A full practical question in the style of 0625 Paper 5. Add the loads yourself, wait for the spring to settle, and read the pointer through the magnifier. Fill in the answer sheet as you go, plot your own results on the graph paper, then submit for marking. Every attempt uses a different spring. Allow about 20 minutes.
Past-paper referenceOriginal experiment, wording and numbers, written in the style of Cambridge IGCSE Physics 0625 Paper 5 (Practical Test). It is not copied from a past paper.
Practise next: 0625/52 May/June 2023, Question 1 (stretching a spring with loads from 1.0 N to 5.0 N) · official past papers
Practise next: 0625/51 May/June 2024, Question 1 (stretching a spring, then the gradient of the graph) · official past papers
This type of experiment has come up 28 times (14 in Paper 5, the Practical Test, and 14 in Paper 6, the Alternative to Practical) in the past papers we checked. Show the list
Checked: Cambridge IGCSE Physics 0625 Papers 5 and 6, 2014 to 2025. Only the papers in our collection are listed, so the real number may be higher. Question papers are available from Cambridge.
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How this question is marked
Readings (a), (b)
Every pointer reading to the nearest millimetre and close to the true value, for at least five loads.
Table (b)
Headings with quantity and unit, and every extension worked out as l − l₀.
Graph (c)
Axes labelled, sensible scales, accurate plotting and a well-judged best-fit line.
Analysis and evaluation (d) to (f)
A large gradient triangle, a conclusion that uses the graph (straight line through the origin), and a precaution that really improves the readings.
Habits that save marks
Wait for the spring to stop bouncing before you read the pointer.
Read at eye level to avoid parallax. The magnifier shows what you would see.
Direct proportion needs two things: a straight line, and the line passing through the origin.
The marking follows the conventions in published Cambridge mark schemes. The experiments, readings and wording on this page are our own.