Date: write the date the lab was done

SBA # 1

Title: Personal Power

Aim: To find out the magnitude of one’s personal power

Theory: Power can be defined as the rate at which energy is concerted or in other words the rate at which work is done.

Equation relating to power

P=E÷T E = Work done E = mgh

P – Represents power

E – Energy

m – Mass

g – Acceleration due to gravity

h – Height (distance)

Materials/Apparatus: Bathroom scale, Ruler, Stair way, Stop watch, Pen, Pencil and Notebook

Method/Procedure:

(1) Use a bathroom scale to measure the experimentor’s mass.

(2) Use the ruler to find the average height in cm of one step
(3) Check the number of steps and calculate the total vertical height of the stair.
(4) Use the stop watch to record the time take for thr experimenter to walk, jog and run up the stair.
(5) Repeat procedure (4) three times for walking, jogging and running up the stairs

Diagram: Draw diagram of the stair.

Observation: state what you observe during the experiment.

Results/Calculations: Table showing the average time taken for each activity

Average time
Activity T1 (seconds) T2 (seconds) T3 (seconds) T1 + T2 + T3
3
Walking
Running
Jogging

Discussion: In your discussion you must :

 State the definition of power along with its formula and SI units
 Explain how you can calculate one’s power from measuring their mass and time taken for the activity.

Conclusion:
Date: write the date the lab was done

SBA # 2

Title: Thermal Conductivity

Aim: To plan and design on experiment to show the order of decreasing conductivity of the following:

 Glass
 Copper
 Iron

Hypothesis: Copper is a better thermal conductor than glass or iron.

Variables: Manipulating variable: Types of materials

Responding variable: Time taken for the material to be heated up

Control variable: The same size of material and temperature of heat.

Materials/Apparatus: Copper rod, Iron rod, Glass rod, Vaseline, Match stick, Bunsen burner, stop watch,

Tripod stand.

Method/Procedure:

(1) Attach a match stick to the end of each rod using equal amounts of Vaseline.
(2) Place the rods on the tripod stand.
(3) Light the Bunsen burner and place the rods at the flame so that the heat will be distributed evenly.
(4) Record the time take for the matchstick to fall off each rod.

Diagram: Draw diagram of the apparatus.

Expected Observation: state what you expect to be observed during the experiment.

Results: Table showing the time taken for the matchstick to fall off each rod

Type of substance Time taken for the matchstick to fall off

Copper
Glass
Iron

Discussion:

 Explain what is a conductor and what is an insulator

 Explain the reason(s) for your expected observation

Limitation: State what factor(s) could limit or prevent the experimenter from achieving accurate results

Error(s): State if there would be any error(s)

Precaution(s): State what steps could be taken to prevent errors during the experiment

Expected Conclusion:
Date: write the date the lab was done

SBA # 3

Title: Pressure in liquids

Aim: To investigate the pressure in liquids.

Materials/Apparatus: Tap water, a 5 gallon bucket, a draining area (sink), straw, silicone.

Method/Procedure:

(1) Bore there holes into a 5 gallon plastic bucket such that one hole is placed at the top, one in the middle and one at the
bottom
(2) label the holes A,B and C from top to bottom respectively
(3) Place a straw two inches long into each hole in the bucket and seal the connection using silicone
(4) Fill the bucket with tap water and allow to drain into as sink
(5) Record all observations

Diagram: Draw diagram of the bucket draining the water into the sink

Observation: state what you observe during the experiment.

Discussion: In your discussion you must:

 State the definition of pressure along with its formula and SI units
 Show how the formula associated with pressure in liquids is established
 Explain the relationship between pressure and depth along with evidence
 Explain the second observation of pressure in liquids i.e pressure in liquids acts in all directions
 Give a thorough explanation of why pressure varies with depth

Conclusion:
Date: write the date the lab was done

SBA # 4

Title: Heat

Aim: To plan and design on experiment to determine whether light coloured clothing or dark coloured clothing is
suitable for Caribbean weather.

Hypothesis: Light color clothing is suitable for Caribbean weather.

