Core Practical Investigations

1: Determine the acceleration of a freely falling object.
2: Determine the electrical resistivity of a material.
3: Determine the e.m.f. and internal resistance of an electrical cell.
4: Use a falling-ball method to determine the viscosity of a liquid.
5: Determine the Young modulus of a material.
6: Determine the speed of sound in air using a 2-beam oscilloscope, signal generator, speaker and microphone.
7: Investigate the effects of length, tension and mass per unit length on the frequency of a vibrating string or wire.
8: Determine the wavelength of light from a laser or other light source using a diffraction grating.
9: Investigate the relationship between the force exerted on an object and its change in momentum.
10: Use ICT to analyse collisions between small spheres.
11: Use an oscilloscope or data logger to display and analyse the potential difference (p.d.) across a capacitor as it charges and discharges through a resistor.
12: Calibrate a thermistor in a potential divider circuit as a thermostat.
13: Determine the specific latent heat of a phase change.
14: Investigate the relationship between pressure and volume of a gas at fixed temperature.
15: Investigate the absorption of gamma radiation by lead.
16: Determine the value of an unknown mass using the resonant frequencies of the oscillation of known masses.