QCE Physics IA2 student experiment quiz

10 percent

30 percent

50 percent

20 percent

Unit 3 subject matter (projectile motion, circular motion, gravity, electric/magnetic fields, induction)

Unit 1 subject matter only (kinematics, forces, energy, and the basics of motion studied early in the course)

Unit 2 subject matter only (waves, thermodynamics, and the behaviour of light and sound covered in that unit)

Unit 4 subject matter only (quantum theory, the standard model, and special relativity studied at the very end)

Speed of completion, accuracy of results, total length, and overall writing style of the report

Research and Planning, Analysis, Interpretation and Evaluation, Communication

Title page, list of apparatus, step-by-step procedure, and a reference list at the very end

Aim, hypothesis, method, and results, taken straight from a junior-science prac report template

Be deliberately vague and unbounded, so that nearly any result obtained can be presented as answering it

Cover three completely different physics topics at once, so the report shows off a broad range of content knowledge

Identify a specific IV, DV, range, and link directly to Unit 3 physics concepts

Be identical to a worked textbook example, so the expected outcome and method are already known beforehand

Be omitted entirely, with every measured and calculated value presented as if it were perfectly exact

Be replaced with a single phrase such as 'human error', without any quantitative estimate or propagation at all

Be left out of the analysis and mentioned only briefly in the conclusion, after all the results have been reported

Quantify uncertainty in each measurement, propagate to derived quantities, and discuss impact on the conclusion

Transforms non-linear relationships (e.g. $T$ proportional to $\sqrt{L}$) into linear plots ($T^2$ vs $L$) so the gradient maps onto a physical constant

Is forbidden under QCAA rules, which require all raw data to be plotted directly without any transformation of the variables

Is exactly the same thing as simply fitting a curve of best fit to the raw, untransformed data, just using a different piece of graphing software to do the plotting

Adds extra error to the analysis without any benefit, so it should always be avoided when processing experimental data

Used interchangeably throughout the report, since the distinction between the two kinds of error does not affect the marks

Distinguished and exemplified: random reduces with repetition, systematic requires calibration or method change

Avoided in the discussion altogether, on the basis that mentioning errors makes the experiment look poorly designed

Treated as identical, with the same correction (taking more repeat readings) applied to reduce both kinds of error

Personal anecdotes and an informal, conversational tone that describes how the student felt during the experiment

Presenting the whole report as bullet points only, with no connected prose, labelled figures, or referenced tables

Third-person scientific language, labelled figures/tables, consistent units, IUPAC/SI conventions, structured report format

Long, meandering paragraphs that wander between points, with no headings, no clear structure, and no precise scientific language

Only stating that the experiment worked and that the results came out as expected, with no further reflection

Repeating the results section in different words, without evaluating the method, validity, or any limitations

Listing the apparatus and procedure used once more, rather than reflecting critically on the experimental design

Critical reflection: were assumptions valid, what limited validity, how would the next iteration improve

This investigation tested how (specific IV) affects (specific DV), drawing on QCE Physics Unit 3 (specific topic), with the hypothesis that (relationship) based on the principle that (named physics law or equation).

This is an experiment that the student carried out, and the rest of the report will go through what was done step by step, what measurements were taken, and what was found, before getting around to any theory or hypothesis near the very end.

Physics is an interesting and useful subject that helps explain how the world works, and this report will explore a small part of it through an experiment that was designed and carried out by the student over the course of the term.

Many things move and interact in the world around us, and this report takes a general look at one such situation without first stating a focused research question, the variables being changed, or the named physics law underpinning it.