Candidate Name:
IGCSE Sample Examination Paper
PHYSICS PAPER 6 Alternative to Practical
1 hour 15 minutes
Answer questions on the Question Paper.
Answer all questions.
The questions in this sample were taken from Cambridge IGCSE Physics 0625 Paper 6
1 2 3 4 5 Q1 November 2009
Q2 November 2009
Q2 June 2008
Q4 June 2008
Q4 November 2008
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1 The IGCSE class is investigating the period of oscillation of a simple pendulum.
Fig. 1.1 shows the set-up.
Fig. 1.1 Fig. 1.2
a i O
n Fig. 1.1, measure the vertical distance d from the floor to the bottom of the pendulum
bob.
d5
ii Fig. 1.1 is drawn one twentieth actual size. Calculate the actual distance x from the floor to
the bottom of the pendulum bob. Enter this value in the top row of Table 1.1.
The students displace the pendulum bob slightly and release it so that it swings. They
measure and record in Table 1.1 the time t for 20 complete oscillations of the pendulum
(see Fig. 1.2).
Table 1.1
x/cm
t/s
T/s
T 2/s2
20.0
20.0
19.0
30.0
17.9
40.0
16.8
50.0
15.5
[4]
b i C
alculate the period T of the pendulum for each set of readings. The period is the time for
one complete oscillation. Enter the values in Table 1.1.
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ii Calculate the values of T 2. Enter the T 2 values in Table 1.1.
c Use your values from Table 1.1 to plot a graph of T 2/s2 (y-axis) against x/cm (x-axis).
Draw the best-fit line.
d State whether or not your graph shows that T 2 is directly proportional to x. Justify your
statement by reference to the graph.
statement justification [1]
[Total: 10]
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4
2 An IGCSE student is investigating the cooling of thermometer bulbs under different conditions.
He places a thermometer in a beaker of hot water and records the temperature uh of the hot water.
Fig. 2.1
a Fig. 2.1 shows the thermometer. Write down the value of uh that it shows.
[1]
uh
He then moves the thermometer until the thermometer bulb is just above the surface of the
water (position A) and immediately starts a stopclock.
He records the time t and the temperature reading u every 30 s. The readings are shown in
Table 2.1.
Table 2.1
Position A
Position B
t/
u/
u/
30
65
56
60
58
47
90
54
40
120
52
35
150
50
32
180
48
30
b Complete the column headings in the table. [1]
The student replaces the thermometer in the hot water and then moves the thermometer 15 cm
away from the beaker to position B and immediately starts the stopclock. He records the time t
and the temperature reading u every 30 s. The readings are shown in Table 2.1.
c State in which position the thermometer bulb cooled more quickly. Justify your answer by
reference to the readings.
statement justification [1]
d To make a fair comparison between the rates of cooling of the thermometer bulbs in the two
positions, it is important to control other experimental conditions. Suggest two conditions that
should be controlled in this experiment.
1.
2.
[2]
[Total: 5]
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3 The IGCSE class is comparing the combined resistance of resistors in different circuit
arrangements. The first circuit is shown in Fig. 3.1.
Fig. 3.1
a The current I in the circuit and the p.d. V across the three resistors are measured and recorded.
Three more circuit arrangements are used. For each arrangement, a student disconnects the
resistors and then reconnects them between points A and B as shown in Figs. 3.2–3.4.
Fig. 3.2
Fig. 3.3 Fig. 3.4
The voltage and current readings are shown in the Table 3.1.
i
Table 3.1
Circuit
V/
I/
1
1.87
1.68
2
1.84
0.84
3
1.87
0.37
4
1.91
0.20
R/
Complete the column headings for each of the V, I and R columns of Table 3.1.
ii For each circuit, calculate the combined resistance R of the three resistors using
the equation
R 5 __
​ V ​ .
I
Record these values of R in Table 3.1. [3]
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b Theory suggests that, if all three resistors have the same resistance under all conditions, the
combined resistance in circuit 1 will be one half of the combined resistance in circuit 2.
i
State whether, within the limits of experimental accuracy, your results support this theory.
Justify your answer by reference to the results.
statement justification ii Suggest one precaution you could take to ensure that the readings are as accurate as
possible.
[3]
[Total: 6]
4 A student is determining a quantity called the refractive index of the material of a transparent block.
Fig. 4.1 shows the ray-tracing sheet that the student is producing. ABCD is the outline of the
transparent block, drawn on the ray-tracing sheet.
a i Fig. 4.1
raw the normal NN’ to side AB, extended to cross side DC, so that the normal is 2.0 cm
D
from A. Label the point F where NN’ crosses AB. Label the point G where NN’ crosses DC.
ii Draw the line EF at an angle of 308 to the normal and to the left of the normal NN’. E is a
point outside the block and above AB on the ray-tracing sheet.
[3]
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b Read the following passage, taken from the student’s notebook and then answer the questions
that follow. i
Draw a line joining the positions of P3 and P4. Continue the line until it meets CD. Label this
point H.
ii Measure and record the length a of the line GH.
a5
iii Draw the line HF.
iv Measure and record the length b of the line HF.
b5
[3]
c Extend the straight line EF through the outline of the block to a point J. The point J must be at
least 5 cm from the block. The line EJ crosses the line CD. Label this point K.
i
Measure and record the length c of the line GK.
c5
ii Measure and record the length d of the line FK.
d5
iii Calculate the refractive index n of the material of the block using the equation
n = ___
​ cb  ​ .
ad
n5
[3]
[Total: 9]
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5 An IGCSE student is determining the focal length of a converging lens.
The apparatus is shown in Fig. 5.1.
Fig. 5.1
a The student places the lens at a distance x 5 25.0 cm from the illuminated object. She places the
screen close to the lens and then moves it away from the lens until a sharply focused image is
formed on the screen. She measures and records the distance y between the lens and the screen.
y 5 37.1 cm
Calculate the focal length f of the lens using the equation
xy
f 5 _______
​
​
(x 1 y)
f5
[2]
b She then repeats the procedure with the lens at a distance x 5 30.0 cm from the illuminated
object.
Fig. 5.1 shows this position of the apparatus. It is a scale diagram.
i
On Fig. 5.1, measure the distance xs between the lens and the illuminated object.
Also on Fig. 5.1, measure the distance ys between the lens and the screen.
xs 5
ys 5
ii Calculate the actual distance y between the lens and the screen.
y5
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iii Calculate the focal length f using the new values of x and y.
f5
ivCalculate the average value of f. Show your working.
average value of f 5
[7]
c The illuminated object has the shape shown below.
Draw a diagram to show the appearance of the focused image in (b) on the screen.
[1]
[Total: 10]
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