Courses › IB Diploma Programme
IB Physics, SL and HL
Review the whole course, see how every lesson matches the IB Physics guide, and track what you can already do.
- Pick a theme below and choose SL or HL.
- Mark how confident you feel about each statement.
- Use the lessons to fix the red and amber ones.
These lessons were not made specifically for IB, but they cover the same physics. Topics marked "no lesson yet" are still to come.
Theme A: Space, time and motion
SL 27 hours, HL 42 hoursDescribe motion, forces, momentum, energy and relativity.Choose SL or HL, open a topic, then mark how confident you feel about each statement. Use the lessons to fix the red and amber ones.
0 of 60 confident
I study:
A.1 Kinematics
SL and HL0 of 9 confident
Lessons: Kinematics IntroAccelerationGraphing MotionEquations of MotionProjectile MotionMotion Graphs
- I can define displacement, velocity and acceleration.
- I can explain the difference between distance and displacement.
- I can calculate instantaneous and average velocity, speed and acceleration.
- I can tell uniform from non-uniform acceleration.
- I can explain that the equations of motion only apply to uniform acceleration.
- I can solve problems with the equations of motion.
- I can define a projectile and resolve its motion into vertical and horizontal components.
- I can solve projectile problems for horizontal, oblique and below-horizontal launches, ignoring air resistance.
- I can describe how air resistance affects a projectile's path, time of flight, velocity, acceleration and terminal speed.
A.2 Forces and momentum
SL and HL0 of 16 confident
Lessons: Newton's LawsForces in EquilibriumNormal ForceFrictionForces and PulleysMomentumCircular MotionCircular ApplicationsAngular VelocityConical Pendulum
- I can state Newton's three laws of motion.
- I can solve translational equilibrium problems using Newton's first law.
- I can identify force pairs using Newton's third law.
- I can describe forces as interactions between bodies.
- I can draw free-body diagrams and find the resultant force in one and two dimensions.
- I can describe the contact forces: normal, friction, elastic, viscous drag and buoyancy.
- I can describe the field forces: gravitational, electric and magnetic.
- I can define linear momentum and explain when it is conserved.
- I can define impulse and relate it to the change in momentum.
- I can derive Newton's second law from the rate of change of momentum, for constant mass.
- I can solve momentum and impulse problems for collisions and explosions (one dimension at SL, two dimensions at HL).
- I can distinguish elastic and inelastic collisions and explosions.
- I can explain why an object in uniform circular motion accelerates toward the centre at constant speed.
- I can draw a vector diagram showing that the acceleration is directed toward the centre.
- I can give the directions of velocity, acceleration and force in circular motion.
- I can solve problems with centripetal force and acceleration, period, frequency, angular displacement, linear speed and angular velocity.
A.3 Work, energy and power
SL and HL0 of 9 confident
Lessons: Energy
- I can state the conservation of energy.
- I can explain that work done equals energy transferred.
- I can sketch and analyse energy transfers on Sankey diagrams.
- I can calculate work using W = Fs cosθ, including resistive forces and forces not parallel to the displacement.
- I can describe mechanical energy as kinetic, gravitational and elastic potential energy when friction is absent.
- I can solve problems where mechanical energy is conserved.
- I can define and calculate power.
- I can define and calculate efficiency.
- I can define and calculate the energy density of a fuel.
A.4 Rigid body mechanics
HL only0 of 11 confident
- I can describe the torque of a force about an axis.
- I can state that rotational equilibrium means zero resultant torque.
- I can explain that unbalanced torque causes angular acceleration.
- I can describe rotation using angular displacement, velocity and acceleration.
- I can use the equations of uniform angular acceleration.
- I can define and use the moment of inertia, I.
- I can use Newton's second law for rotation, τ = Iα.
- I can calculate the angular momentum of a rotating body.
- I can explain that angular momentum is conserved unless a resultant torque acts.
- I can explain how a resultant torque produces angular impulse.
- I can calculate rotational kinetic energy.
A.5 Galilean and special relativity
HL only0 of 15 confident
- I can define a reference frame and an inertial reference frame.
- I can explain that Newton's laws are the same in all inertial frames (Galilean relativity).
- I can use the Galilean transformation, x' = x − vt and t' = t.
- I can add velocities with a Galilean transformation, u' = u − v.
- I can state the two postulates of special relativity.
