-10) and Category C (Class 11-12).

Category A


It’s very nice to know that you are fascinated about physics at such an early age! Usually people who start early end up as one of the most successful ones. পদার্থবিজ্ঞান প্রথম পাঠ by Dr. Muhammamad Zafar Iqbal will be a nice and easy book to start off. It contains a lot of good problems, and the text is more accessible to beginners. You can also going through the class 9-10 physics textbook. But I personally prefer the first book. 

As a beginner, you can also start with non-calculus physics textbooks like "College Physics by Alan Giambattista, Betty McCarthy Richardson, and Robert C. Richardson” or "Physics by John D. Cutnell, Kenneth W. Johnson”.

Category B

If you are in Category B, your first and foremost task will be finishing the class 9-10 Physics textbook properly. You can also have a look at the older version of the textbook, which used to be little more comprehensive. When you’re done with 9-10 textbook, you can move on to building up good problem solving skills. You can find previous problems here (Click Here). Pause.

Now that you’re done with your physics textbook, you should aim higher and start reading either “Physics by Halliday, Resnick, Krane (HRK)” or “University Physics by Young and Freedman”.  Keep in mind that these books are calculus-based physics texts, and a prior knowledge of Calculus will give you an upper hand. This note by Emroz Khan (one of the past problem setters of Physics Olympiad) will be helpful in this regard (Click Here).

Or, you can read any good Calculus textbook or take online course to solidify your mathematical knowledge. You can use MIT OCW Single Variable calculus course taught by Prof. David Jerison(https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-01-single-variable-calculus-fall-2006/). Watch the first 20 lectures and you will know most of the basic stuff you need.

Category C

Now it’s time for Category C. Well, if you are in category C and wish to do well in BDPhO, you should have finished HRK or University Physics by now. You should start studying An Introduction to Mechanics (Kleppner and Kolenkow), Electricity and Magnetism Third Edition (E.M Purcell and David Morin), and Thermal Physics (Schroeder) to strengthen your understanding on particular topics.

While books are essential lecture series might be more helpful to master stuff. Walter Lewin’s video series is a gem of any physics lover. My most favorite physics teacher and favorite of most physics students. 

Here are Walter Lewin's Lecture Series 8.01(Mechanics)[Link], 8.02(Electromagnetism)[Link], 8.03(Vibrations and Waves)[Link] Ramamuri  Shankar’s lectures are very handy to master topics. His lecturer series Mechanics [Link], Electromagnetism and Quantum Mechanics[Link].

Also, you should start solving the past IPhO Problems , which can be found here (Click Here). A lot of other stuffs can be found at the BdPhO website (Website) and Science Olympiad Blog's server (Click Here). Quora (Link) has a lot of nice answers on Physics Olympiads ranging from national to IPhO. You may want to check those.

If you want to ask any questions you can reach me at my mail(munirulalam15@gmail.com) or Facebook(www.facebook.com/munirul15)

Hope that you’ll rock on the Physics Olympiad! All the very best.

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Preparation for International Linguistics Olympiad [Preparation Guideline]

Hello readers! I’m Liam McKnight from the UK, and I’ve taken part in the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) for the past three years.

In this post, I’ll share some of the ways I’ve found useful for preparing for a linguistics olympiad at any level, which hopefully will, in turn, be useful to you!

Linguistics Olympiads don’t require any knowledge of linguistic theory, nor are they about how many languages or know, or how well you know them. Most of the time, you’ll be given data such as phrases or sentences in a language you don’t know and probably have never heard of, and then you’ll be asked to translate more sentences using that data, or to explain some feature or structure in the language. Other types of questions include working out the number system in a different language or decoding an orthography which could work entirely differently to your own language’s writing system.

1. Practice
Generally, participants who do well are those who have either participated in olympiads before or have practiced different questions from previous Olympiads. That’s not to say you can’t do well without prior experience - it’s more than knowing what types of questions can come up, as well as how languages tend to “work,” can be really useful.

Some linguistics problems may also require you to write a formal explanation of how the grammar of the language in the question works - in these cases, it’s (almost) never necessary to write down how you actually worked out your conclusions, but you will need to lay out clearly and concisely a set of rules which should allow you to explain any of the sentences or phrases in the question. Even if you’re not required to submit an explanation, writing down the structure you’ve worked out in rough can be a helpful way of working out any more translations you need to do or catching any mistakes you’ve made.

