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A Level Physics Induction Research Task To enjoy the physics course and be successful at it, there are two things you need to know right from the start: 1. To develop the skills and knowledge needed to succeed it is vital you are active in using learning resources. The three main resources for physics are: ● Your teacher ● The on-line text book ● The physics website (specially written for A- level physics at Aquinas.) 2. There are some fundamental ideas and skills you need to know right from the beginning because they will crop up time and time again over the two year course. The purpose of this induction task is:• To show you how to navigate the physics department website and the on-line textbook on kerboodle. • To give you practice reading and digesting information, and extracting the important content from a body of information. • To provide you with some fundamental skills and knowledge you will need over the next two years in A level Physics. To access the online version of the textbook:1. Access the departmental website: www.aquinasphysics.com; select the “kerboodle resources” tab from the top of the page. 2. Click on the button to access the kerboodle resources, following the log-in instructions on our website. 3. Select the DIGITAL BOOK tab (second from the right). 4. Scroll through the options until you find the Advancing Physics for OCR B textbook (be careful not to access the A Level Physics for OCR A book instead). Now, some tasks and questions!
Module 2: Fundamental data analysis
Read ‘Base Units’ on page 6. 1. Force is measured in Newtons, N. What is the Newton in base units? (1 mark)
2. A mobile phone is charged by a current I flowing for a time t. The charge Q stored is calculated using the equation Q = It. Charge Q is measured in Coulombs, C. What is the Coulomb in base units?
(1 mark)
3. A student writes that force is equal to mass multiplied by velocity, F = mv. Use base units to show that this equation cannot be correct.
(1 mark)
Aquinas College Physics
Induction Research Task
Read ‘Standard Form’ on page 7. 4. The following examples show some very large and very small numbers written in standard form. One or more of the examples are wrong. Identify the wrong examples and in each case write the correct answer. (a) 300, 000, 000 = 3 x 108
Right?
Wrong?
Correction
(b) 150, 000, 000, 000 = 1.5 x 1010
Right?
Wrong?
Correction
(c) 6, 378, 000 = 6.378 x 106
Right?
Wrong?
Correction
(d) 0.000 000 0001 = 1 x 10-10
Right?
Wrong?
Correction
(e) 0. 00153 = 1.53 x 10-3
Right?
Wrong?
Correction
(f) 0. 000 000 4867 = 4.867 x 10-7
Right?
Wrong?
Correction
(g) 0.508 = 5.08 x 10-1
Right?
Wrong?
Correction (7 marks)
5. A sample of iron has a mass of 1600 kg and a volume of 0.02 m . (a) Convert these values into standard form. 3
mass = .............................. kg
volume = ............................. m3
(b) Calculate a value in standard from for the density of iron, using the equation
density = .............................. Units: ..........................
density = mass/
(2 marks)
volume.
(2 marks)
Read ‘Converting Between Units’ on page 8. 6. The length of a wire is 6mm. What is this in m ?
Length = ......................................... m
7. The cross-sectional area of a wire is 0.5 mm . What is this in m ? 2
Area = ........................................... m2
8. The volume of gas in a container is 200 cm . What is this in m ? 3
(1 mark)
2
(1 mark)
3
Volume = ....................................... m3
(1 mark)
Aquinas College Physics
Induction Research Task
Read ‘Properties of Instruments’ on page 9 and ‘Estimating Uncertainty’ on page 10. 9. A bathroom scales measures mass to the nearest kg. When someone stands on it, it takes 2 seconds to settle down to a steady reading. When no one is standing on it, it still gives a reading of 5 kg. Fred gets on the scales and it shows a reading of 85kg. He gets on and off the scale several times and it always gives the same reading. (a) Refer to the properties in the list on page 9 and describe the performance of the scales.
(4 marks)
(b) Calculate the percentage uncertainty in a reading for Fred’s mass.
(1 mark)
Read ‘Analysing Uncertainties’ on pages 10, 11 and 12. 10. The power output P from a torch bulb can be calculated using the equation P = I2R, where I is the current through the bulb and R is the bulb’s resistance. The percentage uncertainty in the value for current is 2% and the uncertainty for resistance R is 1%. What is the percentage uncertainty for power P?