Variables: Manipulating variable: colour of paint

Responding variable: Time taken for the matchstick to fall off

Control variable: Same temperature

Materials/Apparatus: two pieces of zinc with the same dimensions, black paint, white paint, Vaseline, Bunsen burner,
stop watch, two corks, two wooden clamp stands.

Method/Procedure:

(1) Obtain two square pieces of zinc sheets of the same dimensions
(2) Paint one sheet with white paint and the other with black
(3) Underneath each zinc sheet attach a cork using an equal amount of Vaseline
(4) Use a wooden clamp stand to hold each zinc sheet firmly
(5) Place each clamp stand out in the open on a sunny day

Diagram: Draw diagram of the apparatus.

Results: Table showing the time taken for the cork to fall off each zinc sheet

Zinc sheet Time taken for the matchstick to fall off

Black
White

Expected Observation: state what you expect to be observed during the experiment.

Discussion:

 Explain briefly the relationship between colour and the amount of heat absorbed.

Limitation: State what factor(s) could limit or prevent the experimenter from achieving accurate results

Error(s): State if there would be any error(s)

Precaution(s): State what steps could be taken to prevent errors during the experiment

Expected Conclusion:
Date: write the date the lab was done

SBA # 5

Title: Density

Aim: To determine the density of an irregular shaped object (a stone).

Theory: Density is an intensive property in that increasing the amount of a substance does not increase it’s
density rather it increase its mass. Density usually refers to a measure of how much of some entity is
within a fixed amount of space.

Density = mass ÷ volume

Ρ= m÷v

The importance of knowing the density of an object is to maintain stability and balance.

Archimedes principle states that a body if immersed completely or partially in a fluid will experience an
up thrust equal to the weight of the fluid displaced.

Materials/Apparatus: Balance, measuring cylinder, a small stone, thread, water

Method/Procedure:

(1) Use the balance to measure and record the mass of a small stone
(2) Place a known volume of water in the measuring cylinder
(3) Tie the stone with a piece of thread and place it gently into the measuring cylinder
(4) Measure and record the change in volume of water in the measuring cylinder
(5) Calculate the density of the stone using its formula

Diagram: Draw diagram showing one step in the procedure

Observation: state what you observe during the experiment.

Results/Calculations: Table showing the mass and volume of the stone

Mass of stone Volume of stone

(g) (kg) (cm3) (m3)

Discussion: In your discussion you must:

 Explain briefly the principle involved in the measuring cylinder method.

Conclusion:
Date: write the date the lab was done

SBA # 6

Title: Relative Density

Aim: To calculate the relative densities of the following liquids Kerosene, Aerated drink, Cooking oil, Gasoline

Theory: Relative density can be defined as the density of a substance compared to the density of another
substance usually density of water.
Relative density = density of substance
Density of water
ρr ÷ ρwater

ρr = mass of substance (kg)

mass of water (kg)

ρr = volume of substance (m3)

volume of water (m3)

mass of substance x volume of water

volume of substance mass of water

ρr = kg x m3 = no units
m3 kg
Since the volume of water and the volume of the various substances are the same, the following formula
was used to determine the relative density of the substances.

ρr = mass of substance (kg)

mass of water (kg)

Materials/Apparatus: Kerosene , Cooking oil, gasoline, Aerated drink, Triple beam balance , Water , Notebook,
Bottle (empty), Pencils, Pens

Method:
(1) Record the mass of the empty bottle
(2) Fill the empty bottle with water until it overflowed
(3) After drying the outside of the bottle measure and record the mass of the bottle containing the water
(4) Discard the water and repeat steps two and three for the various types of liquids

Observation: state what you observe during the experiment.

Results/Calculations: Table showing the results obtained from the experiment

Type of liquid Mass of empty bottle Mass of empty bottle + liquid Mass of liquid
(g) (g) (g)
Water
Kerosene
Gasoline
Cooking oil
Aerated drink
Discussion: In your discussion you must:

 Explain why this method was appropriate as it relates to Archimedes principle.

Conclusion:
Date: write the date the lab was done

SBA # 7

Title: Cross sectional area of a test tube.

