Around 100 pupils from 13 different schools across the North West gathered at Bolton School for the Physics Olympics: an annual event hosted by the Boys’ Division that gives Year 9 students with a love of physics the chance to stretch their knowledge with a series of practical challenges.
The corridors were buzzing with excitement as the visiting pupils moved through a carousel of activities held in the Bolton School science labs. The morning was filled with interesting and engaging physics tasks: firing their own paper rockets in Bullseye; building boats to hold the most marbles in Sink or Swim; slowing the path of a ball down a slope while also trying to turn on light bulb in Delayed Timing; building towers out of Jelly Babies and fragile spaghetti; and even calculating the mass of Rainbow Babies! Pupils were also asked to complete the challenging ‘Fermi Quiz’ at lunchtime.
Throughout the morning, Bolton School’s Sixth Form physics students assisted members of the teaching staff with delivering the activities: as well as helping everyone find the right labs, they provided further explanations of what each challenge involved, hints and tips on what to do next, and helped staff to record the groups’ achievements.
At the end of Physics Olympics, the teams who came first, second and third in each task received medals. The overall winning team, who received the 2025 trophy, was from Marple Hall School.
Well done to everyone who took part and enjoyed a morning of physics fun.
Physics Olympics 2025 Photos:
