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Physics Options


Caitlin

Physics HL options  

228 members have voted

  1. 1. Which Physics HL option are you doing/have done?

    • Relativity
      78
    • Medical physics
      28
    • Particle physics
      31
    • Astrophysics
      141
    • Communications
      30
    • Electromagnetic waves
      65


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There is no option for Optics in the IB syllabus anymore. However, the Electromagnetic Waves topic is very similar to it. I suggest you take a look at the syllabus. It's a relatively easy option.

Having done the Quantum and Nuclear physics option, I would like to recommend you to do something else like Astrophysics. It isn't particularly easy because there's a lot to remember and very little to calculate.

Bear in mind that in order to do Physics SL you also need to do lab reports!

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Haha funny you mention the lab reports. I can't figure out who to blame. The teacher who never told us labs actually count for IB physics and failed to mention that physics also needs to do a group four project (which has been unprecedented at our school for physics) or me for slacking off when writing labs at the beginning of the year. Needless to say, it was a slightly traumatizing experience.

I feel like I'm going to regret this, but I'm leaning toward Quantum and Nuclear because it's required for a national exam we're taking on the 11th, one day before the IB Phys exam.

Thanks so much for all of the advice. :)

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Having done the Quantum and Nuclear physics option, I would like to recommend you to do something else like Astrophysics. It isn't particularly easy because there's a lot to remember and very little to calculate.

That might be considered easier by some people.

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That might be considered easier by some people.

That's true. On the other hand, the stuff you have to calculate is a lot more mathematical than what SL Physics is on average. And the calculations really require you to know how to flip around the formulae.

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That's true. On the other hand, the stuff you have to calculate is a lot more mathematical than what SL Physics is on average. And the calculations really require you to know how to flip around the formulae.

I'm looking forward to Astrophysics, so please don't scare me. :panic:

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  • 2 months later...

I just saw this and thought I'd share the "after" part.

I did sight and wave phenomena and the nuclear/quantum options [i think that's what they were called.] I tried astro but there was too much to memorize in the two weeks I could devote to physics. Sight and wave was super easy. Only basic questions were asked, like about rods and cones. But that's probably because this is the first year they've had it. Nuclear was okay. A lot of mass defect stuff. The calculations weren't too bad. You could slap down a formula from the data booklet and expect some credit if you were clueless.

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  • 5 months later...
  • 4 weeks later...
Guest ibmathhlfucker

Hey guy what do u think is the the hardest Physics HL option. I would personally say particle physics looks the hardest??

actually i believe relativity is definitely the hardest HL option. I'm a physics HL student and i have a really **** teacher, but pretty much eating the book is gonna help you survive the hardest of IB subjects. good luck lets hope ur teacher chooses astrophysics lol

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hey guy what do u think is the the hardest Physics HL option. I would personally say particle physics looks the hardest??

actually i believe relativity is definitely the hardest HL option. I'm a physics HL student and i have a really **** teacher, but pretty much eating the book is gonna help you survive the hardest of IB subjects. good luck lets hope ur teacher chooses astrophysics lol

Our school does relativity as one of the options topic and our teachers say its the easiest HL option....and I do agree to an extent. IB just really scrapes the surface of relativity...especially general relativity, and there's really not that much to remember.

But hearing from you, the problem's probably because you have a **** teacher, haha.

And yes, I'd say particle physics would be the hardest.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 5 months later...

Same with @DJ CAS. He purposely do that so he doesn't need to teach different topics for HL and SL. The teacher did not even discuss with us like what we want to take and what we should choose. He chose it himself D: unfair! However I think he made a good choice. Kind of related to gadgets and technologies ;)

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  • 1 month later...

I did relativity and particle, the two topics my teachers explicitly told me to avoid doing but the ones I found the most interesting. To be honest, wrapping your head around it isn't that hard at all, and once you get past that it's easier than most of the stuff in the course. You just need to watch out with how you word some of the explanations.

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  • 3 weeks later...

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