Notes on activities for teachers/

technicians for Chapter 1

Activity 1.1
Measuring lengths and volumes
Apparatus and materials required
◆ 10 toy blocks
◆ 10 ball-bearings
◆ 10 pieces of wire
◆ one metal or stone rectangular block
◆ one irregular pebble
◆ ruler with millimetre markings
◆ one measuring cylinder
◆ water
Safety
There are no particular hazards associated with this activity.
Notes
Students practise measuring lengths and volumes. As they do so, they should be
encouraged to evaluate the method they are using.
The first five items listed above are items to be measured. The ten blocks should be
identical, as should the ball-bearings and the pieces of wire. You could use substitutes, e.g.
marbles in place of ball-bearings.
The ruler, measuring cylinder and water are to be used in measurements.
Students should be asked to make as many measurements as possible – the length and
volume of the blocks, the diameter and volume of the ball-bearings, etc.
They should use techniques such as placing ten ball-bearings in a line and measuring the
length to find an average value for the diameter. How does this compare with measuring
a single ball-bearing?

© Cambridge University Press 2014 IGCSE Physics Notes on activities for teachers/technicians: Chapter 1 1
 Activity 1.2
Measuring density
Apparatus and materials required
◆ a selection of rectangular blocks of different materials
◆ a balance
◆ rulers
◆ access to a computer with a spreadsheet program (optional)
Safety
There are no particular hazards associated with this activity.
Notes
Students have to put the different materials in order by density.
To emphasise the desirability of making accurate measurements, it is helpful if students
are first encouraged to compare materials by hand. Try to include blocks of materials that
have similar densities so that finding the difference needs careful technique.

© Cambridge University Press 2014 IGCSE Physics Notes on activities for teachers/technicians: Chapter 1 2
 Activity 1.3
The period of a pendulum
Apparatus and materials required
◆ 1.0 m string
◆ pendulum bob
◆ metre rule
◆ stopwatch
◆ tall stand with clamp
◆ protractor
Safety
There are no particular hazards associated with this activity.
Notes
Students have to devise their own method of testing Galileo’s idea that the period of a
pendulum does not depend on the size (amplitude) of its swing.
A pendulum bob is a small weight that is attached to the end of a length of string to form
a pendulum. It is usually roughly spherical, so that the pendulum swings smoothly.
Start by demonstrating a swinging pendulum. Tie the bob to the string; clamp the other
end of the string so that the blob can swing freely. Set the pendulum swinging through a
small angle – say, 20°.
Ensure that students understand what is meant by period and amplitude. Demonstrate
the plausibility of Galileo’s idea by showing that increasing the amplitude does not
noticeably alter the period. (Ask why this might be: when the amplitude is greater, the
pendulum has further to swing, but it also swings faster, so the two effects cancel out.)
You may wish to reserve the protractors. Some students may realise that measuring the
angle of swing is a good way of determining the amplitude.
Now leave students to devise their own method.
They should measure a large number of swings (say, 20) and repeat this measurement.
They should repeat this for different amplitudes. They may find that, for large amplitudes
(angle of swing greater than 30°), the period starts to change.

© Cambridge University Press 2014 IGCSE Physics Notes on activities for teachers/technicians: Chapter 1 3