The IB Physics Data Booklet

Let’s fast-forward to your exams for a moment…

Imagine sitting in the exam hall, feeling that wave of confidence as you flip through a booklet filled to the brim with electrical symbols, essential mathematical equations, constants, and physics equations—all precisely curated to align with your exam needs. That booklet exists!

Your IB Physics data booklet is your exam best friend and you have to know how to use it.

Your exams might feel like they are far away, but trust us… you need to eat, sleep 😴, and breathe this booklet so that when the time comes, navigating its pages is as natural as breathing. Why? Because the exam doesn’t just test your memory; it’s all about interpretation and application.

Each student will be given a clean copy of the formula booklet during exams. The school must get these from the IBO to ensure every student is armed and ready.

In the meantime, you’ll need a copy now (and you know that GradePod has got your back - you can download your copy here!)

This article will go through how to understand and use this formula booklet.

1. How The Data Booklet Has Changed In 2025

The new booklet is in two sections.

Section 1

This section includes information which will be useful throughout the teaching of DP Physics (e.g., mathematical relationships, fundamental constants, electrical circuit components, etc.).

Section 2

The second contains equations relevant to specific themes and topics in the IB Physics syllabus.

Instructions for Downloading and Using The Data Booklet

The 2016 booklet stressed the need for students to have a copy of the data booklet for exams. However, the 2025 booklet places more responsibility on schools to download and ensure sufficient copies from the IBIS or the Programme Resource Centre, reflecting possibly stricter guidelines or more structured administrative processes for the use of these booklets.

The 2025 booklet highlights the importance of the student using the data booklet throughout the course and using it to develop “understandings”. There has previously been concern that students were only getting a copy of the data booklet in the weeks before the exam and were not able to interpret and apply the formula inside the booklet.

You can also download a copy of the IB Physics Formula Booklet here.

New Mathematical Equations

IB Physics students were previously expected to memorise the mathematical relationships that underpinned IB Physics. Imagine having to memorise the volume of a sphere AND answer super hard questions about gravity! The new IB Physics data booklet makes mathematical equations much easier by adding the following relationships, which will be a massive help!

Uncertainties and Vectors

The previous IB Physics syllabus had a whole topic devoted to measurements, uncertainties, vectors, and units. You would have found the equations relating to these topics in the “Topic 1” section of the old data booklet.

The new IB Physics syllabus has scrapped that. You’ll now learn these concepts holistically as you progress through the course. All the relevant equations are still in the booklet and they can be found in these two subsections:

• Mathematical equations
• Uncertainties

Electrical Symbols

The symbol for an AC power supply has been removed because the AC content has been removed from the new IB Physics Syllabus.

Light Emitting Diode, Motor and Earth have been added to the 2025 IB Physics data booklet (expect questions on these!)

Electromagnetic Spectrum

In the previous IB Physics syllabus, you had to memorize the magnitudes of wavelengths for all the regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. What a bore! In the new IB Physics Data Booklet, there’s a handy diagram with all the wavelengths listed.

Throughout The IBDP Physics Course

Practice Problems

The most important advice is to complete as many practice problems and past paper questions as possible throughout the course - not JUST in the final few months before the exams. Regularly applying the equations and constants from the IB Physics Data Booklet will reinforce your memory but will also help you understand how and when to use specific pieces of information.

Be Aware

While doing all these practice problems, note which constants and relationships you use the most, and start to memorise key fundamental concepts and relationships. This will speed up the process of the exam.

Annotate

You’ll get a clean copy of the IB Physics Data Booklet in your exams, but you should annotate your copy throughout the year. I’d probably add notes on what symbols mean or limits to the equations, etc. You can download a copy of my annotated data booklet here - to get an idea of how to annotate your data booklet.

Study Groups

Discuss the contents of the formula booklet with peers in study groups. Explaining how you use the booklet to others can deepen your understanding and reveal alternative ways to approach the material.

During IB Physics Exams

Reading Time

Use the reading time before the exam to quickly review the booklet to refresh your memory on the locations of key formulae and constants. This will save valuable time during the exam.

Link to syllabus topic

Look at the problem you are solving in the exam paper. You can probably identify which topic the problem is addressing (e.g. A.1 Kinematics). Flip to the section of the data booklet that corresponds with the syllabus topic. You’ll be able to spot the correct formal much quicker. This will help you visualise how the booklet’s contents fit into the broader course structure and exam format.

