Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination

Physics and Combined Science (Physics)

School-based Assessment Sample Tasks

(Experiments and Investigative Study)

Teachers may use the sample tasks for non-profit making educational and research purposes with
proper acknowledgement.

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Physics SBA (F.4 Project)

Name: ___________________
Chinese steelyard

Objective :
To make a Chinese steelyard to measure an unknown weight

Apparatus: Technique
Half-meter rule
100 g mass Set-up
Steel hook and nuts
Electronic balance Accuracy
String
Adhesive tape Total
A pair of scissors
Stand and clamp

Theory

Chinese steelyard is a common measuring instrument in Hong Kong before 1980s.

This is a clever application of lever system to measure weight precisely. The design of
steelyard is a good example of how we apply engineering, science and mathematics in
solving daily-life problems.

The steelyard has a horizontal bar which is hung by a string. The object to be
measured is held by a hook at the tip. A weight of known mass is being shifted on the
bar until the bar is balanced. By means of lever theory, the unknown weight of the
object can easily be found.
a bar with scale

hook
weight of known mass
object to be measured
Physics SBA (F.4 Project)

In this project, you are asked to design and make a steelyard and use it to measure an
unknown mass. You are not required to mark scale on a bar. You just need to make use
of the scale on the half-metre rule and calculate the unknown mass.

To find the unknown mass M, we must first balance the half-metre rule with the hook
empty. We should record the ‘zero position’ y0 of the 100 g weight.
yo
half-metre rule

100 g weight
steel hook with
nothing attached

When the unknown mass M is added to the hook, we have to move the 100 g weight
to the right to restore equilibrium.
x y0 y

100 g mass
M

Mass M imposes an additional moment Mgx to the system. The movement of the
100 g weight imposes an additional clockwise moment of 0.1gy to the system. If the
half-metre rule is restored to horizontal, the additional clockwise moment should
cancel the additional anticlockwise moment.

 Mgx = 0.1gy
y
M=  0 .1 kg
x

The key of a steelyard is that the half-metre rule must be balanced (i.e. in horizontal
position) in the initial state. In reality, the half-metre rule, the hook and the known
mass all have weight under gravity. To make them balance, you must do some
calculation. You need to know the masses of the hook and the half-metre rule. This is
the first step of your experiment.

You need to decide how large x and y0 are. When doing the calculation, you can have
more than one possible answer as you have one equation but with two unknowns. To
Physics SBA (F.4 Project)

decide what you should use is an engineering problem. You need to consider the
accuracy and the range of the mass you have to measure. From the above equation, it
is obvious that y increases when x increases for the same M. If you choose a larger x,
you get a larger y. Your measurements have smaller percentage errors. If the value of
y to balance is outside the half-metre rule, you cannot make the measurement.
Therefore you need to compromise your design for these two requirements.

There are also some technical problems. For example you cannot tie a knot at the edge
of the ruler. You need to leave a margin (e.g. 1 cm) so that you can tie a knot. Also it
is preferred to use values that are easier to measure. Set x as 5.7 cm will not be a good
idea as it is difficult to read and calculate.

Task
 The project is on individual basis. You do not need to form a group.
 Design and make a Chinese steelyard using the materials provided.
 Use the Chinese steelyard that you designed to measure an unknown mass M.
The unknown masses of different groups are not the same. They all lie between
300 to 500 g.
 Marks of 0 – 20 will be given. 6 marks will be for the proper procedures and a
successful set-up. 14 marks will be awarded for how accurate the final answer is.

Percentage error Mark

0  error  2% 14
2% < error  4% 12
4% < error  6% 10
6% < error  8% 8
8% < error  10% 6
10% < error  15% 4
15% < error  20% 2
Error > 20% or setup fail 0

 You do not need to submit any report. Marks will be given just by checking your
set-up and the answer of M you submitted.
 Time of experiment
14/5 F.4BCD
17/5 F.4A round 1
18/5 F.4A round 2
All experiment sessions are 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. You may leave once you have
finished.
Physics SBA (F.4 Project)

For more instructions of the experiment, refer to the video in Youtube.

Chinese steelyard - Introduction

https://youtu.be/AXiNZl4XsKk

Chinese steelyard – Calculation

https://youtu.be/SmH_-XB8C1Q

Chinese steelyard - Experiment

https://youtu.be/CYQnWLkUu3U
Physics SBA Experiment

Name: ___________________ Group No: _______

Focal length of a convex lens

Objective:
Technique
To measure the focal length of a spherical convex lens.
Result
Apparatus: spherical convex lens with holder
lamp housing and object Discussion
translucent screen
Conclusion
metre rule and half-metre rule
12 V power supply
Total
2 connecting wires

Method I — Forming image of a distant object

Procedures:
1. Hold the convex lens near a window. Move the translucent screen to a position where a
sharp image of a distant object can be formed as shown below.
the inverted
convex lens image of the
building
parallel rays coming
from a far away
building

screen

2. Measure the distance between the lens and the screen. This is the focal length of the
lens.

Results:
The focal length found using Method I, f1 = _____________ cm

https://youtu.be/ybkG0Hx
YUDw
1
Physics SBA Experiment

Method II — Using lens formula

Procedures:
1. Prepare the set-up shown below. Set the distance between an illuminated object and the
lens, i.e. the object distance u, to a value equals to 2f1.

2. Adjust the position of the translucent screen until a sharp image is formed on it and
measure the distance between the lens and the screen, i.e. the image distance v.
3. Change the object distance u to some values larger than 2f1 and repeat the measurement
1
to obtain 3 more pairs of u and v. Remember u should be chosen so that .should
u
spread over a reasonable range in your graph in step 5.
4. Change the object distance u to some values smaller than 2f1 and repeat the
measurement to obtain 3 more pairs of u and v.
1 1
5. Plot a graph of against . You will use the x and y- intercepts of the graph to find
v u
the focal length of the lens in discussion part.

