2/20/2016

O'LevelsRevisionGuide:PhysicsATPNotes

PhysicsATPNotes
Q1.Howtocheckforzeroerrorina:
(i)Verniercaliper
(ii)Micrometerscrewgauge
(iii)Meterrule
(iv)Stopwatch
Ans:
(i) Close the jaws of the vernier caliper fully. When the zeros of both MAIN
SCALEandVERNIERSCALEarenotalignedtogether,thezeroerrorispresent.
(ii)Beforeplacinganobject,turnthethimbleuntilthespindleandanvilmeet.If
thereadingonthethimbleisnotallignedwiththezeromarkonthedatumline,
azeroerrorispresent.
(iii)Refertothis.
(iv)Justcheckwhatthestopwatchreadsonreset.Ifitisn't00:00,azeroerror
ispresent.Readingsaresubtractedaccordingly.
Q2/3.Howtocheckforzeroerrorina:
(i)Voltmeter
(iiAmmeter?
Ans: For both of them, disconnect them (from the circuit) and check if the
pointerispointingatthezeromarkonthescale.Iftheyaren't,azeroerroris
present.
Q4/5. Why the pointer reading ammeter/voltmeter is gently tapped before
takingareading?
http://revisionguide.blogspot.com/2011/08/physicsatpnotes.html

1/11

2/20/2016

O'LevelsRevisionGuide:PhysicsATPNotes

Ans:Toreducethefrictionbetweentheneedleandthepivot.
Q6. When making a ray diagram, why should rays and normal be as thin as
possible?
Ans:Thinlinesmakeitpossibletoobtainprecisereadings;withthicklinesitis
difficulttomeasureaccurateangles(ofincidence,reflectionetc.).
Q7.Whatisthepurposeofarachetinamicrometer?
Ans:Topreventunduepressurefrombeingexerted.
Q8.Aliquidreachingthemaximumtemperaturequickly.Giveonereason.
Ans: It is due to convectional currents. The water expands and gains heat
energyanditsdensitylowersdown,anditmovesupwardsandthelowerpart
oftheapparatusisreplacedbycoldwaterwhichhashigherdensity.
Q9.Whyisthetemperature20Cmarkedonthemeasuringcylinder?
Ans:Thescaleonthecylinderiscalibratedtogiveaccuratereadingswhenthe
liquidisat20C.
Q10.Whyanimageismeasuredfromapositionbehindthescreenratherthan
front?
Ans: If it was measured from the front, it would block the rays of light and
disturbtheapparatus.
Q11:WHATISAMEANTGOODELECTRICALCONNECTION?
Ans: It means that the components are connected properly and are tightly
screwedinthecircuit.Thisalsoreducesthecircuit'sinternalresistance.
Q14:STATEONEPRECAUTION,OTHERTHANAVOIDINGPARALLAXERRORTHAT
SHOULD TAKE WHEN USING A SCHOOL LAB THERMOMETER, TO ENSURE
http://revisionguide.blogspot.com/2011/08/physicsatpnotes.html

2/11

2/20/2016

O'LevelsRevisionGuide:PhysicsATPNotes

ACCURATEMEASUREMENTOFTEMPERATURE?
Ans: Check the mercury level when the reading becomes steady. If the
thermometerisinaliquid,makesureitis1/3rdimmersedandthattheliquidis
stirredbeforetakingthereading.
Q16: WHAT IS THE AFFECT OF LENGTH OR MASS ON TIME PERIOD OF
PENDULUM?
Ans:LengthTheperiodofapendulumincreaseswithlength.
MassNoeffect.
Q17:WHATARETHECONDITIONSTOGETACCURATEFIXEDPOINTS?
Ans:Immerse1/3rdofthethermometerintothefunnelcontainingice,avoid
parallax error when reading the temperature on the thermometer, use ice
shavingstoensuregoodcontactbetweenthebulbofthethermometerandthe
ice,waitforthetemperaturetobecomesteadybeforetakingthereading,etc.
Icepointis0Candsteampointis100C.
Q18: WHY WHILE DETERMINING THE BOILING POINT OF WATER,
THERMOMETERISHELDINSTEAM?
Ans:Becausethesteamispureandhasspecificmeltingpoint.Ifthereadingis
takenfromthewater,itmaynotaccurateaswatermaynotbepure.
Q20:WHATOBSERVATIONMADEDURINGTHEEXPERIMENTWOULDCONFIRM
THATTHEGIVENMETALISAGOODCONDUCTOROFHEAT?
Ans:ExperimentUsing4rods(copper,iron,glassandwood)whichhavethe
samedimensions,coatoneendoftherodsevenlywithwax.Thenfillatrayof
water in boiling water and submerge the end of the rods in the tray. From
observation, the wax melts the farthest along the copper rod, showing that
copper(ametal)isagoodconductorofheatwhiletheotherrods(insulators)
arepoorconductorsofheat.
http://revisionguide.blogspot.com/2011/08/physicsatpnotes.html

