This year, the Université Paris-Saclay hosted the 10th edition of the French Physicists' Tournament, a well known event for students passionate about physics; an opportunity to share intense scientific moments with teams from all over France. This year again, the new team of the ENS of Lyon was there. Mathis Chevé, Rémy Dolbeault, Yannis Kefaloucos, Amaury Marchon, Till Person and Max Riedinger, coached by Nicolas Plihon, Hugo Roussille and Nicolas Taberlet, competed against teams from ENSTA, Université Paris Cité, ESPCI and the University of Bordeaux.

The atmosphere was studious but relaxed. From game to game, the team scored 167.28 points. It thus placed second in the tournament. Close behind Polytechnique who obtained 168.08 points.

Congratulations to our talented students! They have carried the ENS de Lyon's colors high and will represent France, along with Polytechnique, at the International Physicists' Tournament 2023. We look forward to seeing them from April 24 to 28 in Paris, at the École Polytechnique, for new challenges and, we hope, new successes. In the meantime, all our encouragement to Mathis, Rémy, Yannis, Amaury,Till, Max (and their coaches) for their preparation.

FTP 2023 topics

• Stuck metallic spheres
• Pringles stack ring
• Flapping flag
• Mendocino meter
• Spinning droplets
• The chalk trick
• Dancing lights
• Bubble love and tensions
• Fire-shot-fire
• Unstable levitation
• Graphite plasma lamp

The FTP

The French Physicists' Tournament is an annual meeting organized by the Youth Commission of the French Physical Society, supported by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, and sponsored by the French Academy of Sciences.
It is an opportunity for students to meet and exchange ideas through oratorical jousts around open physics problems. The jousts are held in English.
During the "Physics' Fights", real marathons of scientific debates, the teams take on different roles, for which the students will in turn have to present results, criticize and argue on the work of another team, or moderate a scientific debate.
It is also a way to combine training and research, effectively preparing students for the world of research and the work environment. Preparing for this tournament means learning to work in a team, to analyze a problem and propose a model, to experimentally question a theory, to meet researchers, to present results in front of an audience, to react live and to evolve in an international context. An investment that also translates into ECTS credits. Because all work deserves a salary.