IB DP Physics lesson pack on free fall and vertical motion under gravity for Topic A.1 Kinematics, SL and HL, first assessment 2025: the equations of motion applied to bodies dropped, thrown down and thrown up. Editable worksheet, 30-slide lesson deck, teacher key, worked solutions and a questions-only assessment, supplied as self-contained HTML plus colour and black-and-white PDF.
What students learn
- Close to the Earth’s surface, with air resistance neglected, every body falls with the same constant downward acceleration g = 9.8 m s⁻², whatever its mass or shape. A stroboscopic diagram of a heavy and a light ball released together makes the case.
- Choose a positive direction and keep it: a = -g with up positive, a = +g with down positive. At the top of a throw the velocity is zero but the acceleration is still 9.8 m s⁻² downward.
- A marked-homework data question turns s = 1/2 g t^2 into a straight line by plotting the square root of s against t: on blank graph paper students choose scales, plot, draw a best-fit line and read g from its gradient.
- Five explained multiple-choice questions, and exam practice with a ball thrown down from a 25 m building and a two-phase water entry where the acceleration reverses.
IB skills (Tool 3: Mathematics):
- Appreciate when an effect can be neglected (taught).
- Select and manipulate equations (practised).
- Linearize a graph, plot with suitable scales and axes, draw a line of best fit and read its gradient (practised).
What’s included:
- Student Worksheet - 13 pages
- Teacher Key
- Worked Solutions
- Assessment
- Lesson deck - 30 slides
A Nature of Science note frames free fall as a model, from the coin and feather in an evacuated tube to the hammer and feather on the Moon. The four equations are recalled in a reminder box, so the pack is self-contained. Worksheet and deck open in any modern browser with nothing to install, and the worksheet is fully editable. SI units, IB notation and IB command terms throughout. Suitable for grades 11-12 (ages 16-19) as a lesson, cover lesson, homework or revision.
Part of the A.1 Kinematics Complete Unit Bundle: every pack for the topic, 30% off buying them separately.
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£9.00