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Study guide

Welcome to the IB Physics study guide! As a rough guide, information in grey is introductory, blue is basic, yellow is more of a stretch, green is to prompt thinking and red is an examination tip.

Measurements and uncertainties

This section is the place to start if you are commencing your course or kicking your revision into gear. Having a good understanding of the basics is essential for the topics.After studying this topic,...

Mechanics

Mechanics is the study of the interactions between physical bodies and their consequent motion.After studying this topic, you should be able to:If you look up distance in a dictionary you will find it...

Thermal

The study of thermal physics covers macroscopic (whole systems) and microscopic (particles) processes.After studying this topic, you should be able to:In mechanics we accounted for the loss of energy...

Oscillations and waves

In this topic we look at oscillations of bodies that move back and forth periodically, progressive waves that transfer energy and information through space, the interference effects of these progressive...

Electricity and magnetism

In this section you will learn about the big ideas of charge, a property that interacts with electric fields, electricity, the movement of charges in response to a force within a conductor, and magnetism,...

Circular motion and gravity

In this topic we will consider another form of oscillatory motion: that of objects moving in a circle. For objects moving horizontally or in space, this is usually straightforward to model with the same...

Atomic, nuclear and particle physics

This topic is a whopper for new key words and there is a lot to memorise! In atomic physics, consider how we as scientists know (roughly) the structure of the atom, and also how electrons exist outside...

Energy production

This topic is quite unusual. Rather than having lots of abstract concepts (like force or potential difference), the physics you have studied so far will help you to understand some big real-world issues.

HL Waves

At Higher Level, the Waves topic steps up to include the Doppler effect, single-slit diffraction equations, the concept of resolution, multiple-slit interference and a full description of simple harmonic...

HL Fields

The key to success in Higher Level Fields is to identify whether the field you are working with is gravitational or electric, and radial or uniform.After studying this topic, you should be able to:

HL Electromagnetic induction

Electromagnetic induction is the generation of a potential difference (and often, therefore, a current) due to the cutting of magnetic field lines by a conductor. On a commercial scale, electromagnetic...

HL Nuclear and quantum

At Standard Level, you will have studied the energy levels in which electrons are situated and their relationship with photons, the random nature of nuclear decay and the Standard Model in particle physics.

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