Aim: To determine the cross sectional area of a test tube.

Variables: Manipulating variable: volume of water

Responding variable: height

Materials/Apparatus: test tube, clamp and stand, 10cm measuring cylinder, 100cm3 of water, beaker, marker, ruler

Method/Procedure:

(1) Clamp the test tube vertically on the clamp stand

(2) Add 10cm3 of water to the test tube and mark the meniscus is level with a marker
(3) Add 10cm3 of water to the test tube and measure the height(h) of the meniscus above the mark used
(4) Repeat to obtain the values of volume and height

Diagram: Draw diagram of apparatus

Observation: state what you observe during the experiment.

Results: Table showing the volume and height recorded during the experiment.

Volume Height
(cm3) (cm)

Graph: Plot a graph of height against volume whereas height is plotted on the y-axis and volume is plotted on the x-axis.
Ensure that you chose and state an appropriate scale so that your graph takes up the entire graph paper. Calculate the
gradient of the graph

Calculations: Show your calculations for calculating the cross-sectional area of the test tube where as the following
formula should be used:

G=1÷A

Whereas: G – Gradient and A – Area

Discussion: In your discussion you must:

 Explain what is cross-sectional area

Conclusion:
Date: write the date the lab was done

SBA # 8

Title: Electromagnetism

Aim: to plan and design to experiment to determine whether the number of turns on a magnetic material affects the
strength of the electro magnet.

Hypothesis: The number of turns on magnetic materials affects the strength of the electromagnet whereas the greater the
number of turns the stronger will be the electromagnet.

Variables: Manipulating Variable - Number of turns

Responding Variable – Strength of the magnet

Control Variable - Current

Materials/Apparatus: PVC insulated wire, wooden clamp stand, four (4) inch soft iron nail or iron rod, ammeter,
switch, beaker, iron filings

Method/Procedure:
(1) Clamp a soft iron nail or iron rod about four (4) inches long onto a wooden clamp stand
(2) Wound 10 turns of insulated copper wire tightly onto the nail
(3) Connect the circuit and allow a current of 0.5 amperes to flow it
(4) Place the end of the electromagnet into a beaker containing iron fillings and note the average amount of iron fillings
attracted to the nail.
(5) Switch off the current so that the iron fillings will fall back into the beaker then increase the number of turns on the
nail
(6) Switch the current back on and note the average amount of iron fillings attracted to the nail.

Diagram: Draw diagram of the PVC insulator wire wounded onto the four (4) inch soft iron nail and held by a wooden
clamp stand over a beaker containing iron fillings

Expected Observation: state what you expect to be observed during the experiment

Discussion: In your discussion you must:

 Explain what is electromagnetism and how does the number of turns affect the strength of an electromagnet

Limitation: State what factor(s) could limit or prevent the experimenter from achieving accurate results

Error(s): State if there would be any error(s)

Precaution(s): State what steps could be taken to prevent errors during the experiment

Expected Conclusion:
Date: write the date the lab was done

SBA # 9

Title: Cooling Curve

Aim: to determine the freezing point of Naphthalene ball using cooling curve.

Theory: Transition between states

Sublimation

Solid liquid gas

When ice melts to form change of states it is called diffusion. A sub-limitation is the process in which the solid
changes directly into a gas or a gas changes directly to a solid. Melting is the change of state from a solid to a
liquid. Evaporation is the change of a substance from liquid to gas. Freezing is the change of a substance from a
liquid to a solid. Vaporization is when water evaporates to form water vapor. A cooling curve is a graph of
temperature against time for substance as it changes state.

Materials/Apparatus: naphthalene, boiling tube, thermometer, spatula, matches, wire gauze, tripod stand, crucible and
mortar, breaker.

Method/Procedure:
1. Set up the apparatus as shown in diagram
2. Use the crucible and mortar to crush the naphthalene balls.
3. Place the crushed naphthalene into the boiling tube
4. Use the Bunsen burner to heat the boiling tube until all the crushed naphthalene turns to liquid then turn off the
Bunsen burner
5. Place a thermometer into the liquid naphthalene and record the temperature every minute until the naphthalene
solidifies.
6. Record the results in a table and plot a graph of temperature against time.
7. Before removing the thermometer reheat the boiling tube.
Diagram:

Observation: state what you observe during the experiment.

