Required Practicles

Question 1

Density practical

Answer 1

Use a ruler than has mm markings (ie with a resolution of 1mm).
Fill the displacement can with water right up to the spout, then fully lower
the shape into it, catching the displaced water in the measuring cylinder.
For liquids, put the measuring cylinder on the digital balance and “zero”
it. Pour the liquid into the cylinder and read off the mass and volume.

Question 2

Specific heat capacity particle

Answer 2

Heat a 1kg block of material 
until the temperature rises 
by, say, 50°C.
Divide the reading on the 
joulemeter by the 50°C to 
get a value for the specific 
heat capacity.
Wrap the block in insulation
to improve the accuracy by 
reducing heat loss.

Question 3

Resistance: of a wire practical

Answer 3

Attach the second crocodile clip (B) at 10cm and
record the pd and current from the meters.
Resistance

potential difference (V)
current (A)
Repeat every 10cm up to 1m.
Plot a graph of R against L.
Use the variable power supply to
keep the current at about 0.1A to
keep the temperature of the wire constant.

Question 4

Thermal insulation: different materials

Answer 4

Put 100ml of hot water into a glass 
beaker.  Stand it on a heat-proof mat and 
cover it with a cardboard lid.  Insert a 
thermometer through a hole in the lid.
Record the temperature every minute 
for 20 minutes.
Repeat, with different materials (e.g. 
bubble wrap, cotton wool, newspaper) 
wrapped around the side of the beaker  
(attach with tape or an elastic band).

Question 5

Force and acceleration

Answer 5

The force is varied by moving spare 100g masses from the trolley to the
falling mass hanger. In this way, the total accelerating mass (trolley plus
all masses) is kept constant.
The datalogger measures the speed at A, and then again at B, by timing
how long the interrupt card takes to pass through each light gate. (You
need to give it the width of the card.) It then divides the change in speed
by the time taken to travel from A to B to calculate the acceleration.
Safety: care should be taken that the falling masses don’t land on
anyone and that the speeding trolley doesn’t hit anyone.

Question 6

Extension of a spring

Answer 6

When measuring the length of the spring, do not include the loops at
each end, only the coiled part.
The mass should be stationary, not bouncing, when measuring.
Ensure you measure to the nearest mm (e.g. 4.2cm). Align the ruler as
close to the spring as possible to prevent a reading error. Use a set
square if you have one, to line up the spring with the ruler markings.

Question 7

Wave properties

Answer 7

measure the frequency, 
count how many waves pass a 
marked point on the card in 
20 seconds...then divide by 20 
to get the waves per second.

To measure the wavelength, take a 
photograph of the card with a 
metre ruler in the shot.
Use the ruler in the photograph to 
measure the distance across 10 
wave shadows...then divide by 10.

Question 8

Radiation and absorption

Answer 8

A Leslie cube is a hollow metal box 
with different coloured sides, e.g. 
matt black and shiny silver.  It is 
filled with boiling water from a 
kettle to make it hot.
An infrared detector can then be 
used to see which type of surface 
emits the most infrared radiation.

Question 9

Reflection and refraction

Answer 9

ray box (including thin slit) and glass block can 
be used to investigate the refraction of light as it 
passes though a material.