The success of Indian students in Prague! The future is in physics!

The competition Fyziklani has come a long way during its seventeen-year history. From its humble beginnings, when it was prepared by just a handful of enthusiastic organizers of the FYKOS group and all participating teams fit into a single lecture hall of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University (FMP CUNI), it has grown to unprecedented proportions

At this year's Fyziklani, nearly 1200 high school students from 21 countries of Europe, Asia, and South America gathered together at the PVA Expo Prague. Their goal was to join forces in teams of up to five members and solve as many different physics problems as possible in three hours. However, they had to be careful in their calculations, as the number of attempts they needed to solve a problem was assessed alongside the correctness of the answers themselves. In order to give their best, the participants were given refreshments at the competition in the form of baguettes, lemonades, or chocolates. Everyone also took away small gifts from the competition, while the most interesting prizes for their admirable results were always awarded to the top five teams in each category, which are decided by years of study of the participants.

There was really strong competition this year and many teams gave amazing performances, but the winners of each category deserve the best recognition. In category C won the Czech team “Kdo maže, ten jede”. Indian students from the “Power of Phi” team won the category B. The first place in category A and the title of the overall winner was taken back home to Romania by the “CaminBaieti” team.

Although there can only be one winner, each of the participants experienced a day full of fun, excitement, team spirit, and new knowledge.

The competition itself, which took place on Friday, February 10, was the core of the whole Fyziklani, but far from its only part. Throughout the week from February 6 to 12, there was an accompanying program focused, among other things, on a deeper understanding of physics, networking among participants, and introducing them to different cultures. Participants visited specialized laboratories at the FMP CUNI and other scientific institutions in Prague and its surroundings, listened to interesting lectures, and talked to eminent scientists during a panel discussion on their scientific careers. The participants then presented customs, dishes, and dances typical for their country to each other during the Nation's evening. Together, they also went on a tour of Karlstejn Castle or celebrated their competition achievements at a party and banquet. The program was rounded off with a City Rallye, which challenged their brain cells and took them through previously unseen corners of Prague.

”We were able to explore the various scientific developments through our excursions to workplaces of several scientists at Charles University and its associated campus. We also had excursions to places around Prague, where we learnt about Prague’s and the Holy Roman Empire’s history, such as our trip to Karlstejn Castle. The free time which we got after the program was utilized by exploring the city in groups consisting of students of various nationalities.”

Archit Hari, member of “Power of Phi”

The participation of twelve foreign teams, including the team from India, was fully funded by the European Summer Program on Rationality, the general partner of Fyziklani 2023. Thanks to this partnership, the FYKOS organizers were able to set up a Scholarship Program for this year's Fyziklani, which offered the opportunity to participate with all costs covered to several teams who would not be able to take part otherwise to support talented students from around the world. The organizers are very happy they could also support one team from India and they are looking forward to the following years of Fyziklani, which will continue to be a unique competition and a celebration of physics and international cooperation.

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