F = ma Exam Attention: There have been significant changes to the scheduling rules for the F=ma Exam beginning in 2018. In order to enhance exam security, in 2019 the exam can be given ONLY on Wednesday, January 23 or Friday, January 25. The exams are different on each day and will have differing cutoffs for advancement to the semifinal based on each exams distinct statistics. Though differences in statistics are inevitable, AAPT intends to adjust the cutoffs to make them comparable. NEW - AAPT will permit students to take BOTH exams, making this similar to the practice of the MAA regarding the A or B dates for the AMC 10 & 12. We know that weeknight scheduling is complicated, so we will try to help you adjust to this new arrangement by making two sessions available on each exam day, beginning at 6:00pm. The following session plan is somewhat tentative at this time, as it depends on adequate proctoring which is not yet completely arranged. Though the following includes TWO sessions on each exam date, this may be reduced. "A" Date: Wednesday, January 23, 2019 Location: Applied Physics and Mathematics Building, Room 6402 (sixth floor), UCSD Campus Session A1 Arrive: 6:00pm Arrive on time and immediately fill in personal information on scantron forms. Begin exam: 6:15pm Late arrivals may begin immediately, but will not receive additional time. End exam: 7:30pm Session A2 Arrive: 7:45pm Arrive on time and immediately fill in personal information on scantron forms. Begin exam: 8:00pm Late arrivals may begin immediately, but will not receive additional time. End exam: 9:15pm "B" Date: Friday, January 25, 2019 Location: Applied Physics and Mathematics Building, Room 6402 (sixth floor), UCSD Campus Session B1 Arrive: 6:00pm Arrive on time and immediately fill in personal information on scantron forms. Begin exam: 6:15pm Late arrivals may begin immediately, but will not receive additional time. End exam: 7:30pm Session B2 Arrive: 7:45pm Arrive on time and immediately fill in personal information on scantron forms. Begin exam: 8:00pm Late arrivals may begin immediately, but will not receive additional time. End exam: 9:15pm Warning: Parking is NOT free anywhere on campus at any time during the exam periods, and there is no parking available near the exam rooms. Please consult the UCSD maps tool here: maps.ucsd.edu and plan your arrival carefully, allowing extra time for parking and walking to the exam rooms. The Applied Physics and Mathematics Building locks down at 9:00pm on weeknights. This will not affect student arrival or departure, but may affect entry by parents or others picking up students after Session II. If you may be so affected, we will provide you a keypad code that will allow you access. SDMC is authorized by the American Association of Physics Teachers as a higher education site for the US Physics Olympiad. This means that we will be authorized to administer the exam for any San Diego area students who do not have any other way to participate. The first stage of the US Physics Olympiad sequence is the "F=ma" exam, a 25 question, 75 minute, multiple choice exam focused on mechanics. The cost of the Physics Olympiad exams is greater than that of the corresponding AMC - AIME - USAMO sequence and is charged by AAPT on a per-student basis. At present there are wide uncertainties in the numbers of students who may wish to participate, which translates into wide uncertainties in cost. Students should anticipate that we may need to pass some or all of the per-student cost ($6) on to the students if turnout is large. Registration Registration is informal, but necessary. Copy/Paste the following template into an email message: Signing up for: F=ma SDMC ID Code: (if not an SDMC member, leave blank.) Student name: Student email: School grade: School name: Parent name: Parent email: Home phone: Preferred session choice: 1/23 A1 or A2 1/25 B1 or B2 Secondary session choice: 1/23 A1 or A2 1/25 B1 or B2 Please include "F=ma" in the subject line of your signup message and send it to: Students do not have to be SDMC members to participate in the F=ma competition. |
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