Required practicals

Determine the specific heat capacity of a material by linking the electrical energy transferred to a block to its rise in temperature (E = m x c x change in temperature).

Investigate how effective different materials are as thermal insulators, and how a factor such as thickness or the number of layers affects the insulation.

Investigate the factors affecting resistance: how the resistance of a wire depends on its length at constant temperature, and how resistors combine in series and parallel.

Investigate the current-potential difference (I-V) characteristics of circuit elements: a fixed resistor at constant temperature, a filament lamp and a diode.

Determine the densities of regular solids, irregular solids and liquids using density = mass / volume, finding volume from dimensions or by displacement.

Investigate the relationship between the force applied to a spring and its extension, and find the spring constant (F = k x e).

Investigate how the acceleration of an object depends on the resultant force on it (at constant mass) and on its mass (at constant force), verifying F = m x a.

Measure the frequency, wavelength and speed of waves in a ripple tank (water waves) and in a stretched string, using wave speed = frequency x wavelength.

Investigate the reflection of light by different types of surface and the refraction of light as it passes into different substances.

Investigate how the amount of infrared radiation absorbed or emitted by a surface depends on the nature (colour and shininess) of that surface.