The USAYPT is the United States Association for Young Physicists Tournaments, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The primary function of the USAYPT is to sponsor the annual US Invitational Young Physicists Tournament. This physics research/debate tournament has given physics students around the world the chance to share their physics research competitively.

The USAYPT Tournament gives students a chance to compete as a school-based team. Rather than each country having its own team of representatives, the USAYPT invites schools from around the world. Whereas the IYPT covers 17 physics problems over two weeks of competition, the USIYPT is a two-day contest involving 4 problems.

Fees change each year depending on sponsorships and the particular expenses of the tournament location.

For 2020, a team of four students / two faculty would pay: $900 registration, covering three nights hotel, local transport, and several meals; $100 USAYPT membership

Extra people attending or extra nights in the hotel incur an additional charge.

No. You must be prepared to present a solution to three of the four problems. You may in rare cases have to discuss the fourth problem by asking questions of and engaging in discussion with a reporting team, but a team will never be required to present the one problem they reject.

A physics fight is best described as a competitive thesis defense centered around a physics problem. In a physics fight, first the reporter gives a ten-minute presentation showing their theoretical and experimental solution to the problem.

Next, the opponent engages the reporter in conversation for twelve minutes by asking questions about the reporter’s solution.

Finally, the jurors have a few minutes to ask questions of both participants; and the participants are allowed a brief final summary statement.

Jurors are looking to see:

• How well each team communicates an understanding of the problem’s theoretical background
• How well each team communicates an understanding of how experimental evidence provides support for the theory; and
• The quality of each team’s interactions in advancing a physics conversation

At the tournament, each team competes in three physics fights as reporter, and three as opponent.

No. A team must consist of up to four students who all attend the same school, along with at least one faculty member from that school who has worked on the problems with the students.