- I can use the Lorentz transformation equations for particles at high speed.
- I can use the relativistic velocity addition equation.
- I can calculate the invariant space-time interval between two events.
- I can define proper time interval and proper length.
- I can solve time dilation problems.
- I can calculate length contraction.
- I can explain the relativity of simultaneity.
- I can interpret space-time diagrams of particle motion.
- I can find the angle between a particle's world line and the time axis on a space-time diagram.
- I can interpret muon decay experiments as evidence for time dilation and length contraction.
Practise and review
InteractivesReview videosFormula sheetData sheetTheme B: The particulate nature of matter
SL 24 hours, HL 32 hoursDescribe thermal energy, gases, the greenhouse effect and electric circuits.Choose SL or HL, open a topic, then mark how confident you feel about each statement. Use the lessons to fix the red and amber ones.
0 of 56 confident
I study:
B.1 Thermal energy transfers
SL and HL0 of 12 confident
Lessons: Heat and TemperatureSpecific Heat CapacityLatent HeatBlackbody RadiationStar TemperatureStar MagnitudeSpecific Heat Capacity LAB
- I can explain the differences between solids, liquids and gases in terms of molecular structure and motion.
- I can define density, ρ = m/V.
- I can use and convert between the kelvin and Celsius scales.
- I can explain that the average kinetic energy of ideal-gas molecules is proportional to the temperature in kelvin.
- I can define internal energy as the total intermolecular potential energy plus random kinetic energy.
- I can explain that thermal energy flows from hot to cold depending on the temperature difference.
- I can explain why temperature stays constant during a phase change.
- I can solve problems with specific heat capacity and specific latent heat of fusion and vaporisation.
- I can describe conduction, convection and radiation at the molecular level.
- I can calculate the rate of thermal energy transfer by conduction.
- I can solve problems with the Stefan-Boltzmann law and Wien's displacement law.
- I can define luminosity and apparent brightness and solve problems linking them with distance.
B.2 Greenhouse effect
SL and HL0 of 11 confident
Lessons: Blackbody Radiationno lesson yet
- I can state the conservation of energy.
- I can define and use emissivity and albedo.
- I can state that the Earth's average albedo is about 0.3 and varies with clouds and latitude.
- I can define the solar constant and explain why the effective incident power is S/4.
- I can calculate an equilibrium temperature from the balance of incoming and outgoing radiation.
- I can name the greenhouse gases: CH4, H2O, CO2 and N2O.
- I can explain how the Earth radiates as a black body and greenhouse gases absorb and re-emit that radiation.
- I can define the enhanced greenhouse effect as the human-caused increase.
- I can state that burning fossil fuels is a primary cause of the enhanced greenhouse effect.
- I can explain the enhanced greenhouse effect using molecular energy levels, infrared absorption, resonance and re-emission.
- I can solve energy balance problems between the surface and the atmosphere.
B.3 Gas laws
SL and HL0 of 10 confident
Lessons: no lesson yet
- I can state the assumptions of the kinetic theory of ideal gases.
- I can explain that a real gas behaves like an ideal gas at low pressure, moderate temperature and low density.
- I can define and use pressure, P = F/A.
- I can define the amount of substance, n.
- I can solve problems with the ideal gas equation of state and the gas laws.
- I can state the gas laws at constant volume, temperature and pressure.
- I can explain how the ideal gas law comes from the experimental gas laws.
- I can sketch and interpret changes of state on pressure-volume diagrams.
- I can calculate pressure changes from collisions with the container walls.
- I can calculate the internal energy of an ideal monatomic gas.
B.4 Thermodynamics
HL only0 of 10 confident
Lessons: no lesson yet
- I can describe the first law of thermodynamics as conservation of energy and solve problems with it.
- I can define the work done by or on a closed system.
- I can calculate the change in internal energy for a change in temperature or volume.
- I can state the second law in Celsius and Kelvin forms and as a consequence of entropy.
- I can solve problems involving entropy changes.
- I can describe isovolumetric, isobaric, isothermal and adiabatic processes.
- I can solve adiabatic process problems for monatomic gases.
- I can sketch and interpret the cyclic processes of heat engines.
- I can solve thermal efficiency problems.
- I can define the Carnot cycle and calculate Carnot efficiency.
