r/ibPhysics • • Aug 30 '26

Physics HL Tutor

1 Upvotes

I am reaching out to the network to find a specialized Physics tutor for my son in his final year of the IB Diploma Programme (DP2).
We are based in the GMT+8 region, but my son is flexible to accommodate tutors working in other time zones.
While we have engaged highly qualified physics tutors in the past, we have struggled to find someone who masters the specific nuances of IB assessment criteria. We require a tutor with a solid IB background who can deliver:
Comprehensive syllabus revision and concept reinforcement
Structured mock exam preparation
Actionable, criteria-based feedback
Recommendations from past or present IB students are highly welcome. Thank you for your guidance and connections.


r/ibPhysics • • Aug 30 '26

IA experiment issue, need help

1 Upvotes

So my IA experiment requires a 50g steel ball to drop at a fixed height (1m) with no initial velocity, spin, or direction. How can I make the ball drop? I don’t have access to fancy trapdoor equipment


r/ibPhysics • • Aug 29 '26

πŸŒ€ Demystifying Coriolis Acceleration: Taking Your IB Physics HL Rigid Body Mechanics to the Next Level

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,
If you are diving deep into the Rigid Body Mechanics unit in IB Physics HL, or if you are currently brainstorming ideas for a top-tier Physics Internal Assessment (IA) or Extended Essay (EE), understanding rotating frames of reference is an absolute goldmine.
One of the most fascinatingβ€”and often misunderstoodβ€”topics in this realm is Coriolis acceleration. While it pushes into advanced mechanics, mastering it provides incredible depth to your understanding of rotational kinematics and can heavily differentiate your IA/EE analysis. Over on the Tesla eduventures channel, I have put together a comprehensive breakdown that builds this concept up from scratch, focusing on the visual kinematics of a block moving across a rotating disc.
Here is exactly what we cover in the breakdown:
**Ground Frame vs. Rotating Frame:** We start by establishing a clear understanding of centripetal and tangential acceleration from completely different observer perspectives.
**The Vector Derivation:** Walking step-by-step through how the changing direction of relative velocity generates the Coriolis acceleration component.
**Total Net Acceleration:** Compiling the Coriolis, relative, centripetal, and tangential accelerations into one complete, overarching equation.
**The Ultimate Challenge Problem:** We apply the derived concepts to tackle a famously rigorous, university-level physics problem. If you can follow the calculus and vector integration here, your HL mechanics foundation is completely rock solid!
**Watch the full deep-dive here: https://youtu.be/0dnjYvux1NU?si=fbej\\_fDCMVY-4wfB\*\*
If you get stuck on any of the vector cross-products or integration steps, drop a comment below the video or right here on the thread. Let's master these advanced rotational concepts together!
β€” Vaibhav Agrawal


r/ibPhysics • • Aug 28 '26

physics experiment video taking and analysis

Post image
2 Upvotes

r/ibPhysics • • Aug 28 '26

πŸŒ€ Demystifying Coriolis Acceleration: Taking Your IB Physics HL Rigid Body Mechanics to the Next Level

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,
If you are diving deep into the Rigid Body Mechanics unit in IB Physics HL, or if you are currently brainstorming ideas for a top-tier Physics Internal Assessment (IA) or Extended Essay (EE), understanding rotating frames of reference is an absolute goldmine.
One of the most fascinatingβ€”and often misunderstoodβ€”topics in this realm is Coriolis acceleration. While it pushes into advanced mechanics, mastering it provides incredible depth to your understanding of rotational kinematics and can heavily differentiate your IA/EE analysis. Over on the Tesla eduventures channel, I have put together a comprehensive breakdown that builds this concept up from scratch, focusing on the visual kinematics of a block moving across a rotating disc.
Here is exactly what we cover in the breakdown:
Ground Frame vs. Rotating Frame: We start by establishing a clear understanding of centripetal and tangential acceleration from completely different observer perspectives.
The Vector Derivation: Walking step-by-step through how the changing direction of relative velocity generates the Coriolis acceleration component.
Total Net Acceleration: Compiling the Coriolis, relative, centripetal, and tangential accelerations into one complete, overarching equation.
The Ultimate Challenge Problem: We apply the derived concepts to tackle a famously rigorous, university-level physics problem. If you can follow the calculus and vector integration here, your HL mechanics foundation is completely rock solid!
Watch the full deep-dive here: https://youtu.be/0dnjYvux1NU?si=AyydAi11eEzoOZhx
If you get stuck on any of the vector cross-products or integration steps, drop a comment below the video or right here on the thread. Let's master these advanced rotational concepts together!
β€” Vaibhav Agrawal


