Professional Documents
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(a) (i) check that the metre rule labelled r is of uniform width and thickness
by taking suitable measurements. your method and all your measurements should
be shown below.
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(4)
(ii) the arrangement shown below has been set up ready for you to use.
Y Z
adjust the height of the pulley and/or the position of the stands so that the string yz
is horizontal. measure the distances x and y.
x ..................................................................................................................................
y ..................................................................................................................................
y
w = 2mg x
where w is the weight of the suspended rule and mg is the weight of the slotted
masses. you may assume m = 0.200 kg. use this equation to find the weight w.
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(5)
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(3)
(b) (i) set up the test circuit as shown in the diagram. leads x and y are
labelled. before you switch on the power supply, have your circuit checked by the
supervisor. you will be allowed a short time to correct any faults, but if you are
unable to set up the circuit, the supervisor will set it up for you. you will only lose
two marks for this.
m A X
V
B
Y
T e s t c irc u it U n k n o w n c irc u it
(2)
(ii) connect x to a and y to b to measure the current in and the voltage across the
unknown circuit.
summarise your results in the table below. complete the table by inserting
appropriate units and determining the resistance in each case.
a b
b a
(4)
A 100 Ω B A B
100 Ω 100 Ω
J K
100 Ω
A B
100 Ω 100 Ω
L
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(3)
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(3)
(total 24 marks)
3. the first part of this question tested similar skills as question 1a, with corresponding responses
from candidates. the majority could measure the width and thickness of the rule correctly and
did a number of repeat readings whilst the best candidates drew a sketch of the rule to indicate
the positions where the repeat readings had been taken. when determining the distances x and y
candidates lost marks for a number of reasons:
• distances were recorded only to the nearest cm
• the scale readings that lead to the value of y were not shown
• units were omitted from the measured values.
again, as in question 1a, the weight of the rule was given in kg by a large number of candidates;
this was treated as a unit error and candidates could obtain credit for a value which was close to
the supervisor’s value. a number of candidates omitted “g” from the given formula and so
obtained an answer that was in kg; this lost the mark for the calculation of the weight but could
still gain the marks for accuracy.
4. (a) (i) check that the rod part of the stand labelled s is of uniform cross-
section by taking suitable measurements. your method and all your measurements
should be shown below.
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(4)
x y T
C
S ta n d S M a s k in g ta p e B
support the rod with the newton-meter at a point b on the tape near the end. mark
this point.
adjust the height of the newton-meter so that the rod is horizontal. explain how you
ensured that the rod was horizontal.
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(1)
T ( x + y)
W=
x
measure and record the distances x and y, and record the value of t.
x ..................................................................................................................................
y ..................................................................................................................................
t ..................................................................................................................................
use these data to calculate a value for the weight w of the stand.
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(4)
(iv) estimate the percentage uncertainty in your value for y. discuss the difficulty of
estimating the percentage uncertainty for x.
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(3)
(b) (i) set up the test circuit as shown in the diagram. leads x and y are
labelled. before you switch on the power supply, have your circuit checked by the
supervisor. you will be allowed a short time to correct any faults, but if you are
unable to set up the circuit, the supervisor will set it up for you. you will only lose
two marks for this.
m A X
V
B
Y
T e s t c irc u it U n k n o w n c irc u it
(2)
summarise your results in the table below. complete the table by inserting
appropriate units and determining the resistance in each case.
a b
b a
(4)
(iii) a technician makes up the following 3 circuits for an examination such as this.
A 100 Ω B A B
100 Ω 100 Ω
J K
100 Ω
A B
100 Ω 100 Ω
L
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(3)
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(3)
(total 24 marks)
7. (a) (i) using the voltmeter provided measure the potential difference between
the terminals of the cell. because the voltmeter has a very high resistance, you may
assume that this reading is the e.m.f. e of the cell.
e = .....................................................................................................................
(1)
68 Ω
(2)
(iii) connect the cell to your circuit and adjust the variable resistor until the potential
1
difference v1 across the variable resistor is approximately 2 e. record v1 and the
corresponding current i1.
v1 = ...................................................................................................................
i1 = ....................................................................................................................
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(3)
(iv) using your knowledge of potential dividers, what is the expected value of r1 when
1
v1 is 2 e?
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calculate the percentage difference between your value of r1 and the expected value.
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(2)
(v) repeat the experiment with the potential difference v2 across the variable resistor set
v2 = ...................................................................................................................
i2 = ....................................................................................................................
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1
what value would you expect to get for r2 when v2 = 4 e?
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(3)
(vi) suggest three reasons why your experimental values of r1 and r2 differ from the
expected values.