3/11

2/20/2016

O'LevelsRevisionGuide:PhysicsATPNotes

Q22:WHATISTHEPUPOSEOFLAGGING?
Ans:Laggingisdonetoprovideheatinsulation(inboilers,pipesetc.)andtrap
heatfromescaping.
Q23: HOW YOU MIGHT CHECK THAT YOU HAVE MADE GOOD ELECTRICAL
CONNECTIONS?
Ans: Ensure that all components are screwed in tightly and that they work
properly. If the resistance of the circuit is low, the electrical connection is
usuallygood.
Q24:GIVEAREASONFORMAKINGTHELENGTH OFEACHNORMALATLEAST
6CM?
Ans:Thiswillhelpinmeasuringanglesaccuratelyastheradiusofaprotractor
isnormally6cm.
Q25:WHATADVANTAGEISTHEREINUSINGTRACINGPAPERFORTHESCREEN?
Ans:Theimageoftheobjectcanbeviewedwithoutobstructionoflight.Also,
thesizeoftheimagecanbeconvenientlymeasuredbyusingametreruleon
thebackofthetracingpaperwithoutdisturbingtheapparatus.
Q26:WHYTHEEYENOTPLACEDTOOCLOSETOTHEENDOFTHERULE?
Ans:Iftheobjectistooclose,thedistancebetweentheobjectandretinaislow
andhencetheimageoftheobjectisnotformedontheretina,sowecannot
seetheobjectclearly.
Q27: WHAT WOULD BE THE EFFECT ON THE IMAGE IF THE CENTRE OF THE
OBJECTANDTHECENTREOFTHELENSARENOTATTHESAMEHEIGHT?
Ans:Iftheyaren'tparalleltoeachother,theimagewillbepartialorblurred.

http://revisionguide.blogspot.com/2011/08/physicsatpnotes.html

4/11

2/20/2016

O'LevelsRevisionGuide:PhysicsATPNotes

Q28:WHATISTHEPURPOSEOFVARIABLERESISTOR?
Ans:Toadjustthecurrentinthecircuit.
Q30:BEFORECLOSINGTHESWITCH,WHYISTHERHEOSTATADJUSTEDTOITS
MAXIMUMVALUE?
Ans:Thismakessureminimumcurrentflowsinthecircuit,sowhenthecircuit
isclosedtheammeterdoesn'tgetdamaged.
Q31:WHYISACOMPASSTAPPEDWHENBEINGUSED?
Ans:Toeliminatefrictiononthecompassneedle.
Q32:WHATISTHEADVANTAGEOFUSINGSMALLERCOMPASS?
Ans:Itiscanbeusedtoalligntheweakmagneticfields.
Q33: WHY SHOULD CARD MOVE FREELY ON THE PIVOT? (referring to a card
beinghungfromaholeonasupport)
Ans: To ensure the card does not stick to the pivot due to friction (which
ensuresthatthecardishanginginequilibriumposition).
Q34:WHATISPLUMBLINE?
Ans: A line from which a weight is suspended to determine the depth or
verticality.
Q35:WHYTHEPLUMBLINESHOULDHANGSOTHATITALMOSTTOUCHESTHE
CARD?
Ans:Thiswillhelpinavoidingparallaxerror.
Q37:WHATISTHEMEANINGOFOFCWRITTENONATHERMOMETER?
Ans:ItmeansthetemperatureismeasuredinCelcicus.

