HA NOI -VIET NAM 2018

Newsletter of the 19th Asian Physics Olympiad 2018

www.apho2018.vn

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29°C Today’s Weather Prepare umbrellas foreca.com

Schedule Students 6:30 Departure from Hotel to Ninh Binh 9:00-12:00 Trang An Grottoes tour 12:00-13:30 Lunch 13:30-15:00 Old Capital Hoa Lu 18:00-19:30 Dinner at Hotel

Leaders 8:00-11:00 Free time 11:00-12:30 Lunch 13:00-17:00 Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology 18:00-19:00 Dinner at Hotel 22:00 Uploading of Leaders’ Score of Theoretical Competition

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Ha Noi, May 10, 2018

A hard-theoretical competition! In the afternoon of May 9, 2018, the students completed the theoretical competition following their stressful experimental competition two days ago. If the experimental competition required students’ skills, quick wits and creativity, the theoretical exam tested their general knowledge of Physics. Mr. Dang Duc Vuong, member of the Professional Subcommittee commented that: “The theoretical examination was develope very well. It has three parts with one different problem. This year, the three chosen problems are: Optical trap of neutral atoms; Space elevator; Thermoelectric effects and their applications in thermoelectric generator and refrigerator. After the students finished their assignments, two copies of their answer were sent to the examiners and team leaders. The marking result sent back by the examiners and team leaders will be compared to determine the students’ final result”. Arwa Albaltan (from Saudi Arabia) said: “I think the theoretical exam is difficult

Nguyen The Quynh From APhO to MIT

APhO Smiles

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and I don’t have enough time to do. However, I don’t feel depressed because I have tried my best to do the exam”. Daniil Pavlov from the Russian team expressed: “I think the test is quite difficult, and I don’t do it well. But in my opinion, it is fair because if you can solve the problems fast and have more skills, you can get more point. I think it is a great way to judge people and judge their skills and physics”. Today, the students are going to explore the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex and Hoa Lu, the Old Capital in Ninh Binh province. Whatever the results are, take them with pride because you are all the winners.

Maria Goeppert Mayer Froman unpaid volunteer to the Nobel Prize in Physics 1963 Page 6

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Newsletter of the 19th Asian Physics Olympiad 2018

Countr and ies

Nguyen The Quynh, a golden boy of Vietnamese Physics, who won two silver medals at the APhO 2016, 2017 and two gold medals at the IPhO 2016. In 2017, he has just won a full scholarship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the world’s leading technology institute.

Alina Gaukhartas, Kazakhstan

Nguyen The Quynh was born in Quang Binh province, a countryside in Central Viet Nam. He lived in a family with no one studying in the field of physics. Despite such unfavourableness, he had a special love for physics from a young age.

With such achievements, as well as his best effort, Nguyen The Quynh got a full scholarship by MIT in early 2018.

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Girls

Nguyen The Quynh: From APhO to MIT

Quynh said that attending APhO 2016 is an important turning point in his life. This is an important step for him in the road of conquering knowledge. “In May 2016, I went abroad the very first time to attend APhO, and I won the Silver Medal which was a good result. Only two months later, as the youngest candidate of Vietnamese team, I participated in 2016 held in Switzerland with a total score of 40.8/50, I won the gold medal. achieved the same result as in 2016 when I won the silver medal at APhO 18 and the gold medal at IPHO 48 in 2017”, said Quynh.

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Viet Nam APhO’s Team 2017 - Nguyen The Quynh, Phan Tuan Linh, Dinh Anh Dung, Tran Huu Binh Minh, Ta Ba Dung (from left to right).

Message from Viet Nam’s Team 2017 “When taking part in Olympiads, especially the APhO, you are advised to stay fully relaxed and not to put on the medal burden as this is an opportunity to express yourself and meet friends who share the same passion the physics. It also gives you chance to discover cultural differences and landscapes of the host as well. In 2018, Viet Nam is honored to be the host and welcomes you to APhO 19 with a careful preparation, hospitality and beautiful landscapes. May you have a successful exam and cheerful moments!”, Quynh said.

Yesterday in Picture

Thanks to the enthusiam from Russian friends last years, in 2018, Quynh decided to participate in APhO as a volunteer supporting Turkey team.

“APhO 2017 was great opportunity for us and the young scholars, who arassionate for physics, to get familiar with the others, exchange knowledge, and build a strong community for future. For us, talking with international friends did really arouse our desire to go abroad to study. APhO was just the beginning of our scientific career. Thus, we believe the students shouldn’t mind too much about what you’ll get in the competitions, just keep your passion and hardworking for your future.

I’m Gaukhartas and I’m from Kazakhstan. This Asian Physics Olympiad here in Viet Nam is my second, as my first one was in Russia. Viet Nam is very beautiful, and I am very impressed with Vietnamese people because they are very friendly. The food is different from Kazakhstan’s, but still I like it and your fruit is the best. Beside Physics, I like drawing (people, images, and anime) as well as watching anime. My favorite sport is ice-skating as there is snow in my country.

Itgel Delgerdalai, Mongolia Hi, I’m Itgel Delgerdalai. It is really hot and humid in Ha Noi unlike in my country, Mongolia. However, the food is great because it is the same as in my country we also eat a lot of meat and fish.

Good luck!” By Sang Nguyen, Huong Giang Image: Duy Thanh

Sabina Abdurakhmanova, Tajikistan My name is Sabina. I come from Tajikistan and I’m 17 years old. Because we decided to go to APhO 2018 late, it was difficult to buy the ticket. Therefore, we arrived here later than other delegations. The most difficulties for me are the humid weather and the food because I do not eat pork.