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(3)
(b) (i) determine accurate values for the internal diameter di and the external
diameter de of the washer provided. state any special precautions which you took to
ensure that the diameters were as accurate as possible.
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(5)
(ii) determine an accurate value for the thickness t of the washer.
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(2)
1
2 2
v = 4 π(d e – d i )t
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using the top pan balance measure the mass m of the washer.
m = .....................................................................................................................
hence determine the density of the material from which the washer is made.
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(3)
(total 24 marks)
9. most candidates successfully set up the circuit. there were three reasons for the loss of marks in
(a) (i), (iii) & (v);
omitted units for any of the quantities v, i or r. in fact, some candidates went through the whole
question without quoting a single unit. on most gcse papers units are often given on the question
paper and a skill that must be developed at as level is to always quote a unit with an answer.
either or both of the quantities v and i not quoted to the precision of the instrument that was
being used to measure them.
values of r not quoted to an appropriate number of significant figures.
in (a) (iv) examiners expected candidates to realise that in an ideal potential divider circuit the
expected value of r1 should be equal to the other resistor (68 Ω) in the circuit if the voltage
across r1 was to be equal to half the e.m.f. of the power supply. only the best candidates realised
this. in (a) (v) the value of r2 should have been 1/3 of 68 Ω to give a potential difference of ¼ of
the e.m.f. of the cell. those candidates who had achieved success in (a) (iv) were often caught out
here and stated a value which was ¼ of 68 Ω.
for questions such as (a) (vi) candidates should be encouraged to give a location for any
additional resistance. answers such as “the meters have resistance” were popular but gained no
marks. much better answers stated that the resistance of the ammeter was not negligible or that
the resistance of the voltmeter was not infinite. equivalent answers such as there was a small
potential difference across the ammeter or a small current in the voltmeter were obviously
perfectly acceptable.
good candidates correctly determined the volume and the density of the washer, obtaining a
value in the required range. weaker candidates made the following errors;
mixed cm and mm were used in the calculation of the volume.
units were omitted from the value of the volume.
a significant number of candidates thought that the value of the fraction in the formula was ½
and not ¼ .
incorrect density values were obtained because candidates had tried to make a conversion from
3 3
g/cm to kg/m , centres should note that such conversions are not required for density in the
practical paper.
A
+
470 Ω
(2)
(ii) connect the circuit to the power supply. record the potential difference vr across the
red led and the corresponding current ir.
vr = ....................................................................................................................
ir = .....................................................................................................................
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(3)
(iii) replace the red led with the green led. ensure that the positive end of the led is
connected as in the previous circuit. record the potential difference vg across the
green led and the corresponding current ig.
vg = ....................................................................................................................
ig = .....................................................................................................................
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(3)
vr´ = ...................................................................................................................
ir´ = ....................................................................................................................
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rr´ = ...................................................................................................................
vg´ = ...................................................................................................................
ig´ = ....................................................................................................................
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rg´ = ....................................................................................................................
(5)
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(3)
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(3)
(ii) the metre rule has a small piece of blu-tack attached to it at the 5 cm mark. balance
the rule on the knife edge to determine the position of the centre of mass of the rule
and blu-tack combination.
(iii) secure the marble to the metre rule at the position of the blu-tack. set up the
arrangement shown in the diagram below.
C e n tre o f m a s s
M a rb le
S lo tte d m a s s
B ench M e tre ru le
P iv o t
determine the mass m of the marble using the principle of moments. using the
above diagram, show carefully the measurements which you took in order to
determine the mass m. record all your measurements and calculations in the space
below. the slotted mass has a mass of 10 g
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(5)
(total 24 marks)
M a rb le
S lo tte d m a s s
M e tre ru le
B ench
P iv o t
5 .0 c m 4 9 .9 c m 7 2 .1 c m
(iii) centres of mass clearly shown on diagram (1)
scale readings shown (1)
correct calculation giving m ± 0.3 g of supervisor’s value (1) (1)
[± 0.05 g from supervisor’s value (1)]
[no ecf, –1 if no unit] 5
[24]
d 1
d 2
M a rb le
S lo tte d m a s s
M e tre ru le
B ench
P iv o t
5 .0 c m 4 9 .9 c m 7 2 .1 c m
10 (72.1 − 49.9) = x (49.9 − 5.0)
x = 10 × 22.2 / 44.9
= 4.94 g
n e w to n
m e te r
l
h1 p u lle y
w heel
0 .5 0 0 k g
m ass
h2
B C
la rg e m a s s to
p re v e n t s ta n d G c la m p
tiltin g
do not move the stand that is clamped to the bench. adjust the separation of the stands and
the height of the nail at a until the section bc of the string is horizontal and the angle θ is
between 20° and 40°. you have been provided with a 30° set square so that you can easily
estimate an angle in this range. explain how you checked that bc was horizontal. you may
add to the above diagram if you wish.