% Uncertainty = .......................................... % (1 mark)
11. A batch of 100 Ω resistors is manufactured with a tolerance of ± 5%. A resistor is selected from the batch. Between which two values will its resistance lie?
Min. value ............................ Ω
Max. value ............................ Ω (2 marks)
Aquinas College Physics
Induction Research Task
Read ‘Why Results Vary’ on pages 12 and 13. 12. Sarah works in the quality control department of a company that makes steel bolts. Part of her job involves selecting a sample of ten bolts and measuring their mass on a scales. The scales measures values to the nearest gramme.
Mass (g)
50
49
52
50
51
50
48
51
50
50
Calculate: (a) The mean mass mean mass = ............................ g
(1 mark)
(b) The range
range = ..................................... g
(1 mark)
(c) The spread
spread = .................................... g
(1 mark)
(d) The spread as a percentage of the mean.
spread = .................................. %
(1 mark)
(e) The percentage uncertainty in a reading of mass from the scale.
% Uncertainty = ..................... % (f) An eleventh bolt is tested. This bolt has a mass of 56 g when placed on the scales.
(i) Explain how Sarah can work out whether or not this bolt can be considered an outlier.
(ii) Is the bolt an outlier?
Aquinas College Physics
(1 mark)
(2 marks)
yes / no
(1 mark)
Induction Research Task
Read ‘What are Vectors?’ and ‘Distance and Displacement’ on page 171. 13. (a) Explain the difference between distance and displacement (in not more than 25 words.)
(b) A fly sits on the rim of a bicycle wheel of radius 40.0cm. The wheel makes a half revolution. Draw a diagram of the fly’s journey and then answer the questions.
(2 marks)
(1 mark)
(i) What is the distance travelled by the fly?
distance travelled = ..................................... m (ii) What is the displacement of the fly?
(1 mark)
displacement = ..................................... m
(1 mark)
14. You should now know that a scalar has only size (magnitude). It has no direction, so can’t be shown by drawing an arrow. (i) Name three scalars. ● ● ● (ii) Name two vectors, other than displacement and velocity. ● ●
(5 marks)
Read ‘Displacement – time graphs’, including the worked example, on pages 166-167. 15. Usain Bolt runs a 100m sprint race. After the starting gun, he accelerates from rest for 5.0s and then runs at constant speed for the rest of the race, crossing the line after a total time of 9.5s (i) Sketch a displacement time graph for Usain’s motion. Label the axes with numerical values give in the question. displacement, s (m)
time, t (s) (3 marks)
(ii) During the first 5.0s, Usain is accelerating so his speed is increasing. How could you use the displacementtime graph from (i) to find a value for his speed 4.0s into the race?
(2 marks)
Read ‘Velocity – time graphs’ on pages 166-170.
16. (i) Sketch a velocity- time graph for Usain’s motion in question 15. Assume that his acceleration during the first 5.0s is uniform (velocity increases at a steady rate with respect to time.) velocity, v (m s-1)
time, t (s) (3 marks)
(ii) Using the graph, what would you do to find Usain’s acceleration in the first 5.0s?
(iii) Using the graph, how would you find the distance travelled by Usain in the first 5.0s?
(1 mark)
(1 mark)
(iv) Calculate Usain’s average velocity for the race.
(1 mark)
17. A ball is thrown vertically upwards. The ball rises to a maximum height and then falls vertically back to the ground, landing in the same spot it was fired from. (i) Sketch a speed-time graph for the motion of the ball. speed (m s-1)
(ii) Sketch a velocity – time graph for the motion of the ball.
time, t (s)
(2 marks)
velocity, v (m s-1)
time, t (s)
(2 marks)
(iii) How could you use the graph in (i) to find the maximum height reached by the ball?
(iv) What would you do to graph (ii) to find a value for acceleration due to gravity?
(2 marks)
(1 mark)
(v) In practice, the speed of the ball when it hits the ground is slightly less than the speed it was thrown up with. Suggest a reason why this is the case.
(2 marks) TOTAL MARKS AVAILABLE: 63