Question 1-3:

Questions based on the book for the year. Each test will cover different chapters- check the home page for which chapters are on which test. 

Question 4:

Astronomy. For 25-26, this question will be about stars other than the sun. I'm expecting to see questions about fusion, proton-proton chain, star classifications, binary stars, and stellar spectra. 

Question 5:

Measurement, Dimensional Analysis, Significant Figures, Order of Magnitude Estimation.

Question 6:

Uniformly Accelerated Motion. Describing displacement, velocity, and acceleration in both one and two dimensions. This will include freefall and projectile motion. 

Question 7:

Forces. Newton's Laws with one dimensional and two-dimensional problems, friction, and specific forces such as those due to springs or gravitation. 

Question 8:

Work, Energy, Power, and Momentum. Conservation of Momentum and Conservation of Energy. 

Question 9:

Circular and Rotational Motion. Equilibrium.  Uniform circular motion, centripetal force, or balanced torques. Rotational momentum or rotational energy. On challenging tests, calculating rotational inertia, unbalanced torques, and rolling motion.

Question 10:

Waves, sound, and harmonic motion. Wave concepts such as superposition, waves on a string, standing waves, and wave motion. Sound topics include resonance, intensity, and the Doppler Effect. Systems such as masses on springs or the simple pendulum. On challenging tests, dampened oscillation. 

Question 11:

Fluid Statics and Dynamics/ Thermodynamics. This year, the problem is guaranteed to be about fluids. Fluids density, buoyancy, Archimedes' Principle, viscosity, Bernoulli’s Principle, and the Continuity Equation of fluid flow.

Question 12:

DC Circuits, Resistors, Capacitors. Typically a resistor network question on the invitational tests. Ohms law, parallel and series resistors and capacitors. Challenge questions cover RC oscillation. 

Question 13:

Electric Fields and Forces/Electric Potential/Gauss’ Law. One dimensional and two dimensional Coulomb’s Law, electric field, or electric potential problems. Gauss’ Law at the advanced level. 

Question 14:

Magnetic Fields and Forces/Magnetic Materials/Ampere’s Law. Magnetic materials, charges and currents in magnetic fields, and magnetic fields due to long straight wires and in solenoids. For challenging questions, Ampere’s Law and the Biot-Savart Law. 

Question 15:

Faraday’s Law/Induction/EM Oscillation and Waves/AC Circuits. Lenz's law, oscillating EM fields, radiation pressure, polarization, wave refraction. AC circuits, LC oscillations, RMS, RLC resonance, reactance and impedance will not show up prior to Regionals.

Question 16:

Geometric and wave optics. Lenses of all shapes, and curved and plane mirrors are fair game, as well as spherical refracting surfaces. Real or Virtual images, knowing when images are Inverted or Upright, and calculating magnification. Challenging tests: multiple element optical systems as well as wave optics concepts such as diffraction and interference.

Question 17:

Modern and Quantum physics. Spectroscopy, the Photoelectric effect, and Special relativity. On challenge questions, the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, normalization, expectation values, the wave function, and the correspondence principle. 

Question 18:

Nuclear and Particle physics. Radioactivity (alpha, beta, and gamma), decay chains, and half-lives as well as particle ideas such as the Standard Model, fundamental forces, conservation laws, and the properties of quarks and leptons. Challenge questions: binding energy, nuclear reactions (fission, fusion) and the interaction of radiation with matter (including living matter), as well as particle decay chains and rates, unification, spin, color, and early-universe cosmology.