Then Mu Rong picked up a circuit board. "Next week you will participate in the national semi-finals. The theoretical questions in the semi-finals will still be the national exam, while the experimental questions will be arranged by each province. Although the theoretical questions account for 160 points and the experimental questions only account for 40 points in the semi-finals, I will focus on training you on the experimental part in the coming week, as this is the weakness of most of you."
Next, we will proceed with the training on experimental procedures.
If Mu Rong is explaining theoretical problems, Shen Qi usually doesn't join the main group. He will ask Mu Rong for theoretical knowledge on his own, and then go home to practice problems on his own.
You still have to come to the school lab to do physics experiments, since the school lab has complete equipment and instruments, and uses public water and electricity.
Some experiments use compressed air, but who among ordinary people would install compressed air pipes in their home?
Compared to his theoretical knowledge, Shen Qi knew very well that experimentation was not his forte, so he joined the group to conduct experiments.
Mechanics experiments, acoustic experiments, optical experiments, electrical experiments, magnetic field experiments... hands-on practice is underway.
A week passed quickly, and it was already April. The CPhO semi-finals were about to begin.
The semi-finals will begin with a theoretical exam, with a total score of 160 points.
The experimental part of the exam will be held in a few days, with a full score of 40 points.
The combined score of theory and experiment is the final score for the semi-finalists.
Based on the total scores of the semi-finals, each province recommends its best contestants to participate in the national finals. Generally, each province selects the top ten contestants from the first-prize winners in the semi-finals to go to the national finals.
The three provinces with strong physical fitness competitions —Xiangnan Province, Ebei Province, and Zhedong Province— are more formidable; they will send no fewer than twenty athletes to the national finals.
Some provinces emphasize the college entrance examination, while others emphasize subject competitions. The number of provinces strong in math competitions and physics competitions is actually quite similar, consisting of only a few.
Hunan, Hubei, and Zhejiang are all very strong in math and physics competitions, but none of these three schools have ever produced a national champion in both math and physics. There has never been a double gold medalist in either the IMO or IPhO internationally either.
"Physics, oh Physics, don't be so arrogant. I'm the kind of person who, once I start, will crush you. 199 points, damn it, what I hate most is losing one point out of a perfect score. Are you trying to make things difficult for me, Shen Qi?"
Shen Qi was determined; he had already failed in the preliminary round of CPhO, and he absolutely could not repeat the same mistake in the semi-finals.
"Hey, Shen Qi, did something happen?" Mu Rong chatted with Shen Qi while tidying up the experimental equipment.
Shen Qi carefully disassembled a set of glass lens instruments. "It's alright."
"You're clearly being provoked. You have OCD, don't you? You go crazy when you see imperfect numbers like 99, 149, and 199, don't you?" Mu Rong asked.
Shen Qi shook his head. "No, I won't be bothered if I hit someone who's level 999 in one strike."
The CPhO semi-finals will be held tomorrow, and Mu Rong has completed her last lab class before the competition.
Shen Qi and Lin Xingyu stayed in the lab to help Mu Rong pack up the experimental equipment.
"Shen Qi scored 199 points in the preliminary round, and Lin Xingyu scored 138 points. You two handsome guys are my aces!" Mu Rong said encouragingly as she finished tidying up the last circuit board.
Lin Xingyu said in a panic, "No, no, no, I'm not. Shen Qi is the ace. I'm just a lackey, Teacher Mu's lackey."
Shen Qi scored 199 points in the preliminary round, and Lin Xingyu scored 138 points, ranking first and second in the team respectively. Of course, the gap between second and first place is quite large.
Mu Rong has been in charge of this Physics Competition Team for a few months now. She was somewhat disappointed after the preliminary rounds. If she hadn't recruited Shen Qi into the team, it would have been difficult for her dozen or so pistols to achieve any significant success.
Even with Shen Qi recruited into the team, the overall strength of the No. 2 Middle Physics Competition Team still falls short of Mu Rong's expectations.
Perhaps Mu Rong was setting too high a standard for herself. After tidying up the experimental equipment, she didn't let Shen Qi and Lin Xingyu leave. She then explained three past CPhO National Final questions to them, one each from thermodynamics, optics, and electricity, all of which were very representative.
"Alright, that's enough for now. Get some rest tonight, and let's go all out tomorrow and head straight for the national finals!" Mu Rong was very confident that Shen Qi would advance to the national finals; Shen Qi was her absolute ace. The biggest card in her supporting lineup was Lin Xingyu, Mu Rong also hoped that Lin Xingyu could create a miracle.
"Yes, Teacher Mu, I will definitely work hard. I must advance to the national finals!" Lin Xingyu said, as if he had been injected with chicken blood.
"Teacher Mu, you should get some rest too." Shen Qi didn't make any promises, he simply said goodnight to Mu Rong calmly.
"The more people make it to the national finals, the more bonuses I can give out. Keep it up!" Mu Rong told Shen Qi and Lin Xingyu to leave first, and then she locked the lab door.
Shen Qi and Lin Xingyu walked together toward the school's bicycle shed.
"Is Teacher Mu knowledgeable?" Shen Qi asked.
"Yes!" Lin Xingyu answered without hesitation.
"Is Teacher Mu's teaching good?"
"Good!"
"Is Teacher Mu beautiful?"
