Find our best 110 IB Physics Extended Essay research questions, designed to meet IB EE standards with clear phrasing, scientific rigor, and diverse levels of complexity.

Trust, TOP writers from our IB essay writing service has spent days researching and this is what they have for you.

These are organized into the usual categories:

• ✅ 25 Simple but Interesting
• ✅ 25 Unique and Not Overused
• ✅ 25 Complex and Challenging
• ✅ 25 Current and Up-to-Date
• ✅ 10 Fun and Unusual

Each question is suitable for experimental or theoretical approaches and can be adapted to HL or SL.

🟩 25 Simple but Interesting Physics Extended Essay Topics

(accessible, focused on foundational concepts and lab-based work)

1. To what extent does the angle of incidence affect the efficiency of a solar panel?
2. How does the length of a pendulum affect its period in simple harmonic motion?
3. To what extent does temperature affect the resistance of a copper wire?
4. How does the mass of an object affect the time it takes to roll down a ramp?
5. To what extent does the tension in a string affect the frequency of a vibrating string?
6. How does the height of release affect the bounce height of a tennis ball?
7. To what extent does the diameter of a pipe affect the flow rate of water?
8. How does the distance between magnets affect the attractive force between them?
9. To what extent does the angle of a ramp influence the acceleration of a rolling object?
10. How does surface area affect the rate of heat loss from a container of hot water?
11. How does light intensity change with distance from a point source?
12. To what extent does the spring constant affect the frequency of vertical oscillations?
13. How does the type of material affect the damping of a pendulum?
14. To what extent does friction affect the energy conversion in a sliding object?
15. How does the thickness of insulation affect the rate of heat transfer?
16. To what extent does voltage affect the brightness of an incandescent bulb?
17. How does the frequency of a sound wave affect its perceived pitch?
18. To what extent does the cross-sectional area of a wire influence its resistance?
19. How does the volume of air in a balloon affect its terminal velocity during free fall?
20. To what extent does the angle of launch affect the horizontal range of a projectile?
21. How does the height of a liquid column affect the pressure at its base?
22. To what extent does the density of a fluid influence buoyant force on a submerged object?
23. How does distance affect the intensity of a laser beam over short ranges?
24. To what extent does mass affect kinetic energy at constant velocity?
25. How does the number of coils in an electromagnet affect its magnetic strength?

🟦 25 Unique and Not Overused Physics EE Questions

(creative, original ideas that are still manageable)

26. How does the rotational inertia of different geometric objects affect their acceleration down an incline?
27. To what extent does the use of different damping fluids affect the oscillations of a mass-spring system?
28. How does the wavelength of light affect the diffraction pattern produced by a single slit?
29. To what extent does the shape of a parachute affect terminal velocity?
30. How does the resonance frequency of a wine glass vary with water volume?
31. How does the angle of blades on a wind turbine affect energy output?
32. To what extent does the speed of rotation of a bicycle wheel affect its gyroscopic stability?
33. How does material affect energy transfer efficiency in thermal conduction across metals?
34. How does the speed of a spinning disk affect its precession rate under a torque?
35. To what extent does foil thickness affect energy loss from radiation shielding?
36. How does the internal pressure of a football affect the height of rebound?
37. To what extent does wire material affect the magnetic field strength in solenoids?
38. How does lens curvature affect the focal length of a converging lens?
39. How does polarization affect the transmission of light through multiple filters?
40. To what extent does air pressure affect the speed of sound in a closed tube?
41. How does the reflectivity of different surfaces affect the intensity of reflected light?
42. How does the angle of solar incidence change energy absorption by solar concentrators?
43. To what extent does rolling resistance differ between bicycle tire materials?
44. How does the torque applied to a beam affect its bending profile in different materials?
45. To what extent do ball bearings reduce friction in mechanical systems?
46. How does the presence of water vapor affect infrared radiation absorption?
47. How does the color of a liquid affect the absorption of infrared radiation?
48. How does thickness of polarizing filters affect transmission of laser light?
49. To what extent does salt concentration in water affect thermal conductivity?
50. How does the geometry of a prism affect dispersion of white light?

