IB Physics

Internal Assessment
Investigation Ideas
Investigation Title

Area of Interest

How does the tension and diameter of a string eect the fundamental frequency?

Guitar strings

How does sugar concentration aect the refractive index of water?

Refractometers / fizzy drinks / wine etc

How does the voltage across the accelerating electric field aect the spacing of the diraction pattern for electron
diraction (using a Teltron Tube)

Telescopes, etc

How does temperature aect the viscosity of fluids?

Particle accelerators / electron microscopes

Investigate factors that aect the flight of an elastic band

Sweet making / ketchup etc

Investigate the Young Modulus of materials

Catapults, etc

Investigate the internal resistances of cells and what factors aect it? e.g, temperature of battery? Type of battery?

Fishing line? Suspension bridges

Investigate the factors that aect fluid damping of an object in SHM. e.g. Area of damping card, viscosity of
surrounding fluid, etc.

Battery life in high tech appliances

Investigating magnetic braking. e.g. magnets through copper pipes, rolling down an aluminium rail

Suspension systems

Investigate factors that aect the surface tension of water

Magnetic suspension systems

Investigate factors aecting the lift produced by a model helicopter

Pond skaters etc

How does sugar concentration aect the optical activity of a solution? (i.e. rotation)

Flight

Investigate the factors aecting the eciency of a motor (e.g. no. of coils, strength / shape of magnets, etc)

Motor Sport, ecologically sound machines (e.g. washing

machines, etc)

Factors aecting the eciency of a transformer

Global energy transportation, electrical engineering,

globalisation

Determine the width of a human hair using diraction

Hair!, optics, lasers

How the voltage across two oppositely charged metal plates aects the frequency of metal-covered a ping pong ball Time, clocks, electrostatics, high voltage supplies

oscillating between them!