1
1 A student uses a rule to measure a thin piece of wire as shown in the figure.
wire
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
cm
The student records the length of the wire as 12.8 cm.
State two errors in the student’s measurement of the length of wire.
1. ..............................................................................................................................................
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2. ..............................................................................................................................................
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[Total: 2]
2
2 A student hangs a spring vertically from a hook, as shown in the figure.
12.0 cm 15.0 cm
2.0 N
Describe how the length of the spring can be measured accurately, after it has been hung from the
hook.
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.................................................................................................................................................. [3]
[Total: 3]
3
3 Four school athletes are about to run a 100 m race, as shown in the figure below.
starter
starting pistol
timekeeper
100 m A
B
winning line
The runners start at A, when the starter fires the starting pistol, and they finish at B.
The timing instrument is known to work correctly.
What might cause the timekeeper to introduce an inaccuracy into the timing of the race?
.................................................................................................................................................. [1]
[Total: 1]
4 An IGCSE student is taking measurements of a pencil.
The figure shows the pencil, drawn full size.
pencil sharpened section
x y
l
4
(a) Describe how you would use a length of string and a rule to determine the circumference c of
the unsharpened section of the pencil.
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........................................................................................................................................... [2]
(b) The student’s value for the circumference is c = 2.4 cm.
Suggest a source of inaccuracy in determining the circumference of the pencil.
...........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................... [1]
[Total: 3]
5 An IGCSE student is investigating the average speed of a toy car travelling down a slope.
She releases the toy car on the slope. She uses a stopwatch to measure the time taken for the car
to travel down part of the slope. The figure shows the slope.
l
h
support
bench
slope
The student tries to determine the time that the toy car takes to travel a distance down the slope.
Make three suggestions about what she could do to ensure that the distance travelled and the time
taken by the toy car are measured as reliably as possible.
1. ..............................................................................................................................................
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2. ..............................................................................................................................................
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3. ..............................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................................. [3]
5
[Total: 3]
6 A student is measuring the time period (the time for one complete oscillation) of a pendulum.
The student uses a stopwatch to measure the time taken for 50 periods of a pendulum.
The diagram shows the time taken on the stopwatch.
Calculate the time for one period of the pendulum. Give your answer to 3 significant figures.
time for one period = .............................................. s [3]
[Total: 3]