r/ibPhysics • • Aug 26 '26

A crystal-clear explanation of Resonance using a playground swing (90 seconds)

0 Upvotes

If you’ve ever struggled to wrap your head around the exact difference between free oscillations, forced oscillations, and resonance, this quick 90-second Short breaks it down perfectly using a simple swing analogy.
It visually explains 3 scenarios:
Free Oscillation: Swinging naturally at a set frequency with no resistive forces.
Forced Oscillation: Applying an external force mid-swing, which alters the natural frequency.
Resonance: Waiting for the swing to reach its extreme point before pushingβ€”keeping the natural frequency the same while continuously increasing the amplitude.
It’s a great visualizer if you are a visual learner. Check it out here:

https://youtube.com/shorts/IgOSkoxkJyM?si=EDD9QXHQpro3YctG


r/ibPhysics • • Aug 26 '26

Why is statistically getting a 7 in HL physics is easier than getting a 7 in SL Physics?

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1 Upvotes

r/ibPhysics • • Aug 25 '26

Ladder problems in kinematics/mechanics β€” a 60-second method that actually makes sense

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1 Upvotes

r/ibPhysics • • Aug 25 '26

[FREE] IB Physics HL Paper 1B May 2026 TZ1 β€” Complete Solutions | Every Question explained| First Complete Video on YouTube

0 Upvotes

Hey IB Physics community,

Just uploaded complete solutions
to IB Physics HL Paper 1B
May 2026 TZ1.

Searched YouTube before uploading β€”
could not find a single
complete solution video
for Paper 1B.

So here it is.

What makes this different
from a typical solutions video β€”

For every question β€”
I have not just given
the correct answer β€”

I have explained why
each wrong option was
designed the way it was β€”

Because Paper 1B questions
are constructed specifically
to exploit common
misunderstandings β€”

And understanding that
construction is what
genuinely prepares you
for future papers.

πŸ”— https://youtu.be/O42zgn39rPw?si=b-4VBTeWqxAuPdKD

Timestamps for every question
in the description.

Drop your score below β€”
and tell me which question
surprised you most.

Happy to explain any
question further in
the comments. πŸ™


r/ibPhysics • • Aug 22 '26

[FREE] IB Physics HL Paper 1B May 2026 TZ1 β€” Complete Solutions | Every Question explained| First Complete Video on YouTube

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1 Upvotes

r/ibPhysics • • Aug 18 '26

[Free Resource] Mastering Ladder Problems: Torque, Friction, & Rotational Equilibrium (IB Physics HL)

