YOUR FIRST AID: JUST BEFORE YOU START ANY PRACTICAL

Tips for Physics Practical Exams


The following guidelines are designed to help you as much as possible to give the points the examiners want. If you get a chance, it's a good idea to read through a mark scheme and the examiner's comments. Also, there is no substitute for practice: do as many past exams as you can!

experiment 01: DATA MANIPULATION

The significant figures of a number are digits that carry meaning contributing to its measurement resolution. This includes all digitsexcept:

experiment 02: MEASUREMENT OF DENSITY

Whenever you make a measurement while collecting data, you can assume that there's a "true value" that falls within the range of the measurements you made. To calculate the uncertainty of your measurements, you'll need to find the best estimate of your measurement and consider the results when you add or subtract the measurement of uncertainty. If you want to know how to calculate uncertainty, just follow these steps.

experiment 03: FORCES OF EQUILIBRIUM

experiment 04: The simple pendulum

experiment 05: THE SPIRAL SPRING

experiment 06: COEFFICIENTS OF STATIC AND DYNAMICS FRICTION

Purpose

 

In this experiment we will determine the coefficients of kinetic and static friction for a block of wood on a wood plank, and the static friction coefficients for glass and other materials.  We will also test the hypothesis that the force of friction does not depend on the amount of surface area in contact. 

experiment 07: CANTILEVER

Procedure

experiment 08: BIFILAR SUSPENSION

AIM: To determine the moment of inertia of a horizontal rectangular drop bar about its center of mass using the bifilar suspension technique.

experiment 09: surface tension of water by capillary tube method

Apparatus:

Set of three glass capillary tubes- one of 0.5 mm diameter. One of greater and one of less diameter; dilute nitric acid, dilute caustic soda solution, traveling microscope or glass scale, rubber bands, beaker, stand and clamp, thermometer.

experiment 10: Compound Pendulum

OBJECT: To study the properties of a compound pendulum, and to determine the acceleration due to gravity by the use of such a pendulum.

experiment 11:Moment Of Inertia

experiment 12: refractive index

Aim. 1- To investigate the relationship between the angle of incidence (i) and the angle of refraction (r)
2- To determine the refractive index of a transparent solid medium e.g. perspex or glass.

experiment 13: focal length of a concave lens

Requirements: An optical bench with uprights for holding lens, mirror and two needles, two needles (pins), a thin convex lens, a convex mirror, index needle (may be a knitting needle or a pencil sharply pointed at both ends), a meter scale and a spirit level.

experiment 14: MICROSCOPE

A microscope is a device used to see small object much magnified at the least distance of distinct vision.

experiment 15: THE FOCAL LENGTH OF A CONVEX LENS

Experiments to measure the focal length of a converging lens

experiment 16: DETERMINATION OF RADIUS OF CURVATURE OF CONVEX LENS SURFACES AND REFRACTIVE INDEX

Materials Required
Spherometer
Glass strip
Concave surface

experiment 17: VELOCITY OF SOUND BY MEANS OF A RESONANCE TUBE CLOSED AT ONE END

Preparation: a) Read about resonance in tubes closed at one end. In particular, you should be aware of the fact that the speed of sound in a tube is NOT the same as the speed of sound in open air.

experiment 18: INVESTIGATION OF VARIATION OF FREQUENCY OF A STRETCHED STRING

Apparatus:
Signal generator, U-magnet, sonometer with a newton balance or tensionometer (0 to 50 N) and tension key. Safety note: Wear safety goggles in case the sonometer wire snaps.

EXPERIMENT19:E.M.F.s AND INTERNAL RESISTANCE OF CELLS

To determine the internal resistance of a cell E using potentiometer, we will be studying the circuit as shown below.

experiment 20: OHMs LAW AND RESISTIVITY

Finding the Resistance of a Voltmeter




Today, I am sharing a method of finding the resistance of a voltmeter by a drawing graph between RH & 1/V. I performed this experiment in university lab.

