Course Description: APEX USA Physics Olympiad Training Camp (APEX P06) is designed to equip highly motivated students with the advanced physics knowledge necessary to succeed in the USA Physics Olympiad (USAPhO). The course features in-depth analysis of past USAPhO problems as well as selected problems from China’s highly competitive national physics competitions. Students are expected to demonstrate strong motivation and independent learning skills, as the course includes extended reading assignments beyond standard instruction. The program is structured into two sessions, each comprising 30 hours of live online instruction. In addition, APEX will provide a comprehensive set of practice problems that students can work through at their own pace to reinforce concepts and enhance problem-solving skills.
Prerequisite: Students should have already studied calculus-based mechanics and electromagnetism. We strongly recommend students to finish math (APEX M02 and APEX M03), and physics (APEX P03, APEX P05) courses before entering USA PhO training.
Text Book (required): Halliday & Resnick, Fundamentals of Physics. Students can subscribe for WileyPlus to access additional digital resources, or have a physical copy for future references.
Contents:
Session A: Advanced Mechanics, Electrodynamics, and special relativity.
Session B: Thermodynamics and introduction to quantum physics.
During both sessions, necessary mathematics topics will be covered including differential equations, linear algebra, complex functions, and probabilities.
Instructors:
Dr. Bo Sun, Full Professor in the Department of Physics at Oregon State University. He received his bachelor's degree in Physics from Tsinghua University and obtained his Ph.D. in Physics from New York University after conducting graduate studies at the Institute of Theoretical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He has many years of teaching experience in related fields and has frequently participated in question writing and grading for the Oregon Physics Olympiad.
Dr. Weihong Qiu, Tenured Professor in the Department of Physics at Oregon State University. He holds a bachelor's degree in Physics from Nankai University and a Ph.D. in Biophysics from The Ohio State University. He has many years of experience teaching physics.