Question 1
Which statement gives the conditions for a rigid body to be in static equilibrium?
How to answer WACE Physics short response and problem-solving questions
Write the relationship you use, substitute with units, and give the final answer to three significant figures. For explanations, name the principle, tie it to the situation in the question, then say what it causes.
| Short response | 10 to 15 questions, mostly short calculations |
|---|---|
| Problem-solving | Six to eight questions, often scaffolded, on a scenario or data |
| Answers | Three significant figures with units, unless told otherwise |
Write to the question
- For a calculation, write the relationship, substitute with units, and carry enough figures until the final answer.
- Draw the forces or the field before you write an equation; state directions in words (north, into the page, up the slope).
- For explain, give the principle, tie it to the objects or numbers in the question, then say what it causes.
Use the scenario
Quote the quantities, the device or the observation in the question. An answer that could be written without reading the scenario is rarely a full-marks answer.
Try 2 questions
Question 2
A velocity selector has parallel plates 2.0 cm apart with a potential difference of 600 V between them, and a uniform 0.060 T magnetic field at right angles to the electric field. At what speed do charged particles pass through undeflected?
Next step
Questions people ask
How much working should I show?
Enough that each step can be followed: the relationship, the substitution with units and the answer. The design brief asks for working or reasoning to be shown clearly.