[Science PMR] Exam Overview The PMR science exam consists of two papers:

Paper 1 (40 marks)

40 objective questions. One hour to complete the paper. Cover all 27 Science topics from Form One to Form Three. There will be at least one question from each topic. The questions are broken down into:
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50% easy questions; that is about 20 questions. 30% moderate questions; that is about 12 questions. 20% difficult question; that is about eight questions.

Paper 2 (60 marks)

Section A consists of six questions for 40 marks. Section B consists of two questions for 20 marks. Only questions from selected topics will be asked. Answers can be written all in English or all in Bahasa Melayu or a combination of both language [Please do not combine both languages in the same sentence!]

You may answer part of the question in one language and the other part in the other language.

The questions are broken down into:

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50% easy questions; that is about 30 marks. 30% moderate questions; that is about 18 marks. 20% difficult questions; that is about 12 marks.

The type of questions commonly asked in Paper 2 are:

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Labelling questions Classification Questions based on experiments Chemical tests Calculation

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Principles of science Drawing Structured questions General questions

[Science PMR] Exam Pointers I A group of students carried out an experiment, using a spring and a set of slotted weights as shown in the diagram below, to investigate the relationship between the length of the spring and the weight.

Number of slotted weights 1 2 3 4 5 Table 1

Extension of spring / cm 10 20 30 40 50

1. State the variables that are involved in the experiment

Manipulated variable => Number of slotted weights. Common error: Students only write "weights". You must write out the answer in full.

Responding variable => Extension of the spring. Common error: Students only write "spring". You must write out the answer in full.

Constant variable => The type of slotted weight/type of spring. Common error: "Retort stand" is not acceptable. The answer should be the variable that when changed will affect the reading.

Tutor's comment: Look at the table 1, the first column is the manipulated variable and the second column is the responding variable.

2. What is the aim of this experiment? Answer: To investigate the relationship between the number of slotted weights and the extension of the spring. Tutor's comment: It is to investigate the relationship between the manipulated variable and the responding variable.

3. What is the inference that you can make based on this experiment? Answer: The extension of the spring depends on / is determined by the number of slotted weights. Tutor's comment: The changes in the responding variable depends on the changes in the manipulated variable.

4. What is the relationship between the force applied to the spring and the extension of the spring? Answer: When the force applied to the spring increases, the extension of the spring increases.

5. Based on the data, draw a graph to show the relationship between the length of the spring and the number of slotted weights.

Tutor's comment: Use a pencil when drawing the graph. If the question did not specify which type of graph to draw, draw a line graph. 6. Predict the length of the spring if 6 slotted weights are used. Answer: 60cm

Tutor's comment: Draw the corresponding lines on your graph and get the reading from the graph. 7. What conclusion can be drawn from the experiment? Answer: When the number of slotted weights increases, the extension of the spring also increases.

Tutor's comment: The conclusion will be the same as your hypothesis, that is "When the manipulated variable increase/decreases, the responding variable will increase/decrease."

[Science PMR] The Experiment Question The last question in Paper 2 is usually question number 8, which carries 12 marks. This question will be based on an experiment where you have to write down:

Readings [Make sure the unit of measurement you use is correct] Variables
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Constant variable [This is the fixed variable] Manipulated variable [This is the factor that is changed in the experiment to get the specific result. ie: Length of wire (cm)]

Responding variable [This comes from the readings or the results of the experiment. ie: Ammeter reading]

Aim of experiment
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Example: To study/investigate the relationship between the manipulated and the responding variable.

Hypothesis
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This shows the relationship between the manipulated and the responding variable. Writing format: "When the manipulated variable increases/decreases, the responding variable will increase/decrease."

Observation
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What can be observed or what you can see.

Plot a line or bar chart Prediction

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This will be based on your graph, where you have to predict a reading for the responding variable when given a value for the manipulated variable.

Example of a question: From the graph, find out the value of T when the mass is 10g.

Inference
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This is the early conclusion based on your observations. Example: The change in the responding variable depends on the manipulated variable.

Conclusion This is the same as the hypothesis.

Note: It is very important to get your manipulated variable and the responding variable correct! [Science Form 3] Units of Electricity Volts (V)

Voltage can be compared to the pressure of water in a hose. The higher the pressure, the faster the water will flow through the hose.

Similarly, the higher the voltage of electricity, the faster it will flow from the source of the electricity to an end user.

A volt, or the unit of voltage, is a common electrical measurement. It is used, for example, to discuss the transmission of electricity from power plants to end users. Ohms

Ohm measure resistance and can be compared to the diameter measurement of a hose. A smaller diameter hose will allow less water to flow through than a larger diameter hose.

Similarly, a thinner wire increases resistance, causing a lesser amount of electricity to be transmitted because it is encountering resistance in the wire.

To reduce resistance, certain metals, such as copper, which allows electrons to flow easily, are used to conduct electricity. Amperes (A)

Amperes can be compared to the volume of water that flows through a hose. The volume of water that flows past a certain point in a specific amount of time can be measured.

Similarly, amperes measure the number of electrons that pass a specific point within a certain amount of time (rate of current) in a circuit. One ampere is equivalent to approximately 6.25 X 10 18 electrons passing by a specific point in one second.

The rate of the electric current is dependent upon the voltage and resistance. A circuit with high voltage and low resistance will have more amperes (greater number of electrons passing through the circuit) than a circuit with low voltage and higher resistance. The former example has more power than the latter.

It is important to measure the amount of amperes in a circuit because it can help calculate the amount of power consumption or output of a circuit. Ohm's Law 1. Ohm's Law is used to describe the mathematical relationship between electric current, voltage and resistance. 2. We can arrange Ohm's Law depending on which component we are trying to find out.
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I = V/R V=IxR R = V/I

3. All these variations of Ohm's Law are mathematically equal to one another... Measuring of;
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Current (I)

Method: Ammeter Unit= Amperes (A) # The ammeter is connected in series to a circuit. The movement of the ammeter needle shows that current is flowing in the circuit.

Voltage (V)

Method: Voltmeter Unit: Volts (V) # The voltmeter is connected in parallel to a circuit when measuring voltage.

Resistance

Method: Resistor Unit: Ohm # The higher the resistance, the bigger the ohm value in a resistor.