2. Keeping an Open Mind
The way your native language (or languages) structure themselves and view the world is not necessarily the same as the way any other language works - in linguistics problems, it’s very likely that some aspect or aspects will be entirely different. For example, some languages require that each time you state something, you must also state how you know it - whether it’s something you’ve seen yourself, or heard from someone else, or only inferred from evidence (this is known as evidentiality). Other languages distinguish different types of possession - whether it’s an “inalienable” possession, like a part of the body, or an “alienable” object that you own, like a car. When solving questions, try to consider all the different information that a phrase or sentence might encode, and then make sure you include it all in your answers.

3. How Languages Work
This ties into both points above - with practice, you’ll be able to recognize roughly what kinds of features languages are likely to have. For example, this might be things like which bases are more common than others in number questions (5, 10, 12 and 20 are more common; bases like 7 and 13 are unheard of). This can be done through practice or through reading about linguistics generally - no knowledge of linguistics is ever required, but knowing about certain features or terminology can help you organize your thoughts more clearly. There’s a great list of resources for this at http://www.uklo.org/for-competitors, and WALS (World Atlas of Language Structures) is a database of language features found at http://wals.info/.

However, more important than all this is that you just have a go at some questions! Even just trying two or three questions to get an idea of what the competition involves will be a huge advantage.

Other Resources:

Team UK at IOL 2016: Samuel, Liam, and Isobel

IOL website with past problems (very hard): www.ioling.org
The IOL website also has links to every country’s national Olympiad if you want to try some in different languages.

National Olympiads: 

http://www.uklo.org/ (UK); http://nacloweb.org/ (North America);  http://plo-in.org/ (India);  https://ailo.adaptcentre.ie/ (Ireland)
Tips for linguistics problems by UK competitor Ellie Warner that go into a lot more detail (the last three are more specific to IOL)

About the Author

Liam McKnight is from Magdalene College School, Oxford. Here's a history Liam's participation in IOL: Blageovgrad 2015 (6th position, Gold), Mysore 2016 (3rd position, Gold), Dublin 2017 (3rd position, Gold).

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Preparation for International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) [Preparation Guideline]

Article I (Katherine Zhang)

Hello readers! I am Katherine Zhang from the United States of America. I was a Silver Medalist at the International Earth Science Olympiad 2016, Mie, Japan. In this article, I will suggest to the future participants of USA and around the world some preparatory guidelines based on my own experience. 

1. Start Early

The IESO covers a broad range of topics, including but not limited to: geology and mineralogy, sedimentology, meteorology and climatology, solar system astronomy, and remote sensing. You may not have even heard of nor studied some of these areas. Beginning early and establishing a schedule by which you’ll study is the basis for succeeding in the IESO.

2. Focus on application of material, as opposed to memorization

Of course, you’ll need to know the basics of every topic you study. And learning essential information may involve an initial period of memorization which precedes internalization of that information. But beyond that period, pure memorization won’t take you far; most of the competition is based on application of material. For example: rather than asking you to regurgitate the percentage composition of basalt, a question might ask you to identify a type of rock based on the nearby structural geology. Then (in multiple parts), it might ask you to use the information and data you’ve gathered to address real societal needs and concerns, such as disaster relief.

3. Use Practical Aides

Reading textbooks isn’t enough. Invest in kits, especially for rocks and minerals, to help you learn hands-on. The IESO competition involves identification of rocks and minerals samples, and your first-hand experience is vital in helping you complete those sections. Kits are not always available nor affordable, so if they’re beyond your reach, use visuals to aid you in your studying.

4. Search for application in your daily life in order to strengthen and supplement the information you’re learning

Hey, maybe I’m just a weird rock person, but I look for application of my knowledge wherever I go. Transfer the information from your computer screen to a tangible platform. Keep your eyes open; identify instances in your everyday life in which you can stop to visualize the information you’ve learned. For example, at the beach, you can see ripple marks in action. Pause to identify the rocks at the side of the road (or maybe in a safer place). Quite possibly, there’ll come a time in which you’ll recall vital information by remembering a specific time you applied your knowledge in a real-world setting.

5. Look at old IESO Tests

Refer to past tests to get an idea of the types of questions you’ll be asked. See the bottom of this post for links to those resources.

