The Complete IB Physics Syllabus: SL & HL

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Interpretations

Measurements in physics

1.1

• Fundamental and derived SI units

• Scientific notation and metric multipliers

• Significant figures

• Orders of magnitude

• Estimation

Uncertainties and errors

1.2

• Random and systematic errors

• Absolute, fractional and percentage uncertainties

• Error bars

• Uncertainty of gradient and intercepts

Vectors and scalars

1.3  

• Vector and scalar quantities

• Combination and resolution of vectors

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Interpretations

Motion

 2.1

• Distance and displacement

• Speed and velocity

• Acceleration

• Graphs describing motion

• Equations of motion for uniform acceleration

• Projectile motion

• Fluid resistance and terminal speed

Forces

2.2

• Objects as point particles

• Free-body diagrams

• Translational equilibrium

• Newton’s laws of motion

• Solid friction

Work, energy and power

2.3

• Kinetic energy

• Gravitational potential energy

• Elastic potential energy

• Work done as energy transfer

• Power as rate of energy transfer

• Principle of conservation of energy

• Efficiency

Momentum and impulse

2.4

• Newton’s second law expressed in terms of rate of change of momentum

• Impulse and force–time graphs

• Conservation of linear momentum

• Elastic collisions, inelastic collisions and explosions

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Interpretations

Oscillations

 4.1

• Simple harmonic oscillations

• Time period, frequency, amplitude, displacement and phase difference

• Conditions for simple harmonic motion

Travelling waves

4.2

• Traveling waves

• Wavelength, frequency, period and wave speed

• Transverse and longitudinal waves

• The nature of electromagnetic waves

• The nature of sound waves

Wave characteristics

4.3

• Wavefronts and rays

• Amplitude and intensity

• Superposition

• Polarization

Wave behaviour

4.4

• Reflection and refraction

• Snell’s law, critical angle and total internal reflection

• Diffraction through a single-slit and around objects

• Interference patterns

• Double-slit interference

• Path difference

Standing waves

4.5

• The nature of standing waves

• Boundary conditions

• Nodes and antinodes

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Electric fields

5.1

• Charge

• Electric field

• Coulomb’s law

• Electric current

• Direct current (dc)

• Potential difference

Heating effect of electric currents

5.2

• Circuit diagrams

• Kirchhoff’s circuit laws

• Heating effect of current and its consequences

• Resistance expressed as R = V/I

• Ohm’s law

• Resistivity

• Power dissipation

 Electric cells

5.3

• Cells

• Internal resistance

• Secondary cells

• Terminal potential difference

• Electromotive force (emf)

Magnetic effects of electric currents

5.4

• Magnetic fields

• Magnetic force

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Interpretations

Circular motion

6.1

• Period, frequency, angular displacement and angular velocity

• Centripetal force

• Centripetal acceleration

Newton’s law of gravitation

6.2

• Newton’s law of gravitation

• Gravitational field strength

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Interpretations

Discrete energy and radioactivity

7.1

• Discrete energy and discrete energy levels

• Transitions between energy levels

• Radioactive decay

• Fundamental forces and their properties

• Alpha particles, beta particles and gamma rays

• Half-life

• Absorption characteristics of decay particles

• Isotopes

• Background radiation

Nuclear reactions

7.2

• The unified atomic mass unit

• Mass defect and nuclear binding energy

• Nuclear fission and nuclear fusion

The structure of matter

7.3

• Quarks, leptons and their antiparticles

• Hadrons, baryons and mesons

• The conservation laws of charge, baryon number, lepton number and strangeness

• The nature and range of the strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force and electromagnetic force

• Exchange particles

• Feynman diagrams

• Confinement

• The Higgs boson

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Interpretations 

Energy sources

8.1

• Specific energy and energy density of fuel sources

• Sankey diagrams

• Primary energy sources

• Electricity as a secondary and versatile form of energy

• Renewable and non-renewable energy sources

Thermal energy transfer

8.2

• Conduction, convection and thermal radiation

• Black-body radiation

• Albedo and emissivity

• The solar constant

• The greenhouse effect

• Energy balance in the Earth surface–atmosphere system

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Interpretations

Simple harmonic motion
(HL ONLY)

9.1

• The defining equation of SHM

• Energy changes

Single-slit diffraction
(HL ONLY)

9.2

• The nature of single-slit diffraction

Interference
(HL ONLY)

9.3

• Young’s double-slit experiment

• Modulation of two-slit interference pattern by one-slit diffraction effect

• Multiple slit and diffraction grating interference patterns

• Thin film interference

Resolution
(HL ONLY)

9.4

• The size of a diffracting aperture

• The resolution of simple monochromatic two-source systems

Doppler effect
(HL ONLY)

9.5

• The Doppler effect for sound waves and light waves

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Interpretations

Describing fields
(HL ONLY)

10.1

• Gravitational fields

• Electrostatic fields

• Electric potential and gravitational potential

• Field lines

• Equipotential surfaces

Fields at work
(HL ONLY)

10.2

• Potential and potential energy

• Potential gradient

• Potential difference

• Escape speed

• Orbital motion, orbital speed and orbital energy

• Forces and inverse-square law behaviour

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Electromagnetic induction
(HL ONLY)

11.1

• Electromotive force (emf)

• Magnetic flux and magnetic flux linkage

• Faraday’s law of induction

• Lenz’s law

Power generation and transmission
(HL ONLY)

11.2

• Alternating current (ac) generators

• Average power and root mean square (rms) values of current and voltage

• Transformers

• Diode bridges

• Half-wave and full-wave rectification

Capacitance
(HL ONLY)

11.3

• Capacitance

• Dielectric materials

• Capacitors in series and parallel

• Resistor-capacitor (RC) series circuits

• Time constant

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Interpretations

The interaction of matter with radiation
(HL ONLY)

12.1

• Photons

• The photoelectric effect

• Matter waves

• Pair production and pair annihilation

• Quantization of angular momentum in the Bohr model for hydrogen

• The wave function

• The uncertainty principle for energy and time and position and momentum

• Tunnelling, potential barrier and factors affecting tunnelling probability

Nuclear physics
(HL ONLY)