B.5 Current and circuits
SL and HL0 of 13 confident
Lessons: VoltageOhm's LawSeries and Parallel CircuitsElectrical Powerto confirm: internal resistance, thermistors and potential dividers
- I can define emf and electric potential difference.
- I can describe chemical and solar cells as energy sources.
- I can draw circuit diagrams with a variety of components.
- I can describe current as the rate of flow of charge.
- I can state that charge carriers are electrons in metals but may be ions in other materials.
- I can describe ideal ammeters and voltmeters and explain why real meters differ.
- I can explain the origin of resistance and define R = V/I.
- I can state Ohm's law.
- I can sketch I-V characteristics of ohmic conductors and non-ohmic ones (filament lamp, diode).
- I can solve problems with potential difference, current, charge, power, resistivity and resistance in series and parallel circuits.
- I can describe internal resistance and use ε = I(R + r).
- I can describe how resistance varies in thermistors, light-dependent resistors and potentiometers.
- I can describe practical uses of potential divider circuits.
Practise and review
InteractivesReview videosFormula sheetData sheetTheme C: Wave behaviour
SL 17 hours, HL 29 hoursDescribe oscillations, waves, interference, resonance and the Doppler effect.Choose SL or HL, open a topic, then mark how confident you feel about each statement. Use the lessons to fix the red and amber ones.
0 of 42 confident
I study:
C.1 Simple harmonic motion
SL and HL0 of 9 confident
Lessons: Simple harmonic motionno lesson yet
- I can explain the two conditions for simple harmonic motion.
- I can use the defining equation a = −ω²x and explain the negative sign.
- I can define period, frequency, angular frequency, amplitude, equilibrium position and displacement for SHM.
- I can calculate the period of a mass-spring system and a simple pendulum.
- I can describe the energy changes during one oscillation.
- I can sketch and interpret SHM graphs: displacement, velocity and acceleration against time, and acceleration against displacement.
- I can use the phase angle to describe the state of a particle in SHM.HL
- I can calculate the properties of an SHM oscillator.HL
- I can describe the interchange of kinetic and potential energy in SHM using graphs and algebra.HL
C.2 Wave model
SL and HL0 of 5 confident
- I can explain particle motion in transverse and longitudinal waves.
- I can sketch and interpret displacement-distance and displacement-time graphs for both wave types.
- I can define wavelength, frequency, period, wave speed and amplitude.
- I can derive v = fλ and solve problems with it.
- I can compare sound waves and electromagnetic waves.
C.3 Wave phenomena
SL and HL0 of 16 confident
Lessons: ReflectionRefractionSuperpositionInterferenceDouble Slit DiffractionSnell's LawDouble Slit DiffractionSuperpositionto confirm: single-slit diffraction (HL)
- I can describe waves in two and three dimensions using wavefronts and rays.
- I can describe reflection, refraction and transmission at boundaries.
- I can sketch diffraction around a body and through an aperture.
- I can sketch incident, reflected and transmitted wavefronts or rays between media.
- I can solve problems with Snell's law, critical angle and total internal reflection.
- I can calculate the superposition of two waves or pulses.
- I can describe the conditions for double-source interference.
- I can state the conditions for constructive and destructive interference using path difference.
- I can explain Young's double-slit experiment and use s = λD/d.
- I can describe single-slit diffraction at normal incidence and the effect of slit width.HL
- I can find the position of the first interference minimum in single-slit diffraction.HL
- I can describe the diffraction pattern from monochromatic light through a single slit.HL
- I can describe the double-slit pattern as modulated by single-slit diffraction.HL
- I can sketch and interpret intensity graphs of double-slit patterns.HL
- I can distinguish slit width from slit separation when explaining intensity graphs.HL
- I can explain how multiple slits and diffraction gratings form patterns, and use nλ = d sinθ.HL
C.4 Standing waves and resonance
SL and HL0 of 7 confident
Lessons: Standing WavesResonanceStanding Waves on String LABClosed Pipes experimentto confirm: damping
- I can describe the conditions for a standing wave.
- I can draw standing waves and identify nodes, antinodes, relative amplitude and phase.
- I can explain standing waves as superposition in strings and pipes with all boundary conditions.
- I can solve problems linking harmonic frequency, standing wave length and wave speed.
- I can explain useful and destructive resonance, natural frequency and driving frequency.
- I can describe how amplitude varies with driving frequency near the natural frequency.
