Is my IA topic appropriate?

[crycrycrystal]

I'm in physics HL and I have to do my IA soon. I found this interesting equipment in my laboratory that launches metal balls with a set speed or launch angle. I wanted to do something with this equipment and came up with the topic of comparing "launch angle vs horizontal range." I'm worried if this is too easy for a physics HL student. My teacher said it's better to stick with an easy topic and do the writeup extremely thorough. If this is too easy, I'm also considering to compare "launch height vs horizontal range." Could you please recommend which would be a better topic, and if both are too easy, could you please give me some inspiration for other experiments that could be done with this equipment? Thanks.

[tim9800]

The IB Physics syllabus is specific in saying that Physics SL and HL IAs will be marked indiscriminantly

Quote

Group 4 students at standard level (SL) and higher level (HL) undertake a common core syllabus, a common internal assessment (IA) scheme and have some overlapping elements in the option studied. (page 14 of the Physics Guide, First Examinations 2016)
Assessment criteria are the same for both SL and HL. (page 141)

^This should assuage your fears about having an IA that is "too easy", as it did for me.

As well as having confirmation in the syllabus, I personally don't believe that there are topics, for any IA, that are "too easy". There may be topics that are overdone, but ultimately, they can still be done well if you adhere to the criteria of an IA, which are

• Personal Engagement
• Exploration
• Analysis
• Evaluation
• Communication

But if you still believe that your IA should be "unique", I find that the best way is to find an easy topic and add a twist - change a variable that isn't commonly changed by the generic IAs, do it under different conditions etc etc. Hope I've helped!