We look forward to your school's participation at this event. The competition is a lot of fun and your students will meet, share experiences, and compete with other students from other high schools in New Jersey.
This is for the NJ Olympics North/Central Jersey at Bayonne High School (Hudson County)
Light morning refreshments will be provided.
This year's events are:
- FERMI QUESTIONS: Estimate the order of magnitude of a quantity that is difficult or impossible to measure.
- PENNY CANTILEVER: Build a penny cantilever that extends as far as possible off a table.
- COFFEE CAN RACER: Design and build a coffee can racer that will roll down a ramp in the greatest amount of time.
- PAPER BOOMERANG: Design and build a paper boomerang that returns the greatest distance.
- THE CATAPULT: Design and build a catapult that will launch a penny on two separate targets.
- PENNY BARGE: Design and construct a barge that will support the greatest number of pennies.
Detailed rules can be found on the website under the "Events / Physics Olympics 2026" section. Link here.
To ask questions about the rules, go to the "Forum" section of the website (Top menu/Forum). Link here.
- To receive replies via email from the forum, you must “subscribe” to the forum.
- It is the team’s responsibility to periodically check in or inquire about changes and clarifications to the rules.
- Note – the deadline for submitting questions about individual events is mid-December (12/ 15). After that date, questions cannot be addressed due to committee meeting dates/holidays.
Please print Media Release forms for students/parents to sign and bring signed forms to the competition. Winning teams are photographed. Students with release forms will be included in the photographs of winning teams. Forms can be printed out from rules page.
Registration info:
The teacher signing up must be a NJAAPT member. (Go to njaapt.org to join or renew membership).
If you are interested in spectating without bringing students, you can register yourself, with no teams (you must be a NJAAPT member to register).
Each team that you bring must be registered as a Guest--do not forget to register your teams !! (2 teams = 2 guests; a team = 1-6 students).
Early Registration: $35 per team (on or before November 15).
Regular Registration: $45 per team (after November 15)
Final registration deadline: Jan 11
All teams must be registered and paid in advance.
There will be no on-site registration.
Judges can provide pennies for the Penny Cantilever event upon request. Let us know via email found under contacts in the rules page, if you would like us to supply the pennies.
Each registered teacher will receive an email in January asking them to fill out a form with the names of their students in each of their teams. Minor adjustments to the teams must be reported during the morning registration at the competition.
All students and coaches will be given wristbands to wear upon arrival. The wristbands will help the event judges and building security personnel identify the event participants. Please wear the wristband till the end of the competition.
Each school may bring up to one non-participating, visiting student per team. Visiting students will receive a 'visitor wrist band'.
Our event is made possible through the dedication of teacher volunteers. We are truly grateful for your time, effort, and commitment. Registered teachers and their co-teachers attending the competition will be asked to judge an event at the competition. There will be a judges' meeting in the week before the competition, via Zoom.