Practical skills — IGCSE Physics (0972) questions by topic
Practical skills questions cover reading a stopwatch display for one pendulum oscillation, choosing the most suitable instrument to find the volume of a small irregular stone, measuring a ball's density using two wooden blocks and given distances, and identifying which quantity listed is a vector. Calculate, measure, identify, suggest and describe are the command words, with measure meaning a specific reading taken correctly from apparatus described in the question.
30 real questions from 2023 to 2025 papers make up this page, worth 1 to 11 marks. Because a density or timing calculation depends on reading apparatus correctly first, submitting your measurements and working for instant marking checks the reading itself, not only the final calculated value, catching an instrument mix-up straight away.
May–June 2025, Paper 11
The diagram shows a measuring cylinder containing liquid. The scale is in cm^3 with graduations at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50. The liquid level reads at the 16 cm^3 mark. What is the…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 21
A girl has a gold necklace. Which apparatus does she need to find the density of the gold? balance measuring cylinder thermometer ruler --- --------- --------------------…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 22
Which instrument is most suitable to determine the volume of a small irregularly shaped stone? A 30 cm ruler B digital timer C measuring cylinder D tape measure
Answer this question and get it marked →A student is trying to determine the resistance of a lamp. He sets up the incorrect circuit shown. The circuit shows a cell connected in a single series loop with a voltmeter (V),…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 31
A student uses a stop-watch to measure the time for one complete oscillation of a pendulum. Fig. 2.1 shows his measurement. The stop-watch display has columns labelled min, s and…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 42
Describe an experiment to determine the speed of sound in air. State the apparatus required, the measurements taken and how to calculate the speed of sound in air from the…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 51
In this experiment, you will determine the density of a ball. Place the ball between the two blocks as seen from above in Fig. 1.1. Fig. 1.1 shows, viewed from above, a spherical…
Answer this question and get it marked →In this experiment, you will investigate the cooling of hot water in a beaker. Refer to Fig. 2.1. Use the thermometer to measure the temperature thetaR of the water in the…
Answer this question and get it marked →A student investigates the relationship between the diameter and the resistance of wires. The following apparatus is available: - wires with different diameters - instrument for…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 61
A student determines the density of a ball. He places the ball between two wooden blocks, as seen from above in Fig. 1.1. He takes two measurements, d1 and d2. Fig. 1.1 (viewed…
Answer this question and get it marked →A student investigates the cooling of hot water in a beaker. The apparatus is shown in Fig. 2.1. The student uses a thermometer to measure room temperature thetaR. Room…
Answer this question and get it marked →A student investigates the relationship between the diameter and the resistance of wires. The following apparatus is available: - wires with different diameters - instrument for…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2025, Paper 62
A student determines the internal diameter d of a test-tube. The apparatus is assembled as shown in Fig. 1.1. The student: - fills a measuring cylinder with water up to the 100…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 11
The diagram shows an enlarged drawing of the end of a metre ruler, marked in mm and cm, being used to measure the length of a small feather. The feather spans from near the start…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 21
In which row are quantities correctly categorised into scalar quantities and vector quantities? A scalars: mass and energy; vectors: weight and acceleration B scalars:…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 22
A student wishes to measure accurately the volume of approximately 40 cm³ of water. She has two measuring cylinders, a larger one holding 100 cm³ and a smaller one holding 50 cm³.…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 31
A student places six 100 g masses in a stack, as shown in Fig. 2.1. The height of the stack of masses is 5.4 cm. Calculate the average thickness of one mass.
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2024, Paper 32
A student wants to find the volume of a piece of metal using equipment shown in Fig. 2.1 (a measuring cylinder, water in a beaker, a displacement (eureka) can and the piece of…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 11
The diagram shows a rectangular metal sheet close to two rulers. One ruler is vertical (0–30 cm) and one is horizontal (0–50 cm). The metal sheet spans approximately 5–30 cm on…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2024, Paper 21
A student uses a metre ruler to measure the length of a sheet of paper. Which measurement is shown to the nearest millimetre? A 0.2932 m B 0.293 m C 0.29 m D 0.3 m
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 12
Which single apparatus is used to find the volume of a solid cube and which single apparatus is used to find the volume of a quantity of liquid? A solid cube: balance; liquid:…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 32
A student measures the diameter of some identical steel balls. Fig. 1.1 shows the arrangement she uses: eight steel balls placed in a row between point A and a wooden block at…
Answer this question and get it marked →May–June 2023, Paper 51
In this experiment, you will investigate the balancing of a metre ruler. Refer to Fig. 1.1: a metre ruler rests on a pivot at the 50.0 cm mark with its scale facing upwards;…
Answer this question and get it marked →In this experiment, you will investigate the cooling of water. Refer to Fig. 2.1 (a beaker of water with a thermometer on a bench). Use the thermometer to measure the room…
Answer this question and get it marked →In this experiment, you will investigate the refraction of light using a semicircular transparent block, using the separate ray-trace sheet provided (refer to Fig. 3.1 and Fig.…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 11
In order to determine the period of a pendulum, a student times one complete swing of the pendulum using an analogue stop-watch with a second hand. Which change of method produces…
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 21
Which is a vector quantity? A density B mass C pressure D weight
Answer this question and get it marked →October–November 2023, Paper 51
In this experiment, you will determine the weight of a metre ruler using a balancing method. Refer to Fig. 1.1: a metre ruler balanced on a pivot with load P at the 90.0 cm mark;…
Answer this question and get it marked →In this experiment, you will investigate the resistance of a resistance wire. Refer to Fig. 2.1 (a circuit with a battery, switch, ammeter A, voltmeter V across length l of the…
Answer this question and get it marked →In this experiment, you will investigate the magnification of the image produced by a lens. Refer to Fig. 3.1 (illuminated object, lens, screen with object distance u and image…
Answer this question and get it marked →Other IGCSE Physics topics
- Motion, forces and energy (206)
- Electricity and magnetism (193)
- Waves (152)
- Thermal physics (107)
- Nuclear physics (89)
- Space physics (55)