United States Invitational Young Physicists Tournament (USIYPT)

What Is United States Invitational Young Physicists?

USIYPT is an invitation-only research tournament for high-school teams, organized by the United States Association for Young Physicists Tournaments. The 2027 tournament is scheduled at the California Institute of Technology on January 30-31, 2027. This is not a conventional written exam and is not a public individual application: a new school contacts USAYPT's president, assembles a same-school team, and works with a faculty supervisor over several months.

The four 2027 problems are Friction On a Roll, Standing Waves, Diodes, and Walking Statues. Teams conduct original experiments, build and test theoretical explanations, document uncertainty and limitations, and prepare to report three problems and discuss the fourth. During structured physics fights, one team reports a solution, another opposes it, and jurors question and score the work. The published format uses six or seven preliminary rounds, a final, and a poster session for nonfinalists. A competing team has three or four students including a captain; up to eight additional students may attend as scouts, with no more than two coaches. All students must attend the same school, and substitutions are not allowed after competition begins.

United States Invitational Young Physicists Key Facts: Cost, Deadline, and Eligibility

Program details shown here reflect the current catalog record.

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How to Apply to United States Invitational Young Physicists

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