Experimenting with light at the 6th European Physics Olympiad

Abstract

A good experimental task for a high school physics competition requires an interesting and relatable topic, careful testing, and meeting constraints of time, budget and curriculum. This article presents the experimental task from the European Physics Olympiad in the year 2022. The students explored the properties of light sources, such as their colour temperature, angular light distribution, efficacy and heating. The task was stated without explicit instructions, inviting the students to devise their own approach to measurement and data processing. The original task was designed for the level slightly above the European high-school curriculum, so parts of it can be directly used as a lab exercise at a university level, or simplified and given more specific instructions for inclusion in high school level education.