Required Practicals

Question 1

Investigating Force and Extension

Answer 1

1. Attach a ruler and a spring vertically to a clamp and stand.
2. Attach, a mass hanger and a pointer to the spring. You will also attach masses, above the pointer, to the spring through the experiment.
3. Align the pointer to a value on the ruler. This is the initial spring length.
4. Add a mass to the spring.
5. Record the mass and the position on the ruler now that the spring has extended.
6. Do the same with another mass.
7. Repeat until all the masses have been added.
8. Remove all the masses and repeat the experiment twice more so you can record the mean value of each increment.

Question 2

Investigating Force and Acceleration

Answer 2

1. Use a meter rule to create suitable increments along a table. Eg. Every 0.2m.
2. Attach the pulley to the end of the bench.
3. Tie some string to the trolley and , passing it over the pulley, attach a mass hanger to the other end.
4. Make sure the string is parallel to the table and in line with the trolley.
5. Put the trolley at the start point.
6. Attach the full set of weights to the mass hanger.
7. Release the trolley the same time the stopwatch has begun.
8. Record the time at each interval and at the end in lap mode.
9. Record the results in a table and repeat steps 7 and 8 to calculate a mean for each interval.
10. Repeat steps 5-9 with decreasing weights, ensuring you add each mass you take off to the top of the car, securing it with some sort of adhesive. This ensures the mass of the system is constant.