You are provided with a syringe, a petri-dish firmly attached to the base of the movable piston (plunger) of the syringe, a Set of weights, and other necess...

Assessment: WAEC SSCE - Physics - 2012 (Practical) Subject: Physics

Question 1 Report

You are provided with a syringe, a petri-dish firmly attached to the base of the movable piston (plunger) of the syringe, a Set of weights, and other necessary apparatus.

  1. Pull the piston of the syringe upward until it can no longer move. Read and record this position of the piston on the graduated mark on the syringe as V\(_{o}\).
  2. Clamp the syringe and ensure that it is vertical.
  3. Place a mass M= 500g gently at the center of the petri-dish.
  4. Read and record the new position of the piston as V.
  5. Evaluate V\(^{1}\).
  6. Repeat the procedure for four other values of M= 1000g, 1500g, 2000g, and 2500g.
  7. Tabulate your readings.
  8. Plot a graph with V\(^{-1}\) on the vertical axis and M on the horizontal axis, starting both axes from the origin (0,0).
  9. Determine the slope, s, of the graph.
  10. Evaluate k = s\(^{-1}\).
  11. State two precautions taken to ensure accurate results.

(b)i. When a weight is placed on the petri-dish, which quantities of the gas in the syringe (\(\Omega\)) increases; (\(\beta\)) decrease?

ii. What is responsible for the pressure exerted by a gas in a closed vessel?

 

Answer Details

(a) Table of readings

S/NMass, \(M\) (g)Volume, \(V\) (cm3)\(V^{-1}\) (cm−3)
15009.300.108
210007.400.135
315006.400.156
420005.400.185
525004.600.217

For example, when \(M=500\text{ g}\),

\[V^{-1}=\frac{1}{9.30}=0.108\text{ cm}^{-3}.\]

Graph of \(V^{-1}\) against \(M\)

graph
Plot of inverse volume, \(V^{-1}\), against applied mass, \(M\), with both axes beginning at the origin and a straight line of best fit.

Using two widely separated points on the line of best fit, approximately \((500,0.107)\) and \((2500,0.214)\):

\[s=\frac{0.214-0.107}{2500-500}=\frac{0.107}{2000}=5.35\times10^{-5}\text{ cm}^{-3}\text{g}^{-1}.\]

\[k=s^{-1}=\frac{1}{5.35\times10^{-5}}=1.87\times10^{4}\text{ g cm}^{3}.\]

Precautions

  1. The syringe was clamped firmly in a vertical position.
  2. Each mass was placed gently at the centre of the Petri dish, and the piston reading was taken at eye level to avoid parallax error.

(b)

(i) On placing a weight on the Petri dish, the pressure of the trapped gas increases, while its volume decreases.

(ii) Gas pressure in a closed vessel is caused by the continuous random collisions of gas molecules with the walls of the vessel.

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