Practical advice from the new CIE A level specification. Written by a Cambridge offer-holder and A*A*A* predicted student. Past papers all carefully scanned through to find the most common practical points that come up and compiled into this document for physics papers 3 and 5.
G-clamp – note that this means the item Will be stationary and cannot move or rotate
Supports
Clamp stand
Light gates -> attached to time loggers, frequency meter
Clean equipment
Conducting putty
Repeat measurements and average
Micrometer
Rotating device eg. turntable or motor
Hard to tell when an oscillation ends - fiducial mark = something you place behind your
experiment in order to give a clear reference point eg. paper with mark to measure rotations
Use many oscillations and determine T = t/n, where T is time period, t is total time and n is
number of oscillations
Barrier/safety screen so no dropping on floor
Don’t use goggles if very large mass; instead protective screen
Use cameras/slow motion freeze frame video for measurements
Set square to ensure vertical
Sand tray
Forceps
Spirit level
Sound – quiet room, light – dark room
Small current to reduce heating effect, large current for noticeable emf/voltage
o Protective resistor to reduce I
Switch off currents when not in use to prevent overheating
Wait for motion to become stable before measuring
Aim for a linear relationship
Stopwatch, timer, etc.
Control variables
Diffraction grating to find wavelength of monochromatic light
Close windows to reduce draughts
Lead-lined container
Spring-loaded device <- fall with no initial velocity
Guide for falling objects
Variable resistor/rheostat
Burette
Strong supports, heavy objects away from edges
Gloves to prevent electrocution
High density reduces air resistance
Repeat measurements AND plot a graph
Camera with detail
Specify size
Labelled values of mass may not be accurate- use top pan balance
Reaction time – for UNEXPECTED events not for things that you know will happen eg. a
pendulum oscillating
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