HARD
AS and A Level
IMPORTANT
Earn 100

A student releases a toy car to roll down a ramp, as shown.

Question Image

The student measures the distance l from the middle of the car as it is released to the bottom of the ramp and the distance s travelled along the straight section before the car stops. He also measures the time t taken to travel the distance s. He then repeats the experiment using a different value of l.

The student obtained readings with l=40 and 60 cm, taking each reading for s and t twice. The readings were:

l=40.0 cm : values for s were 124 &130 cm; values for t were 4.6 & 4.8 s

l=60.0 cm: values for s were 186 & 194 cm; values for t were 4.9 & 5.2 s.

(a) For the smaller value of l, obtain a value for:

(iii) The average value of t.

Important Questions on Practical Skills at AS Level

HARD
AS and A Level
IMPORTANT

A student releases a toy car to roll down a ramp, as shown.

Question Image

The student measures the distance l from the middle of the car as it is released to the bottom of the ramp and the distance s travelled along the straight section before the car stops. He also measures the time t taken to travel the distance s. He then repeats the experiment using a different value of l.

The student obtained readings with l=40 and 60 cm, taking each reading for s and t twice. The readings were:

l=40.0 cm : values for s were 124 &130 cm; values for t were 4.6 & 4.8 s

l=60.0 cm: values for s were 186 & 194 cm; values for t were 4.9 & 5.2 s.

(a) For the smaller value of l, obtain a value for:

(iv) The absolute and percentage uncertainty in the value of t.

HARD
AS and A Level
IMPORTANT

A student releases a toy car to roll down a ramp, as shown.

Question Image

The student measures the distance l from the middle of the car as it is released to the bottom of the ramp and the distance s travelled along the straight section before the car stops. He also measures the time t taken to travel the distance s. He then repeats the experiment using a different value of l.

The student obtained readings with l=40 and 60 cm, taking each reading for s and t twice. The readings were:

l=40.0 cm : values for s were 124 &130 cm; values for t were 4.6 & 4.8 s

l=60.0 cm: values for s were 186 & 194 cm; values for t were 4.9 & 5.2 s.

(b) (i) For both values of l, calculate the average speed v of the car along the straight section of track using the relationship v=st.

MEDIUM
AS and A Level
IMPORTANT

A student releases a toy car to roll down a ramp, as shown.

Question Image

The student measures the distance l from the middle of the car as it is released to the bottom of the ramp and the distance s travelled along the straight section before the car stops. He also measures the time t taken to travel the distance s. He then repeats the experiment using a different value of l.

The student obtained readings with l=40 and 60 cm, taking each reading for s and t twice. The readings were:

l=40.0 cm : values for s were 124 &130 cm; values for t were 4.6 & 4.8 s

l=60.0 cm: values for s were 186 & 194 cm; values for t were 4.9 & 5.2 s.

(b) (ii) Justify the number of significant figures that you have given for your values of v.

HARD
AS and A Level
IMPORTANT

A student releases a toy car to roll down a ramp, as shown.

Question Image

The student measures the distance l from the middle of the car as it is released to the bottom of the ramp and the distance s travelled along the straight section before the car stops. He also measures the time t taken to travel the distance s. He then repeats the experiment using a different value of l.

The student obtained readings with l=40 and 60 cm, taking each reading for s and t twice. The readings were:

l=40.0 cm : values for s were 124 &130 cm; values for t were 4.6 & 4.8 s

l=60.0 cm: values for s were 186 & 194 cm; values for t were 4.9 & 5.2 s.

(c) (i) It is suggested that s is proportional to l. Explain whether the readings support this relationship.

HARD
AS and A Level
IMPORTANT

A student releases a toy car to roll down a ramp, as shown.

Question Image

The student measures the distance l from the middle of the car as it is released to the bottom of the ramp and the distance s travelled along the straight section before the car stops. He also measures the time t taken to travel the distance s. He then repeats the experiment using a different value of l.

The student obtained readings with l=40 and 60 cm, taking each reading for s and t twice. The readings were:

l=40.0 cm : values for s were 124 &130 cm; values for t were 4.6 & 4.8 s

l=60.0 cm: values for s were 186 & 194 cm; values for t were 4.9 & 5.2 s.

(c) (ii) (HARDER) It is suggested that v2 is proportional to l. Explain whether the readings support this relationship.

HARD
AS and A Level
IMPORTANT

A student releases a toy car to roll down a ramp, as shown.

Question Image

The student measures the distance l from the middle of the car as it is released to the bottom of the ramp and the distance s travelled along the straight section before the car stops. He also measures the time t taken to travel the distance s. He then repeats the experiment using a different value of l.

The student obtained readings with l=40 and 60 cm, taking each reading for s and t twice. The readings were:

l=40.0 cm : values for s were 124 &130 cm; values for t were 4.6 & 4.8 s

l=60.0 cm: values for s were 186 & 194 cm; values for t were 4.9 & 5.2 s.

(d) Describe four sources of uncertainty or limitations of the procedure for this experiment.

HARD
AS and A Level
IMPORTANT

A student releases a toy car to roll down a ramp, as shown.

Question Image

The student measures the distance l from the middle of the car as it is released to the bottom of the ramp and the distance s travelled along the straight section before the car stops. He also measures the time t taken to travel the distance s. He then repeats the experiment using a different value of l.

The student obtained readings with l=40 and 60 cm, taking each reading for s and t twice. The readings were:

l=40.0 cm : values for s were 124 &130 cm; values for t were 4.6 & 4.8 s

l=60.0 cm: values for s were 186 & 194 cm; values for t were 4.9 & 5.2 s.

(e) Describe four improvements that could be made to this experiment. You may suggest the use of other apparatus or different procedures.

HARD
AS and A Level
IMPORTANT

This apparatus shows a resistor in some water.

Question Image

A student measures the rise in temperature θ of the water in 100 s using two different values of voltage.

The student wrote:

'When the voltage was set at 6.0 V, the rise in temperature of the water in 100 s was 14.5°C. The voltmeter reading decreased by about 0.2 V during the experiment, and so the final voltmeter reading was 5.8 V. 'The reading fluctuated from time to time by about 0.2 V. The smallest scale division on the thermometer was 1°C, but I could read it to 0.5°C. I did not have time to repeat the reading.

'When the voltage was set at 12.0 V, the rise in temperature in 100 s was 51.0°C and the voltage was almost the same at the end, but fluctuated by about 0.2 V ''

(a) Estimate the percentage uncertainty in the measurement of the first voltage.