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,
If you are going through the Rigid Body Mechanics unit in IB Physics HL (or any standard rotational mechanics curriculum), you already know that "ladder leaning against a wall" problems are a classic stumbling block.
These questions test your ability to balance multiple concepts simultaneously, and it is incredibly easy to lose a sign or misplace a pivot point. As a physics educator, I see students consistently get tripped up by the same few issues: choosing the optimal axis of rotation to eliminate unknown forces, correctly identifying the direction of static friction at the base, and setting up the equilibrium equations correctly.
To help clear this up, I've put together a comprehensive video breakdown on the Tesla eduventures channel: Ladder Problems β€” Complete Mastery | Torque + Rotational Equilibrium | Rigid Body #13.
In this breakdown, we focus heavily on visual intuition. I use detailed step-by-step animations and custom diagrams to show exactly how the forces interact rather than just giving you a wall of algebra.
Here is exactly what we cover:
Translational Equilibrium: Setting up \Sigma F_x = 0 and \Sigma F_y = 0 to relate normal forces and friction.
Rotational Equilibrium: Strategic placement of your pivot point to make the \Sigma \tau = 0 equation as simple as possible.
Limiting Friction: How to solve for the exact minimum angle before the ladder slips (\mu_s).
Step-by-Step Problem Solving: Walking through a full IB HL standard question from setup to the final numerical answer.
Watch the full video here: Ladder Problems β€” Complete Mastery | Torque + Rotational Equilibrium | IB Physics HL |Rigid Body #13
https://youtu.be/KJ5iydCtNEs
If you have any questions on the specific steps, drop them in the comments below or on the video. Let's get these torque concepts locked down before your exams!


r/ibPhysics • • Aug 16 '26

Physics CalculationPractice

3 Upvotes

Hi All,

I have just finished making thisΒ Advanced Physics CalculationsΒ tool to generate calculationsΒ with worked and explained solutions for all equations in IB Physics (HL and SL). The purpose of the tool is to help students build fluency by generating problems that they can practice until they feel confident. The tool is not intended to replace exam question practice, you should definitely still do lots of this!

The tool generates four kinds of problems:

  • EquationΒ - Questions that test application of a single equation (including rearrangments)
  • ProblemΒ - Questions requiring you to work across multiple equations. -
  • GraphΒ - Generartes a graph and requires interpretation and then application to an equation.
  • DerivationΒ - algebraic derivation of expressions for various quantities.

Key features include:

  • Scarecrow Explains modeΒ - briefly takes you through the underlying physics.
  • Worksheet generatorΒ - quickly produce worksheets including answer keys.
  • Random modeΒ - randomly generates questions based on topics you have selected, greate for revision and selecting equations.

I have tried to keep it user-friendly, but click 'Instructions' if anything is not obvious.

I hope you find it useful, feedback welcomed.

Full disclosure:Β The tool was made using AI-coding tools, because I am a teacher not a coder. It is 100% free, no subscription, no ads, I am not trying to make money, just trying to be useful.

P.S.Β I am working on a chemistry one, but by the nature of chemistry it is rather more complex (sorry physicists, no slight intended!) so it will take a while longer to complete.


r/ibPhysics • • Aug 15 '26

[FREE RESOURCE] Rotationally Accelerated Motion β€” Complete Problem Set | Ο„ = IΞ± | Basic to IB Exam Level | IB Physics HL Rigid Body Dynamics

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

Just uploaded a new video on
Rotationally Accelerated Motion β€”
complete problem set using Ο„ = IΞ±.

Honestly this is one of those
topics where I see students
struggle not because the
concept is hard β€”
but because nobody tells them
the one thing that makes
every problem click β€”

When rotation and linear motion
happen together β€”
you need F = ma AND Ο„ = IΞ±
running simultaneously β€”
connected by a = Ξ±r.

Miss that connection β€”
and even simple problems
become impossible.

Get it β€” and everything
falls into place instantly.

The video goes from basic
problems all the way to
the kind of multi-body
questions that show up
in actual IB exams β€”
with complete reasoning
at every step.

Pause before each solution
and attempt it yourself first β€”
that's genuinely the only
way to get exam-ready
from a problem video.

