Should I study IB Physics?
IB Physics is offered at Higher Level (HL) and Standard Level (SL). If you would like to study Physics or Engineering related disciplines at university, it is recommended that you do Physics at HL. Please note that if you are applying to Physics and Engineering at top UK/US universities, IB Mathematics HL is either a pre-requisite or highly desirable.
How to get a 7 in IB Physics?
IB Physics mainly focuses on application of the theory. Most students are good at mathematical manipulation but might still struggle to relate the problem with the theory. Translating it into the right formula and explaining the phenomena with relevant theory can also be challenging. In a Physics IA, you shall select a topic with ‘well related’ independent and dependent variable, so that a formula can be derived to relate those variables. You should minimize the uncertainty of the measurement as much as possible, as well as analysing the data set with graphical method and presenting the uncertainty of the data to fulfil the grading criteria of the Physics IA.
Besides teaching the essential Physics concepts, our lessons and courses focus heavily on technique for organized revision, relating the physics theory to daily life and analyzing and practicing the different types questions. We use our proprietary study guides and workbooks (co-edited with senior IB examiners), as well as past exam questions sorted by topics to help you to achieve top grades.
In addition, we also provide coaching on Physics IA through the following:
- helping you select a topic which matches your interest and ability.
- providing guidance on research direction/experiment methodology where appropriate.
- reviewing your work to make sure the grading criteria are met.
We recommend you send us your IA topic or contact us early to brainstorm together, so we can prepare for your lesson.
Students often ask for research question ideas on their EE (Extended Essay). Realistically, a good EE research question/ topic should be appropriately designed so that you would be able to 1) gather meaningful primary and/or secondary data if needed and 2) be able to scope things like the interpretation of the data, analysis and evaluation of the data / events within the 4,000-word limit.
Here are some sample Physics EE research questions:
- How does the shape and dimension of an object affect the buoyant force experienced when submerged in liquid?
- How does the shape and dimension of a container affect the speed of water ejected at the bottom level?
- Investigate the dependence of speed of water wave on water depth
- Investigate how liquid at different temperatures inside a container affects its rate of rolling down a fixed ramp
- How mass distribution of a cylinder affects its rate of rolling down a fixed ramp
Whether a Physics IA is mediocre or great generally depends on two main factors: How well the student chooses their topic, and how well the student writes their report. To see examples of good reports, visit the IB official website and download their samples. You will see that every good report includes the following:
- Background theory
- Procedures of the experiment
- Data analysis
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
This formulaic structure is not too difficult to follow. (It may be helpful to keep the list beside you and check off every component as you complete it.) Of greater concern is how you choose your topic, what approach you decide to take towards your topic, and the methods you select to conduct your experiments.
Choose a good topic
IB physics IAs may be split into three categories, depending on the methodology you use:
- Hands-on laboratory experiments: You have a simple experiment that you can conduct yourself, e.g. rolling a ball down a slanted table to measure gravitational acceleration. This is simple and can be done within a school lab.
- Database: You have an interest towards astrophysics, you can go find research on the NASA website, which offers a public database. You use their numerical results for your IA.
- Computer simulation and models: Some tests are very difficult to conduct as a hands-on experiment, e.g. if your IA is related to sound and acoustics, you may prefer to conduct a simulation using the applications Geogebra, Cosmol, or Medlab.
From our experience with observing students, the easiest format to handle is the hands-on laboratory experiment that you can do in school labs, e.g. the mechanics topic offers many possibilities for hands-on experiments. You can of course choose any topic you like, but you must consider: how easy will it be to design the experiment, and how easy would it be to execute this experiment?
Designing your research direction
In designing the direction of your research, you can think about your topic in two steps.
- Brainstorm: Think about what interests you have and how you can reflect that in your topic, to fulfil the criteria of personal engagement in your IA.
- Consideration: Ask yourself the following questions before you dive into the topic. Can I prove and answer this research question through experiments? How can I apply this experiment to real life and argue for its relevance? Can I reach a useful and meaningful conclusion if I pursue this research question?
Let’s create an example of a useful and fulfilling IA topic. Let’s say that you are a fan of basketball, and have decided to conduct an IA on this topic. Perhaps you might consider these questions: What is the best angle for projection to get the ball in the net? When you shoot the basketball, what is the best angle and height, to get the ball into the net?
This is a decent starting point, but it’s actually not deep enough of a research direction because it will result in just one answer - the single best angle/height. Within this research question, you don’t seem to have any independent variables or control variables in your experiment.
So let’s change our approach to this topic. Instead, you ask: How does the air drag coefficient affect the trajectory of the basketball given that the temperature is constant? This is a much better research question. You can see the dependent, independent, and control variables very clearly. Therefore, your question will be much clearer, focused, and it will show your understanding and knowledge of physics concepts.
Common problems to avoid
Now let’s look at some common pitfalls that students should take care to avoid.
- No physics involved in the topic. E.g. your research question is: How does the wavelength of light affect peoples’ moods? While light certainly has an observable effect on emotions, the emotions of people have no relation to physics and are difficult to measure empirically. Wavelength is scientific, but emotions are not. Therefore, this is a bad IA topic.
- Topic involves unrelated or random factors
. E.g. your research question is: How do black holes affect oil viscosity on Earth? Black holes have nothing to do with oil viscosity, so it will be impossible to relate the two. This is also a bad IA topic.
- Topic is too ambitious or needs a very high level of physics knowledge. E.g. your research question is: How do gravitational waves affect the radius of the Earth? This is a valid physics question, it is possible to investigate, and it is a meaningful, important question. However, we have advanced, top-level professional scientists exploring the same question, and so this is not something that high schoolers can pursue at their level! Ideally, the topics and knowledge that you showcase in your IA should be within the boundaries of the IB syllabus, or maybe a little more difficult if you like the challenge. Fulfilling this, you will already show your knowledge and competence well.
We hope that these tips will help you write a good IB physics IA!
