Around 400 students from 90 different countries are competing in Zurich in the 47th International Physics Olympiad where the hunt is on for the next Einstein. (SRF, swissinfo.ch)
Open to students aged14 to 19, the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) takes place once a year in a different country, with Switzerland and Liechtenstein hosting the 2016 edition.
This international competition is aimed at secondary school students who are particularly talented in physics. Each country holds national elimination rounds that culminate in the selection of the five best students who then compete in the IPhO.
During the Olympiad, students are tested on their ability to tackle physics problems, both theoretically and through experiments, with tasks covering a wide range of physics from thermodynamics to quantum mechanics. Switzerland started participating in the IPhO in 1995 and since then it has won two gold, five silver and 19 bronze medals, plus 42 honorable mentions.
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