Results:
1 1
u / cm v / cm / cm–1 / cm–1
u v

u < 2f1

u = 2f1

u > 2f1

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Physics SBA Experiment

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Physics SBA Experiment

This is a blank page

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Physics SBA Experiment

Name: ___________________ CSNO: ________

Discussion:
1. State the nature of the images formed in different steps of Method II.

Step 3: _________________________________________________________________

Step 4: _________________________________________________________________

1 1 1
2. Referring to the lens formula   , what should be the expected shape of the
u v f

1 1
graph when is plotted against ? Explain briefly.
v u

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3. Find the focal length of the lens from the graph. Show your method below.

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f = ___________________ cm

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Physics SBA Experiment

4. Give one major source of error in Method II.

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5. Can we use Method I or Method II to find the focal length of a concave lens ? Explain
briefly.

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6. If a graph of v versus u is plotted, we can find the focal length f by adding a line v = u on
the graph.

v
u=v

u
u

(a) Explain how you can use the value of u of the intersection to find f.

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Physics SBA Experiment

(b) Explain why the method in step 3 is a more accurate way to find f than the method
in step 6(a).

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7
NSS Physics SBA

Name: ______________________ Group: ____________

Force on current-carrying conductor in a magnetic field

Objective:
To investigate the relation between the current and force acting on a current-carrying
conductor in a magnetic field.

Apparatus:
Electronic balance Technique
1 A ammeter
Magnet Result
Rheostat
3 V battery Discussion
Stand and clamp
Conducting wires
Conclusion
Wooden block with rubber band
Total
Ruler
Component holder

Theory
When a current-carrying conductor is placed inside a magnetic field, a force is induced.
According to Fleming’s left hand rule, the force, the magnetic field and the current are
perpendicular to each other.

The magnitude of the force F depends on factors like the magnetic field strength B, the
current I and the length L of the conductor in the magnetic field. In this experiment, you are
going to find the relation between the force F, the length L and the current I.

1
NSS Physics SBA

Procedures:
1. Place the magnet on the electronic balance.
2. Wound 10 turns of wire on a wooden block. Fix the wire with a rubber band so that the
wire is tightly mounted on the block. Measure the length of the wire L0 on the short side
of the block. The total length L of the wire in the magnetic field is equal to 10L0.
3. Insert the block into the space between the pole pieces of the magnet. Fix the block with
the stand and clamp. The short side of the block should be placed horizontally along the
middle line of the magnet so that the wires are perpendicular to the magnetic field as
shown.

magnet

wires

electronic balance

4. Switch on the electronic balance. Set the reading to zero by pressing the button ‘tare’. The
electronic balance is set and can be used to measure the change in the downward force
acting on its pan.
5. Connect the wire to a battery through the rheostat and the ammeter. Make sure the
rheostat is set to its maximum resistance.

2
NSS Physics SBA

6. Adjust the rheostat until the ammeter reads 0.2 A. Take the reading shown on the balance.
7. If the balance shows a negative reading, the current is in a wrong direction and the force
on the magnet is upward. Disconnect the battery and reverse the poles to give a
downward force.
8. Repeat the experiment by increasing the current in steps of 0.2 A until 1.0 A is reached.
Put down the readings in the table below. To avoid making the battery flat, disconnect the
battery once you have taken each of the readings.
9. Connect the battery and set the current to 1.0 A again. Take the reading of the balance.
10. Repeat the experiment by reducing the number of turns of wire on the wooden block in
steps of 2 turns until just two turns are left. Keep the current at 1.0 A throughout the
experiment. Put down the readings in the table below. Disconnect the battery once you
have taken the reading.

Briefing of experiment

https://youtu.be/1tKIM9yqb7Y

3
NSS Physics SBA

Results
Take g = 9.81 m s-2

Length of the short side of one turn of wire L0 on wooden block = ___________________ cm

1. Number of turns of wire = 10

Length of wire in the magnetic field = 10  L0 = _____________________ cm

Current I/A 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

Balance reading
m/g

Force acting on the

wires F/103 N

Plot a graph of F versus I in the graph below.

2. Current I = 1.0 A

Number of turns N 2 4 6 8 10

Length of wire in
the magnetic field
L/cm

Balance reading
m/g

Force acting on the

wires F/103 N

Plot a graph of F versus L in the graph below.

4
NSS Physics SBA

F/10-3 N

0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

I/A

What is the relation between the force F and the current I?

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5
NSS Physics SBA

F/10-3 N

0 10 20 30 40 50
L/cm

What is the relation between the force F and the length L?

___________________________________________________________________________

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6
NSS Physics SBA

Discussion

1. Express the slope of the graph F versus I in terms of B. Use your graph to find the value
of B at the position where you place the wires.

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2. The Earth has a constant magnetic field of order of 103 T. In the experiment to find the
relation among F, I and L, do you think that the magnetic field of the Earth would affect
your finding ? Explain briefly.

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NSS Physics SBA

3. The electronic balance actually measures the downward force experienced by the magnet.
Explain why this reading also represents the force acting on the wires.

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4. We assume that the wires are placed horizontally and the magnetic force is vertical. As we
make the judgment visually, it is possible that the wires are not perfectly aligned.
Therefore the vertical force produced is smaller than ILB.

F
B

5o

An average people can keep the error of alignment within 5o. Comment whether this
error in F is more significant as comparing to the other sources of errors (such as error in
L and error in I). You should do some calculation to support your answer.

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NSS Physics SBA

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