MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, BOTSWANA

in collaboration with
UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE LOCAL EXAMINATIONS SYNDICATE
Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education
PHYSICS 057114
PAPER 4 Practical Test
Thursday 2 NOVEMBER 2OOO 2 hours
Candidates answer on the enclosed answer booklet.
Additional materials:
As listed in lnstructions to Supervisors
Electronic calculator and/or Mathematical tables
300 mm rule

TIME 2 hours

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
Write your name, Centre number and candidate number in the spaces provided on the answer booklet.
Answer all questions.
write your answers in the spaces provided on the answer booklet.
You are expected to record all your observations as soon as these observations are made. These
observations and any arithmetical working of the answers from them should be written in the answer
booklet; scrap paper should not be used.
An account of the method of carrying out the experiments is not required but you should record any
precautions you take, and it must be clear (by diagrams or otherwise) how the readings were obtained.
The theory of the experiments is not required.
At the end of the examination, hand in only the answer booklet.

INFORMATION FOR CANDTDATES

Graph paper is provided in the enclosed answer booklet. Additional sheets of graph paper should be
used only if it is necessary to do so.

This question paper consists of 6 printed pages, 2 blank pages and an inserted answer Oooftet.
 2

ln this experiment, you will determine the volume of a drinking straw.

finger or thumb

V/

Fig. 1.1 Fig. 1.2

You are supplied with two measuring cylinders. You are asked to use one of them to measure a
volume of water that would fill a drinking straw.

(a) (i) On page 2 of your Answer Booklet, write down which measuring cylinder ('10cm3 or
100cm3) you will use to give the more accurate result.
(ii) Explain your choice of measuring cylinder.

(b) (i) Measure and record the length /, in cm, of the drinking straw.
(ii) Measure and record the distance /o, in cm, between the mark on the straw and the end
of the straw nearer the mark, as shown in Fig. 1.1. \,
(c) (i) lnsert the straw into the beaker of water, such that the water level inside the straw is up
to the mark.

(ii) Close the top of the straw with your thumb or finger, as shown in Fig. 1.2.
(iii) With your thumb or finger still closing the straq remove the straw from the beaker and
transfer the water in the straw to your chosen measuring cylinder.

(d) Repeat the steps in (c) until you have transferred water from the beaker to the measuring
cylinder five times.

(e) Measure and record the volume V,, of water in the measuring cylinder.

(f) Calculate the volume Vo, of water that occupies the length /o of the straw.

(g) Calculate the volume % of the straw using the equation

vol
v=
lo
 3
ln this experiment, you will investigate the relationship between the
resistance.
length of a wire and its

The circuit in Fig. 2.1 has been connected for you.

Fig.2.1
v (a) Switch on. On page 3 of your answer booklet, record the current
/ in the circuit.
(b) (i) Place the jockey on the wire at a distance I Zo.ocm from
= end X as shown in Fig. p.1. ln
your answer booklet record the voltage V, across the wire
in the table provideo oI page 3
of your answer booklet.
(ii) Repeat instruction in (i) for I = 4o.0cm, 6o.0cm, 80.0cm and 100.0cm. Record the
conesponding values of t/.
(iii) calculate the resistance a for each nalue of / using the equation R
values of R in the table. = t//. Record the

(c) Using your results, comment on the relationship between the length
of the wire and its
resistance.

V
 4

ln this experiment, you will determine the refractive index of the material of a transparent block"
Carry out the following instructions referring to Fig. 3.1.

1
I
)

/
1,, \
eye
position , ,/', x position 2

\\
eye
V
Fig.3.1

(a) (i) On the plain paper provided, draw a straight line XY near the top of the paper as shown
in Fig. 3.1.
(ia) Place the transparent block flat on the paper with one of the longest sides along the line
xY.
(iii) Draw the outline of the block ABCD as shown in Fig. 3.1.
(iv) Mark the point R at the mid point of side AB.
(b) (i) Place the paper on the pin board and the transparent block on the outline ABCD.
(ii) Place a pin vertically at point R. Keep the pin in this position throughout the experiment.

(c) (i) With your eye at position 1, as shown in Fig. 3.1, look through the block so that you can
see the image of the pin at R. v
(ii) Place two pins, P, and P, such that P.,, P, and the image of the pin at R appear in a
straight line, one behind the other.
(iii) Mark the positions of P., and Pr.

(d) Repeat the steps in (c) but with your eye at eye position 2, as shown in Fig. 3.1.
 5

(e) (i) Remove the pins and the btock.

(ii) For position 1, draw a line through the positions of P., and P, and continue the line until it
meets AB.
(iii) Repeat (ii) for position 2.
(iv) Mark the position E where the two lines from positions 1 and 2 meet, as shown in
Fig. 3.1.

(v) Measure the perpendicular distance x from CD to point E. Record x and all other
readings on page 4 of your Answer Booklet.
(vi) Measure and record the width yof the block as shown in Fig. 8.1.

(f) (i) Calculate the refractive index n of the material of the block using the equation

n= L-
x

Attach your paper into the answer booklet in front of page 5.

.V

V
 6

ln this experiment, you will determine the spring constant of a spring.

Fig.4.1 Fig- 4-2

(a) (i) Arrange the apparatus as shown in Fig. 4.'1.

(ii) Hang a 1O0g mass (use the mass hanger with no additional masses) on the end of the
spring. Record the mass In = 1009 and all other readings on page 6 of your answer
v
booklet-
(iii) Pullthe mass downwards a distance of about 0.5cm. Release the mass so that it moves
up and down.
(iv) Measure and record the time tro taken for 10 oscillations of the mass. Fig.4.2 shows one
complete oscillation.
(v) Calculate and record the time ftaken for 1 oscillation.
(vi) Calculate and record 72.
(b) Repeat instructions (aXii) to (vi) using additional masses on the mass hangerto obtain a total
of five sets of readings of m, tro and the corresponding values of T and F-

(c) Plot a graph ot Tzts2 (y-axis) against rrlg (x-axis).

(d) (i) Determine the gradient G of your graph. Make clear op your graph how you obtained the
values that you used.
v
(ii) Calculate the spring constant k using the equation
x
n=G
where x= 40.
(e) State and explain one precaution that you took.