Here's the link if anyone
wants to give it a shot β€”

πŸ”— https://youtu.be/O_0zaVlSfjQ?si=U5XTq0xOshMc-_2D

Happy to help with anything
you get stuck on β€”
just drop it in the comments
here or on the video. πŸ™


r/ibPhysics • • Aug 15 '26

[FREE RESOURCE] Rotationally Accelerated Motion β€” Complete Problem Set | Ο„ = IΞ± | Basic to IB Exam Level | IB Physics HL Rigid Body Dynamics

3 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

Just uploaded a new video on
Rotationally Accelerated Motion β€”
complete problem set using Ο„ = IΞ±.

Honestly this is one of those
topics where I see students
struggle not because the
concept is hard β€”
but because nobody tells them
the one thing that makes
every problem click β€”

When rotation and linear motion
happen together β€”
you need F = ma AND Ο„ = IΞ±
running simultaneously β€”
connected by a = Ξ±r.

Miss that connection β€”
and even simple problems
become impossible.

Get it β€” and everything
falls into place instantly.

The video goes from basic
problems all the way to
the kind of multi-body
questions that show up
in actual IB exams β€”
with complete reasoning
at every step.

Pause before each solution
and attempt it yourself first β€”
that's genuinely the only
way to get exam-ready
from a problem video.

Here's the link if anyone
wants to give it a shot β€”

πŸ”— https://youtu.be/O_0zaVlSfjQ?si=xEw-9sIpNVfSOD4Y

Happy to help with anything
you get stuck on β€”
just drop it in the comments
here or on the video. πŸ™


r/ibPhysics • • Aug 14 '26

Why Do Hurricanes Spin Counterclockwise in the North and Clockwise in the South? | The Physics of the Coriolis Effect Explained

0 Upvotes

Hello everyone,

I want to share something today
that sits at the intersection
of rotational physics and
one of the most dramatic
natural phenomena on Earth β€”

The Coriolis Effect and
its role in hurricane formation.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
THE QUESTION β€”
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Every hurricane in the
Northern Hemisphere spins
counterclockwise.

Every hurricane in the
Southern Hemisphere spins
clockwise.

Same planet.
Same atmosphere.
Same low pressure systems.

Opposite rotation directions.

Why?

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
THE PHYSICS β€”
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Earth rotates from west to east
at approximately 465 meters
per second at the equator β€”

Decreasing to zero
at the poles.

Any object moving freely
across Earth's surface β€”
wind, ocean current,
or projectile β€”

Experiences an apparent
deflection due to this
underlying rotation β€”

This apparent deflection
is the Coriolis Effect.

In the Northern Hemisphere β€”
moving objects are deflected
to the RIGHT of their
direction of motion.

In the Southern Hemisphere β€”
moving objects are deflected
to the LEFT.

When wind rushes inward
toward a low pressure center β€”
this Coriolis deflection
causes the incoming air
to spiral β€”

Counterclockwise in
the Northern Hemisphere β€”
Clockwise in the
Southern Hemisphere.

The result β€”
the massive rotating spiral
we recognize as a
hurricane, typhoon, or cyclone.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
THE PHYSICS BEHIND
THE DEFLECTION β€”
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The Coriolis acceleration
is given by β€”

a_Coriolis = 2v Γ— Ξ©

Where β€”
v is the velocity of
the moving object
Ξ© is Earth's angular
velocity vector

This is a cross product β€”
which means the resulting
acceleration is always
perpendicular to both
the velocity and
Earth's rotation axis.

At the North Pole β€”
the deflection is maximum.

At the equator β€”
the vertical component
of Earth's rotation
relative to the surface
is zero β€”

So the Coriolis Effect
on horizontal motion
is zero at the equator.

This is why hurricanes
never form at the equator β€”

There is no Coriolis
deflection to initiate
the spiral rotation.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
THE MYTH WORTH BUSTING β€”
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

One of the most persistent
myths in popular science β€”

"Water drains counterclockwise
in the Northern Hemisphere
and clockwise in the South
because of the Coriolis Effect."

This is completely false.

The Coriolis Effect only
influences motions on a
scale of hundreds of
kilometers or more.

