CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL AS & A LEVEL PHYSICS: PRACTICAL TEACHER’S GUIDE

5 Matter and
materials
CHAPTER OUTLINE
This chapter relates to Chapter 7: Matter and materials, in the Coursebook.
In this chapter learners will complete investigations on:
• 5.1 Finding the Young modulus for nylon
• 5.2 Using a spring to find the Young modulus for steel
• 5.3 Water pressure and flow rate.

Practical investigation 5.1: Finding the Young

modulus for nylon
Skills focus
See the Skills grids for details of the skills developed and used in this investigation.

Duration
The practical work will take about 30 minutes and the analysis will take about 30 minutes.

Preparing for the investigation

• In this practical exercise learners have to measure a marked section of nylon thread, then monitor its
extension as the tension in the thread is increased.
• The data is used to find a value for the Young modulus.
• A similar arrangement of apparatus could be used to find the Young modulus for a metal in the form of
a wire.

You will need

Equipment
• 0.15 mm diameter nylon thread with loops. It
should have a single filament of nylon (e.g.
fishing line). Tie a loop at each end using the
knot shown in Figure 5.1 to prevent slipping.
The total length including the loops should be
approximately 1.2 m.
Figure 5.1

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Continued
• pulley suitable for clamping to the table top. • mass hanger
If a pulley is not available, learners could fix a • five 100 g slotted masses to fit on the mass
short length of smooth metal pipe along the hanger
edge of the table top.
• metre rule with a millimetre scale
• wooden block approximately 10 cm by 10 cm by
• sticky tape for learners to attach to the nylon
10 cm. It should have a hook screwed into one
thread to mark a section
of the vertical faces at the same height as the
top of the pulley. • scissors to cut the sticky tape
• G-clamp to clamp the wooden block to the • micrometer.
table top

Safety considerations
• Although the breaking tension for 0.15 mm diameter nylon thread is approximately 20 N, the nylon thread
may break during testing, releasing stored elastic energy.
• Instruct learners to wear safety goggles whenever the nylon thread is under tension.

Carrying out the investigation

• The changes in length are small so the pointer readings must be made carefully. If the pointers are not
touching the metre rule, push them gently down so that they do touch it when readings are taken.
These notes apply to the sections of the procedure described in the Workbook:
• To make a pointer (step 1), fold a length of sticky tape over the nylon thread and cut the end to make a
pointer touching the metre rule scale. The strip of tape must be at right angles to the nylon thread.
• In step d learners should choose scales that enable coordinates to be read easily. The plotted points should
occupy at least half the grid in the vertical and horizontal directions.
• The graph will probably be linear for the range of masses used. If it curves at higher loads, learners can
choose to use the gradient of the lower, more linear section at step f.
• At step 5 learners should record the measurements made with a micrometer to the nearest 0.01 mm, for
example, 0.30 mm or 0.17 mm. The average of several values can be recorded with one extra significant
figure, for example, 0.185 mm.
• At step i, if learners ask for a hint, suggest thinking about the dimensions of the wire (thicker or thinner,
longer or shorter).
More confident learners could estimate the diameter of a steel wire that would give the same extensions in
this experiment. Tell them that the Young modulus of steel is 50 times that of nylon.
You will need to remind some learners to include a quantity and correct unit for the column headings in all
their tables.

Common learner misconceptions

• This experiment starts with the mass hanger already attached to keep the nylon thread straight so that the
initial length between pointers can be measured.
• Learners may be concerned that the mass of the hanger itself is not included when the force is calculated.
But only the changes in force and length are needed to determine the Young modulus.

Sample results
Learners’ results should be similar to those shown below and in Table 5.1.
y1 = 11.9 cm y2 = 80.7 cm (at step 1)

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Total added mass M / kg y1 / cm y2 / cm F/N x / cm

0.100 12.0 82.1 0.981 1.3
0.200 12.2 83.7 1.96 2.7
0.300 12.4 84.5 2.94 3.3
0.400 12.5 85.6 3.92 4.3
0.500 12.6 86.2 4.91 4.8
Table 5.1

Answers to the workbook questions (using the sample results)

a L = 68.8 cm
b, c See Table 5.1 (unshaded section).
d, e See Figure 5.1.
5

F/N

0
0 1 2 3 4 5
x / cm

Figure 5.1

f Gradient = 1.11
g k = 111 N m−1
h L = 0.688 m d = 0.00015 m E = 4.32 × 109 N m−2
i The steel wire could have smaller diameter than the nylon thread
or the steel wire could be longer than the nylon thread
or larger masses could be used.

Practical investigation 5.2: Using a spring to find the

Young modulus for steel
Skills focus
See the Skills grids for details of the skills developed and used in this investigation.

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Duration
The practical work will take about 20 minutes and the analysis will take about 20 minutes.

Preparing for the investigation

• In this practical learners have to measure the dimensions of a steel spring, then find the period of its
oscillations in a mass–spring system.
• The data is used to find a value for the Young modulus of steel.
• It is an indirect method of finding the Young modulus, but it provides an opportunity for learners to
time oscillations.