Diya Bera, UAE I’m Diya Bera from the UAE and I’m at grade 12 now. I’m now preparing for my college application in India or the USA. And I dream of becoming a computer scientist in one of the top companies like Google or Microsoft. My hobbies are reading and listening to music.

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Newsletter of the 19th Asian Physics Olympiad 2018

Image: Duy Thanh, Truong Giang, Chi Thanh, Thai Son

Mark Twain – the world’s famous writer from the United States of America said: “The human race has only one really effective weapon and that is laughter”. A smile – is itself a great thing in our life. Although the delegates come from different countries with different languages, interests, religions, cultures and ages, their smiles will bridge all these gaps as well as help them get closer. In the past few days of APhO 2018, the hot weather has become milder by these smiles. Let’s look back these memorable moments of “APhO smiles”. Though you might be really worried or frustrated about your exam yesterday, let’s smile a lot and be ready to explore Trang An today.

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When was the first seismograph invented? Approximately A.D. 200 in China

Viet Nam

Albert Einstein

Water Puppetry

Maria Goeppert Mayer Froman unpaid volunteer to the Nobel Prize

in Physics 1963 Maria Goeppert Mayer (19061972), a German-born American theoretical physicist, was the second woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physics, since Marie Curie. In 1963, she and J. Hans D. Jensen (a German physicist) proposed the nuclear shell model of the atomic nucleus, and excellently won the Nobel Prize in Physics. In childhood, Maria Goeppert Mayer was described as a smart girl. Once she saw her mother made tea, gave it into a smallsaucer, and asked an old housemaid to bring it for their guests, she was immediately impressed by the cup and saucer when the old woman had shaking movement and usually poured tea into the saucer. Maria noticed when old housemaid picked the cup of tea up, it was really hard in the time because the cup slightly slided on the saucer. Then some tea pouring out to the saucer made that cup stick to it and did not move anymore no matter how the old woman was shaky. After studying and observing, she asked her father: - Dad, what is that phenomenon? - That is due to the friction. You will know when you grow up! - When I grow up, I will make all

problems clear as you are a professor. - Yes – Maria’s father, Mr. Friedrich Goeppert delightedly hold her up. - You definitely become as professor. Mr. Friedrich expected that Maria could do something more rather than “just become as woman”. Maria recalled: “When I was a very young child, I was educated to earn for my living. So, I would not be depended on marriage.”

It’s Healthy It’s boost the strength of your immune system

She took the entrance exam of Goettingen University when only 17 years old. This is the peak period for women to participate in studying mathematics. To Maria, in particular was impressed by physics, especially quantum mechanics – fully new and interested part. Then she married with Joseph Edward Mayer, and together they moved to Baltimore, where Joe was a professor at Johns Hopkins University. At that time, woman was not appropriated in the science field. Even Maria owned a Ph.D Degree, she had to be an unpaid volunteer at laboratories since her husband was a prestigious chemist. Maria accepted voluntary collaborator job to continue to study physics. Maria was not assigned to a paid

professional teaching vacancy at Sarah Lawrence College in the United States until 1944. In 1963, Maria Goeppert Mayer shared the Nobel Prize with J. Hans D. Jensen for proposing the atomic nucleus research. Moreover, she is also world famous for research on theory of solids, statistical dynamics, theory of correlation, etc. Collected from Internet by Sang Nguyen, Thuong Pham

Water puppetry is a form of folk arts originating in the Red River Delta in the North of Viet Nam, dating back in the 11th century. Many towns and villages in Viet Nam have communal ponds that are perfect stages for these impromptu performances, enhancing the widespread development of the art form. Presently, water puppetry is showed in a pool of water with the water surface being the stage. Puppets are made of wood and then lacquered to be watertight and endurable. During performances, puppets are controlled via a pole-and-string apparatus hidden under the water surface by

puppeteers standing in waist-deep water behind the stage. While puppets play their roles according to the direction of puppeteers, singers of Cheo (a kind of traditional theater in Viet Nam) sing songs to tell the story in words. The theme of the play concentrates on the daily life of rural people and folklores that are imparted from generation to generation, not mention to stories of legends and national history. Above all, water puppetry created a relaxing space for rural citizens in the past; both watching and playing water puppetry was a good way for the local to entertain, escaping from their daily worries and hardworking life. By Sang Nguyen, Thuong Pham Image: Internet

It Builds Trust

It’sMakesYouHappy It’s directly effects certain brain activities associated wiht happiness

It’s Contagions

It helps convey to others that you have their best interests at heart

Smile (you) + frown (others) = Smile (everyone)

It Affects Results

ItConveysEmotion

It help create an environment where you and others can flourish

It’s instrumental in making a strong emotional connection with others

It’s Good Business

It’s Attractive

It makes you more enthusiatic for a product and Instills positive feelings in a buyer

People with a great smiles radiate a warmth that draws others to them instantly Source: getlifemaps.com

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General Manager: Assoc.Prof. Huynh Quyet Thang - Head of APhO 2018’s Communication and Culture Subcommittee Editor in chief: Assoc.Prof. Le Hieu Hoc Secretary: Cam Le Journalist: Sang Nguyen, Vu Thom, Hoang Anh Photos: CCPR and Internet Designed by: Tuan Nguyen Proofreading: Dr. Nguyen Viet Khoa

Hanoi University of Science and Technology Center of Communication and Public Relations 924 Ta Quang Buu Building, HUST Tel: 024 36231732 Email: [email protected] Image: Kim Chi

Ganh Da Dia, Phu Yen Province. Source: Internet