IB Physics Guide

Resources for those who study (and love) Physics

Base Units

• Length, meter (m)
• Weight, kilogram (kg)
• Time, seconds (s)
• Current, Amps (A)
• Temperature, Kelvin (K)

Base units make up all derived values, and can be used to check homogeneity of an equation

Units can also have prefixes that have different multipliers

Orders of magnitude

• Can be used to compare averages of values easily

Significant figures, Decimal places, Scientific notation

• no. of digits = Precision
  • use scientific notation to see sig figs clearly
• when calculating, the result must the same sig figs as the least precise number
• when adding or subtracting use to the smallest no. of decimal places