Results: Table showing the temperature of the naphthalene after every minute

Time (minutes) Temperature (oC)

Graph: Plot a graph of temperature against time whereas temperature is plotted on the y-axis and time is plotted on the x-
axis. Ensure that you chose and state an appropriate scale so that your graph takes up the entire graph paper.

Discussion: In your discussion you must:

 Explain your graph and what happens when a substance changes state

Conclusion:
Date: write the date the lab was done

SBA # 11

Title: Convection currents in water

Aim: To observe convection currents in water

Materials/Apparatus: Tripod stand, Beaker, Bunsen burner, water, potassium permanganate crystals, matches, wire
gauze.

Method/Procedure:
(1) Half fill a beaker with cold water
(2) After the water becomes calm place a few crystals of potassium permanganate at the bottom of the beaker
(3) Use a small flame to gently heat the beaker
(4) Record all observations

Diagram:

Observation: state what you observe during the experiment.

Discussion: In your discussion you must:

 Explain what are convection currents and the reason for your observations

Conclusion:
Date: write the date the lab was done

SBA # 12

Title: Reflection of light

Aim: To investigate the relationship between the angle of incidence (i) and the angle of reflection (r)

Theory: Reflection is the bouncing off of light, sound or heat when it is incident on a surface and does not pass through.
The Laws of reflection
1st law – the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
2st – the incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal at the point of incidence all lie in the same plane

Variables: Manipulating Variable – angle of incidence

Responding Variable – angle of reflection

Materials/Apparatus: Paper, tacks, four optical pins, card board, mirror, support for mirror, protractor, pencil, note book,
pen
Method/Procedure:
(1) Use the tacks to tack the drawing paper onto the cardboard
(2) Construct a normal and draw lines making 10o, 20o, 30o, 40o, 50o and 60o respectively with the normal representing incident rays.
(3) Place a mirror perpendicular to the normal so that the reflecting surface of the mirror is facing the incident rays
(4) Place two pins (a) and (b) on the first incident ray (line 100 to the normal).
(5) Observe the image of pins (a) and (b) in the mirror and place pins (c) and (d) in place of the image of pins (a) and (b).
(6) Remove pins (C) and (d) and draw a line from the normal connecting the two holes made by pins (C) and (D). Note the line
connecting holes (C) and (D) represents the reflecting ray. Use your protractor to measure the angle of reflection.
(7) Repeat procedure 4 to 7 for incident rays 20o, 30o, 40o, 50o and 60o.
(8) Record your results on a table.
Diagram:
Results: table showing angle of incidents (i) and angle of reflection (r).

Angle of incidents (i) Angle of reflection (r)

(degrees) (degrees)
10
20
30
40
50
60

Graph: Plot a graph of angle of incident (i) against angle of reflection (r) whereas angle of incident (i) is plotted on the y-
axis and angle of reflection (r) is plotted on the x-axis. Ensure that you choose and state an appropriate scale so that your
graph takes up the entire graph paper. Calculate the gradient of the graph.

Observation: state what you observe during the experiment.

Discussion: In your discussion you must:

 Explain your results

 Explain what the gradient represents
 Explain the relationship between the gradient and the theory

Conclusion:
Date: write the date the lab was done
SBA # 13
Title: Refraction of light
Aim: To investigate the relationship between the angle of incidents and the angle of refraction
Theory: When light rays passes from one transparent medium to another its speed chances. The light ray can either speed up or slow
down. This speeding up or slowing down of light causes the light ray to bend (change direction). This phenomenon
is known as the refraction of light.
Angle of incident - this is the angle that the incident ray makes with the normal.
The angle of refraction – this is the angle that the ray makes with the normal as the ray of light passes through the
medium.
The refracted ray- this is the light ray that bends either towards or away from the normal as the light passes through
the medium.
The incident ray - is the ray of light before it enters the medium.
The normal - this is a line drawn perpendicular to the medium.
The laws of refraction
1st law – For light passing from one transparent medium to another the sine of the angle of incidence and the sine of the angle
of refraction are in a constant ratio.
2st – the incident ray, the refracted ray and the normal at the point of incidence all lie in the same plane

