Analysis and characterization of the issues of Brazilian Physics Olympiad Exams

Authors

  • Joao Paulo Casaro Erthal Departamento de Química e Física, UFES
  • Ramón Giostri Campos Departamento de Química e Física, UFES
  • Thays Ferreira Souza Departamento de Química e Física, UFES
  • Juliana de Souza Oliveira Departamento de Química e Física, UFES

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7941.2015v32n1p142

Abstract

Every year in Brazil, School Olympics are organized including various knowledge areas, such as: Portuguese Language, Mathematics, Biology, Physics, and others. The Brazilian Physics Olympiad (OBF) intends to stimulate students’ interest in Physics, by challenging and encouraging them to pursue careers in science and technology. This paper aims to investigate the contents that are present in the OBF exams and how these are addressed, in order to draw a profile of the exam that is applied to high school students. For this purpose, an analysis of the questions from the exam, from the period between 1999 and 2013, is carried out, and the contents of the questions are separated in six Physics fields: Mechanics, Wave, Thermal Physics, Electromagnetism, Geometric Optics and Modern Physics. Afterwards, graphics are developed in order to identify peculiarities of these tests. The results present positive changes in the profile of the test, which has a more contextualized and interdisciplinary approach, compared to previous editions, in line with the official documents of the Brazilian education.

Author Biographies

Joao Paulo Casaro Erthal, Departamento de Química e Física, UFES

Ramón Giostri Campos, Departamento de Química e Física, UFES

Thays Ferreira Souza, Departamento de Química e Física, UFES

Juliana de Souza Oliveira, Departamento de Química e Física, UFES

Published

2014-07-28

How to Cite

Erthal, J. P. C., Campos, R. G., Souza, T. F., & Oliveira, J. de S. (2014). Analysis and characterization of the issues of Brazilian Physics Olympiad Exams. Caderno Brasileiro De Ensino De Física, 32(1), 142–156. https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7941.2015v32n1p142

Issue

Section

Formação inicial e continuada do professor de Física