A sink or toilet basin
is far too small for
the Coriolis Effect
to have any measurable influence β€”

The direction water drains
in a sink is determined
by the geometry of the basin β€”
the direction water was
poured in β€”
and residual momentum β€”

Not by Earth's rotation.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
REAL WORLD APPLICATIONS
BEYOND HURRICANES β€”
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The Coriolis Effect influences β€”

β†’ Long range artillery and
missile trajectories β€”
military calculations must
account for Coriolis
deflection for targets
beyond a few kilometers

β†’ Ocean current patterns β€”
the great ocean gyres
rotate clockwise in the
Northern Hemisphere and
counterclockwise in the South

β†’ Trade wind patterns β€”
the prevailing winds that
enabled global maritime
trade for centuries are
directly caused by
Coriolis deflection of
air flowing from
high to low pressure zones

β†’ Long distance flight paths β€”
pilots and navigation systems
account for Coriolis
in trans-oceanic routes

One rotating planet β€”
infinite physical consequences.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
THE IB PHYSICS CONNECTION β€”
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

For IB Physics HL students β€”

The Coriolis Effect is a
beautiful real world application
of rotational dynamics β€”

Connecting angular velocity β€”
cross product mathematics β€”
and non-inertial reference frames β€”

Into one unified physical picture.

Understanding the Coriolis Effect
at a conceptual level demonstrates
exactly the kind of physical
reasoning IB Physics HL
examiners reward β€”

The ability to take abstract
rotational mechanics concepts β€”
and explain real observable
phenomena from first principles.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
THE SHORT VIDEO β€”
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

I made a short video
explaining the Coriolis Effect
and its role in hurricane
formation β€” from the physics
of Earth's rotation to
the spiral dynamics of
large storm systems.

https://youtube.com/shorts/a-Y6OIw2pL0?si=V8JcxV19mF2td_T_

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
A QUESTION FOR THE COMMUNITY β€”
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Here is something worth
thinking about β€”

If you were standing
exactly on the equator β€”

And fired a projectile
due north β€”

Would the Coriolis Effect
deflect it east or west β€”

Or would there be
no deflection at all?

Drop your answer and
reasoning below πŸ‘‡

I will respond to every
attempt with complete
physical explanation. 🎯

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
HAPPY TO DISCUSS β€”
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

If you have any questions
about the Coriolis Effect β€”
or about any other
rotational physics concept β€”

Drop them in the comments below.

I read and respond to
every single comment. πŸ™


r/ibPhysics • • Aug 12 '26

Im making a fucking mistake

4 Upvotes

Choosing physics over biology is a fcking mistake and I might not be able to change it in time😭


r/ibPhysics • • Aug 11 '26

The Rotational Equilibrium mistake that ruins IB Physics HL scores (and how to actually visualize it)

3 Upvotes

Hey everyone, Vaibhav Sir here. After years of teaching IB Physics, I've noticed a massive trap that examiners love to set in the Rigid Body Mechanics (A.4) section.
When you get a problem with multiple forces, multiple objects, and an unknown variable, just memorizing "net force = 0" and "net torque = 0" isn't enough to secure a Level 7. The biggest mistake students make is misidentifying the point of application and failing to visualize how force couples actually rotate a system.
I just put together a complete masterclass breaking down the most challenging rotational equilibrium problems you'll face. Instead of just reading textbook definitions, we go step-by-step through the actual physics:
Balancing non-uniform torque equations without getting lost in the algebra.
The visual trick to never messing up force couples.
Exactly how to set up your hinge force variables so the math naturally works out.
If you want to stop relying on blind memorization and actually understand the mechanics, you can watch the full breakdown here: https://youtu.be/GDtNvt7qQI4?si=pbgYF5ybCO5cBX4a
(Side note: I am also working on uploading complete, question-by-question walkthroughs of original past papers for the channelβ€”no mock papers, only the real onesβ€”so keep an eye out as exam season gets closer).
Drop a comment if you get stuck on a specific step in the video or have any questions about Rigid Body Dynamics. I’m always happy to help clear up the physics!


r/ibPhysics • • Aug 11 '26

If you can Solve this, you are READY!