6. Recognize that the IESO is based in cooperation

Medals are great and shiny, but they represent only individual accomplishment. Team achievement is equally, if not more, important. During the IESO, you will participate in the International Team Field Investigation and the Earth Science Project. Both of these require you to work in a group. If you refuse to recognize that the basis of your success in these portions of the competition is your ability to compromise and connect with your global peers, then you’ll have walked away from the competition with a fraction of the knowledge and benefit you would have otherwise gained. This focus on international camaraderie is what will get you not only titles in the competition, but also bring you into a global network of friends that you’ll come to treasure, and that will take you farther than any medal will.

A list of books that I’ve used

Smithsonian Fossil Guide
Meteorology Today by C. Ahrens
The Complete Guide to Rocks and Minerals by Hermes House
Syllabus: Link Past Tests/Papers: Link

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Article II (Fahim Rajit Hossain)

I am Fahim Rajit Hossain, and recently I have won Bronze Medal at the International Earth Science Olympiad 2017 held at France. I am writing this article in order to help the future participants of International Earth Science Olympiad. First, let's start with the National Earth Olympiad.

Although the organizing committee recommends "High School Earth Science" book from wiki-book which is freely available and easy-to-understand, I'll suggest the Stephen Marshak's book "Earth: Portrait of a Planet" (Click here to Download) for a comprehensive introduction to Geology. Here, I'm taking the opportunity to share that one of my seniors, Samen Yasar (won Silver at IESO 2016), prefers "Understanding Earth by John P. Grotzinger and Thomas H. Jordan" (Click Here to Download) instead of my suggested book. Both of the books are equally good and should be explored by aspirers for an IESO medal. 

For further practice, I recommend New York State Education Department's Regent Earth Science exams (Click Here to Download). If you want to clarify you understanding of different concepts, you can watch these videos from the YouTube playlist that I created while preparing for the IESO (Link). 

Last but not the least, Try to solve as many problems as possible from the past papers of the International Earth Science Olympiad. I have created a Google Drive for the past papers. You can download the papers from here. (Link). Here's the Cherry on top: My Collection of Study Materials for IESO (Google Drive Link) 

Also, don't forget to look at the resources available at the Science Olympiad Blog. (Link). All the best for your journey to winning a medal at the IESO. Cheers!

Article III (Lilian Schleret)

My name is Lilian Schleret, and I participated to IESO 2016 in Mie (Japan) as student where I won a Bronze Medal, and then to IESO 2017 in Nice (France) as volunteer. But I guess you’re not reading this post for the second part. Oh, by the way, thanks for reading!

So, I suppose you are here because you’re looking for advices. But I don’t really have books or movies to recommend. In my opinion, if you intend to win a medal, you will have to work on the syllabus and to work on yourself. My preparation for IESO was really simple. I just did something like 2 hours of work every week, and more if I was really willing to learn. So, that’s my first advice. It’s quite useless to learn too much. If you force yourself to study, it is more likely to get you bored. (Yeah, but we all agree that looking at stones is the most interesting thing in the world, right ? ;) )

But I learned a lot of interesting elements with « luck ». I really did win a few points with a subduction related question because 3 days before, I asked my science teacher 'how is this possible, and other points for a TV-broadcast that I watched for 5 minutes just 2 weeks ago. So here’s another advice: be curious. It’s clearly obvious but never hesitate to ask something, even if you think it won’t be such a help. Then, right after my selection for IESO (after the national olympiads), I gradually took it seriously. But I knew that I was used to recognize rocks (for example). But I had problems with astronomy (calculations in particular) and clouds.

So I focused on my weaknesses. Why? Just imagine that you can rate your knowledge on a precise subject. You are able to tell the name of every star in the sky except 5 of them, so you have 19 points on astronomy (the best being 20, that’s the french rating system). But you never saw a sedimentary rock for real, so you have like 3 points on this subject.

You can win 1 point on astronomy, or at least 10 points on sedimentology. What’s better ? Yeah, you guessed it. Focus on your weaknesses first, and after that you can improve your strengths if you want. I gave astronomy and sedimentology as exemples, but maybe your weakness is completely different. Maybe you are shy, maybe you don’t enjoy talking in English. It’s the same solution : face these problems and Trust In Yourself. I know it’s easier said than done, but try.

Finally, I recommend to communicate with others (with friends doing IESO too, or with older/younger students) in order to get a different view, to discover a new method. You have to be as objecive as possible, and this last advice should help you. Wait, I forgot the most important ! Have fun ! I hope these advices were helpful, if they weren’t, well. I am open to any question ! See you soon !