"Beautiful!"
"Is Teacher Mu short of money?"
"Yes, I do!" Lin Xingyu had unknowingly fallen into a trap. Realizing he had said the wrong thing, he quickly explained, "How would I know if Teacher Mu is short of money?"
"Why do I have a feeling that Teacher Mu is short of money?" Shen Qi had this feeling. The last time he was alone with Mu Rong said that she didn't even have money to maintain her car.
That shouldn't be the case. Teachers at No. 2 Middle School already have decent salaries and benefits. Teacher Mu teaches well and has a PhD from Peking University to back her up. She could easily make a comfortable living by teaching some advanced physics class.
Lin Xingyu looked around and then whispered, "I heard that Teacher Mu supports her own house and car all by herself. It must be very hard for her."
"You've heard quite a lot." Shen Qi walked to the bicycle shed, pushed his bicycle, said goodbye to Lin Xingyu, and then went home.
The following morning, Mu Rong led her team to the Sixth Middle School, where the CPhO semi-final theoretical exam was held.
The theory exam for the second round of interviews also lasts 3 hours, from 9:00 to 12:00.
Ring ring, 9 o'clock sharp, the exam begins.
After receiving the theory test paper for the re-examination, Shen Qi in examination room 6 also quickly scanned through all the questions.
The theory exam consists of eight questions. The first question is a fill-in-the-blank question, and the following seven questions are all calculation questions. The total score is 160 points.
The first fill-in-the-blank question is a warm-up question, with the lowest score of 12 points.
Although it's a warm-up question, this fill-in-the-blank question with the lowest score is definitely not an easy one.
"This... it really is the semi-finals, and the difficulty has increased." Shen Qi slept well last night, and he won't doze off today, nor does he dare to.
In Shen Qi's view, this fill-in-the-blank question, a warm-up for the semi-finals, already showed signs of being a potential death trap. A slight mistake could cost even the top scorer Shen, who ranked 199th in the preliminary round, his life.
The question statement is:
In his book * Dream Pool Essays *, Shen Kuo of the Northern Song Dynasty recorded. "In the sea off Dengzhou, there are often clouds that resemble palaces, pavilions, city walls, figures, carriages, horses, and official canopies, all of which are clearly visible."
The formula is as follows: n^2(y) = n0^2 + np^2(1 - e^-αy)
"Let x = 0 (x is the horizontal axis), height y = H, and n0 be the refractive index at y = 0. np and α are constants that vary with temperature."
The equation of the trajectory of this ray of light in the air is _______.
That's it. The problem ends here; not even a diagram is provided.
"This..." Shen Qi frowned in thought, and five minutes passed without daring to pick up a pen.
Clearly, this is an optics problem.
Don't think that people who participate in physics competitions don't need to study Chinese. The purpose of studying Chinese well is to ensure that you can recognize all the words on the test paper.
After deciphering all the characters written by Shen Kuo a thousand years ago, a simple analysis is needed: What exactly was Shen Kuo, the Chief Scientist of the Northern Song Dynasty, describing? Can it be explained from a physics perspective?
If one is literate and has some basic knowledge of physics, then it is not difficult to understand the passage recorded by Shen Gong in his collection of essays, "Dream Pool Essays," during the Northern Song Dynasty. Shen Gong described the phenomenon of mirages in written form.
Most high school students should be able to deduce the concept of a mirage from the first paragraph of classical Chinese text in this fill-in-the-blank question.
However, the following purely physics-based description is probably only understandable to a few high school students.
No!
The first question is definitely not an easy one!
This question is quite difficult. Don't be fooled by its seemingly low score of 12 points; it has the potential to be fatal!
Shen Qi dared not be careless. He carefully reviewed the question again, and ten minutes passed.
At this point in the preliminary round, Shen Qi had already solved 15 questions.
At this crucial moment in the semi-finals, Shen Qi hadn't written a single word.
Fill-in-the-blank questions don't give you a chance to explain in detail; it's either 12 points or 0 points, there are no points for steps.
"Hmph, hmph..." Another five minutes passed, and Shen Qi chuckled and let out a low groan, the prelude to his attack.
Shen Qi found a solution, and more importantly, he found a rare opponent. "Hehe, hehehe... The teacher who set the question is quite mischievous, isn't he? That's more like it, that's the style of a proper physics teacher. Shen Kuo, Engineer Shen, our ancestor, you were the first generation of scientists in our Shen Family. Don't worry, I won't let our ancestor down."
A mirage is simply an optical phenomenon.
Light undergoes significant refraction as it passes through layers of air of varying densities, displaying distant scenery in a fantastical way.
Few people have actually witnessed a mirage; it requires a stroke of luck.
But that's okay, we can experience the dreamlike scene of a mirage by doing physics problems.
Shen Qi his pen and began to scribble and draw on the draft paper.
The air has no direction.
Parallel, like a garment divided in half.
A thin layer, refracting and seeping out from the wings.
My angle, passing through the chest of the normal.
The flying θ, enduring its injuries.
They escaped, DX's Hunting Rifle.
Dear light, beloved points.
I will remain steadfast and obtain a constant.
Ah, what a beautiful symphony of physics!
Shen Qi was drafting a piece, and as he wrote, he almost started singing.
Doing problems doesn't have to be boring; why not treat it as a fun activity?