Question 1
The graph shows the current I in a filament lamp against the pd V across it. What is the resistance of the lamp when the pd across it is 6.0 V?
The physics internal assessment: the scientific investigation
The internal assessment is the scientific investigation: an open-ended investigation of your own research question, about 10 hours of work, written up as a report of at most 3,000 words. It is 20% of your grade at both SL and HL.
| Weight | 20% at SL and HL |
|---|---|
| Time | 10 hours of the course |
| Report | At most 3,000 words |
| Task | Gather and analyse data to answer your own research question |
What it is
The scientific investigation is an open-ended task in which you gather and analyse data to answer a research question you formulate yourself. It may be hands-on experimentation, or use simulations and modelling where that fits. The outcome is assessed as a written report.
It sits in the course's experimental programme beside practical work and the collaborative sciences project, an interdisciplinary project with the other sciences.
The inquiry process
- Exploring and designing: a focused research question, the variables, and a method that can answer it.
- Collecting and processing data: enough data over a useful range, with uncertainties, processed into a graph or a value.
- Concluding and evaluating: what the data show, how far you can trust it, and what limits the result.
Habits that help
- Choose a question you can answer with data you can actually collect in the time.
- Plan for a relation you can linearise, so a gradient gives the quantity you want.
- Carry uncertainties through: absolute and percentage uncertainties, error bars and the spread of best-fit lines.
- Keep within 3,000 words: cut description before analysis.
Try 2 questions
Question 2
A string 1.20 m long, fixed at both ends, vibrates at 150 Hz. The graph shows its extreme positions. What is the speed of the waves on the string?
Next step
The IB's Diploma Programme physics page, with the subject brief
Questions people ask
How much is the IB Physics IA worth?
20% of the final grade, at both SL and HL. Paper 1 is 36% and Paper 2 44%.
What is the word limit for the IB Physics IA?
3,000 words at most for the report.
Can the physics IA use a simulation?
The course includes simulations and modelling as well as hands-on experiments in its practical work. Agree the approach with your teacher.
How long should I spend on the IA?
The course gives the scientific investigation 10 hours.