You will need

Equipment
• steel tension spring with a loop at each • digital callipers measuring to 0.01 mm. If only
end and a spring constant of approximately a micrometer is available, you could give
25 N m−1. See Figure 5.3. each learner a single coil cut from an identical
n coils spring to enable them to make an accurate
measurement of the wire diameter.
d
• 300 g mass with a hook. This could be a 100 g
mass hanger with two 100 g slotted masses
taped onto it.
• stand, boss and clamp
D • stopwatch reading to 0.01 s or better.

Figure 5.3

Safety considerations
There are no special safety issues with this experiment.

Carrying out the investigation

• In step 1 to find the diameter of the wire used to make the spring, learners need to measure a flat section of
the spring. Bending the spring opens up the coils and gives access for the jaws of the callipers.
In step 1 the end loops should not be included in n.
In step b Young modulus for steel is 210 × 109 N m−2 but learners may arrive at a lower value. If so,
it will probably be caused by zinc plating on the wire which means that the steel diameter is less than the
measured diameter.
A learner who finishes quickly could be asked how many turns an otherwise identical spring would have to
have to give double the time period.

Common learner misconceptions

• In step 4 some learners start timing from the moment the mass is released. But it is better to watch for a
while before choosing the point in the oscillation at which counting will be done.
• A possible error is to start counting at one instead of zero, so that the time is measured for nine oscillations
instead of ten. Another possible error is to count half oscillations instead of whole ones.

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Sample results
Learners’ results should be similar to those shown below and in Table 5.2.
d = 0.68 mm, 0.68 mm, 0.68 mm
Average d = 0.68 mm × 10-3 m
D = 16.08 mm, 16.04 mm, 16.07 mm
Average D = 16.06 mm × 10-3 m
n = 28

10T / s Mean 10T / s T/s

6.83 6.84 6.82 6.83 0.683
Table 5.2

Answers to the workbook questions (using the sample results)

a See Table 5.2 (unshaded section).
b E = 1.71 × 1011 N m−2. Should be to three significant figures (as shown).
c E = 171 GPa
d 0.1 mm
e d would change from 0.68 mm to 0.7 mm, and the percentage uncertainty would be 14%.

Practical investigation 5.3: Water pressure and

flow rate
Skills focus
See the Skills grids for details of the skills developed and used in this investigation.

Duration
The practical work will take about 30 minutes and the analysis will take about 30 minutes.

Preparing for the investigation

• In this practical learners have to determine the cross-sectional area of a container. They measure the rate of
change of water level as the water escapes through a hole in the base.
• The data is used to test whether the flow rate is proportional to the water pressure at the hole.

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You will need

Equipment
• a two-litre clear plastic water bottle with a • flat, horizontal worktop with sink to collect
constant circular cross section. Drill a 2.5 mm water (see Figure 5.4 in the Workbook). If this
diameter hole in one of the lowest parts of is not available, learners can position a bowl
the base near to the edge. Cut off the top of below the edge of a table.
the bottle to give a container 20 cm tall with the • two-litre capacity jug or beaker
shape shown in Figure 5.4.
• water supply
top cut off • stopwatch with lap timer feature
• stand, boss and clamp
• metre rule.

bottle

20 cm

hole drilled in low

section of base

Figure 5.4

Safety considerations
There are no special safety issues with this experiment.

Carrying out the investigation

• The top of the container will probably be very flexible and difficult to measure with a metre rule,
but learners could help each other at this stage. There will be a chance to comment on this later.
At step 4 learners must fill the container so that the water level is higher than the starting point,
then wait until the level falls to 18 cm before starting the stopwatch.
Learners will need to practise using the lap timer before recording any times at step 5. The only alternative
to lap times is to time from the start down to each of the levels separately. This would mean refilling the
container a total of 8 times.
In part e the gradient has a negative value because the volume left in the container gets less with time.
The minus sign must disappear when the flow rate out of the container is calculated.
Learners who finish before the others could draw a third tangent to the curve and calculate a third value for k.

Common learner misconceptions

Each timed interval is not the time between levels. It is the time from the start (at 18 cm) to that level.

Sample results
Learners’ results should be similar to those shown below and in Table 5.3.
d = 11.1 cm, 11.7 cm, 11.4 cm
Average d = 11.4 cm

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Water level height h / cm Time to fall from 18 cm to h T / s

18.0   0
16.0 27
14.0 55
12.0 85
10.0 118
8.0 154
6.0 196
4.0 249
2.0 314
Table 5.3

Answers to the workbook questions (using the sample results)

π × 11.42
a A= = 102.1 cm2
4
b, c See Figure 5.2

16

12

h / cm

0
0 100 200 300
T /s

Figure 5.2

d Gradient = −0.072
e F = 7.35 cm3 s−1
f P = 1570 N m−2
The unit for h must be changed from cm to m before calculating the pressure.
g Gradient = −0.035, F = 3.57 cm3 s−1 and P = 392 N m−2
h First k = 0.185 and second k = 0.180
The main source of uncertainty in k is the drawing of the tangent. This uncertainty could be roughly
estimated at 10%, so if the difference between the two k values is more than 10% the hypothesis is not
supported by the data. These k values are only 3% apart, so they support the hypothesis.
i The flexibility of the plastic container means it distorts when touched, so it is difficult to measure
the diameter.
If viewed from above, a photo with a scale in view could be used.
j The video would have to show the water level, the metre rule and a clock.

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