Quantity symbols

Write down the symbols for every quantity given in the question. Here’s an example:

1. For this question, you would flip to Topic B.5 Current and Circuits. 
2. Do any symbols match those shown in the data booklet for that topic? YES! 
3. You can see the symbols match the equation for internal resistance and you'd use that equation.

Estimate

This tip probably applies more to multiple-choice questions in Paper 1A. However, using the constants and relationships from the booklet to estimate expected answers before performing detailed calculations will help you check the reasonableness of your answers.

3: Key Points to Know About Each Section of the Data Booklet

As you go through the data booklet, you'll start to notice some subtle details and key points that can make or break your exam performance. This section highlights some of the most important things to be aware of—what they mean and why they matter.

Vector Notation

If you understand Maths, you’ll know that vector notation should technically be used when solving certain problems in IB Physics.

In the IB Physics Data Booklet, all equations relate to the magnitude of the quantities only. Vector notation has not been used.

Constants to Memorise

The fundamental constants below are in the data booklet; however, if you commit them to memory, it will speed up your problem-solving in the exam and improve your exam technique:

• Acceleration of free fall: g = 9.8 ms^-2 
  • This is the gravitational field strength on the Earth’s surface.
  • You can use g = 10ms^-2  in Paper 1A. This is because most answers will require an estimation, rather than an exact answer.
  • In the previous specification, I encouraged students to use g = 9.81ms^-2 (3sf),  but it's clear that the IB are happy with 2sf.
• The gravitational constant: G = 6.67 ×10⁻¹¹ Nm² kg⁻²
  • Note the difference between G and g.
  • You'll use this constant when you're dealing with macroscopic scales of gravity and radial fields.
• Coulomb constant: k = 8.99x10⁹ Nm² C⁻²
  • The IB have include this constant in the IB Physics specification in a confusing way... we go through it fully inside TrIBe Physics.
  • Basically:

Where ε₀ is the permittivity of free space (vacuum). This value of ε changes in different media.

If you experience a exam question that requires you to analyse electric fields that are NOT in free space, you cannot use the coulomb constant.

Impulse (A.2 Forces and Momentum)

The equation for impulse is: J = F∆t in the IB Physics Data Booklet. Don’t forget that:

• F is the average force in this equation
• J = Δp (impulse is equal to the change in momentum)
• So you can expand this equation to
  J = F∆t = Δp = ma∆t

B.3 Gas Laws

The Stefan-Boltzmann constant (k_b), the universal gas constant (R), and Avogadro’s number (N_A) are all linked by:

C.1 Simple Harmonic Motion (HL)

Many exam questions ask you to find the maximum speed of a particle undergoing SHM. The equation is in the data booklet, but it’s not very obvious. You need to manipulate this equation. We talk about this lots inside TrIBe Physics.

D.5 Doppler Effect (HL)

If the question relies on the wave being reflected, then you should have to apply the doppler effect twice. I don’t think the data booklet makes that very clear. We talk about this in detail inside TrIBe Physics.

4: FAQs About the IB Physics Data Booklet (2025 Syllabus)

5. TrIBe Physics 

This article has provided a ton of free advice on how to use the IB Physics data booklet to your advantage—both throughout the course and in the exam.

Hopefully, you've also downloaded your own copy of the data booklet and are ready to work towards a 7 in IB Physics!

If extra support is needed to understand and apply physics concepts to improve exam scores…

AND

If additional guidance from an IB Physics expert would be helpful…

Then it's time to join TrIBe Physics!

The BEST Bit About TrIBe Physics

TrIBe Physics isn’t just about the data booklet.

TrIBe Physics is EVERYTHING needed to score a 7 in IB Physics—backed by a money-back guarantee.

Sally Weatherly, International IB Physics Specialist, has packed every bit of specialist knowledge into TrIBe Physics, ensuring students receive full support through the entire IB Physics syllabus, right up until the final IB exam.

It’s a new and structured way of learning, with expert-led guidance available every step of the way.

Students always have the option to seek help from a physics teacher or tutor, and this article has provided plenty of valuable insights to get started on the journey toward a 7 in IB Physics…

OR…

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