Article IV (Shahreer Zahan)

I was talking to Sohaima (the first Silver Medal winner from Bangladesh at the International Earth Science Olympiad) few months back and did ask her how she prepared for the National Earth Olympiad and International Earth Science Olympiad. She shared some important secrets. I hope this secret will help you to win a better position at National Earth Olympiad.

The suggested book for national earth olympiad is High School Earth Science. However the book doesn't offer an in-depth knowledge of the field and somewhat banal. Study.com's Earth Science 101 course offers an interactive introduction to Earth Science (Geology, Astronomy, Meteorology, and Oceanography). You'll learn almost everything you need to know for earth science olympiad and it'll be a gratifying experience for you. The course has a 5 days free trial. After 5 days, you've to pay for it. So if you are concerned about money, I'd suggest to register for the course when you'll have enough time in hand and you'll make the best use of it. 

Course Link: Earth Science 101.

After finishing the course, if you don't feel satisfied (which I believe won't be the case for those who went through the course materials by heart), you can get more study materials here.

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Pathway to the National BioCamp [Preparation Guideline]

You guys probably have heard that the Bangladesh Biology Olympiad is going to take place soon. Those who are going to excel at the national round will make it to the BioCamp. This writing is a short treatise on guiding the BioCamp aspirants.

Let’s get straight to the business. Firstly, Campbell Biology (Download) is considered as the Bible of for Biology Olympiad's preparation. When you’ve the best book in hand, you shouldn’t waste a single minute reading other non-comprehensive books. That will be counterproductive. Given there are around 90 days remaining for the National, and Campbell has 56 chapters, if you study religiously about one to two chapters each day with proper understanding, you'll most likely make it to the national camp.

Only reading won't suffice, you need to properly understand the concepts- which is a prerequisite for solving problems in any scientific Olympiad. Now, while studying the book, you may come across concepts which are poorly explained. In such case, you can watch videos from 10 Minute School, Armando Hasudungan, All About Molecular Biology, or Khan Academy to clarify your understanding. Also, take as many notes as possible while preparing for the competition. 

Finally, do not forget to solve problems from other countries' national Olympiads (i.e. Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, British - they have papers uploaded online. Just Google or look at the Google Drive for Biology Olympiad at SOB). If you work for the next couple of months with determination, you'll surely be able to secure a spot at the National Camp for Bangladesh Biology Olympiad. 

So, what are you waiting for? Buckle up your seat belt, and start your journey for the BioCamp. If luck is on your side, you might also make it to the national team for International Biology Olympiad! Best wishes.

Resources: Campbell Biology Slides (Link), Campbell Biology Short Notes (Link), Science Olympiad Blog All Biology Olympiad Resources Google Drive (Link), Biology Olympiad Textbooks for Download (Link). 

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Preparation for Bangladesh Mathematical Olympiad [Preparation Guideline]

National Math Olympiad is the second phase of Bangladesh Mathematical Olympiad (BdMO). Each year, the regional winners from all over the country compete at the National Olympiad. National Olympiad is comparatively harder than the divisional rounds. Usually students of secondary and higher secondary category attend an exam of four and a half hours. For Junior and Primary group, it is 3 and 2 hours respectively.

Preparing for the National Olympiad takes a lot of efforts. You must have a solid grasp of some basic problem solving skills. In this note, I'll be talking about category-wise preparation.

Junior, Secondary and Higher Secondary

Juniors, first go through all the math textbooks of high school, and learn any basic algebra you don’t know. Here are some useful books that you can follow to prepare your best for the NMO.

Geometry

Theory And Exercise Books

1. The two Geometry text books of Class 9-10. These two books have very rich content and very good for starting geometry.

2. Geometry Revisited, Bengali translated version available as ‘জ্যামিতির দ্বিতীয়পাঠ’

Preparation for Regional Astronomy Olympiad [Preparation Guideline]

I'm writing this post to help the kids out there who are planning to participate in the local astronomy olympiads.

Firstly, don't be surprised if you see some multiple choice "general knowledge" type questions in the exam paper. Check this . This will uplift your confidence.

Mathematical Astrophysics

If you're a beginner, start with "Schaum’s Outline of Astronomy" by Stacey Palen.
 

For Coordinate Geometry and Celestial Mechanics,

Book: Astronomy Principles and Practice by Roy and Clarke. 

Chapter 7-9 : Will give you a good understanding of Celestial Sphere and Coordinate Geometry. 

Chapter 13-14 : Will give you a good understanding of Celestial Mechanics.

