Physics
Our future depends on a culture of technology and science, and on the knowledge and expertise of the next generation in these fields.
About the department
Our future depends on a culture of technology and science, and on the knowledge and expertise of the next generation in these fields.
In this spirit, the main aim of the Physics department ‒ alongside the steady development of logical thinking ‒ is to help students understand the important role of physics in understanding nature, to lead them to see the practical importance of its applications, and to prepare them, through subject knowledge and basic skills, for further study in the field.
Besides classical teaching methods, an important role is given to experiments, the deliberate questioning of nature, which in our school has traditions going back to Bolyai Farkas, as the surviving museum instruments bear witness. One of the festive occasions of experimental physics in our school is the entertaining physics competition that has been very popular since 1997: Nagy Fizika Hűhó (physics show and competition). As new methods are indispensable in physics, we often supplement real experiments with educational films. If the phenomenon being studied is too fast or too slow, too expensive, too dangerous or too complicated, or if there is no equipment for it, computer simulations, software, mobile phone apps and webcam measurements make teaching even more interesting and colourful.
Among the forms of talent development in the Physics department, thanks to the theoretical competition preparation sessions, we do well in many competitions, for example: the Physics Olympiad, the Öveges József‒Vermes Miklós Physics Competition, the Hatvani István Physics Competition, the Schwartz Lajos Memorial Competition, the Bolyai Farkas National Subject Competition, the Mindennapok Fizikája (Everyday Physics) Team Competition, Physis, the Alfa és Omega Physics Competition and many others. In the practical preparation sessions ‒ besides practising laboratory work and measurement tasks ‒ experiment videos are made for subject competitions.
An important part of our work is scientific work outside school, which also offers excellent opportunities for our students. Every year since 2002 we have taken part in the Transylvanian Conference of Student Research Circles, the National Conference of Student Research Circles and the student competition of Természet Világa, where we also do well. The papers written for these conferences and competitions, which go far beyond the requirements of the curriculum, can be read on the website of the Appendix Student Research Circle (appendix.bolyaisok.ro).
Our task is to create situations that spur students on to scientific activity, but which are at the same time a good opportunity for the traditional teacher–student relationship to turn into one between colleagues and partners.
Further information, results, experiment films and teaching materials are available on the Physics Department website (fizika.bolyaisok.ro).