#ib physics

monday 18/04/22

i finally got around to physics! i almost finished topic 4 (i just have total internal refraction standing waves remaining). i feel super relieved because i was incredibly overwhelmed just thinking about the exams i had and now i feel pretty well-prepared

i’ll probably wake up at 3am tomorrow to get some work done before school but i’m super happy with my progress today! also i finished my blog post for tomorrow but i can’t figure out what to title it. hoping it just comes to me

26/07/2020 11:08

Anyone else getting tired of this phineas and ferb type summer vacation? I feel like I’d been on holiday since March, but without everything good that comes from a holiday. 

M | 20th July: Do you usually go on vacation during the summer?

Yep! We usually go on a 1-3 week holiday, the last couple years it was about a week or week and a half because we didn’t have time to go on super long holidays. 

T | 21st July: What is the best vacation you have ever been on? (note: does not have to have been during summer)

I’m not sure. I know I really enjoyed Malaysia when I was a kid (I almost want to work there as a vet in the future) but I don’t remember it a massive amount because I was so young. In recent years, I’d say Turkey a couple years back was my favourite. 

W | 22nd July: What is your dream vacation?

I’ve never rlly thought about it. Ik I love when we’re out in the country and it’s rlly removed from city life, and I think I’d love being able to go on regular trail rides.

T | 23rd July: What is the worst vacation you have ever been on?

Whenever we went to england lol, no shade to the country tho I’m not a fan of it as a whole, it just meant visiting family which was rank

F | 24th July: What is your favourite vacation memory?

Elephant sanctuary oooor this one time we went horse riding in spain

S | 25th July: What was is your favourite event or day in the summer?   Are you a ‘summer person’ or do you prefer it when it is colder?

Fav event is probably just travel, like not the holiday itself but packing, getting ready to go and flying there, aaaah that excitement just hit different. And I think I prefer spring/autumn weather bc those are the medians between winter and summer. 

S | 26th July: What is your typical daily routine in the summer?

Changes day to day but usually it’s just wake up arnd 9-10am, chill out for the whole day, maybe we’ll head out to the shops or smthn, sleep around 12-2am

☀️summer studying challenge

august 18th, 2020

Q:would you rather your summer be longer or shorter?

A: well this year was a very weird summer, but usually i love summer so much that i don’t ever want it to end! however back to school season is always fun and i look forward to it every year :)

ft some physics and german notes from today <3

-rey 🦋

i have notes for every single topic and they’re very detailed (a handful of classmates even used them a few times to revise) so i was thinking of scanning and putting them in a google drive so you guys can see them as well if you want? 🤔 i was going to throw them away but they took a lot of time and are very organized,, let me know what you think!

Hey guys! I hope my post on writing the EE was reasonably helpful (you can check it out here), so following an ask I thought I would give you some help with your science IAs :) I used this for my Bio and Chem HL IAs, but I’m sure they’d work for physics and ESS... here we go:

1. Choosing a topic

Something you’re interested in

Food science is a really good one, lots to discuss

Use internet for inspiration, but DO NOT JUST COPY

Find an interesting angle on the cliché

2. Research

Wikipedia is okay as a starting point

Find key words and then review literature from there

You only need to skim an abstract to give you all the details

KEEP A RECORD OF ALL SITES VISITED!!!

Google scholar, JSTOR etc

Try to find journal articles

Look for support for the basis of your experiment mostly

See if you can find papers which will help analysis of your results, but not ones which have your exact method

3. Write your first parts (RQ, Aim, Background, Hypothesis, Variables, Safety, Equipment, Method) (see below for guidance for each part)

It’s so important to get this all clarified and certain before you start for real

4. Analyse method and do a test run

Look through your method and make sure there is no obvious control variables missing

Make sure you know your method well and can see any points where things will need to be done quickly or in a certain way

Make sure you are certain all parts of your experiment are going to work before you jump into the full process

Get an idea of possible places to stop, and manage your time!

5. The Experiment

Get on good terms with the lab technician, they can help you sooo much

Take photos of anything which will demonstrate the qualitative results and make notes

Be as accurate as possible

Have a printed copy of your method in front of you all the time to mark any changes in method that you have to make

Prep your excel table before-hand, so that you can plug your results straight in and see what they look like, anomalies will be obvious so you can repeat any that you need to

I found it really helpful to do it all in two days straight, rather than doing little bits by little bits

6. Write it up! Here are the sections I used:

i) RQ

Use full names of any species involved eg Escherichia coli and conform to naming conventions eg italics and abbreviation

Make all the parameters of your experiment clear

Demonstrate the dependant and independent variables

ii) Aim: basically just restate the question in a sentence

iii) Background

Show basis and research

Any relevant equations

Show personal engagement

iv)    Hypothesis

Show a prediction for the results

BACK IT UP WITH FACTS

v)      Variables

I did tables for them all

First do dependant and independent variables

Then do control variables with variables, method of control and reason for control

Monitored variable with same categories

Finally do control experiments and what they show

vi)    Safety

CLEAPSS sheets are great

Show the implications on the experiments

Make sure you honour your safety suggestions in your method

vii)   Equipment

I made my table on excel

Include details eg volume, uncertainty, specifics

Make sure you include number and make them reasonable for the method

viii) Method

Give a little background to show why the method is relevant

Quote a source for the method

Be as exact as possible

Make sure the reasons for each step are clear

ix)    Raw Data (Qualitative and Quantative eg photos and titles, as well as normal data)

x)      Processed Data

xi)    Details of any processing eg explain Standard Deviation, T Test or Chi Square calculations

Make sure you show examples of the calculations, with annotations, and use the word ‘equation’ function (at the left of the insert tab)

Explain what the results of the processing means

xii)   Conclusion

Explain trends

Point out the significance of the results

Point out any unexpected results

Explain the science behind the results

Relate this back to your hypothesis and to the papers from your research, do they support or contradict your results

xiii)  Evaluation

Point out strengths of method, probably 3 or 4 strengths

Give 3 weaknesses and how they affect the application of the results (there shouldn’t be any huge flaws, just things that mean your experiment isn’t earth shattering)

Suggest a few ways to further the study

Extra write up tips:

WAY TO SIDESTEP WORD BEING STUPID: Group the shit out of your graphs and titles. Paste all the tables into a textbox so you can move them more easily and word won’t fuck them up

REFERENCING! You need to reference, I use footnotes and the word referencing tool to make sure it all works

7. Read the examiner’s report (like I know it sounds dumb and boring but like its actually really useful)

8. Ask literally anyone else to read it over. Seriously, like do a swap with a classmate or ask one of your parents or grandparents. You will never spot all your own mistakes.

9. Try your best to get your teachers to comment on it. I know some of them are jerks who don’t want to do anything, but like just try!

10. Don’t stress too much. You’re going to be okay 😊

Physics revision notes for monday’s test!!! :-)