The purpose of sharing this experiment process is to help fellow students for preparation of their Physics lab manuals.


Finding the resistance of voltmeter by drawing graph between RH & 1/V

Apparatus: DC voltmeter of unknown resistance, Power Supply, Resistance Box, Key, Connecting Wires.


Procedure:
First of all I connect power supply, voltmeter, high resistance box and key in series as shown in figure.
The power supply has greater e.m.f than range of voltmeter.
I connected the circuit to the DC power supply by closing the key K.


I adjusted the resistance (R) of HRB in such a way that there were deflections on the scale of voltmeter.
To get multiple values I changed the resistance of H.R.B several times.
Find out I/V reading and then plot graph between resistance ‘R’ of resistance box and I/V by taking ‘R’ on x-axis and I/v on y-axis.
Extend this line backwards. It will intersect x-axis on –ive side.

Least count of voltmeter = Lc = Vv/Nv

Vv = Maximum voltage on scale of voltmeter.

Nv = Total number of division on scale of voltmeter.
Observations and Calculations:


This is all for finding the resistance of a voltmeter.


SOURCE: PAKTRON.NET

experiment 21: MAGNETIC FLUX PATTERNS

When a permanent record of a magnetic field is required the magnetic flux pattern may be traced out by means of a plotting compass. This consists of a very small magnetic needle pivoted between two glass discs in a brass case (Fig. 31.2). Fig. 31.3
shows how the compass is used. NS is a bar magnet placed on a sheet of white paper. Starting near one pole of the magnet, the position of the ends, n, s of the needle are

experiment 22: CHANGE OF STATE-LATENT HEAT

Melting Point Determination


 The normal melting point of a solid is defined as the temperature at which the solid and liquid are in equilibrium at a total pressure of 1 atmosphere.
 In contrast to the volume change that accompanies the vaporization of a liquid, the change in volume that takes place upon the melting of a solid is very small.

experiment 23: SPECIIFIC HEAT OF LIQUID

The Specific Heat of a Liquid
Purpose: To experimentally determine the specific heat of ethyl alcohol.
Principles: Heat is a form of energy which can pass spontaneously from an object at a higher
temperature to an object at a lower temperature. One of the properties of matter is that when heat
flows into a substance, the temperature is raised; if heat is withdrawn, the temperature is lowered
(provided that there is no change in state).

experiment 24: SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITY OF SOLID

 OBJECTIVE: To determine the specific heat of various solids by the method of heat transfer. APPARTUS: Calorimeter with stirrer weighing scale Thermometer boiler (beaker and hotplate) Small pieces of ice two metal solids (made of different materials) Paper towels
INTRODUCTION: Heat capacity of a body is the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of the body by 1o C. The specific heat of a substance is the heat capacity per unit mass. Thus, heat capacity = mass x specific heat. T

experiment 25: THE TANGENT GALVANOMETER

AIM :
To determine the value of H with the help of a tangent galvanometer.


APPARATUS :
A tangent galvanometer, an ammeter, a battery, a simple key, a rheostat, a reversible key and a spirit level.


PRECAUTIONS
1) Keep the tangent galvanometer away from an ammeter.
2) The circular platform must be properly leveled horizontally.
3) Before taking the reading of the pointer of a tangent galvanometer, the sight should be so adjusted that the pointer and its image in the mirror, become collinear.
4) The rheostat should be so adjusted that the deflection is between 300 and 600.
5) The coil of the tangent galvanometer should be adjusted parallel to the magnetic field of the earth.



Apparatus for Tangent Galvanometer Practical


Line Digram for Tangent Galvanometer


Insert Key.

Tangent Galvanometer Procedure


Connect reversible key and adjust rheostat.
Note down reading of Tangent Galvanometer, and ammeter.

Tangent Galvanometer Procedure

experiment 26: DEFLECTION MAGNETOMETER

Procedure for real lab

To find mB_H