Fyziklani: Seven Problems, Three Hours, One Team

Fyziklani: Seven Problems, Three Hours, One Team

Editorial overview

Fyziklani turns a physics contest into a moving queue: solving one question changes what the team can attempt next. That mechanism belongs to a university-linked educational setting. Fyziklani is organised by the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University and FYKOS, z. s. The organisers state that Fyziklani develops physics knowledge and teamwork and seeks to motivate talented students. The format gives that intention a concrete shape: a team has to coordinate its thinking while maintaining the quality of each answer.

The opportunity combines an intense physics task with a visit to Prague. For CompeteMap, the appeal lies in bringing a small working team into that wider physics community without turning the task into a long research project. It suits students who enjoy calculations, practical models and quick discussion, but the journey to Prague is a real commitment. Families should weigh the pleasure of an intense shared contest against travel arrangements and the possibility that several difficult questions will remain unresolved. Success here is best understood as reliable reasoning at a sustainable pace, rather than speed alone.

Quick Facts

Review Evaluation

For current dates, eligibility and registration details, see the Fyziklani competition page.

Review Evaluation

Rated Advanced. The challenge is sustaining accurate physics reasoning under a three-hour limit: correct answers replenish a seven-problem queue, while repeated attempts earn fewer points.

The queue makes accuracy a resource

Each correct answer unlocks another problem, so the seven-problem queue makes accuracy part of the contest’s pace. The published scoring gives five points for a correct answer on the first attempt, three on the second, two on the third and one thereafter. An incorrect answer comes back to the team for further work. The team cannot discard a problem simply to receive a replacement.

That changes the meaning of being fast. A calculation completed quickly but submitted with a missing factor can cost both points and a journey to the examiner. Conversely, checking everything repeatedly can leave productive work waiting. The useful preparation question is therefore specific: what short checks would catch the team’s most common errors without recreating every calculation?

Dimensional consistency, sign, magnitude and the interpretation of the requested quantity are good candidates. A student who checks these reliably can contribute even when another teammate has the main insight. Consider a mechanics question: before sending the answer away, someone can ask whether the expression has the right units and whether a limiting case behaves sensibly. This is an editorial preparation suggestion, not an additional competition requirement.

The representative carries the sheet with a clearly marked answer to an examiner. The examiner may request an explanation of the procedure. Students should therefore be able to reconstruct the reasoning behind an answer, rather than merely carry a number that another teammate produced.

Categories change the comparison, not the questions

All categories receive the same set of problems, but each has its own results list. The category system accounts for the school stage of the actual team rather than assigning a simple age band. Each member receives a coefficient based on expected secondary-school graduation: four in the graduating year, three in the preceding year and so on, with a minimum of zero. The team coefficient is the arithmetic mean of its members’ coefficients.

The published algorithm assigns the lowest category whose conditions are met. Category A allows a team coefficient up to four. Category B requires a mean no greater than three and at most two members with coefficient four. Category C requires a mean no greater than two, no member with coefficient four and at most two members with coefficient three. A team may choose the highest category, A, when registering. Ambiguous educational equivalences should go to the organiser rather than be converted into a guessed age cutoff.

For families, the practical implication is that a category does not promise easier papers. Younger students encounter the same task collection and need to be comfortable choosing where their effort is useful. This can be attractive for a younger student who enjoys seeing harder questions, but it may disappoint someone expecting a fully separate junior exercise.

A sensible trial is to work through official practice material and discuss which problems felt approachable, which became clearer through collaboration and which remained inaccessible. Use that discussion to judge the experience, rather than using a category letter as a substitute for looking at the physics.

Printed references cannot replace a working method

The full rules permit printed literature and calculators that cannot communicate or access the internet. Smartphones, tablets, laptops and smartwatches cannot be used as calculators; smart devices are sealed in the supplied security envelopes. Communication is limited to team members and organisers during the contest. A medical or other serious device need should be discussed with the organisers beforehand.

Printed materials can support memory, but they cannot decide which model fits an unfamiliar question. A compact reference that students have actually used is likely to be more helpful than a large pile assembled just before departure. During practice, note what needed looking up and whether the reference made the reasoning faster or merely interrupted it.

A team can also experiment with a simple handover method. Leave enough working for another student to understand the assumptions, state what is known, and make the unresolved step visible. Avoid rigid roles that trap one person in a task they cannot solve. The seven available problems create room for parallel work, but the team still needs to notice when a second viewpoint would help.

This is a contained contest rather than a portfolio assignment. Students who enjoy finishing and polishing one substantial piece may prefer a different form of physics activity; those who enjoy revising a model quickly in response to a question may find the concentrated session rewarding.

Treat Prague as part of the decision

Teams consist of one to five pupils from no more than two schools. The rules also limit students from one school to participation in four teams unless the organisers allow an exception. Teams must enrol through the official Fyziklani website before attending. International teams can participate, choosing Czech or English as their competition language.

As checked on 2 November 2026, the website announces a forthcoming registration opening, but the checked current pages do not yet give a closing date or an entry fee. The accommodation page offers an optional Hotel Duo booking through registration while stating that this edition’s details are still being prepared. A missing price should be treated as an unanswered planning question. Consult the competition page and organiser’s website for the live window and costs before making bookings.

The organisers state that they cannot financially support travel, although they can help with invitation letters. The accompanying programme is optional, so families should distinguish the core contest trip from any longer stay. Transport, supervision, accommodation and time away from school may matter more to the decision than the amount of formal preparation.

One international central round held in person. CompeteMap would prioritise the opportunity for students who want the contest experience itself: sustained physics work with their team, followed by a clear result to reflect on. Judge the trip by the experience itself and the team’s appetite for physics.

Key Takeaways

Fyziklani’s distinctive challenge is the relationship between reliable answers and the flow of new problems. Its university-linked history and international setting make the shared contest more substantial than a timed worksheet, but the value still depends on enjoying the physics itself.

Choose it when the team wants an intense, bounded problem-solving experience and the Prague journey is manageable. Check the category formula using each member’s actual educational stage, practise with permitted tools and leave enough time to resolve the still-unpublished entry-window and cost details with the organiser.

Sources checked

Checked on 2 November 2026.

• https://fyziklani.org/
• https://fyziklani.org/about
• https://fyziklani.org/rules/complete
• https://fyziklani.org/rules/organizational-regulations
• https://fykos.org/about/history
• https://fyziklani.org/accommodation
• https://fyziklani.org/travel-support