Variables: Manipulating Variable – angle of incidence

Responding Variable – angle of refraction

Materials/Apparatus: glass block, ruler, paper, protractor, optical pins, pencil, cardboard, Thumb tacks.
Method/Procedure:
(1) Tack the drawing paper onto the cardboard
(2) Place the glass block in the centre of the card board and use your pencil to draw an outline of the glass block
(3) Use your protractor to draw a normal in the middle of the long side of the block
(4) Use your protractor to measure and draw angles of incidence of 10o, 20o, 30o, 40o, 50o and 60o
(5) Place two pins (a) and (b) on the first incident ray (line 100 to the normal).
(6) Position yourself at the other side of the glass block
(7) Observe the image of pins (a) and (b) through the glass block and place pins (c) and (d) in place of the image of pins (a) and (b).
(8) Remove pins (c) and (d) and draw a line from the normal connecting the two holes made by pins (c) and (d). Note the line
connecting holes (c) and (d) represents the refracted ray. Use your protractor to measure the angle of refraction.
(9) Repeat procedure 5 to 8 for incident rays 20o, 30o, 40o, 50o and 60o.
(10) Record your results on a table.
Diagram: Draw diagram of the experiment

Observation: state what you observe during the experiment.

Results/Calculations: Table showing the results from the experiment
Angle of incidents (i) Angle of reflection (r) Sine i Sine r
(degrees) (degrees)
10
20
30
40
50
60

Graph: Plot a graph of sine i against sine r whereas sine i is plotted on the y-axis and sine r is plotted on the x-axis. Ensure that you
choose and state an appropriate scale so that your graph takes up the entire graph paper. Calculate the gradient of the graph.
Observation: state what you observe during the experiment.
Discussion: In your discussion you must:
 Explain your results
 Explain what the gradient represents
 Explain the relationship between the gradient and the theory
Conclusion:
Date: write the date the lab was done

SBA # 14

Title: Resistance

Aim: To find the resistance of a resistor.

Variables: Manipulating variable: Voltage

Responding Variable: current

Materials/Apparatus: rheostat, resistor, battery, ammeter, voltmeter, switch, connecting wire.

Method/Procedure:
(1) Use the materials to set up the apparatus as show in the diagram with the rheostat at the maximum and the switch
turned off.
(2) Turn on the switch and record the current and voltage readings using the ammeter and voltmeter
(3) Adjust the rheostat to obtain six more current and voltage readings
(4) Tabulate your results and plot a graph of voltage against current

Diagram:

Observation: state what you observe during the experiment.

Results/Calculations: Table showing the voltage and current readings obtained during the experiment

Voltage (V) Current (A)

Graph: Plot a graph of voltage against current whereas voltage is plotted on the y-axis and current is plotted on the x-
axis. Ensure that you choose and state an appropriate scale so that your graph takes up the entire graph paper. Calculate
the gradient of the graph.

Observation: state what you observe during the experiment.

Discussion: In your discussion you must:

 State and explain Ohm’s law
 State the formula for calculating resistance and it’s SI unit
 Explain what the gradient represents

Conclusion:
Date: write the date the lab was done

SBA #15

Title: Simple Pendulum

Aim: To plan and design an experiment to determine whether the length of the pendulum affects the period of pendulum.

Hypothesis: The length of the string has an effect on the time it takes for the pendulum to swing back and forth.

Variables: Manipulating variable: length of pendulum

Responding Variable: period of the pendulum
Controlled Variable: mass of the pendulum

Materials/Apparatus: Small heavy object, long piece of strings or thread(70cm), a long stick, tape measure, stop
watch, two chairs.

