Use of Apparatus and Techniques | OCR A-Level Physics B (Advancing Physics) (H557)
Use of Apparatus and Techniques
- 94 questions
- 7 subtopics
- Practical and data analysis skills, examined on all three papers
- Component 01, Component 02 and Component 03
Use of Apparatus and Techniques is examined in all three written papers — the specification states that Components 01, 02 and 03 each assess content from across all the teaching modules, so nothing is confined to one paper.
It covers analogue apparatus and interpolation, digital instruments and multimeters, timing and methods that increase accuracy, calipers and micrometers for small distances, Constructing and checking DC circuits, signal generators, oscilloscopes and generating waves and light, ICT and ionising radiation.
Sample questions from Use of Apparatus and Techniques
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Analogue apparatus and interpolation
Why should a spring newtonmeter be zeroed while held in the direction in which it will be used?
Show the answer
The weight of its own moving parts acts along that direction, so the zero shifts if the instrument is checked horizontally and then used vertically. -
Analogue apparatus and interpolation
Why is a length measured with a rule normally started at an internal mark rather than at the end?
Show the answer
The end of a rule is often worn or rounded, which would give a systematic error, so a clear internal mark is used and its value subtracted. -
Digital instruments and multimeters
Why does measuring the resistance of a resistor while it is still connected in a circuit give too low a value?
Show the answer
The other components in the circuit provide additional paths in parallel with it, so the meter measures the combined resistance of all of them. -
Digital instruments and multimeters
What should be recorded when the last digit of a digital display keeps changing?
Show the answer
The range over which it fluctuates should be noted and the mid-value recorded, with the fluctuation used as the uncertainty rather than the resolution. -
Timing and methods that increase accuracy
How does a set square improve the accuracy of a measurement?
Show the answer
It is placed with one edge along the bench or scale so the other edge is exactly perpendicular, which allows a height or a position to be transferred to the scale without tilting or parallax. -
Timing and methods that increase accuracy
A card 5.0 cm long interrupts a light gate for 25 ms. Calculate the speed of the trolley.
Show the answer
The speed is 0.050 ÷ 0.025 = 2.0 m s⁻¹. -
Calipers and micrometers for small distances
What is the purpose of the ratchet on a micrometer?
Show the answer
It slips once a set contact force is reached, so every measurement is made with the same gentle pressure and the object is neither compressed nor the frame strained. -
Calipers and micrometers for small distances
A wire has a diameter of 0.38 mm. Calculate its cross-sectional area.
Show the answer
Using A = πd²/4, A = π × (0.38 × 10⁻³)² ÷ 4 = 1.1 × 10⁻⁷ m².
The 7 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Analogue apparatus and interpolation | Recall questions on interpolating between scale marks and recording the result, avoiding parallax, zeroing a newtonmeter, reading thermometers, cylinders and pressure gauges, and reducing uncertainty in an angle. | 13 |
| Digital instruments and multimeters | Recall questions on setting and connecting a multimeter, measuring resistance out of circuit, the uncertainty of a digital display, a fluctuating last digit, the tare function, and over-range readings. | 13 |
| Timing and methods that increase accuracy | Recall questions on timing many oscillations, the marker used when timing a swing, reaction time in hand timing, set squares and plumb lines, and light gates with interrupt cards. | 13 |
| Calipers and micrometers for small distances | Recall questions on the resolution of micrometers and vernier calipers, reading a vernier scale, the micrometer ratchet, finding and correcting a zero error, internal jaws and the depth probe, measuring a wire's diameter and cross-sectional area and the percentage uncertainty in the area, over-tightening on soft objects, and the limited range of a micrometer. | 13 |
| Constructing and checking DC circuits | Recall questions on checking a build against the diagram, components that must go the right way round, protecting the supply, a rheostat used as series resistor or potential divider, and tracing faults. | 13 |
| Signal generators, oscilloscopes and generating waves | Recall questions on what a signal generator supplies, the time-base and volts-per-division controls, reading frequency and peak voltage from a trace, and measuring wavelengths of sound, water waves and microwaves. | 13 |
| Light, ICT and ionising radiation | Recall questions on why a laser suits interference work, wavelength from double slits and gratings, data-logger sensors and sampling rate, correcting a count for background, and identifying radiation by absorbers. | 16 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
OCR A-Level Physics B (Advancing Physics) Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,455 questions with their answers.