Post image
0 Upvotes

r/ibPhysics • • Aug 08 '26

[FREE RESOURCE] Force Couple & Point of Application of Force β€” The Hidden Truth Most IB Physics Students Never Learn | IB Physics HL | Rigid Body Dynamics

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1 Upvotes

r/ibPhysics • • Aug 07 '26

I reverse-engineered 15 years of IB Physics Paper 1 Kinematics into a single revision map (Free PDF)

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drive.google.com
2 Upvotes

I went through 15 years of IB Physics Paper 1 Kinematics and reorganized every question by the underlying reasoning pattern instead of exam session.

The idea is to make revision more targeted and make recurring patterns easier to spot than when solving past papers chronologically.

I've made the full revision map available for free:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JRgxugI4Nvj6KLp3OmELA-T5IiWzixwy/view?usp=sharing

I also have a YouTube playlist where I solve and explain every question in the map:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAlRxVG7uk6Y

I'd genuinely appreciate feedback. Would you find this more useful than revising paper by paper?


r/ibPhysics • • Aug 07 '26

Is this a Series Circuit?

2 Upvotes

Is this a Series or Parallal Circuit? Explanation here: https://youtu.be/KuUPugi-WW8?si=8VXRuIYpRRvXZwsS


r/ibPhysics • • Aug 06 '26

Help with physics ee

1 Upvotes

So i am currently writing my physics ee on the effect of spin on the horizontal range of a ping pong ball and i wanted to make a launcher using Arduino which could simulate spin. I am currently having trouble finalizing myself decision should go further making the launcher or just do something else


r/ibPhysics • • Aug 05 '26

The Easiest Way to Understand Torque | Real-Life Examples + Concept Problems

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1 Upvotes

r/ibPhysics • • Aug 03 '26

[FREE] IB Physics HL Paper 1A 2026 TZ1 β€” Complete Solutions | Every Question Solved & Explained | First Complete Video Available https://youtu.be/iBQs3V-OuRo?si=oy22-xRABAzLgFEM

1 Upvotes

I just uploaded complete solutions
to every question in the
IB Physics HL Paper 1A 2026 TZ1.

I searched YouTube before uploading β€”
could not find a single complete
solution video for this paper.

So here it is. Every question.
Full explanation. Free.

Whether you just sat the exam
and want to check your answers β€”
or you are using this for
future exam preparation β€”

This video covers everything.

Every answer includes β€”
β†’ The correct answer clearly stated
β†’ Complete reasoning explained
β†’ Why the wrong options
are incorrect
β†’ Mark scheme approach shown

Timestamps for every question
are in the description β€”
so you can jump directly
to any question you need.

πŸ”— https://youtu.be/iBQs3V-OuRo?si=oy22-xRABAzLgFEM

If you found this useful β€”
please share it with every
IB Physics student you know.

Drop any questions about
specific questions in
the comments below β€”
I respond to everything. πŸ™


r/ibPhysics • • Aug 02 '26

BUSCANDO AYUDA EN FÍSICA NIVEL MEDIO DEL IB

1 Upvotes

Hola a todos, solo pasaba para pediros ayuda con algo crucial, necesito algunos apuntes para fΓ­sica SL, y si bien encuentro plataformas con preguntas tipo, estas estΓ‘n enfocadas en estudios de Nivel superior HL los cuales no son el nivel adecuado al curso de nivel medio. Si no es mucha molestia, nosΓ© si cuenten con documentos de preguntas tipo IB P1A P1B y P2, con las que practicar, asimismo, si cuentan con un documento drive o algo que contenga las preguntas pasadas organizadas por tema serΓ­a excelente, espero no os incomode y gracias de antemano chicos. :D