This article
has been published in the 4th issue of Amateur Astronomer
magazine, 2010.
This is BoJone’s first printed article!
Yeah!
PS: In this year’s National Astronomy Olympiad,
BoJone was incredibly lucky to enter the list of finalists. In mid-May,
we will meet many astronomy enthusiasts in Guyuan. BoJone is looking
forward to it...
On March 13, 2010, the National Astronomy Olympiad for Middle School Students was held simultaneously at more than ten test centers across the country. Driven by a strong interest in astronomy, BoJone also traveled to Guangzhou to participate in this competition. This was my first time participating in a national astronomy competition, so I felt a lot. Especially seeing so many astronomy experts, I was very excited... However, what I remember most is the extraordinary significance of the Astronomy Olympiad.
The difference between the Astronomy Olympiad and the Mathematics or Physics Olympiads lies in its non-utilitarian nature. The astronomy competition is merely a process, or rather an opportunity, with the goal of cultivating everyone’s interest. In other words, only true astronomy enthusiasts are likely to pass the preliminary round and enter a higher level of the astronomy arena. Whether for the preliminary or final rounds, or even international astronomy competitions, the results are not important at all. The eternal theme is to experience the joy of astronomy and stimulate people’s passion for it during this process.
Many people feel that the Olympiad questions are becoming increasingly "off-topic," but the opposite is true. This year’s Olympiad questions fully embodied the theme of interest. I believe that for fellow enthusiasts who participated in this year’s Olympiad, a very memorable question was asking when the registration deadline for this year’s preliminary round was (February 6). Director Zhu Jin gave the following reply on "Astronomy Online":
It seems you still don’t understand the intention behind the questions. Students with your mindset are unlikely to enter the finals. Domestic competitions test interest and are prepared for those students who particularly love astronomy. The question about the preliminary registration deadline is a very typical preliminary question; it is designed for those students who started paying attention to the competition very early and were particularly worried that they wouldn’t be able to sign up. Some students are dragged into the competition, and some don’t even care whether they can sign up or not—then they won’t be able to answer this question. This is the same approach as a previous question asking which day of the month Amateur Astronomer magazine is published. Such questions can only be answered correctly by students who truly care. It is unlikely to guess such questions just by memorizing answers to prepare for the competition.
Seeing this question, everyone should understand. In fact, this question is the most standard way to distinguish who is a hardcore astronomy enthusiast. Only by being truly passionate about astronomy can one handle those "strange" questions in the astronomy competition. For non-astronomy enthusiasts, these questions are "nonsensical"; but for astronomy enthusiasts, they are just basic common sense. I love astronomy, so I understand!
Of course, besides interest, we also need to think. Many of the exam questions can be found in the Amateur Astronomer magazine, because the goals of both the competition and the magazine are to cultivate everyone’s interest. Additionally, there are some questions not found in the magazine. Astronomy is a highly comprehensive discipline, so one cannot simply read or memorize the magazine, but must use one’s own brain to think. For example, this year there was a question about "in which constellation is it most impossible to see the moon." This requires us to comprehensively consider the zodiacal constellations, the angle between the ecliptic and the lunar orbit, etc. This is something that cannot be understood just by rote memorization.
Over the years, there has been a "must-ask" question, which is about the number of medals won in the previous year. I believe many people specifically memorized this result. However, it was not tested this year. In fact, the purpose of asking about the number of medals is to get everyone to pay attention to the results of international competitions and to let everyone know that we have this opportunity to participate in international exchanges. The questions asked each year will also vary; it won’t necessarily always be the number of medals, right? Of course, this type of question will likely always be tested in some form; it’s practically an open secret.
Some people complain that the negative marking policy (deducting points for wrong answers) causes many people to lose opportunities and feel afraid of it. Actually, there’s nothing to be afraid of! With so many simple questions, if there were no negative marking, how could we distinguish between true enthusiasts and others? If I were lucky, I might even enter the finals by blind guessing, but people who guess blindly would drown out the experts, which would be the greatest injustice. If you know it, you know it; if you don’t, you don’t. Astronomy promotes honesty, and the Astronomy Olympiad itself is also cultivating everyone’s spirit of integrity.
Initially, when I heard that Amateur Astronomer magazine was going to publish a supplement of Olympiad practice questions, I held an opposing view. One of the main reasons was the fear that astronomy would become "exam-oriented." The last thing I want to see is the emergence of books like "Astronomy Workbooks." Astronomy definitely cannot be improved through a "sea of problems" (strictly speaking, no subject should be). Only interest can make us move forward in the field of astronomy; we do not want to see "astronomy enthusiasts" who are forced. But later, I supported this supplement because I felt it was also a way to popularize astronomy. When I bought it, I immediately wrote in a prominent place in the book:
Not for scores through a sea of problems,
Not for results through study.
Everything, only for interest,
All, originating from hobby.
I use this to remind myself of the spirit of the Astronomy Olympiad: use interest as the driving force and tirelessly chase our dreams!
Let us all involuntarily exclaim: I love astronomy! I Love Astronomy!
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