IB DP Physics lesson pack on projectile motion, Topic A.1 Kinematics, SL and HL, first assessment 2025. The horizontal and vertical motions of a projectile are independent, and a launch velocity resolves into perpendicular components. Students learn why the horizontal velocity stays constant while the vertical motion is the free fall they have already met, and resolve a launch velocity of speed u at angle θ into u cos θ across and u sin θ up. Editable worksheet, lesson deck, teacher key, worked solutions and a questions-only assessment, supplied as self-contained HTML plus colour and black-and-white PDFs.

What students learn:

• A projectile’s acceleration.
• Two independent motions on one clock.
• Resolving the velocity into components.
• Applying independence in worked problems.

IB skills:

• Resolving vectors into two perpendicular components (taught).
• Selecting and manipulating equations (practised).

** What’s in the pack:**

• Student Worksheet: (12 pages)
• Teacher Key.
• Solutions
• Lesson deck. (29 slides)

Written for the IB DP Physics guide (first assessment 2025), Topic A.1 (Kinematics), at both Standard and Higher Level. The pack develops the topic’s projectile-motion understanding, the behaviour of projectiles in the absence of fluid resistance with the equations of motion resolved into vertical and horizontal components. It is the theory-and-components half of that understanding: it establishes that the horizontal and vertical motions are independent and that a launch velocity resolves into perpendicular components, and it leaves the quantitative launches, ranges, times of flight and full trajectories to the follow-on pack. As the IB guidance requires, fluid resistance is neglected, a constant g is used close to the Earth’s surface, and although the trajectory is parabolic the trajectory equation is not required. SI units, IB notation and IB command terms are used throughout.

The pack assumes free fall as prior knowledge, since a projectile’s vertical motion is that same free fall, so it sits naturally after a free-fall lesson but recalls what it needs. The worksheet and deck are self-contained HTML files that open in any modern browser with nothing to install, and the worksheet is fully editable, so every question and number can be adapted to your class. Suitable for ages 16–19 as a first-teaching lesson, cover lesson, homework or revision.