- I can describe the effects of light, critical and heavy damping.
C.5 Doppler effect
SL and HL0 of 5 confident
Lessons: Doppler EffectStellar Spectroscopy
- I can sketch and interpret the Doppler effect for sound and electromagnetic waves.
- I can describe uses of the Doppler effect: radar, redshift of galaxies and ultrasound from blood cells.
- I can recognise that electromagnetic waves need the approximate Doppler equation.
- I can explain how shifts in spectral lines show the motion of stars and galaxies.
- I can solve problems on the change in frequency or wavelength to find the speed of a source or observer.HL
Practise and review
InteractivesReview videosFormula sheetData sheetTheme D: Fields
SL 19 hours, HL 38 hoursDescribe gravitational, electric and magnetic fields and the motion of charges in them.Choose SL or HL, open a topic, then mark how confident you feel about each statement. Use the lessons to fix the red and amber ones.
0 of 38 confident
I study:
D.1 Gravitational fields
SL and HL0 of 12 confident
Lessons: GravitationOrbital MotionKepler's LawsGravitation and EnergyOrbital MechanicsKepler's Second Law
- I can state Kepler's three laws.
- I can solve problems with Newton's law of gravitation between two spherical masses.
- I can recognise that gravitational force equals centripetal force for an orbiting object.
- I can define gravitational field strength.
- I can find the resultant field strength from two bodies along the line joining them.
- I can sketch gravitational field lines for radial and uniform fields.
- I can define gravitational potential energy and find it for a point mass.HL
- I can define gravitational potential as work per unit mass from infinity.HL
- I can relate field strength to the rate of change of potential with distance.HL
- I can draw equipotential lines and explain why moving between them requires work.HL
- I can define escape speed and solve escape problems.HL
- I can describe the qualitative effect of atmospheric drag on an orbiting body.HL
D.2 Electric and magnetic fields
SL and HL0 of 14 confident
- I can identify positive and negative charges and predict the direction of forces between them.
- I can solve problems with Coulomb's law.
- I can state the law of conservation of electric charge.
- I can describe Millikan's experiment as evidence for quantised charge.
- I can describe charge transfer by friction, induction and contact, including grounding.
- I can calculate the field strength of a uniform electric field.
- I can sketch electric field lines for radial fields, in and around a spherical conductor, between two charges and between parallel plates.
- I can explain that denser field lines mean a stronger field.
- I can sketch magnetic fields around a bar magnet, a wire, a coil and a solenoid.
- I can find the direction of the magnetic field around a long straight current-carrying wire.
- I can define electric potential energy and find it for two charged bodies.HL
- I can define electric potential as work per unit charge from infinity.HL
- I can relate field strength to the rate of change of potential with distance.HL
- I can draw equipotential surfaces and explain why moving between them requires work.HL
D.3 Motion in electromagnetic fields
SL and HL0 of 6 confident
Lessons: Moving Charges in Electric FieldsCharge in Magnetic FieldsMotor EffectAmpere's LawCharge in magnetic fieldCharge in crossed fieldsJJ Thomson's CRT experiment
- I can describe the motion of a charge in a uniform electric field, a uniform magnetic field and perpendicular fields.
- I can find the size and direction of the force on a charge moving in a magnetic field.
- I can explain that the magnetic force provides the centripetal force for a charge in a magnetic field.
- I can find a charge-to-mass ratio from the path in a magnetic field.
- I can find the force on a current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field.
- I can find the force per unit length between parallel current-carrying wires.
D.4 Induction
HL only0 of 6 confident
Lessons: Magnetic FluxFaraday's LawLenz's LawGeneratorsFaraday's Law and FluxLenz Law and Copper Pipe
- I can define magnetic flux.
- I can state and use Faraday's law.
- I can find the emf induced in a straight conductor moving across a uniform field.
- I can explain Lenz's law using conservation of energy.
- I can explain how an emf is induced in a fixed coil in a changing field and in an AC generator.
- I can explain how a basic AC generator works, including the effect of its frequency.
Practise and review
InteractivesReview videosFormula sheetData sheetTheme E: Nuclear and quantum physics
SL 23 hours, HL 39 hoursDescribe the atom, quantum physics, radioactive decay, fission, fusion and stars.Choose SL or HL, open a topic, then mark how confident you feel about each statement. Use the lessons to fix the red and amber ones.
