physics paper 2 practicals

• force and extension


  1. set up a clamp stand with a spring attached
  2. measure the length of the spring with no masses attached and record it in a table
  3. add a mass holder to the end of the spring and measure the length of the spring and record in the table
  4. calculate how much the spring has extended from its original length
  5. repeat step 3 and 4 adding the same amount of mass each time
  6. stop when your spring shows signs of reaching the limit of proportionality
  7. plot you results on a graph
• Acceleration


  1. set up a ramp at an angle with the least amount of friction
  2. measure the distance you want the trolley to travel with a metre ruler
  3. tie a piece of string to the trolley and attach a 100g mass to the end making sure it overhangs the surface
  4. place the trolley at the starting position and start the stop watch as you release
  5. record in a table and repeat twice more then calculate a mean
  6. repeat steps 4-5 adding on 100g each time
  7. plot a graph
• waves


  1. set up the ripple tank with about 5cm depth of water
  2. Adjust the height of the wooden rod so that it just touches the surface of the water
  3. Switch on the lamp and motor and adjust until low frequency waves can be clearly observed
  4. Measure the length of a number of waves then divide by the number of waves to record wavelength
  5. Count the number of waves passing a point in ten seconds then divide by ten to record frequency
  6. Calculate the speed of the waves
• Radiation and absorption

  1. place a Leslie cube onto a heatproof mat
  2. fill the cube with boiling water and replace the lid
  3. lave for a minute to allows the surfaces to heat up to the temperature of the water
  4. place the infrared detector 5cm from the surface and measure the amount of radiation radiated from each side
  5. record results in a table