IGCSE Physics (0625)

Comprehensive ATP Guide

IGCSE Physics Paper 6 (ATP) - Comprehensive Guide

Based on analysis of IGCSE 0625 Physics Alternative to Practical (ATP) past papers from
2020-2025, here's your complete guide to excelling in experimental physics.

Common Sources of Errors

Systematic Errors
Zero Error is the most frequently tested systematic error. This occurs when instruments give
non-zero readings when the true value should be zero. Other systematic errors include calibration
issues, where instruments aren't properly set to known standards, and method flaws in
experimental design.

Parallax Error
This appears consistently across papers. This happens when readings are taken from an incorrect
angle rather than perpendicular to the scale. It's particularly common with rulers, thermometers, and
measuring cylinders.

Random Errors
Human Reaction Time significantly affects timing experiments. Environmental variations like
temperature changes and equipment instability also contribute to random errors. These errors
cause unpredictable fluctuations in readings.

Apparatus-Specific Errors

Electrical Circuits:
 • Heating effects changing resistance during measurements

• Wrong polarity connections

• Incorrect range selection on meters

• Not tapping meters to avoid needle sticking

Temperature Measurements:

• Thermometer touching container walls

• Not allowing time for thermal equilibrium

• Failing to stir liquids before reading

Linear Measurements:

• Reading from wrong end of ruler (zero error)

• Not measuring to center of objects

• Using inappropriate precision for equipment

Most Common Experiments (2020-2025)

1. Pendulum Investigations
This appears in virtually every ATP paper. Students investigate the relationship between pendulum
length and period.

Common Errors:

• Timing single oscillations instead of multiple

• Measuring to edge of bob rather than center

• Large oscillation angles affecting results

• Human reaction time in stopwatch operation

Key Improvements:

• Time 10-20 complete oscillations and divide by the number

• Use a fiducial point (e.g., a marker at the equilibrium position) for consistent timing

• Keep oscillation angle small (less than 10 degrees)

• Measure length to the center of the pendulum bob

2. Density Measurements
Frequently tested using both regular and irregular objects.

Method 1 - Regular Objects: Calculate volume from dimensions (measure with ruler), measure
mass (with balance).

Method 2 - Displacement Method: Use a measuring cylinder for irregular objects.

Common Errors:

• Air bubbles trapped on the object in the displacement method

• Not drying objects between measurements

• Parallax errors in measuring cylinder readings

• Reading the wrong part of the meniscus (should be bottom for water)

3. Electrical Resistance Experiments

Testing factors affecting wire resistance (e.g., length, material).

Common Errors:

• Heating effects changing the wire's resistance during measurement

• Poor or loose electrical connections

• Not controlling the temperature as a variable

• Using currents that are too high, causing significant heating

Key Improvements:

• Use low currents to minimize heating

• Switch off the circuit between readings to allow the wire to cool

• Check and clean all connections before starting

4. Ray Tracing / Optical Experiments

Light experiments using pins and mirrors or glass blocks.

Common Errors:

• Pins not placed vertically or are too close together

• Looking at the top of the pins instead of their bases for alignment

• Thick pencil lines reducing accuracy of ray tracing

• Poor lighting conditions affecting visibility

Essential Improvements:

• Place pins at least 5cm apart for a more accurate line

• Look at the base of the pins for alignment to avoid parallax

• Use a sharp pencil for accurate, thin line drawing

• Ensure pins are perfectly vertical when placed on the paper

5. Moments and Balance Experiments

Testing the principle of moments using meter rules and pivots.

Main Difficulty: Achieving an exact, stable balance of the rule.

Key Technique: To find the balance point, move the load slowly one way until the rule just tips,
note the position. Then move it the other way until it tips back, note that position. The balance point
is the midpoint between these two positions.

6. Specific Heat Capacity Investigations

Determining thermal properties of materials (e.g., water, metal blocks).

