Hobbies
Programming, reading, computer and video games, playing cello, building computers

Clubs
Robotics Team, Orchestra, Math Club, Computer Club

Experience
AMC 12, American Invitational Mathematics Examination, Physics Bowl, php-editors.com PHP coding contest, Zend PHP coding contest

Biography
I am currently a sophomore at Saratoga High School in Saratoga, CA. I’ve enjoyed mathematics and science ever since I was very young, as I liked to pick up encyclopedias and other technical books off the shelf to read them. I was also fortunate enough to have a professor or physics as my father. When I was less than three years old, I was very interested in rotational motion such as spin cycle of washing machines, electric fans, and the vortexes in the fountain of the local library. My first taste for physics was when my father explained to me how vortexes were created and sustained. At the age of five, I figured out how the Polaris® pool cleaner worked mechanically and how it sucked up the junk at the bottom of the pool using Bernoulli’s principle. At that time, I took those physical observations for granted, and I didn’t consider the mathematical basis behind it. However, in seventh grade, it was revealed to me how interconnected physics and mathematics were. At that time, I took the AP Calculus BC exam and manage to pass with a five. Calculus is a very interesting subject to me because it is used in many practical applications, such as physics. Inspired by how mathematical the world was, I took the AP Physics C exam in eighth grade, passing the Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism portions with fives. I also have a liking towards computers, as they are extremely powerful and versatile tools that can make working with data much more enjoyable. I particularly enjoy doing robotics work because it is mathematics, physics, and programming wrapped into one package. To me, one of the best things in life is that you can take physics and mathematics to produce the desired equation, write up the software that executes it, and then watch the robot respond. The physics Olympiad is very much like that robotics experience, except there aren’t any tangible components for me to observe. I took the Physics Olympiad starting from 2003 but I finally made it this year. I would have to say that the Physics Olympiad semifinal exam is the hardest physics test I’ve ever taken. In terms of my hobbies, I enjoy playing the cello and I’ve been in an orchestra for five years. I also enjoy reading history books, as I believe that the past is very revealing about the future. As a side note to my interest in history, I was invited to the California History Day Fair at the state level.