IB Physics
New Syllabus
We are updating our resources for the new IB Physics Syllabus. Here you can find some information about the changes.
Syllabus Structure
Assessment
Content changes
Syllabus Mapping
New Syllabus Structure
Topic A – Space, time and motion (42 hours)
Sub-topic A.1 (9 hours)
Kinematics
Sub-topic A.2 (10 hours)
Forces and momentum
Sub-topic A.3 (8 hours)
Work, energy and power
Sub-topic A.4 (7 hours)
Rigid body mechanics
Sub-topic A.5 (8 hours)
Galilean and special relativity
Topic B – The particulate nature of matter (32 hours)
Sub-topic B.1 (6 hours)
Thermal energy transfers
Sub-topic B.2 (6 hours)
Greenhouse effect
Sub-topic B.3 (6 hours)
Gas laws
Sub-topic B.4 (8 hours)
Thermodynamics
Sub-topic B.5 (6 hours)
Current and circuits
Topic C – Wave behaviour (29 hours)
Sub-topic C.1 (7 hours)
Simple harmonic motion
Sub-topic C.2 (3 hours)
Wave model
Sub-topic C.3 (11 hours)
Wave phenomena
Sub-topic C.4 (4 hours)
Standing waves and resonance
Sub-topic C.5 (4 hours)
Doppler effect
Topic D – Fields (38 hours)
Sub-topic D.1 (12 hours)
Gravitational fields
Sub-topic D.2 (14 hours)
Electric and magnetic fields
Sub-topic D.3 (6 hours)
Motion in electromagnetic fields
Sub-topic D.4 (6 hours)
Induction
Topic E – Nuclear and quantum physics (39 hours)
Sub-topic E.1 (9 hours)
Structure of the atom
Sub-topic E.2 (8 hours)
Quantum physics
Sub-topic E.3 (12 hours)
Radioactive decay
Sub-topic E.4 (4 hours)
Fission
Sub-topic E.5 (6 hours)
Fusion and stars
Experimental programme (60 hours)
Practical work
(40 hours)
Collaborative sciences project
(10 hours)
Scientific investigation
(10 hours)
New Syllabus Assessment
Standard Level
Paper 1
Duration: 1.5 hours
45 marks, 36 % of overall grade
Paper 1A: 25 multiple-choice questions (25 marks)
Paper 1B: Data-based questions (20 marks)
Calculator allowed
Paper 2
Duration: 1.5 hours
55 marks, 44 % of overall grade
Short-answer and extended-response questions
Calculator allowed
Internal Assessment
24 marks, 20% of overall grade
Scientific investigation
Higher Level
Paper 1
Duration: 2 hours
60 marks, 36 % of overall grade
Paper 1A: 40 multiple-choice questions (40 marks)
Paper 1B: Data-based questions (20 marks)
Calculator allowed
Paper 2
Duration: 2.5 hours
90 marks, 44 % of overall grade
Short-answer and extended-response questions
Calculator allowed
Internal Assessment
24 marks, 20% of overall grade
Scientific investigation
New Syllabus Content changes
Standard Level
Content removed
(old Core syllabus
topic number shown)
Topic 1
Measurements in physics*
Uncertainties and errors*
Vectors and scalars*
* Moved to Tool 3: Mathematics
Topic 4
Polarization and Malus’s law
Topic 5
Kirchhoff’s circuit laws
Secondary cells
Terminal potential difference
Topic 7
Quarks, leptons and their antiparticles
Hadrons, baryons and mesons
The conservation laws of baryon number, lepton number and strangeness
The nature and range of the weak nuclear force
Exchange particles
Feynman diagrams
Confinement
The Higgs boson
Topic 8
Specific energy of fuel sources
Primary energy sources
Electricity as a secondary and versatile form of energy
Renewable and non-renewable energy sources
Fossil fuel power stations
Wind generators
Pumped storage hydroelectric systems
All Option Topics
(some Option content has been added to the new syllabus)
Content added from
old AHL syllabus
(old AHL syllabus
topic number shown)
Topic 9
The defining equation of simple harmonic motion
The relationship between angular frequency and period
The time period of a mass-spring system
The time period of a simple pendulum
Doppler effect for sound waves and electromagnetic waves
Representing the Doppler effect on wavefront diagrams
The Doppler effect equation for light
Spectral line shifts due to the Doppler effect
Topic 10
Gravitational field lines
Electric field strength between parallel plates*
* Also some new material in this topic
Content added from old Option Topics
(old Option Topic
number shown)
Option B
Viscous drag force
Buoyancy
The nature of resonance, natural frequency, driving frequency
The effects of damping
Light, critical and heavy damping
Option D
Apparent brightness
Luminosity
Emission and absorption spectra as information about chemical composition*
The stability of stars
Fusion as a source of energy in stars
The conditions leading to fusion in stars in terms of density and temperature
The effect of stellar mass on the evolution of a star
The Hertzsprung–Russell diagram
Stellar parallax
Determining stellar radii
* Some of this topic is in the old Core syllabus and some of it is new
New content
Quantitative analysis of rate of thermal energy transfer by conduction
Awareness of the resonance model for the greenhouse effect*
Awareness of the enhanced greenhouse effect*
Pressure in gases related to the average translational speed of molecules*
The relationship between the total internal energy of a gas and the number of gas molecules*
