Asian Olympiad brings physics down to earth

Asian Olympiad brings physics down to earth

TANGERANG (JP): Physics is generally considered one of the
toughest subjects and one that most students will do their utmost
to avoid if they can. Yet students who packed the weeklong first
Asian Physics Olympiad here the other day found physics more than
just a mass of mind-boggling formulas and complicated theories.

A high school student from Tangerang, Mia Surachman, who came
with a contingent to the event at Pelita Harapan campus in
Karawaci, Tangerang, was impressed.

Under the scorching sun and amid sweating enthusiasts crowding
every single Olympiad exhibition stand, she carefully observed
the assorted objects and intently listened to explanations given
by the stand attendants.

"If physics is explained and visualized this way in the
classroom, I'm sure the subject would be more interesting," said
the girl while admiring a flying ball at the exhibition.

The force that lifts the ball was used to explain the
principle of how the wings of a plane work. It was explained that
the air pressure around the ball was bigger than the air pressure
inside the ball, making the ball fly vertically. When a hand was
put under the ball, the ball flew horizontally.

The second-year student admitted that physics was not her
favorite subject. "I get low grades in this subject ... But this
event shows me the real and interesting application of physics."

Physics is relatively unpopular in the country.

The Ministry of Education and Culture's data from 1993 to 1996
showed that students' average grade in physics during the
national exam never exceeded five. Critics blame it on the poor
curriculum.

The lack of interest can also be seen from the widening gap in
the ratio of physicists here. Currently, there are only around
600 Indonesian physicists with doctorates, while ideally there
should be around 100,000 physicists with the same qualification
considering the country's 200 million population. Japan, for
instance, reportedly has three physicists for every 1,000
citizens.

Achievements

Several Indonesian students have won awards since the country
first took part in the annual International Physics Olympiad in
1993.

The best achievement so far was when a Balinese student, I
Made Agus Wirawan, became the first Indonesian to win the gold
medal in the International Physics Olympiad which was held in
Padua, Italy, last year.

In the weeklong first Asian Physics Olympiad, known as APhO,
which was opened by President Abdurrahman Wahid on April 24 and
closed on May 1 by Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri,
Indonesian students won a silver and two bronze medals.

The silver medalist was Zainul Abidin from senior high school
SMUN Moncong in Gorontalo, South Sulawesi, and the two bronze
medalists were Halim Kusumaatmaja of SMUK 1 and Bremana Adhi of
SMU Taruna Nusantara in Magelang.

Participants from China won the most with four golds and a
silver, followed by students from Taiwan with three golds, four
silvers and a bronze. The Absolute Prize Winner went to Chinese
student Song Jun Liang. In all, there were eight golds, nine
silvers, 11 bronzes and 17 honorable mentions.

Head of the Indonesian team for the Olympiad, physicist
Yohanes Surya, said he was not entirely happy with his team's
achievement but believed the members did their best.

"Maybe we should have been better prepared," Yohanes said,
adding that the team officially prepared for the Asian Olympiad
since January this year.

"We will conduct much better training for five representatives
for the upcoming international Olympiad in July so we can win
gold," said the chairman of the Indonesian Physicists
Association.

The Olympiad was a warm-up event for the 31st International
Physics Olympiad in Leicester, England, in July. Indonesia will
host the International Physics Olympiad in 2002.

In the APhO, Indonesia was represented by eight students, who
were selected from 1,900 students who applied to take part in the
event. Over 60 students from 11 Asian countries took part in the
event.

Beside the Indonesians, the other participants were five
students from Australia, six from Azerbaijan, five from China,
six from Kazakstan, one from the Philippines, eight from
Singapore, eight from Taiwan, eight from Thailand, five from
Uzbekistan and eight from Vietnam.

The students had to take part in two tests on theory and
practice, prepared by Prof. Dr. Waldemar Gorzkowski of the
International Physics Olympiad Committee along with physics
lecturers from the Bandung Institute of Technology and the
University of Indonesia. Participants who achieved at least 90
percent on each test won the gold medal, 78 percent to 89 percent
got silver, 65 percent to 77 percent bronze and 50 percent to 64
percent were given a "special award".

Yohanes said Indonesian students mastered theory better than
practice. "The students are good at theories, but they lack in
practical skills."

The APhO, which also included several other physics-related
events such as Lippo E-tech technology exhibition, book fair,
technology village, seminars and various competitions, was
organized in a bid to popularize physics and to boost students'
interest in the subject.

"We want to show that physics is interesting and not
difficult. It does not only concern math and its application can
be found in everyday's life," said the chairman of the Olympiad's
organizing committee and the APhO's president.

The event reached its target; every day between 3,000 to 5,000
visitors, mostly students and their teachers, flocked to the
venue.

"We're surprised by the overwhelming response," Yohanes said.
(ste)