Examination questions often ask about a specific context in which physics ideas and principles are involved. The aim is to see if you can apply the physics you know to a simple situation, which might not be one you have studied during your course. If so, all the information you need about the specific context will be provided. In tackling these questions, it is important to remember that you are being tested not on your specific knowledge of the context but on the basic physics ideas. If you can apply these, this tells the examiner that you have a good grasp of the basic physics idea.
The question I am going to discuss comes from Edexcel AS Physics paper 6PH02 (June 2009). This new examination paper has a range of types of question. There are ten multiple-choice questions, several short-answer questions and then two or three structured questions, each set in context. This AS question is an example of a structured question set in context. It tests students’ understanding of resistivity. The question is used by kind permission of Edexcel. The answers and comments are the responsibility of PHYSICS REVIEW and have been neither supplied nor approved by Edexcel.
Your organisation does not have access to this article.
Sign up today to give your students the edge they need to achieve their best grades with subject expertise
Subscribe