http://revisionguide.blogspot.com/2011/08/physicsatpnotes.html

5/11

2/20/2016

O'LevelsRevisionGuide:PhysicsATPNotes

Q38:WHATPRECAUTIONSARETOBETAKENWHILEMAKINGACIRCUIT?
Ans: Ensure that all connections are tight, make sure the components are
functionalandclean,useaDCsupplywithlowvoltage(tominimizepotential
hazards),makesurethepowersupplyhasaratingnearlyequaltothelampor
bulb,makesureammeterisinseriesandvoltmeterisinparallel,etc.
Q39:WHATISAJOCKEY?
Ans:Ajockeyisametalsliderthatwearsawayalineoftheinsulationsoitcan
makeelectricalcontactwiththemetalunderneath.
Q40:HOWWOULDYOUCLEANTHEDIRTYJOCKY?
Ans:Rubthejockeywithsandpaper.
Q41:HOWCOULDLIDHELPSTOKEEPTHECONTENTSOFLAGGEDCONTAINER
FROZEN?
Ans:Itpreventsheatfromthesurroundingsenteringthecontainer.
Q42: WHY THERMOMETER HELD IN STEAM FOR DETERMINING THE UPPER
FIXEDPOINTOFTHERMOMETER?
Ans:Becausethesteamispureandhasspecificmeltingpoint.Ifthereadingis
takenfromthewater,itmaynotaccurateaswatermaynotbepure.
Q43:WHATCOULDCAUSETHEPOINTERTOATPOSITIONBELOW0?
Ans:Byreversingthepolarity..
Q44:STATETHEPRECAUTIONSWHILETAKINGAREADINGFROM
i.Voltmeter
ii.Ammeter
Ans:Checkforzeroerror,tapthembeforetakingthereading,avoidparallax
error,etc.
http://revisionguide.blogspot.com/2011/08/physicsatpnotes.html

6/11

2/20/2016

O'LevelsRevisionGuide:PhysicsATPNotes

Q45: WHAT WILL BE THE EFFECT ON THE CIRCUIT IF THE DIRTY JOCKEY IS
USED?
Ans: A dirty jockey will hinder the flow of current in the circuit BECAUSE the
resistancewillincreasedramatically.
Q46:HOWWILLYOURECORDREADINGS?
Ans:Usingtheappropriate instruments,thereadingsarerecordedandnoted
(onapieceofpaper,etc.)
Q47:HOWWILLYOUDISPLAY/REPRESENTYOURREADING?
Ans:Therelevantquantitiescanbetabulated.
Q48:HOWWILLYOUFINDRESULTFROMYOURREPRESENTEDREADINGS?
Ans:Agraphcanbeplottedbetweentherelevantquantitiesandresultscanbe
obtainedbydeducingdatafromthegraph(e.g.averages,aquantityfromthe
graph,etc.).
Q49:WHATPRECAUTIONSWOULDYOUTAKEWHILETAKINGREADINGSFROM
MEASURINGINSTRUMENTS?(GENERALPRECAUTIONS)
Ans:Avoidparallaxerror,waitforasteadyreading,remembertoadd/subtract
iftherearezeroerrors,etc.
Q50:WHATISANOSCILLATION?
Ans:Theprocessofthebobswingingbackandforthsteadilyandcomingback
toitsoriginalposition.
Q52:HOWWILLYOUNEASURETHELENGTHOFAPENDULUM?
Ans: Using a meter rule and setsquare. Place the meter rule close to the
threadandnotethelengthoftheupperandlowerendsofthependulum(l1
http://revisionguide.blogspot.com/2011/08/physicsatpnotes.html

