3/22/2017
IB Physics: Required practicals
Required practicals
This is the list of 10 required practicals that you must include on the 4psow. The reason you have
to do these is that there will be a question on paper 3 that related to one of them. There are many
ways of doing these experiments so the question will have to be on general experimental
techniques rather than the specifics.
Here are the worksheets for the labs
2.1 ­ Determining the acceleration of free­fall experimentally
Measuring g (card drop)
Measuring g (falling ball)
3.1 – Applying the calorimetric techniques of specific heat capacity or specific latent heat
experimentally
Specific heat capacity of water (electric kettle)
3.2 – Investigating at least one gas law experimentally
Verification of Boyles law
4.2 – Investigating the speed of sound experimentally
Speed of sound (drinking straw)
4.4 – Determining refractive index experimentally
Refractive index
5.2 – Investigating one or more of the factors that affect resistance experimentally
Factors affecting R (paper)
Factors affecting R (nichrome)
Factors affecting R (pencil)
5.3 ­ Determining internal resistance experimentally
EMF and internal resistance
7.1 ­ Investigating half ­ life experimentally (or by simulation)
Decay of Beer Foam
9.3 – Investigating Young’s double ­ slit experimentally
Two slit interference
11.2 – Investigating a diode bridge rectification circuit experimentally
Rectifier circuit
Minimal apparatus list
Custom made ball dropping apparatus (e.g. PASCO) (I only have 2 so do this as part of a circus of
experiments)
Electric kettle and thermometer plus top pan balance (class set, I actually use a temp. sensor)
Datalogger
(e.g. Vernier
or PASCO)
+ pressure
sensor
andgiving
attachments
set, although
the Read
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3/22/2017
IB Physics: Required practicals
Drinking straws (Audacity software)
Glass block and ray lamp (or use my photos and onscreen protractor) (I only have one block so my
students used my ready made photos)
Laser plus Double slits (e.g PASCO) (I have 6 lasers but only two sets of slits)
Pencil and paper plus multimeter (class set)
Multimeter, Nichrome wire and battery plus holder (class set)
Paul falstads circuit simulation
Measuring cylinder and beer plus loggerPro video analysis software or pencil and paper. (I borrow
the cylinder from Chem. lab many video the same one, saves wasting too much beer)
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