IBDP Physics – Complete Theme C: Wave Behavior - 5 Unit Planners Bundle /SL & HL

This comprehensive bundle contains 5 unit planners covering Theme C: Wave behaviour of the IB DP Physics syllabus (First Assessment 2025). Designed for combined SL/HL classrooms in Year 1, Term 3.

What’s Inside?
Complete Theme C coverage – C.1 Simple Harmonic Motion (6h); C.2 Wave Model (3h); C.3 Wave Phenomena (8h – HL includes polarization); C.4 Standing Waves and Resonance (8h); C.5 Doppler Effect (4h). 29 teaching hours total.

C.1 Simple Harmonic Motion – Defining equation, period equations for springs and pendulums, energy changes, time-displacement graphs. HL includes exponential decay of amplitude (damping).

C.2 Wave Model – Transverse vs longitudinal waves, mechanical vs electromagnetic waves, wave equation v=fλ=λ/T, the electromagnetic spectrum, sound waves, energy transfer without matter transfer. No HL content.

C.3 Wave Phenomena – Reflection, refraction, diffraction, interference (double slit, single slit, diffraction grating), polarization (HL only), intensity of polarized light (HL), Malus’s law (HL). HL includes superposition and path difference.

C.4 Standing Waves and Resonance – Standing waves in strings and pipes, nodes/antinodes, harmonics, resonance, natural frequency. No HL content.

C.5 Doppler Effect – Red/blue shift, Doppler equation for sound (moving source, moving observer), subsonic/supersonic, shock waves. HL includes relativistic Doppler.

Teaching activities – 30+ including: Pendulum Investigation, Slinky Spring Demo, Ripple Tank Investigation, EM Spectrum Matching, Diffraction Comparison, Double-Slit Interference, Standing Waves on a String, Resonance Tube, Doppler Ball Demo.

Assessment – Formative (exit tickets, sketches, checks) and Summative (Paper 1A, 1B & 2 style). IA links throughout (resonance tube, ripple tank).

Differentiation – Scaffolding (wave diagram templates); extension (relativistic Doppler, photon energy preview, EM technology research). HL-only flagged.

Cross-curricular – TOK (shared mathematics across senses, wave–particle duality); CAS (musical instrument physics, wave-based technology).

ATL skills – Thinking, Communication, Social, Research.

NOS connections – Single unifying model, wavelength-dependence as explanatory theme, mathematical description.

Quantitative skills – v=fλ, identifying λ/f/T from graphs, EM spectrum values, intensity calculations, Doppler equation.

Resources – Tsokos, Hamper; FREE: PhET “Wave on a String”, “Wave Interference”, The Physics Classroom; NASA/ESA; IB PRC.

Lesson pacing – 29 teaching hours. Walk-in-ready summaries.

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