Rule Books

2025 Rule Book

The 2025 UBC Physics Olympics will be held on Saturday, March 1st, 2025. This in-person event will be from 9am to 4pm on UBC campus in the Hennings, Hebb and Woodward buildings.

→ Read the 2025 Rule Book

Prebuild questions can be found on our FAQ page here: 

  • Pre-build 1 (c/o Valery Milner: vmilner@phas.ubc.ca) “Lightbox-REVISED file – Current**Prebuild 1 has been changed: the rules have been revised with the following small change. The diameter of ALL FIVE HOLES (4 input and 1 output) has been increased to 4.0 cm (from the original 2.5 cm). Everything else remains unchanged.**
  • Pre-build 2: (c/o Andrzej Kotlicki: kotlicki@phas.ubc.ca) “Solar-powered boat- REVISED file – Current*Prebuild 2 has been changed: the rules have been revised and we confirm this is a 3-minute trial. Please see attachment through link.*

The labs this year will explore concepts of buoyancy and the physics of mini-golf.

  • Lab 1:  “Buoyancy” [the details of this lab will be shared with participants when they start the event]
  • Lab 2:  “Mini-golf” [the details of this lab will be shared with participants when they start the event]

Question events:

  • Quizzics! [This is a live, game-show style event]
  • Fermi Questions [the questions for this event will be shared with participants when they start the event]

Here you can see Rule Books from previous years:

                                                                2025, 2024, 2023, 2022

2021, 20202019, 201820172016 , 2015 , 2014 , 2013 , 2012

2011 , 2010 , 2009 , 2008 , 2007 , 2006 , 2005 , 2004 , 2003 , 2002

2001 , 2000 , 1999 , 1998 , 1997 , 1996 , 1995 , 1994 , 1993 , 1992

Or, you can download all of the rule books from 1992 – 2011 in a single file.