IB DP Physics unit plan · HL (and SL core)
A.1 Kinematics: from position to motion, SUVAT equations
Free IB DP Physics unit plan for A.1 Kinematics: position, displacement, velocity, acceleration, motion graphs, SUVAT equations, projectile motion and measurement uncertainty, with the linked interactive lessons.
At a glance
- Syllabus
- A.1 · IB DP Physics
- Duration
- 6 weeks, 6 hours a week
- Level
- HL (and SL core)
- Grade
- DP 1
- Format
- PDF, 8 pages
What the unit does
Students move from coordinates and position to a mathematical description of motion: displacement, velocity and acceleration, then the SUVAT equations used as models rather than as isolated formulae.
Interactive simulations and Desmos modelling carry the learning. The unit ends with an individual investigation on a kinematics system and an introduction to measurement and percentage uncertainty.
It covers
- Position, distance and displacement; speed, velocity and acceleration
- Position–time, velocity–time and acceleration–time graphs
- Uniform and uniformly accelerated motion, the four SUVAT equations
- Projectile motion with independent horizontal and vertical components
- Measurement uncertainty and uncertainty propagation
Interactive lessons for this unit
The PDF cites lessons by code (for example A.1 · 1); each one opens the lesson.
- A.1 · 1Motion or rest?Ask a good question: with respect to what?
- A.1 · 2Repeating motion and the birth of clocksHow repetition gave us a way to measure time.
- A.1 · 3Zeno: is all motion an illusion?An ancient paradox, settled by a series that adds to a finite number.
- A.1 · 4Model 1D motion: Y = vtTurn "changing position with time" into a model, then animate it.
- A.1 · 5Vectors: components and the riverSteer a boat across a flowing river, then learn to resolve any vector into two parts.
- A.1 · 6Terms to describe motionPosition, distance, displacement, speed, velocity and acceleration: which are vectors, and why the difference matters.
- A.1 · 7Motion graphs: x–t, v–t, a–tThree linked graphs describe the same motion. Read the slope, read the area, and tell uniform from non-uniform.
- A.1 · 8Exam questions I: a train, a bouncing ball, a skidding carThree exam-style motion problems, worked step by step with our own animated diagrams: read the graph, then check it against the moving object itself.
- A.1 · 9Exam questions II: a signal, a take-off, a chase, and leaking oilFour more exam-style motion problems as multiple-choice, each with its own recreated diagram, animation and worked solution.
- A.1 · 9bIndependence of motion: x and yDrop one ball, throw another sideways. They land together. Horizontal and vertical motion do not depend on each other, and only the time links them.
- A.1 · 9cExam question III: a parcel dropped from an aircraftSplit the motion into a horizontal and a vertical axis. Four parts: the path, the time, the vertical speed and the landing speed.
- A.1 · 9dExam question IV: a ball thrown over a wallLaunch at an angle. Resolve into components, find the time, then the height. Then change every number and finish with one of three questions.
- A.1 · 9eAdding velocities: crosswind landing and the umbrellaLand a plane in a crosswind, then keep dry in the rain. Two games, one triangle of velocities.
- A.1 · 9fStellar aberration and the speed of lightThe umbrella problem again, but the rain is starlight and the walker is the Earth. A tilted telescope gives the speed of light.
- A.1 · 10Models: “This is not a pipe”x = vt is not the ball. A TOK look at what a model is, and how to test one against reality.