IB Group 4
Sciences
Physics
Intent of the Programme
In Physics, there are three connected domains of knowledge and skills:
- Laws of Physics
Students should be able to:
- Describe and explain them as qualitative or quantitative models of reality
- Describe their phenomenological and experimental basis
- Describe their limitations
- Describe their applications in, and implications for, daily life
- Apply them to unfamiliar situations
- Describe, where appropriate, their connections with one another
- Experimental Skills
Students should be able to:
- Follow instructions for experimental methods
- Manipulate equipment safely and effectively
- Record and analyse experimental data
- Draw conclusions from those data in the formulation of a purely empirical model or in comparison with a proposed hypothesis or model
- Design experiments to answer scientific questions of model generation or hypothesis testing
- Social and Historical Aspects of Physics as an Evolving Body of Human Knowledge About Nature
Students should be able to:
- Evaluate the impact, good, bad or neutral, that physics has had on daily life and society
- Evaluate the roles that physicists have played in the evolution of the subject
Areas of Study
The syllabus content for the IB Physics programme is split into three parts: the subject specific core (SSC), the Additional Higher Level material (AHL) and the option. A brief summary of this content is provided below:
Subject Specific Core:
- Topic 1 Measurements and Uncertainties
- Topic 2 Mechanics
- Topic 3 Thermal Physics
- Topic 4 Waves
- Topic 5 Electricity and Magnetism
- Topic 6 Circular Motion and Gravitation
- Topic 7 Atomic, Nuclear and Particle Physics
- Topic 8 Energy Production
Additional Higher Level:
- Topic 9 Wave Phenomena
- Topic 10 Fields
- Topic 11 Electromagnetic Induction
- Topic 12 Quantum and Nuclear Physics
SL Option:
Option D Astrophysics
HL Option:
Option D Astrophysics
Notes
All candidates must also carry out a Group 4 project. Students who have completed a Year 11 physics course will be at a significant advantage for this course.
Assessment
The final grade will be based on the examination result (80%) and on internally assessed practical work (20%).
Costs
Course workbook $15.
