Physics paper 2 practicals

• What is one of the trickiest practicals at GCSE?

  Waves practical
• What are the two parts of the waves practical?

  • Water waves using a ripple tank
  • Waves on a string using a vibration generator
• What is the purpose of the lamp in the ripple tank experiment?

  To illuminate the ripples for measurement
• How do you calculate the speed of water waves in the ripple tank?

  Wave speed = frequency × wavelength
• What is frequency in the context of waves?

  Number of waves passing a point per second
• How do you measure frequency in the ripple tank experiment?

  Count waves over a longer time, then divide
• Why is it better to count waves over 10 seconds instead of 1 second?

  It improves accuracy of the frequency measurement
• What equipment is needed to measure wavelength in the ripple tank?

  A ruler or meter stick
• How do you measure the wavelength in the ripple tank experiment?

  Measure the distance between multiple waves
• What should you do before measuring the wavelength?

  Take a photo or slow-mo video
• How do you find the speed of water waves after measuring frequency and wavelength?

  Multiply frequency by wavelength
• Why is measuring multiple waves important in the experiment?

  It reduces measurement errors and improves accuracy
• What is another method to measure wave speed mentioned in the text?

  Distance divided by time
• What is the setup for measuring waves on a string?

  • Use a vibration generator to create waves
  • Waves travel along the string to a pulley
  • Patterns form on the string at certain frequencies
• How is frequency determined in the string wave experiment?

  By the number on the vibration generator
• What does the number on the vibration generator indicate?

  The frequency of vibrations per second
• How do you measure the wavelength of waves on a string?

  Measure the length of multiple loops
• What is one whole wavelength on the string?

  Two loops of the wave pattern
• How do you find the speed of waves on a string?

  Frequency times wavelength
• Why is it important to avoid parallax errors when measuring wavelength?

  It ensures accurate readings of measurements
• What is a common issue when measuring the number of loops on the string?

  Miscounting the number of loops