Home · IGCSE 0625 · Motion, forces, energy · Measuring length, volume and time · Practice
Practice questions · Measuring length, volume and time

The right tool, used well.

Six original Cambridge-style questions on choosing instruments, the measure-many-and-divide method, displacement for irregular solids, and the unit and working habits that protect your marks.

Original questions All questions on this page are original work, written in the Cambridge IGCSE style. They are not from past papers. They test the same concepts and skills the syllabus rewards.
Habits the examiner rewards

Convert first, keep digits, show working.

01
[3 marks]

State the most suitable instrument for measuring each of the following:

(a)the length of a laboratory bench; (b)the volume of a small, irregularly shaped stone; (c)the time taken for a pendulum to complete 20 swings.
  • (a) A metre rule or a tape measure. ✓
  • (b) A measuring cylinder (using displacement of water). ✓
  • (c) A stopwatch (or stopclock). ✓
02
Analysis
[3 marks]

Describe how to find the volume of a small irregular stone using a measuring cylinder and water.

  • Part fill the measuring cylinder with water and read the volume. ✓
  • Lower the stone in fully and read the new (higher) volume. ✓
  • The volume of the stone is the new reading minus the first reading. ✓
03
Analysis
[3 marks]

A student wants to find the time for one swing of a pendulum. Explain why timing 20 swings and dividing by 20 gives a more reliable value than timing a single swing.

  • One swing is very short, so the timer's reaction-time error is a large fraction of it. ✓
  • Timing 20 swings gives a much larger total, so the same reaction-time error is a much smaller fraction. ✓
  • Dividing the total by 20 then gives a more reliable time for one swing (smaller percentage uncertainty). ✓
04
Calculation
[2 marks]

A stack of 50 identical sheets of card has a total thickness of 4.5 mm. Calculate the thickness of one sheet.

Method. thickness of one sheet = total ÷ number of sheets

= 4.5 mm ÷ 50

= 0.090 mm

05
Calculation
[3 marks]

A measuring cylinder contains 35 cm³ of water. A metal nut is lowered in and the level rises to 52 cm³.

(a)Calculate the volume of the nut. (b)State one precaution to take when reading the scale.

(a) volume = 52 cm³ − 35 cm³

= 17 cm³

  • (b) Read at the bottom of the meniscus, with your eye level with the surface (to avoid a parallax error). ✓
06
Analysis
[2 marks]

A student calculates a speed using distance in metres but time left in minutes, then converts the answer at the end. They also round each number to 1 significant figure before dividing. State two changes they should make to work correctly.

  • Convert the time to seconds (SI units) before substituting into the formula. ✓
  • Keep extra digits during the working and round only the final answer. ✓

Mark this once you have attempted all six and checked your working. It records a Practiced badge on the topic and adds a one-time bonus. Revealing the solutions alone does not count.