No problem. Glad I could help. Have you downloaded my free guide o the Physics IA yet? You can do that here: www.gradepod.com/ultimate-physics-ia-guide
Hello. I thought of an idea for my Physics IA and my teacher said the idea was alright. However I am still anxious whether it is too simple and wanted to get a second opinion on it. My RQ is "How does the steepness of the ramp affect the speed of the marble at the bottom of the ramp?"
Hi Teodora. I've had students who have investigated, "How does the angle of the ramp affect the time taken for a cylinder to reach the bottom of the ramp?" and have received a 7 - so the concept of something rolling down a slope is not too simple. However.... when using a cylinder (instead of a marble) it's easier to take the effects of friction into account. I think you really should be developing it a little further (i.e. considering friction) to get those high marks. I'd also say that your independent variable of 'steepness' is too vague and not precise enough.
Hello. Actually my physics IA invovled measuring the time period of a pendulum vs the angle and I used the phet colorado simulation for it. Firstly there was a pandemic and my house is not large enough to accommadate for experiments. Secondly the difference between time periods for difference of ten degrees is like 0.02-0.05s and I don't think humans can react fast enough to conclude anything as even with multiple trials the error bars are going to be huge because the difference is literally very small. But it is there. So because of that there are no errors. No uncertainty because the simulation measures everything. But the markscheme talks a lot about error calculation and uncertainty and I don't know if my IA will get less marks. Like what can I do if the IA requires perfect data and it exists. If I lose marks for personal engagement it's understandable because I didn't look for a solution for the real world experiment. But I don't want to lose marks in other criterias.
You can still gain good marks using a simulation, even describing the issues you faced above. Part of completing your physics IA will be to find a simulation that is as true to an experiment as possible - you've done that using PheT. It is not expected that a simulation will be perfect (it won't) but this checklist will help you decide the suitability of your simulation. - Do the variables reflect those that would be encountered in a real-life situation? - Do the variables generate data that conforms to standard, recognisable units? - Are visualisations misleading in any way? - Is the simulation freely available to a moderator or examiner? - Does the simulation allow for a suitable range of values for each of the variables in the investigation? - Are there enough variables with enough detail to draw meaningful conclusions? - Does the simulation or database provide enough data points? - Does the simulation or database allow for multiple runs? - Is there variation in the results with each repeat run? - Can the data be processed independently by students? IMPORTANT NOTE: if the simulation you choose to use does not answer "YES" to all these questions above - that's ok! Your method or evaluation in the IA report should show that consideration is given to the above points and that creative solutions to make good any shortcomings in the simulation are considered. In fact, it could be considered that a less-than-perfect simulation is more useful than a perfect one as it allows you to find creative and personal solutions.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Excellent video. I felt like this was just like what I tell my class. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks! My heart always sinks when a student comes to me and their teacher has told them they need "an original idea that's worthy of HL...."
thanks for sharing, truly helpful...
No problem. Glad I could help. Have you downloaded my free guide o the Physics IA yet? You can do that here: www.gradepod.com/ultimate-physics-ia-guide
Hello. I thought of an idea for my Physics IA and my teacher said the idea was alright. However I am still anxious whether it is too simple and wanted to get a second opinion on it. My RQ is "How does the steepness of the ramp affect the speed of the marble at the bottom of the ramp?"
Hi Teodora. I've had students who have investigated, "How does the angle of the ramp affect the time taken for a cylinder to reach the bottom of the ramp?" and have received a 7 - so the concept of something rolling down a slope is not too simple. However.... when using a cylinder (instead of a marble) it's easier to take the effects of friction into account. I think you really should be developing it a little further (i.e. considering friction) to get those high marks. I'd also say that your independent variable of 'steepness' is too vague and not precise enough.
Hello. Actually my physics IA invovled measuring the time period of a pendulum vs the angle and I used the phet colorado simulation for it. Firstly there was a pandemic and my house is not large enough to accommadate for experiments. Secondly the difference between time periods for difference of ten degrees is like 0.02-0.05s and I don't think humans can react fast enough to conclude anything as even with multiple trials the error bars are going to be huge because the difference is literally very small. But it is there. So because of that there are no errors. No uncertainty because the simulation measures everything. But the markscheme talks a lot about error calculation and uncertainty and I don't know if my IA will get less marks. Like what can I do if the IA requires perfect data and it exists. If I lose marks for personal engagement it's understandable because I didn't look for a solution for the real world experiment. But I don't want to lose marks in other criterias.
You can still gain good marks using a simulation, even describing the issues you faced above. Part of completing your physics IA will be to find a simulation that is as true to an experiment as possible - you've done that using PheT. It is not expected that a simulation will be perfect (it won't) but this checklist will help you decide the suitability of your simulation.
- Do the variables reflect those that would be encountered in a real-life situation?
- Do the variables generate data that conforms to standard, recognisable units?
- Are visualisations misleading in any way?
- Is the simulation freely available to a moderator or examiner?
- Does the simulation allow for a suitable range of values for each of the variables in the investigation?
- Are there enough variables with enough detail to draw meaningful conclusions?
- Does the simulation or database provide enough data points?
- Does the simulation or database allow for multiple runs?
- Is there variation in the results with each repeat run?
- Can the data be processed independently by students?
IMPORTANT NOTE: if the simulation you choose to use does not answer "YES" to all these questions above - that's ok! Your method or evaluation in the IA report should show that consideration is given to the above points and that creative solutions to make good any shortcomings in the simulation are considered. In fact, it could be considered that a less-than-perfect simulation is more useful than a perfect one as it allows you to find creative and personal solutions.