The symbol 'g' can be used to refer to the acceleration due to gravity - Edexcel - GCSE Physics Combined Science - Question 4 - 2018 - Paper 1
Question 4
The symbol 'g' can be used to refer to the acceleration due to gravity.
The acceleration due to gravity 'g' has the unit of m/s².
'g' can also have another unit.... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:The symbol 'g' can be used to refer to the acceleration due to gravity - Edexcel - GCSE Physics Combined Science - Question 4 - 2018 - Paper 1
Step 1
Which of these is also a unit for g?
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Answer
The correct answer is C: N/kg. This is because the unit N (newton) can be expressed in terms of kg (kilogram) and m/s², and when divided by kg, it gives a unit of m/s², which is equivalent to g.
Step 2
Calculate a value for g from the students’ measurements.
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Answer
Using the equation:
g=t22h
Substituting in the values:
h = 2.50 m and t = 0.74 s,
we have:
g=(0.74)22×2.50=0.54765.00≈9.12m/s2
Step 3
Calculate the average value of time t to an appropriate number of significant figures.
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Answer
To find the average of the three times:
tavg=30.74+0.69+0.81=32.24≈0.747s
Rounded to two significant figures, the average value of time t is 0.75 s.
Step 4
Explain one way the students could improve their procedure to obtain a more accurate value for g.
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Answer
One way the students could improve their procedure is by using an electronic timer or a light gate to eliminate the reaction time involved in starting and stopping the stopwatch. This would lead to more precise measurements for the time taken by the ball to fall.
Step 5
Calculate the deceleration of the car.
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Answer
Using the equation for deceleration:
a=2s(v2−u2)
where
v = 0 m/s (final speed), u = 15 m/s (initial speed), and s = 14 m (distance), we get:
a=2×14(02−(15)2)=28−225≈−8.04m/s2
The deceleration of the car is approximately 8.04 m/s².