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(2)
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(4)
(c) if the string is horizontal the principle of moments may be used to show that
w = 2t tan θ – mg
record t.
t = ……………………..
hence, using your result from part (b), calculate the weight of the metre rule.
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weight = .....................................
(4)
c e n tre o f m a s s
100 g m ass
b e n c h su rfa c e
p iv o t
W
the centre of mass of the rule may be taken to lie at the 50.0 cm mark. take such
measurements as are necessary to find the weight w of the rule. show these
measurements on the diagram.
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(5)
1 1
mg + W
t tan θ = 2 2
a student suggests that the value of w may be found by a graphical method if the value of
m is varied. plan an experiment to investigate this suggestion. your plan should include
(iii) how you would use the graph to find a value for w.
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(9)
(total 24 marks)
14. (a) measure the height of the string above the bench in two places (1)
use right angle of set square against bench to ensure
vertical height measured or correct use of set square alone (1) 2
1 00 g m ass
b e n c h su rfac e
p iv o t
W
100 (27.6 – 3.0) = m × (50 – 27.6)
∴ m = 109.8 g
∴ w = 0.1098 × 9.81
= 1.08 n
15. good candidates showed, on the diagram, the vertical metre rule with the set square between it
and the bench. many candidates showed this in two positions and gained the two marks without
the need for a description. if it is suggested that candidates may add to the diagram if they wish,
then often full marks can be obtained simply by adding full details to the diagram.
most candidates obtained a correct value for the angle. typical errors from weaker candidates
included:
• quoting the heights to the nearest cm,
• obtaining a height difference that was outside the expected range because candidates had
not followed the instruction to set the angle at approximately 30°.
most candidates obtained a correct value for w. typical errors from weaker candidates
included:
• only recording the newton meter reading to the nearest newton,
• quoting the calculated value of w to an inappropriate number of significant figures.
calculating the weight of the metre rule by balancing the rule on the knife edge produced a wide
range of marks. good candidates obtained all 5 marks, but weaker candidates made the following
errors:
• not showing the measurements on the diagram with sufficient precision,
• calculating the mass of the rule rather than the weight,
• obtaining a value outside the expected range, in most cases because the distances on the
rule had not been measured to the centre of mass of the 100 g mass,
• unit problems such as quoting the weight of the rule as 1.2 kg rather than 1.2 n.
many candidates omitted the required detail in the planning part of the experiment.
16. (a) (i) you have been provided with a 4.0 m length of constantan wire which
has the same diameter as the constantan wire which is attached to the metre rule.
using the top pan balance provided, measure the mass m of the 4.0 m length of wire.
m = ....................................................................................................................
carefully separate the turns of the 4.0 m length and measure the diameter d of the
wire. state any precautions that you took to ensure that an accurate value of d was
obtained.
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(3)
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(2)
π d 2l
volume of wire = v = 4
where l = length of wire = 4.0 m.
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(5)
(b) (i) set up the circuit as shown in the diagram below using the 100 ω
resistor. before you connect your circuit to the power supply, have your circuit
checked by the supervisor. you will be allowed a short time to correct any faults. if
you are unable to set up the circuit, the supervisor will set it up for you. you will
lose only two marks for this.
p o w e r s u p p ly
100 Ω
A
V
c ro c o d ile
c lip
X
4 m m p lu g
(2)
(ii) connect the crocodile clip to the wire at the zero end of the rule. connect the power
supply and use the 4-mm plug labelled x to make a connection to the wire at the
20.0 cm mark. to make good electrical contact the 4-mm plug should be pressed
firmly against the wire.
measure the current i in the circuit and the potential difference v across the 20.0 cm
length of wire.
i = ......................................................................................................................
v = .....................................................................................................................
(3)
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(2)
(iv) repeat parts (ii) and (iii) to find the resistance r2 of an 80.0 cm length of wire.
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(3)
(v) use your results from parts (iii) and (iv) to determine the resistance r of a length
x = 60.0 cm of wire, where r = r2 – r1. hence determine a value for the resistivity ρ
Rπ d 2
of the wire given that ρ = 4 x .
