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IB Physics - investigation workflow

IB Physics investigation planning guide

A strong investigation is a chain of defensible decisions: a testable question, measurable variables, a workable method, transparent analysis, and an evaluation tied to evidence. Use this guide to plan that chain without outsourcing the thinking.

Framework
IB Diploma Programme Physics
Level
IB Diploma Physics
Guide format
Independent investigation guide

Start with the model

Design for useful evidence, not a perfect-looking graph.

Begin with a physical relationship you can vary and measure safely with the time and equipment available. Narrow the question until the independent variable, dependent variable, relevant controls, and expected model can be stated in one short planning conversation. A complicated apparatus is not automatically a better investigation.

Analysis should make the evidence easier to judge. Keep raw readings and processed values distinct, explain transformations, show units, treat uncertainty consistently, and use residuals or limitations where they genuinely help. Your conclusion should answer the question at the strength the data supports; it should not claim certainty that the method cannot provide.

Study pathway

Four decisions that organize the topic.

Follow the sequence or open the step that matches your current gap. Destination pages keep their existing access rules.

  1. 01

    Focus the question

    Name one relationship, a feasible range, and the physical system. Avoid a question that hides several independent investigations.

    Open this step
  2. 02

    Design the measurements

    Choose instruments and intervals because they resolve the expected change, not simply because they are available.

    Open this step
  3. 03

    Build the analysis

    Decide which graph, gradient, intercept, comparison, or transformed quantity will test the model.

    Open this step
  4. 04

    Evaluate from evidence

    Link each limitation to its likely effect and propose an improvement that addresses that mechanism.

    Open this step

Use it deliberately

An investigation checkpoint sequence

Pause at each checkpoint before collecting a large data set. Early corrections are cheaper and more honest than repairing a weak method afterwards.

  1. 01

    Pilot the extreme values first: confirm the effect is measurable, safe, and not dominated by an uncontrolled change.

  2. 02

    Write a table shell before measuring so every quantity, unit, repeat, and uncertainty has a defined place.

  3. 03

    Plot a small pilot set before continuing; check range, resolution, scatter, and whether the proposed model is testable.

  4. 04

    Keep a decision log explaining changes to the method, exclusions, and assumptions instead of silently cleaning the record. Never invent or replace measurements.

Continue on GioPhysics

A mapped route, not a search-results wall.

Curriculum context on this page is public. Lessons, presentations, files, and practice follow the access message shown when you open them.

ContextIB curriculum mapChoose a physical relationship within the course context.MeasureUnits and uncertainty practiceWork with dimensions, conversions, and reported measurement uncertainty.GraphForce-displacement graph practiceInterpret area, gradients, curved relationships, and experimental graph evidence.CheckMeasurement uncertainty problemsUse repeated measurement, density, and propagated percentage uncertainty in context.

Questions before you begin

Clear scope, honest expectations.

Will GioPhysics choose or write my investigation for me?

No. The investigation must remain your work. GioPhysics can help you review physics ideas and practise measurement or graph skills, while you make and document the experimental decisions.

Does a more advanced topic produce a better investigation?

Not necessarily. A manageable relationship with well-resolved data can support stronger reasoning than an ambitious system whose variables cannot be controlled or measured clearly.

Does this guide guarantee a particular IB score?

No. It is a planning and scientific-reasoning guide, not a score prediction. Follow the current assessment guidance and academic-integrity rules provided by your school.