Major Error Sources:

• Heat loss to the surroundings

• Not stirring the liquid during heating, causing uneven temperature distribution

• Temperature not reaching thermal equilibrium before a reading is taken

Critical Improvements:

• Use insulation or lagging around the apparatus

• Stir continuously during heating

• Allow sufficient time for the thermometer to reach thermal equilibrium

• Use lids to reduce heat loss by convection and evaporation

General Experimental Planning Tips

Variable Identification

• Independent Variable: What you deliberately change.

• Dependent Variable: What you measure as a result of the change.

• Control Variables: Factors that must be kept constant to ensure a fair test.

Method Development

• Include at least 5-6 different values for the independent variable to see a clear pattern.

• State at least one clear safety precaution relevant to the experiment.

• Describe how control variables will be maintained.

• Include repeat readings and calculation of an average for reliability.

Results Tables

• Use the format 'Quantity / unit' for all column headings.

• Include columns for repeat readings and an average.

• Record all readings to a precision appropriate for the equipment used.

Why These Errors Must Be Avoided: The Science

Understanding why these errors occur is crucial for developing proper experimental technique.
Here are the scientific explanations for major error types.

Why Parallax Error is Problematic

The Physics Behind Parallax Error

Parallax error occurs because of the apparent shift in an object's position when viewed from
different angles. This is due to the geometric relationship between your eye, the scale, and the
object. Looking from an angle changes the line of sight, making the marker on the scale appear to
align with a different value.

Why This Matters

• Systematic bias: The error consistently skews measurements in one direction if viewed from
the same wrong angle.

• Inconsistent readings: Different observers get different results.

• Precision loss: The uncertainty in readings increases significantly.

Why Zero Error is Serious

The Nature of Zero Error

This is a systematic error where an instrument reads a non-zero value when the true reading should
be zero because its reference point is incorrectly calibrated. Unlike random errors, zero error affects
every single measurement by the same amount in the same direction, leading to a consistently
inaccurate result.

Cumulative Effect
In experiments involving differences between measurements (e.g., finding the extension of a
spring), the zero error does not cancel out and can corrupt the final result.

Why Timing Single Oscillations is Inaccurate

Human Reaction Time Limitations

Human reaction time averages about 0.2 seconds for both starting and stopping a timer. For a
pendulum with a 2-second period, this ~0.4s total error represents a massive 20% error for a single
swing.

Mathematical Advantage of Multiple Oscillations

When timing 20 oscillations, the total period is ~40 seconds. The same 0.4s reaction time error now
only represents 1% of the total time measured. When you divide by 20 to find the period of one
oscillation, the error is also divided, reducing it from 0.4s to just 0.02s per oscillation.

Why Heating Effects Ruin Electrical Measurements

Physical Mechanism of Heating
When current flows, electrons collide with the metal ions in the conductor. These collisions transfer
kinetic energy, causing the ions to vibrate more. This increased vibration is an increase in the
material's internal energy, and thus its temperature. This is known as Joule heating.

Temperature-Resistance Relationship
For metals, resistance increases with temperature because the more vigorously vibrating ions
obstruct the flow of electrons more effectively. If you are investigating how resistance depends on
length, but heating is also changing the resistance, you are measuring the effect of two variables at
once, making the experiment invalid.

Why Air Bubbles Affect Density Measurements

Volume Displacement Error

Density = mass/volume. Air bubbles trapped on a submerged object occupy space, artificially
inflating the volume measurement recorded by water displacement. Since the mass of the object
remains constant, a larger measured volume results in a calculated density that is artificially low
and incorrect.

Why Control Variables Matter

The Confounding Variables Problem

If you don't control variables, you cannot determine causation. For an experiment to be fair and the
conclusion valid, only the independent variable should be changed. Any change in the dependent
variable can then be attributed to the change in the independent variable. Uncontrolled variables
introduce random or systematic errors that can obscure the true relationship being investigated.

Key Takeaway
These errors are not just 'mistakes'—they represent fundamental limitations of measurement. The
goal is not to eliminate all errors (which is impossible), but to understand, control, and account for
them in your experimental analysis to produce the most reliable and accurate results possible.