IB Physics IA examples

Starting from the May 2025 session, the Physics IA requirements have changed. We created a couple of exemplars to show you how the new IA should look like. It's OK to refer to the old Physics IA exemplars (since the new IA is quite similar) for inspiration/ideas, but make sure to follow the new requirements.

IB Physics IA examples

Not sure what to search for? You can always look through our example Internal Assessments below for inspiration.

All Physics IA Examples

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What is the effect of increasing graphite content (50%, 55%, 60%, 63%, 71%, 74%, and 79%) on the electrical conductivity of the core of a pencil as measured by the resistance across the pencil’s ends?

How does the length of a beam (0.100 m, 0.125 m, 0.150 m, 0.175 m, 0.200 m, 0.225 m, 0.250 m) affect the sag (δ) produced as measured by adding a known mass?

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How does the mass of a marble (0.0050, 0.0100, 0.0150, 0.0200, 0.0250 kg) affect its vertical terminal velocity in a water container when dropped from a constant height measured using video analysis software?

How does a steel spring’s temperature (20.0, 40.0, 60.0, 80.0, 100.0°C) affect its spring constant as measured by the length of the spring’s extension from the position of equilibrium under applied uniform load?

What is the effect of increasing tension (25 N, 29 N, 33 N, 37 N, 41 N, 45 N, and 49 N) on the fundamental frequency of an electric guitar string as measured by analyzing the produced sound via a digital tuner?

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How does the height to which water is filled in a bottle (5.50, 7.20, 8.90, 10.60. 12.30, 14.00, 15.70 cm) affect the volume of water lost (in cm^3 ) and hence the volumetric flow rate (in cm^3 s^-1 )?

How does varying the temperature of a copper wire (25.0, 100.0, 125.0, 150.0, 175.0, 200.0 °C) impact its resistance (Ω) measured by a multimeter (200 Ω) and an infrared thermometer?

What is the effect of increasing mass (2.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0 g) on the drag coefficient at terminal velocity as measured by the tracking of the position of the ball during free fall?

How does the surface area of a liquid affect its rate of evaporation?

Would an increase in the mass of a sphere shaped plastic affect its terminal velocity when dropped in a dishwashing detergent (viscous medium) ?

How does varying densities of water affect the resonant frequency of a a wine glass that is set into vibration through stick-slip-motion?

How does the surface area of parachute affect time taken for descent?

What effect does the surface area of a paper plane’s wings have on its horizontal displacement (in cm) when launched from a height of 86.4 ± 0.05 cm?

How does the tension of a bass guitar string affect the frequency squared of the note it emits?

How does the height of an inclined plane affect the moment of inertia of a sealed oil drum?

Examining the Index of Refraction of Water at Different Temperatures

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The effect of salt concentration on specific heat capacity of a solution

What is the drag coefficient of a round parachute?

Determining Planck’s constant through investigating the relationship between the wavelength of light emitted by different light emitting diodes and their threshold voltages.

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How does the temperature of a steel spring affect its spring constant, 𝑘?

To what extent does the salinity of water affect its specific heat capacity?

How does a temperature change affect the resistance of copper coils connected in series, measured by calculating their resistance when submerged in various water temperatures?

To what extent does the diameter of a guitar string affect its fundamental frequency?

How does the concentration of salt in water affect the specific heat capacity?

What is the relationship between the inner radius of a hollow cylinder and the time taken for it to roll down an inclined plane?

How can the coefficient of viscosity of dish soap be determined from the relationship between the radius and terminal velocity of a falling glass marble?

How does temperature (25.0°C, 35.0°C, 45.0°C, 55.0°C, and 65.0°C) affect the viscosity of honey, in units of poise?

What is the effect of mass on the damping of a simple pendulum?

Investigation on the effect of change in temperature on the refractive index of cooking oil.

Investigating the Relationship Between the Volume and the Lift Force of a Sky Lantern

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An exploration into the strength of hairs from around the world

How does the sound intensity level measured from an electronic speaker change with distance from the speaker?

How does increasing the separation distance (from 0.00±0.05cm to 15.00±0.05cm in 1.00±0.05cm increments) between a primary and a secondary coil affect the mutual inductance of these two coils?

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How does the tension of a guitar string affect its frequency?

How does the drag coefficient of a ping-pong ball measured at terminal velocity vary when its mass is varied?

What is the relationship between the horizontal range of given darts and the length of the barrel of an automated blowgun?

How does the internal pressure of a football (24.0, 41.0, 55.0, 69.0, 86.0, 97.0 kPa) affect its rebound height (metres) at five consecutive bounces to essentially determine its influence on the elasticity of the football through measurements of its consecutive coefficients of restitution?

What is the relationship between the thickness of a sand layer and the rebound height of a tennis ball?

An Investigation on how the Volume of Water (m³) affects the Rate of Cooling (K s⁻¹) of the water when subject to a controlled breeze

Investigating the Dependence of Temperature at Equilibrium on the Air Gap Width Between Two Glass Panes

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Fast track your coursework with mark schemes moderated by IB examiners. Upgrade now

Want to get full marks for your IA? Allow us to review it for you

Fast track your coursework with mark schemes moderated by IB examiners. Upgrade now

Want to get full marks for your IA? Allow us to review it for you

Fast track your coursework with mark schemes moderated by IB examiners. Upgrade now