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(4)
(total 24 marks)
sample results
(a) (i) m = 2.74 g
d = 0.31, 0.31, 0.31 mm
d = 0.31 mm
(ii) δd = 0.01(mm)
0.01 mm
percentage uncertainty = 0.31 mm × 100%
= 3.2(%)
π (0.31 × 10 - 3 m) 2 × 4.0 m
V=
(iii) 4
–7 3
= 3.02 × 10 m
2.74 × 10 -3 kg
−7 3
ρ = 3.02 × 10 m
–3
= 9080 kg m
89 mV
(iii) r1 = 49 mA
= 1.82 Ω m
(iv) i = 48 ma
v = 266, 265, 267 mv
V = 266 mv
V 266 mV
r2 = I = 48 mA =5.54 Ω
(v) r = 5.54 Ω – 1.82 Ω = 3.72 Ω
3.72Ω × π × (0.31 × 10 −3 m) 2
ρ= 4 × 0.6 m
–7
= 4.7 × 10 Ω m
18. this question in group 2 proved to be more straightforward the a question in group 1. however
this was compensated for by a more difficult question b. the mean marks and standard deviations
for the two groups were approximately the same.
the measurement of the diameter of the wire proved to be more straightforward than the
measurement of the thickness of the foil. sufficient precautions were allowed to enable most
candidates to score full marks in the section. in the same way the measurement of the percentage
uncertainty was straightforward and the majority of candidates scored the full 2 marks for this
section.
the volume calculation did not have the problem of the confusion between 16t and t, however
weaker candidates still had expressions that contained a mixture of units, normally l in metres
and d in mm. this lead to a density value which had an incorrect power of 10 but the majority of
candidates could obtain the first of the two value marks.
contact resistance was less critical in this group but examiners still expected candidates to repeat
their measurement of v, few did this. the calculation of resistance produced similar problems to
those described in group 1. the calculation of resistivity lead to the same problems as described
in group 1. most candidates determined a correct value for r but weaker candidates mixed units
of mm and cm in the formula and did not give the correct units for resistivity. because of the
problems of the foil in group 1, any correctly calculated value of resistivity was allowed, here
candidates had to obtain an answer within a range of about + 10% of the true value, good
candidates had no difficulty with this but weaker candidates often obtained values outside the
range.
19. (a) determine the position of the centre of mass of the metre rule labelled x by
balancing it on the pivot so that it is approximately horizontal.
c e n tre o f m a s s o f ru le
100 g m ass
p iv o t bench
take such measurements as are necessary to find the weight w of the rule. show these
measurements on the diagram.
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(6)
n a il s u p p o rtin g n e w to n
ru le m e te r
1 kg m ass
bench
adjust the height of the newton meter until the metre rule is horizontal. explain how you
ensured that the rule was horizontal. you may add to the above diagram if you wish.
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(2)
(w + mg)x = ty
record the reading on the newton meter and determine values for x and y. hence calculate
a second value for w.
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(4)
(e) calculate the percentage difference between your two values for w.
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which value of w do you consider to be more accurate? give a reason for your answer.
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(3)
(W + mg ) x
t= y
(i) an indication of the values in the equation which would need to be kept constant;
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(8)
(total 24 marks)
1 00 g m ass
p iv o t bench
W
–2
0.1 kg × 9.81 m s × (27.6 cm – 3.0 cm)
= w (50.0 cm – 27.6 cm)
w = 1.08 n
(d) t = 5.9 n
x = 50.0 cm – 1.0 cm = 49.0 cm
y = 95.0 cm – 1.0 cm = 94.0 cm
(w + 9.81 n) 49.0 cm = 5.9 n × 94.0 cm
w+ 9.81 n = 11.32 n
∴ w = 11.32n – 9.81n
= 1.51 n
1.51 N – 1.08 N
percentage difference = 2 (1.51 N + 1.08 N) × 100 %
1
(e)
= 33 (%)
21. sections (a) to (d) in this group have comparable sections in group 1 and the comments made
there are equally valid in this group.
in the calculation of the percentage difference examiners insisted that the average value of the
weight of the rule was used in the denominator of the percentage difference calculation, this
meant that only a small proportion of candidates gained the mark. the second part of this section
did not discriminate between candidates. most thought, incorrectly, that the horizontal metre rule
with the newton meter attached would give the most accurate value because it was more stable,
they ignored points such as
• the mass of the rule had a very small effect on the newton meter reading because the 1 kg
mass was so much greater than the mass of the rule.
• the newton meter could only be read to a precision of 0.1 n in about 6.0 n.
• the newton meter is far less accurate than the metre rule.
candidates were clearly worried about the fact that it was difficult to balance the metre rule on
the knife edge. there was no appreciation of the fact that, say, a 1 mm movement of the pivot
could produce a change from a resultant clockwise moment to a resultant anticlockwise moment
so that the distance measurements were very precise, say, a 1 mm error in 200 mm. candidates
do not need to waste time achieving perfect balance, in fact a 1 mm movement of the pivot will
change from resultant clockwise to resultant anticlockwise moment. also the calibration of the
metre rule is likely to be far more accurate than that of the newton meter.