General Guidelines for Practical Physics

(a) General Presentation [1]

(b) Column headings in table of results

Anyone of the following will lose 1 mark.
(i) column of results has no heading
(ii) units of quantity tabulated not given

(c) Consistency of presentation
It is expected that all recorded readings will be given to the same degree of accuracy. One mark is deducted each time an inconsistency is found.

(d) Significant figures in calculated quantities
Calculated quantities must be given to the same number (or one better) of significant figures as measured quantities.

(e) Axes
The following errors will lose 1 mark each.
(i) An unlabelled axis
(ii) Graph occupies less than 1/2 page in either direction
(iii) Using an awkward scale e.g. multiples of 3
(iv) Holes in scale e.g. 0, 1, 3, 4, 5

(f) Plotting of points
The following errors lose 1 mark each.
(i) mistake in plotting
(ii) observation not plotted
(iii) very thick plot
(iv) very scraffy alterations to plotted points

(g) Line of best fit
The following errors will lose 1 mark.
(i) Hairy/Woobly point to point or kinked line
(ii) Line drawn is not best fit
(iii) Very thick line
(iv) Line drawn from fewer than 5 readings

(h) Measurement of gradient
The following errors will lose 1 mark each.
(i) Triangle used to find gradient is less than half the size of scale markings
(ii) Gradient calculated as dx/dy

(i) Measurement of intercept
The following errors will lose 1 mark.
(i) value is misread
(ii) value is read from wrong axis
(iii) candidates' work has obscured the value of intercept