Physics Tournament Lab
Available: Princeton In-Person | Online
For high school, middle school, and home school students
Mentor: Sergey Samsonau, PhD
Seize the Opportunity
Compete for Team USA at the International Young Physicists' Tournament. Investigate problems with no textbook answers - build your own apparatus, develop theory, run simulations, defend your conclusions. Get selected and represent the USA in Zurich. Not selected? Continue your project and publish your research. Either outcome gives you international-level competition experience and published work. Credentials most applicants can't match.
Compete at the International Young Physicists' Tournament
The IYPT is a prestigious global competition where high school students work in teams to research, experiment, and debate complex physics problems. Teams compete through "physics fights" - presenting solutions and defending them against questioning from opponents and professional physicists.
This lab prepares you for the US selection to represent the USA at IYPT. Your research becomes your entry. Get selected? Compete internationally in Zurich. Not selected? Continue your project and publish your research through SoTS or other journals. Either way, you develop real physics capability.
Stand Out for College Applications
Physics tournament experience demonstrates what admissions officers rarely see: independent research, public defense of scientific work, and international-level competition. Not selected? Continue your project and publish - real credentials whether or not you make the team.
What You'll Do
Investigate real physics phenomena with no textbook answers. Unusual effects, weird behaviors, counterintuitive observations.
- Build apparatus from household items, hardware store materials, eBay finds
- Develop mathematical models and test them against real data
- Run computer simulations (Mathematica)
- Present findings, defend conclusions, challenge peers
This is how professional physicists work. Theory, experiment, and computation together.
Project Examples (from IYPT 2026)
| Field | Problem |
|---|---|
| Mechanics | Tennis Racket Theorem: When an object with different principal moments of inertia about each axis is thrown while it rotates, it can suddenly start rotating around a different axis. Investigate how rotational motion is affected by relevant parameters during free fall. |
| Optics | Sweet Monochromator: Pass linearly polarized white light through a column of sugar solution. When observed through a polarizer, the light may appear colored - and the color changes as you rotate the polarizer. Construct and optimize for the narrowest wavelength bandwidth. |
| Fluids | Ring Fountain: When a flat metal ring falls into a water tank, it generates a fountain that can shoot water high into the air. How does the maximum height depend on the ring's parameters? |
| Electromagnetism | Magnetic Newton's Cradle: Repulsing, non-touching magnets replace colliding balls in a new type of Newton's cradle. The cradle can act similarly to a regular one, but also exhibits other interesting behavior. Explain and study the movement. |
| Fluids | Autumn Coin: The motion of a coin falling to the bottom of a liquid-filled tank can be remarkably similar to the fluttering and tumbling of a falling autumn leaf. Investigate how the motion depends on relevant parameters. |
Source: IYPT 2026 Problems
Lab Structure
Project format: Each student works on their own selected problem. US selection chooses one student per problem. To submit, students provide a PDF of their slides and a 12-minute video presentation.
Dimensions of work:
- Theory - Mathematical modeling and analytical work
- Experimental - Build apparatus and collect data
- Computational - Simulations and modeling (Mathematica)
- Combined - All three together
About the Mentor
- Trained 100+ students in research methodology at NYU
- Built and directed research labs program at PRISMS (one of the top USA high schools)
- Coached teams for USA IYPT
- Endorsed by USIYPT leadership for IYPT preparation
- Developer of original research education methodologies
Tournament Details
IYPT 2026: Zurich, Switzerland, July 5-12
US Selection deadline: March 13, 2026
See tournament philosophy, rules, and advice from organizers: USIYPT.net (US selection), IYPT.org, and IYPT 2026 Zurich
Prerequisites
Open to high school, middle school, and home school students.
- Active SoTS Membership (required for online, recommended for in-person)
- One year of honors-level physics (or equivalent) - taken or in progress
- Commitment to weekly meetings and independent work
- Access to basic materials and willingness to build apparatus
- Curiosity about how everyday things work
Not for students who want pre-packaged experiments with known answers.
General Details on SoTS Research Labs
Enrollment and Cost
Princeton (In-Person)
- Weekly meetings (1-1.5 hours) in central Princeton. 5 members per group.
- Spring: January - May (16 weeks)
- Fall: September - January (16 weeks)
- Semester commitment required
- $3,500/semester
Questions? Book a call to learn more
Submit Enrollment RequestOnline (requires SoTS membership)
- Weekly Zoom sessions (1-1.5 hours). 4-6 members per group.
- Spring: January - May (16 weeks)
- Fall: September - January (16 weeks)
- Semester or month-to-month enrollment
- $3,500/semester or $1,000/month
Questions? Book a call to learn more
Spring 2026 semester starts: January 26, 2026
Compete for Team USA. Continue your project. Publish your research. Build real physics skills. All are possible here.
References
- Computer simulations combined with experiments for calculus-based physics laboratory course (Physics Education, 2018)
- Integrating science through authentic research in secondary schools (IEEE, 2018)
- Authentic Research Education Framework (arXiv)
Communities We Serve with In-Person Labs
Belle Mead, Bridgewater, Cranbury, East Windsor, Edison, Ewing, Flemington, Franklin Township, Freehold, Hamilton, Hillsborough, Hopewell Borough, Hopewell Township, Lambertville, Lawrence Township, Manalapan, Marlboro, Metuchen, Montgomery, New Hope (PA), Newtown (PA), North Brunswick, Pennington, Plainsboro, Princeton, Princeton Junction, Robbinsville, Rocky Hill, Skillman, South Brunswick, West Windsor, Yardley (PA), and beyond.
Mercer County, Somerset County, Middlesex County, Hunterdon County, Bucks County (PA), Monmouth County.