7/11

2/20/2016

O'LevelsRevisionGuide:PhysicsATPNotes

andl2).Thelengthliscalculatedbyl2l1.
Q53:WHATISTHEUSEOFSETSQUARE?
Ans:Theyareusedtoalligntherulertogetthecorrectreading.Theyhelpto
avoidparallaxerrors.
Q55:WHATISAMEASUREMENT?
Ans:Thesize,amountofdegreeofaphysicalquantity.
Q56/57:Whatisanaccurate/precisereading?
Ans:Accuracythemeasureofhowcloseyouaretothetrueanswer.
Precisionthemeasureofhowcloselyallyourindividualmeasurementmatch
eachother.
Q58/59/61:Defineresponsiveness,rangeandsensitivityofathermometer.
Ans:RangeTheminimumandmaximumtemperaturesthatthethermometer
canmeasure.
Sensitivity It is the length of increase of the liquid per degree rise in
temperature.
Responsiveness How quickly the thermometer can register a change in
temperature.
Q60/62:Howcanweincreasetheresponsiveness,rangeandsensitivityofthe
thermometer?
Ans:
Toincreaserange:
(a)makethethermometerstemlonger
(b)makethebore(capillary)bigger
(c)usealiquidwithalowerexpansivity
http://revisionguide.blogspot.com/2011/08/physicsatpnotes.html

8/11

2/20/2016

O'LevelsRevisionGuide:PhysicsATPNotes

Toincreasesensitivity:
(a)maketheboresmaller
(b)useabiggerbulb
(c)usealiquidwithahigherexpansivity
Toincreaseresponsiveness:
(a)useathinglassbulb
(b)usealiquidthatconductsheatbetter

Q63:WHYTHEBOREOFCAPILLARYTUBEISUNIFORM?
Ans: This improves the thermometer's sensitivity (by giving a large change in
lengthofthemercurythreadforasmallchangeintemperature).
Q64:WHYTHEWALLSOFLONGTUBEABOVETHEBULBAREMADETHICK?
Ans:Actsasamagnifyingglasstoeasilyreadthemercurythreadinthestem.
Q65:WHATISTHEADVANTAGEOFSMALLSIZEOFTHERMOMETER?
Ans:Itmakesitcheaptoproduce,portable,etc.
Q66:WHYTHEMERCURYISCONTAINEDINATHINWALLGLASSBULB?
Ans:Thisallowsforrapidconductionofheatthroughthethinglasswalltothe
mercurycontainedinthebulb.
Q67: WHAT IS THE PUPOSE OF CONSTRICTION IN THE CLINICAL
THERMOMETER?
Ans:Theconstrictionpreventsmercuryfromflowingbackintothebulb.
Q68:WHATDOESTHESTATEMENTMEAN,THATTHESCALEOFTHERMOMETER
http://revisionguide.blogspot.com/2011/08/physicsatpnotes.html

9/11

2/20/2016

O'LevelsRevisionGuide:PhysicsATPNotes

ISLINEAR?
Ans:Itistheuniformexpansionofliquidtotemperature.
Q69: WHY THE CROSSSECTION OF THE STEM OF THERMOMETER IS PEAR
SHAPED?
Ans: This acts as a magnifying glass in one direction for easy reading of the
mercurythread.
Q.Whatfactorstoconsiderbeforemeasuringsomething?
Ans: The magnitude should not exceed the limit of the instrument, and the
instrumentmustbesensitiveenoughtodetectameaningfulmeasurement.
Q.Whenironfillingsareused,whymustthecurrentbelarge?
Ans:Sothatthefieldisstrongerandhencethefieldcanbedetected.
Q.Whymustsmallerfillingsbeused?
Ans:Sothattheweakermagneticfieldsarealsoshown.
Q.Whymusttheoscillationsbecountedfromcenterofswing?
Ans:Thechainismovingthefastestatthecenterofswing.
Q.Suggestasuitablenumberofoscillations,withreason.
Ans:20.Thetimeforoneoscillationistooshorttoobtainanaccuratereading
andso20oscillationsaretimedinstead.
Q.Whyisthereadinginapendulumrepeated?
Ans:Thiswillhelpensureamoreaccurateaveragevalueforoneoscillation(T).
Q.Whyisoilstirredduringheating?
Ans:Togiveuniformheatingtothemixture.
http://revisionguide.blogspot.com/2011/08/physicsatpnotes.html

10/11

2/20/2016

O'LevelsRevisionGuide:PhysicsATPNotes

Q.Whyistheoilheatedgently?
Ans:Sothatanequalchangeinthetemperaturewillresultinasmallchangeof
temperatureintheoil.

http://revisionguide.blogspot.com/2011/08/physicsatpnotes.html

11/11