Chemical and solar cells*
Kepler’s three laws of orbital motion
Millikan’s experiment as evidence for quantization of charge
Electric charge transfer between bodies*
Electric field strength between parallel plates*
The motion of a charged particle in perpendicularly oriented uniform electric and magnetic fields*
The force per unit length between parallel wires*
Emission and absorption spectra as information about chemical composition*
The properties of the products of nuclear fission and their management
* Partially/implicitly present in old syllabus
Higher Level
Content removed
(old Core/AHL syllabus
topic number shown)
Topic 1
Measurements in physics*
Uncertainties and errors*
Vectors and scalars*
* Moved to Tool 3: Mathematics
Topic 4
Polarization and Malus’s law
Topic 5
Kirchhoff’s circuit laws
Secondary cells
Terminal potential difference
Topic 7
Quarks, leptons and their antiparticles
Hadrons, baryons and mesons
The conservation laws of baryon number, lepton number and strangeness
The nature and range of the weak nuclear force
Exchange particles
Feynman diagrams
Confinement
The Higgs boson
Topic 8
Specific energy of fuel sources
Primary energy sources
Electricity as a secondary and versatile form of energy
Renewable and non-renewable energy sources
Fossil fuel power stations
Wind generators
Pumped storage hydroelectric systems
Topic 9
Thin film interference
Resolution
Topic 11
Power generation and transmission
Capacitance
Topic 12
Pair production and pair annihilation
The wave function
The uncertainty principle
Tunnelling
All Option Topics
(some Option content has been added to the new syllabus – see below)
Content added from old Option Topics
(old Option Topic
number shown)
Option A
Reference frames
Newton’s laws and Galilean relativity
Galilean transformation equations
The two postulates of special relativity
The Lorentz transformation equations
Relativistic velocity addition equation
Invariant quantities (space-time interval, proper time, proper length)
Time dilation
Length contraction
The relativity of simultaneity
Space-time diagrams
World line of a moving particle
Muon decay experiments
Option B
Viscous drag force
Buoyancy
The nature of resonance, natural frequency, driving frequency
The effects of damping
Light, critical and heavy damping
Torque
Rotational equilibrium
Angular acceleration
The equations of motion for uniform angular acceleration
Moment of inertia
Newton’s second law for rotation
Conservation of angular momentum
The first law of thermodynamics
The work done by or on a closed system
Change in internal energy in terms of temperature change
Entropy in terms of macroscopic quantities
The second law of thermodynamics
The entropy of a real isolated system*
The entropy of a non-isolated system*
Isovolumetric, isobaric, isothermal and adiabatic processes
Adiabatic processes in monatomic ideal gases
Cyclic gas processes used to run heat engines
Heat engine efficiency
The Carnot cycle
Option D
Apparent brightness
Luminosity
Emission and absorption spectra as information about chemical composition**
The stability of stars
Fusion as a source of energy in stars
The conditions leading to fusion in stars in terms of density and temperature
The effect of stellar mass on the evolution of a star
The Hertzsprung–Russell diagram
Stellar parallax
Determining stellar radii
* Also some new material in this topic
** Some of this topic is in the old Core syllabus and some of it is new
New content
Quantitative analysis of rate of thermal energy transfer by conduction
Awareness of the resonance model for the greenhouse effect*
Awareness of the enhanced greenhouse effect*
Pressure in gases related to the average translational speed of molecules*
The relationship between the total internal energy of a gas and the number of gas molecules*
Chemical and solar cells*
Kepler’s three laws of orbital motion
Millikan’s experiment as evidence for quantization of charge
Electric charge transfer between bodies*
Electric field strength between parallel plates*
The motion of a charged particle in perpendicularly oriented uniform electric and magnetic fields*
The force per unit length between parallel wires*
Emission and absorption spectra as information about chemical composition*
The properties of the products of nuclear fission and their management
Angular impulse
The kinetic energy of rotational motion
Entropy in terms of the properties of individual particles
The entropy of a real isolated system*
The entropy of a non-isolated system*
Definition of the gravitational potential energy of a system*
Drag force on an orbiting body (qualitative description)
Definition of the electric potential energy of a system*
Compton scattering of light by electrons
The shift in photon wavelength after scattering off an electron
The relationship between half-life and the decay constant*
* Partially/implicitly present in old syllabus
