On Monday, 23 June, two excited Year 7 teams from Leweston School had the incredible opportunity to take part in the Institute of Physics Physics Olympics hosted by Millfield School. Unlike a traditional Olympiad full of paper-based questions, this “Olympics” was all about practical, hands-on challenges – and we loved every second of it!
The theme of the day was estimations and powers of ten, and we faced a wide range of tasks that put our teamwork and thinking skills to the test. At the start, we were a little nervous – Joanna said, “At the start of the day, there were nerves, but when we arrived, it was amazing!” – and she was absolutely right. The venue was buzzing with energy, and we were ready to get stuck in.
The events had fun and creative names like “A Bridge Too Far”, “Good Vibrations”, “Marvellous Marbles”, and “Resistance is Futile”. Each activity was designed to challenge us to think like real physicists, building, testing, calculating, and – sometimes – fixing our mistakes!
One of the most memorable challenges was estimating the number of sweets inside a water bottle. Using physics, we calculated the volume of the bottle and then the volume of a single sweet. After doing the maths, we proudly estimated that there were 459 sweets, which turned out to be spot on – and yes, we won the bottle (and the sweets)!
It was Leweston's first time attending, and we were thrilled to come 5th overall out of many schools – a fantastic achievement! Along the way, we picked up T-shirts, sweets, and a lot of laughs.
Tom said it best: “It was great and I would love to attend again!” We all agree – it was a day full of learning, excitement, and fun, and we can't wait for next year’s Physics Olympics.
Thank you to Millfield School and the Institute of Physics for an unforgettable day!