IB DP Physics lesson pack on projectile calculations for Topic A.1 Kinematics, SL and HL, first assessment 2025: time of flight, range, maximum height and landing velocity. Editable worksheet, 45-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
- A projectile is two motions on one clock: a horizontal column with zero acceleration, and a vertical column with acceleration g downward where the suvat equations apply.
- Taught through four questions worked in the room (36 marks): a dart thrown horizontally at a dartboard (in groups), a mountain biker riding off a rock ledge (on the board), a golf shot with its velocity components given (in pairs) and a firework shell launched at 108 km h⁻¹ and 37 degrees (on the board).
- The dart and the rider take the shared time from opposite columns: the horizontal one for a flight that ends at a board, the vertical one for a flight that ends on the ground.
- Maximum height where the vertical velocity is zero, a level-ground flight lasting twice the time to the top, and a landing velocity recombined into a speed and a direction.
- Four explained multiple-choice questions, two of them run live as the exit ticket, and two multipart exam questions with IB mark allocations, one worked backwards from a measured range to the launch speed.
IB skills (Tool 3: Mathematics):
- Resolve vectors into two perpendicular components (practised).
- Select and manipulate equations (practised).
- Add two perpendicular components back into one vector, its size and direction (practised).
What’s included:
- Student Worksheet - 14 pages
- Teacher Key - 22 pages
- Worked Solutions
- Assessment
- Lesson deck - 45 slides
Fluid resistance is neglected, a constant g is used near Earth’s surface, and the trajectory equation is never used. 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.
Related resources:
- Projectile Motion I: Theory and Components, the half that comes first
- Fluid Resistance, what changes once the air is put back
- SUVAT Equations II: Vertical Motion and Gravity, the vertical column
- Measuring the Acceleration of Free Fall, the topic practical (free)
Updated 19 Oct 2026: please reprint.
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