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Section A: F4 Physics/Introduction of physics/JLYC/2016

A student measured the diameter of a copper wire by winding it around a pencil 20 times. This allows measuring the combined thickness of 20 turns rather than just one, improving accuracy. Sources of error include inconsistencies in tightness of winding and imperfections in the wire. A micrometer screw gauge would provide a more precise measurement than a ruler. A separate experiment measured the period of a loaded spring's oscillations using a stopwatch. The stopwatch recorded the time for 20 complete oscillations. Period is a scalar quantity. Two groups of students measured the oscillation time of an inertia balance with different stopwatches. Their results were inconsistent due to random errors in the devices and possible systematic errors in technique. Consistency is

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Jarnice Ling Yee Ching
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175 views3 pages

Section A: F4 Physics/Introduction of physics/JLYC/2016

A student measured the diameter of a copper wire by winding it around a pencil 20 times. This allows measuring the combined thickness of 20 turns rather than just one, improving accuracy. Sources of error include inconsistencies in tightness of winding and imperfections in the wire. A micrometer screw gauge would provide a more precise measurement than a ruler. A separate experiment measured the period of a loaded spring's oscillations using a stopwatch. The stopwatch recorded the time for 20 complete oscillations. Period is a scalar quantity. Two groups of students measured the oscillation time of an inertia balance with different stopwatches. Their results were inconsistent due to random errors in the devices and possible systematic errors in technique. Consistency is

Uploaded by

Jarnice Ling Yee Ching
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Section A

1. A student determined the diameter of a length of copper wire P by winding 20


turns of the wire round a pencil as shown in diagram.

a) Based on diagram,
i)
Write down the total thickness of 20 turns of copper wire P.

ii)

Calculate the diameter of copper wire P in mm.

[1]

[1]

b) State the main advantage of this method compared to measuring the diameter
of only one turn of wire P using a ruler.
[1]

c) Give one example of a systematic error and one example of a random error
that may exist in the above measurement.
[2]

d) Suggest a more appropriate measuring instrument that you can find in the
laboratory for measuring the diameter of wire P.
[1]

2. Diagram 2.1 shows a loaded spring which is oscillating.


F4 Physics/Introduction of physics/JLYC/2016

a) Based on diagram 2.1, choose the correct path for one complete oscillation.
Tick () the correct answer in the box provided.
[1]
K M
K LM
K LM LK

b) The stopwatch in diagram shows the time taken for the loaded spring to make
20 complete oscillations.

Based on diagram 2.2, state


i)
the smallest division of the stopwatch.

[1]

ii)

[1]

the time taken for 20 complete oscillations

c) What is the type of physical quantity for period of oscillation?


Tick () the correct answer in the box provided.
Scalar quantity
F4 Physics/Introduction of physics/JLYC/2016

Vector quantity

[1]

Section B
3. a) What are the meanings of
i)
consistency,

ii) accuracy of a measurement

[4]

b) A student tried to use a pair of vernier calipers to measure the diameter of a


ping pong ball accurately. However, his readings were found to be unsatisfactory. Suggest
three ways that may help to improve the accuracy of the measurement.
[3]
c) Two groups of students measured the time taken for 10 oscillations of an
inertia balance by using two different types of stopwatch. The readings are shown in Table.
Number of Trial
Time taken for 10 oscillations
Group A
Group B
1
8.1
8.24
2
8.3
7.83
3
7.9
8.41
4
8.3
7.96
5
8.3
8.32
i)
Give one example of a systematic error and one example of a random variable in
the measurement of the time of oscillation of the inertia balance.
[2]
ii)
Explain why the readings recorded by the two groups of students are different.
[2]
iii)
Which group of students obtained readings of higher consistency? Explain your
answer.
[2]
d) Diagram 3.1 shows an experiment set up for determining the value of the acceleration due
to gravity, g. A two-way switch is turned on to position X so that a steel ball is stuck to the
electromagnet. When the switch is turned on to position Y, the steel ball is released and an
electronic clock is activated simultaneously. The time, t taken for the ball to fall through a
height, h, is recorded by the electronic clock.

The value of the acceleration due to gravity, g, can be calculated by using the
s

1 2
gt
2

formulae,
In certain experiment, a student obtained the following results
Height, h = 50.0 cm
Time, t = 0.32 s
i)
Name one scalar quantity and one vector quantity found in the above
formulae.
ii)
Using the result obtained by the student, calculate the value of g.
F4 Physics/Introduction of physics/JLYC/2016

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