0 of 52 confident
I study:
E.1 Structure of the atom
SL and HL0 of 9 confident
- I can describe Rutherford's scattering experiment: three observations and conclusions.
- I can explain that each element has a unique absorption and emission spectrum.
- I can explain how spectral lines are evidence for discrete energy levels.
- I can describe how emission and absorption spectra are produced.
- I can calculate the frequency or wavelength of photons from energy-level differences.
- I can calculate the radius of a nucleus and explain that nuclear densities are similar.HL
- I can explain how Rutherford's results change with higher-energy alpha particles.HL
- I can use energy conservation to find the distance of closest approach and nuclear density.HL
- I can describe the Bohr energy levels of hydrogen and the quantisation of angular momentum.HL
E.2 Quantum physics
HL only0 of 9 confident
- I can describe a photon as a quantum of energy and momentum.
- I can explain the photoelectric effect and why wave theory cannot, including work function and threshold frequency.
- I can solve photoelectric effect problems.
- I can interpret photoelectric graphs: kinetic energy against frequency, current against voltage, stopping voltage against 1/λ.
- I can explain that matter has wave-like properties (wave-particle duality).
- I can describe electron diffraction through graphite as evidence for matter waves.
- I can calculate the de Broglie wavelength.
- I can explain how Compton scattering supports the particle nature of light.
- I can calculate the wavelength shift of a photon scattered by an electron.
E.3 Radioactive decay
SL and HL0 of 19 confident
Lessons: What is RadioactivityHalf LifeBinding EnergyStrong Nuclear ForceHalf life simulationBinding Energy interactive
- I can define an isotope.
- I can solve problems with mass defect, binding energy and the atomic mass unit.
- I can define mass-energy equivalence, E = mc².
- I can define binding energy.
- I can sketch the graph of binding energy per nucleon against nucleon number.
- I can calculate photon frequency or wavelength from energy-level differences.
- I can define the strong nuclear force.
- I can describe alpha, beta and gamma radiation: nuclear changes, penetration, ionising ability and uses.
- I can complete decay equations.
- I can describe beta-minus and beta-plus decay and explain neutrinos and antineutrinos.
- I can define activity, count rate and half-life.
- I can find a half-life from a decay curve, including the effect of background radiation.
- I can describe the evidence for the strong nuclear force.HL
- I can explain the role of the neutron-to-proton ratio in nuclear stability.HL
- I can explain that alpha and gamma spectra are evidence for discrete nuclear energy levels.HL
- I can explain that the continuous beta spectrum is evidence for the neutrino.HL
- I can define the decay constant.HL
- I can explain that the simple decay approximation only holds for sufficiently small λt.HL
- I can calculate undecayed nuclei, activity and half-lives for any time interval.HL
E.4 Fission
SL and HL0 of 5 confident
Lessons: FissionBinding Energy
- I can describe energy release in spontaneous and neutron-induced fission.
- I can calculate the energy released in a fission reaction.
- I can describe the role of chain reactions.
- I can explain the roles of control rods, moderators, heat exchangers and shielding in a nuclear power plant.
- I can describe fission products and how they are managed, including long-term storage.
E.5 Fusion and stars
SL and HL0 of 10 confident
Lessons: FusionHR DiagramStellar EvolutionStellar DistancesStellar SpectroscopyStar TemperatureStar MagnitudeHR DiagramProton proton chain
- I can describe the equilibrium between radiation pressure and gravity in stars.
- I can describe fusion as the source of stellar energy, its conditions and the basic main-sequence reactions.
- I can calculate the energy released in fusion reactions.
- I can sketch and interpret HR diagrams, including the main sequence, red giants, supergiants, white dwarfs, the instability strip and lines of constant radius.
- I can state that HR diagrams show luminosity on the vertical axis and temperature on the horizontal axis.
- I can convert between astronomical units, light years and parsecs.
- I can use stellar parallax to find distances.
- I can find a star's surface temperature from its spectrum using Wien's displacement law.
- I can find a star's chemical composition from its absorption spectrum.
- I can calculate stellar radii from luminosity and surface temperature.
Practise and review
InteractivesReview videosFormula sheetData sheetStatements are written in my own words from the IB Physics guide (first assessment 2025). Choosing SL hides the higher level content. Always check the official IB Physics guide. Your ticks are saved on this device only.