Method/Procedure:

(5) Tie the small heavy object to one end of the thread
(6) Set the chairs backing each other and place the stick across
(7) Tie the other end of the thread and use the measuring tape to ensure that the small heavy object hangs 2n inches from
the stick
(8) Give the small heavy object a push so that it starts swinging
(9) Use the stopwatch to count how many oscillations the pendulum makes in one minute.

Diagram: Draw diagram of the apparatus

Expected Observation: state what you expect to observe during the experiment.

Expected results: Table showing the results obtained in the experiment

Angle of swing Number of

Time (s) Period
(dedrees) swings (N)
first second average

Discussion: In your discussion you must :

 State the definition of the period of a pendulum

 Explain how does the length of the string affects the period of the pendulum

Limitation: State what factor(s) could limit or prevent the experimenter from achieving accurate results

Error(s): State if there would be any error(s)

Precaution(s): State what steps could be taken to prevent errors during the experiment

Expected Conclusion:
Date: write the date the lab was done

SBA # 16

Title: Centre of gravity

Aim: To determine the centre of irregular shaped

Materials/Apparatus: Cardboard, a pair of scissors, plumb line, a small nail or pin, cork, ruler, pencil.

Method/Procedure:

(1) Use a your scissors and cut out a suitable irregular shaped lamina
(2) Punch three small holes on opposite sides of the lamina
(3) Hammer a small nail half way into the wall and hang the lamina by allowing the nail to pass through one of the holes
(4) Set a plumb line on the nail and draw a line directly behind the plumb line
(5) Repeat procedure (4) for the other three holes on the lamina

Diagram: Draw diagram of apparatus

Observation: state what you observe during the experiment.

Discussion: In your discussion you must:

 Explain what is centre of gravity.

Conclusion:
Date: write the date the lab was done

SBA # 17

Title: Density of regular shaped objects

Aim: To determine the density of the following regular shaped objects.

 A wooden cube
 A wooden Prism
 A wooden cone
 A wooden cylinder

Theory: Density is an intensive property in that the increasing amount of a substance does no increase its density rather it
increases its mass. Density usually refers to a measure of how much of some entity is within a fixed amount of space.
The SI unit of density is kg/m3. Density is a derived unit whereas two basic quantities are dividing each other.

Materials/Apparatus: a wooden cube, a wooden prism, a wooden cone, a wooden cylinder, a triple beam balance,
notebook, pens, pencils, eraser, a ruler calibrated in centimeters, calculator.

Method/Procedure:
(1) Use a triple beam balance to measure the mass of each solid
(2) Record the mass of each solid
(3) Use a ruler to measure the dimensions of each solid
(4) Calculate the volume of each solid
(5) Calculate the density of each solid

Diagram: Draw diagrams of the different shapes

Observation: state what you observe during the experiment.

Results/Calculations: Show your calculations for volume and density for each shape

Discussion: In your discussion you must:

 Explain why is the density the same for all the shapes

Conclusion

Date: write the date the lab was done

SBA #18

Title: Radioactive decay

Aim: To plan and design an experiment to investigate radioactive decay

Hypothesis:

Variables: Manipulating variable:

Responding Variable:
Controlled Variable:

Materials/Apparatus: fifty five dollar coins, a paper bag, a desk, pen, pencil

Method/Procedure:

(10) Place all the coins in the paper bag let heads represent decayed atoms and tails represent undecayed atoms
(11) Shake the bag and through the coins out on the table
(12) Count the number of coins with heads facing upwards and remove them from the lot
(13) Place the rest of coins back into the paper bag and repeat steps one to four until all the coins are finished

Diagram: Draw diagram of the apparatus

Expected Observation: state what you expect to observe during the experiment.

Expected results: Table showing the results obtained in the experiment

Number of Throws Number of Decayed atoms Number of undecayed

atoms

Discussion: In your discussion you must :

 Explain what is half-life and what do the coins represent

Limitation: State what factor(s) could limit or prevent the experimenter from achieving accurate results

Error(s): State if there would be any error(s)

Precaution(s): State what steps could be taken to prevent errors during the experiment

Expected Conclusion: