BlogPhysicsQCAA Unit 3 Physics Data Test IA1 – Practice Questions

QCAA Unit 3 Physics Data Test IA1 – Practice Questions

Looking to do some prep for your QCAA Unit 3 Physics Data Test? We’ve got plenty of practice questions to help you study.

In order to feel confident for the actual test, it’s good to get some exposure to what the questions will look like — and our practice questions do just that!

Wondering what other IA1s you have to complete? Check out our guide to your QCAA internal assessments!

Once you’ve answered all the questions, you’ll also be able to download a copy of the solutions to see how you went.

Why you need a 10/10 in the Physics Data Test to be on track for an ATAR above 90

So, let’s dive into the questions!

Data Set 1

A boy spun his rubber eraser on a string in a circle above his head at various velocities, measurements of the rubbers centripetal acceleration were taken at these various velocities and measured as follows:

Table 1: Results from centripetal acceleration experiment

Unit 3 Physics Data Test - Set 1

Graph 1: Figure showing relationship between tangential velocity and centripetal acceleration of an eraser undergoing uniform circular motion.

Unit 3 Physics Data Test - Set 1 Graph

Question 1 (2 marks)

Calculate the average centripetal acceleration for the tangential velocity of 6ms-1 to two decimal places.

Question 2 (2 marks)

Calculate the centripetal acceleration measured during the second trial for the tangential velocity of 10ms-1.

Question 3 (2 marks)

Making reference to Table 1, deduce the relationship between the eraser’s tangential velocity v and its centripetal acceleration ac.

Question 4 (4 marks)

Using the average centripetal accelerations from Table 1, determine the length of the string that is tied to the eraser, including the uncertainty in this length.

Data Set 2

The electric field strength produced by a positive charge located at the origin was measured by placing a negative charge within said field at various distances r to the right of the origin, the results were as follows:

Table 2: Results from Electric Field Strength experiment

Unit 3 Physics Data Test - Set 2

Question 1 (2 marks)

Determine the nature of the relationship between the Electric Field Strength produced by the positive charge and the radius of the negative charge from said field. Refer to Table 2.

Question 2 (2 marks)

Using the relationship determined in Question 1, predict what the radius r will be for the final row of Table 2.

Question 3 (3 marks)

Calculate the magnitude of the negative charge, including the relative uncertainty in the final answer.

Question 4 (2 marks)

The actual magnitude for the negative charge is 3 \times 10^{11} C  (note that this is a magnitude hence why it is positive). With this in mind, what percentage error is present within the experiment?

Question 5 (3 marks)

What is the magnitude of the positive charge? (No uncertainty calculations needed)

Question 6 (2 marks)

While at a distance of 6cm from the positive charge, the negative charge experiences an acceleration of 2.4 \times 10^{10}ms^{-2} . What is the mass of the negative charge?

Data Set 3

A 5cm long current carrying wire was suspended in a magnetic field, the angle of this wire was then varied and the force acting on the wire was measured as follows:

Table 3: Results from current carrying wire experiment

Unit 3 Physics Data Test - Set 3 Table

Graph 2: Relationship between the angle between a current carrying wire in a magnetic field and the force experienced by said wire

Set 3 Graph

Question 1 (4 marks)

Identify any trends in the results making reference to Table 3 and Graph 2 and furthermore, determine a relationship between the angle of the current carrying wire to the magnetic field (θ) and the Force experienced by said wire (F).

Question 2 (3 marks)

A charge of 35 Coulombs takes 5 seconds to travel through the wire. From this, determine both the current travelling through the wire and the magnetic field strength that the wire is suspended in.

QCAA Unit 3 Physics Data Test Practice Solutions

Click here to download the solutions to the practice questions above!

Want to know how well your peers are doing compared to your grades? Check out our brand new QCE Cohort Comparison Tool!

On the hunt for other QCAA Physics resources?

We’ve got plenty more practice questions for you to use to revise previous content from throughout the year! Check them out:

The Ultimate Guide to Term 1 of Year 12 – All the Key Resources You Need to Ace Term 1

You’ll also want to have a look at our nifty guides for working on your QCAA Physics assessments below:

Got your official IA1 assessment at the end of Year 11! Don’t fret, we can help!

Are you looking for some extra help with the QCAA Unit 3 Physics Data Test?

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William Bye is a Content Writer at Art of Smart and is currently studying a Bachelor of Advanced Science with Honours (majoring in Physics) at the University of Queensland. He was part of the very first cohort in Queensland to go through the ATAR system and wishes to help other students to make this journey as easy as possible. Will enjoys his time playing guitar in a band with his friends and hopes to continue balancing his science and music for many years to come.

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