🟥 25 Complex and Challenging Questions for IB Physics EE

(best for HL students with strong analytical or simulation skills)

51. To what extent does the angle of a launch affect maximum height and horizontal range in non-ideal projectile motion (including air resistance)?
52. How do harmonics in an open pipe compare to those in a closed pipe under different ambient conditions?
53. How does wave interference from dual-slit setups vary with slit spacing and wavelength?
54. To what extent does the magnetic field strength inside a solenoid vary with current and core material?
55. How does air drag affect vertical free-fall velocity in low Reynolds number regimes?
56. To what extent do Lenz’s and Faraday’s Laws explain induced currents in a moving coil?
57. How does a compound pendulum’s period vary with pivot location and mass distribution?
58. How does the moment of inertia influence energy loss in rotational systems with friction?
59. To what extent does optical density affect the critical angle for total internal reflection?
60. How does varying voltage affect the rate of capacitor charging in RC circuits?
61. To what extent does turbulence affect flow rate predictions in real fluid systems?
62. How do standing waves form in non-uniform strings, and how does this affect harmonics?
63. To what extent does damped harmonic motion deviate from idealized models under nonlinear drag?
64. How does increasing the magnetic field affect the angular velocity of a conducting rod in a generator setup?
65. To what extent does the Doppler effect model real-world applications in traffic radar systems?
66. How do multiple lenses in series affect image formation and magnification?
67. How does energy loss differ in elastic vs. inelastic collisions in controlled lab conditions?
68. To what extent do temperature changes affect the accuracy of a diffraction grating spectrometer?
69. How does projectile motion change with angular drag coefficients in irregular projectiles?
70. To what extent does Stefan-Boltzmann Law apply to real-world incandescent light bulbs?
71. How does the polarization angle affect Brewster’s angle in reflected light?
72. To what extent does thermionic emission depend on material work function and temperature?
73. How do harmonics in vibrating membranes (2D wave systems) compare to strings?
74. How does the rate of radioactive decay vary in differing environmental conditions (via simulation)?
75. To what extent does the efficiency of a flywheel energy storage system depend on its geometry?

🟨 25 IB Physics EE Current and Up-to-Date Questions

(related to modern technologies, energy, environment, and physics in the real world)

76. To what extent does the use of graphene in materials affect thermal conductivity in electronics?
77. How do solar panel efficiencies vary under different atmospheric conditions (dust, humidity)?
78. To what extent can smartphone accelerometers accurately measure motion?
79. How does the energy output of a wind turbine change with blade length and wind conditions?
80. To what extent does lithium-ion battery temperature affect discharge efficiency?
81. How does placement of solar concentrators influence power output in a small solar farm model?
82. How accurate are smartphone-based physics apps in measuring g compared to lab equipment?
83. To what extent do acoustic panels reduce echo in modern classroom architecture?
84. How does altitude affect the boiling point and hence energy efficiency in cooking systems?
85. How does smartphone screen brightness relate to power usage and battery drain (modeled mathematically)?
86. To what extent do variable-frequency drives improve energy efficiency in motor systems?
87. How does electric vehicle regenerative braking efficiency vary with speed?
88. To what extent can thermal imaging detect heat loss in residential buildings?
89. How does changing airplane wing curvature (simulated) affect lift under constant airflow?
90. To what extent does satellite orbit decay due to drag in the thermosphere?
91. How do drone propeller RPMs influence vertical thrust and battery life?
92. To what extent does electric field strength vary in different wireless charging designs?
93. How does the thermal conductivity of building materials impact green home insulation performance?
94. To what extent does the design of LED reflectors impact light beam divergence?
95. How do lithium-ion and solid-state batteries compare in terms of thermal output?
96. To what extent does plastic vs. glass smartphone casing affect internal heat dissipation?
97. How does the use of passive cooling methods compare with active cooling in electronics?
98. How does the orientation of solar panels affect output throughout the day and seasons?
99. To what extent can vibration sensors be used to monitor structural health in bridges?
100. How accurate is GPS-based motion data compared to traditional lab-based velocity measurements?

🟪 10 Fun and Unusual Questions for Your Physics Extended Essay

(quirky, creative, still physics-based and academically viable)

101. To what extent can a homemade trebuchet be optimized using physics models of torque and projectile motion?
102. How does the size and material of a guitar pick affect string vibration and volume?
103. How can physics explain the ideal skipping stone angle and number of bounces?
104. To what extent can a DIY speaker made from cups and magnets compare with commercial devices?
105. How does the physics of popcorn popping relate to thermodynamics and gas pressure?
106. How can physics explain the balance of a tightrope walker with a long pole?
107. To what extent do superhero landing poses violate basic principles of impact force and momentum?
108. How does changing gravity (modeled) affect sports performance, like basketball dunking on the Moon?
109. To what extent can the “double rainbow” phenomenon be modeled using geometric optics?
110. How does the spinning of a fidget spinner demonstrate principles of angular momentum and torque?