Simulations
Interactive simulations with worksheets (Word and PDF), by theme and topic of the IB course.
ATheme A — Space, time and motion
A.1 Kinematics
Free fall
Drop or throw a ball straight up or down: strobe images, y–t, v–t and a–t graphs, and g from h against t².
Horizontal launch
A ball rolls off a bench or cliff: horizontal and vertical motion separately, range and landing velocity.
Angled launch
Launch at any angle: maximum height, time of flight and range — why 45° goes furthest.
Velocity components
Follow the velocity along the path: components, speed, direction and Δv = gΔt.
Hit the target
Plan a shot into a cup, a hoop or a window with the equations of motion.
Air resistance
The real path with drag beside the ideal parabola: shorter, lower and steeper on the way down.
A.2 Forces and momentum
Types of forces and Newton's laws
Friction block
Static and dynamic friction: pull a block with a newton meter, find μs and μd from a graph.
Normal force
What does a scale really measure? Push and pull, a tilted board, a lift and a stack of blocks.
Friction on an incline
Tilt a ramp until the block slips (μs = tan θ), then let it slide and find μd.
Incline with a pulley
A block on a ramp tied over a pulley to a hanging mass: tension, friction and acceleration.
Spring force
Hooke's law: hang masses, read the extension, find k ± Δk, and see the elastic limit.
Springs in series and parallel
Combine two springs: how does the effective spring constant change?
Drag and Stokes' law
Ball bearings falling through glycerol: terminal velocity and Stokes' law — plus a skydiver.
Buoyancy
Archimedes' principle with a newton meter and a eureka can: sink, float or hover?
Pendulum tension
Hold a pendulum aside or let it swing: how does the tension in the string change?
Circular motion
Circular motion
A rotating chair, a satellite, a car on a bend and a playground carousel: what provides the centripetal force?
Momentum and impulse
Impulse
A cart hits a force sensor, an egg lands in a bedsheet, a racket hits a ball: impulse is the area under the force–time graph.
Collisions and explosions
Elastic, inelastic and sticky collisions and explosions from rest: total momentum stays the same — but what happens to kinetic energy?
A.3 Work, energy and power
Work done
Pull a box at an angle, lift or push a load up a ramp, pull a Smart Cart, brake a car: work is force × distance — and the area under the force–distance graph.
Energy conservation
A cart on a ramp, a roller coaster, a pendulum to the nose, a flying spring: energy moves between kinetic, gravitational and elastic stores — the total stays the same.
Power
Who is the most powerful on the stairs? A car up a hill and a lift motor: power is the rate of doing work, P = Fv.
Efficiency and energy density
Bouncing balls, a motor lifting a load, Sankey diagrams to scale, and how far a car goes on a tank of fuel.
Quizzes — test yourself
Practised the simulations and worksheets? 10 multiple-choice questions per quiz, with instant feedback and an explanation for every answer.
ATheme A — Space, time and motion
A.1 Kinematics
Projectile motion
Free fall, horizontal and angled launches, velocity components and air resistance. 10 questions · after the simulations and worksheets.
Motion graphs
s–t, v–t and a–t graphs: gradients and areas, and the equations of motion. 10 questions · after the simulations and worksheets.
A.2 Forces and momentum
Forces
Weight and normal force, friction, ramps, connected bodies, springs, drag and buoyancy. 10 questions · after the simulations and worksheets.
Circular motion
Speed and period, centripetal acceleration and force, cars on bends, satellites and pendulums. 10 questions · after the simulations and worksheets.
Momentum and impulse
Momentum, impulse and force–time graphs, collisions, explosions and kinetic energy. 10 questions · after the simulations and worksheets.
A.3 Work, energy and power
Work and energy
Work done, force–distance graphs, kinetic and potential energy and conservation of energy. 10 questions · after the simulations and worksheets.
Power and efficiency
Power, P = Fv, efficiency, Sankey diagrams and energy density. 10 questions · after the simulations and worksheets.
Videos — lessons and experiments
Video lessons from Sirius Revision for each topic, then short videos of the demos and labs from our lessons. They open on YouTube in a new tab.
ATheme A — Space, time and motion
A.1 Kinematics
Brian Cox visits the world's biggest vacuum chamber (feather and bowling ball)
Projectile motion lab: measuring launch velocity and predicting range
A.2 Forces and momentum
Sirius Revision — A.2 Forces and momentum
A.3 Work, energy and power
Sirius Revision — A.3 Work, energy and power
How does the stretch of a rubber band affect the distance a car travels?
Works in any modern browser on laptops, Chromebooks and tablets. Once opened, the simulation keeps working without internet.
Exercises — practise the calculations
24 calculation exercises per topic in three IB levels: Level 1 (Paper 1 style, one step), Level 2 (multi-step) and Level 3 (Paper 2 structured, with marks). Type your answer for instant marking, hints and worked solutions; ↻ New numbers lets you practise again.
ATheme A — Space, time and motion
A.1 Kinematics
Kinematics
Equations of motion, motion graphs, free fall and projectiles. 24 exercises · 8 per level.
A.2 Forces and momentum
Forces and momentum
Free-body diagrams, Newton's laws, ramps and pulleys, springs and fluids, circular motion, momentum and impulse. 24 exercises · 8 per level.
A.3 Work, energy and power
Work, energy and power
Work, kinetic, gravitational and elastic energy, energy conservation, power, efficiency and Sankey diagrams. 24 exercises · 8 per level.