For Overall Theoretical Preparation, 

Book: "Fundamental Astronomy" by H. Karttunen, P. Kröger, H. Oja, M. Poutanen, Karl J. Donner.

You'll get the books here.
 

Observational and Star Diagram

Book: "Tara Porichity" by Mohammad Abdur Jabbar, or any star diagram book from your country.

Last but not the least, solve problems from previous year's astronomy olympiad. Check the blog to find problem sets from USA Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad, BAAO, INAO, etc.

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Astronomy Olympiad: Preparation

The International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) is an annual astrophysics competition for high school students. Each national delegation is made up of at most five student competitors plus two leaders, selected on a national level.

International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics : Preparation 

• Syllabus of International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics.

• Useful Formulas for Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad

• Useful Formulas for "Spherical Astronomy" for Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad [Short Note II]

• Astronomy Olympiad Books (Latest)

Astronomy Textbooks

• "Fundamental Astronomy" by H. Karttunen, P. Kröger, H. Oja, M. Poutanen, Karl J. Donner

• "Astronomy: Principles and Practice" by A.E Roy and D. Clarke

• "Astronomy: Structure of the Universe" by A.E Roy and D. Clarke

• "The Physical Universe" by Frank Shu

• "An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics" by Bradley W. Carrol and Dale A. Ostile

• "Astronomy: A Physical Perspective" by Marc L. Kutner

• "Schaum’s Outline of Astronomy" by Stacey Palen

• "Universe" by Roger A. Freedman and William J. Kaufmann III

Physics Textbooks 

• "Fundamentals of Physics" by Robert Resnick, Jearl Walker, David Halliday

• "An Introduction to Mechanics" by Kleppner and Kolenkow

• "Physics" by John D. Cutnell, Kenneth W. Johnson

Observational Textbooks and Software

• Stellarium

• Useful Practical & Observational Skills for Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad [Short Note III]

• Sky and Telescope's Pocket Sky Atlas

Past Papers

• International Astronomy Olympiad Problems with Solutions (2011-2014)

• Russian Open School Astronomical Olympiad by Correspondence Problems with Solutions (2005-2008)

• Indian National Astronomy Olympiad Problems with Solutions (2008-2014)

• Srilankan Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad Problems with Solutions (2007-2011)

• Romanian Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics Problems (2014)

• United States Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad Problems (2014)

• Bangladesh Astronomy Olympiad Problems

• "Astronomical Olympiad Problems" by V.G Surdin

• Proceedings of 3rd International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics

• Proceedings of 4th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics

Skills needed for Observational and Data Analysis Test

• How to search planets around

• About 40-50 constellations

• About 100-150 bright stars and their Bayer designation

• Positions of 40 easier "M" objects

• How to Measure Angle in the Sky

• How to Estimate Magnitude

• Exact Path of Ecliptic

• Errors and their Estimation

• Graph Plotting Techniques

Special Video Lectures and Notes

• Spherical Astronomy

• Doppler Effect

• "Physics I: Classical Mechanics" by Prof. Walter Lewin

• "Introduction to Astronomy" by Prof. Ronen Plesser

• HyperPhysics

• Useful Astronomy Links

Astronomy Olympiad Required Textbook Download Links

An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics. 

Since the National Astronomy Olympiad is coming up and there's been several complaints regarding the paucity of this amazing astronomy textbook, I've uploaded the book in the Dropbox.  It's in a DjView format. If you don't have a DjViewer, then please download this software into your computer first: WinDjView.

An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics reflects the dramatic changes and advancements in astrophysics that have occurred over the past decade. This is an excellent textbook introducing all the essentials of modern astrophysics, in a clear and systematic way. The book is much more theoretical and full to the brim with useful equations, facts, theorems, definitions, lots of worked examples, plenty of problems to challenge you.  This book is also an excellent support to prepare for the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics. 

Download Link:  An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics by Carroll & Ostile.

A Student's Guide to the Mathematics of Astronomy. 

This is an amazing book for the the beginners of Astronomy, written by by Daniel Fleisch and Julia Kregenow.  The authors have addressed the topics that students find most troublesome, ranging from stars and light to gravity and black holes. This book contains dozens of fully worked examples and over 150 exercises and homework problems. 

An accompanying website features a host of supporting materials, including interactive solutions for every exercise and problem in the text and a series of video podcasts in which the authors explain the important concepts of every section of the book.
To download the book, click here. 

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