According to the Cambridge IGCSE Physics syllabus (0625), the section on measuring
time appears in Topic 1: Motion, Forces and Energy, under the subtopic 1.1 – Length
and time.
Here's how the syllabus expects you to understand measuring time intervals:
✅ IGCSE Physics Syllabus Requirements (Time Measurement)
Students should be able to:
"Describe how to measure a variety of time intervals using clocks and digital timers."
This means you should:
🔹 Understand Different Devices for Measuring Time:
1. Stopwatch / Digital Timer:
Most accurate for short time intervals (e.g., timing a sprint, pendulum swing, or
an experiment).
Start the timer at the beginning of an event and stop it at the end.
Read the elapsed time directly (usually in seconds or fractions of seconds).
2. Digital Clock:
Useful for longer time intervals (minutes to hours).
Record the start time and end time shown on the clock.
Subtract to find the time interval.
3. Analogue Clock:
Can also be used for longer time intervals.
Use the positions of the hands to determine start and end times.
Requires practice to read accurately, especially when measuring minutes and
seconds.
🔹 Examples of Time Intervals You Might Measure in the Exam:
Time for an object to fall a certain distance.
Time between two events in an experiment (e.g., heating water).
Time taken for a pendulum to complete a swing.
💡 Tips for IGCSE Exams:
When describing how to measure time, always mention starting and stopping
the device.
Specify what kind of timer you're using and why (accuracy, suitability).
Know how to read both analogue and digital displays.
Would you like a sample IGCSE-style question on this topic to practice?
This topic is part of the Cambridge IGCSE Physics syllabus (0625) under 1.1 Length and
time. Here's how to understand and answer it clearly:
📘 IGCSE Physics Topic: Determining Average Values
Syllabus Point:
"Determine an average value for a small distance and for a short interval of time by
measuring multiples (including the period of oscillation of a pendulum)."
✅ What This Means:
When you're measuring very small distances or short time intervals, it's difficult to get
an accurate result from a single measurement. So, instead, you:
Measure several repetitions of the event.
Divide by the number of repetitions to get an average.
🔹 1. Measuring a Small Distance Using Multiples:
Example: Measuring the thickness of a sheet of paper
Measuring 1 sheet of paper directly may not be accurate (too thin).
Instead, measure the thickness of 100 sheets stacked together.
Use a ruler or micrometer.
Divide the total thickness by 100 to get the average thickness of one sheet.
Formula:
Average thickness=Total thickness of 100 sheets100\text{Average thickness} = \frac{\
text{Total thickness of 100 sheets}}{100}
🔹 2. Measuring a Short Time Interval Using Multiples:
Example: Finding the period of a pendulum
A single oscillation (swing) is very fast and hard to time accurately.
Instead, measure the time for 10 or 20 complete oscillations.
Use a stopwatch.
Divide the total time by the number of oscillations to get the average time
(period) for one oscillation.
Formula:
Period (T)=Total time for N oscillationsN\text{Period (T)} = \frac{\text{Total time for N
oscillations}}{N}
📌 Why Use This Method?
It reduces error from human reaction time when using a stopwatch.
It gives a more accurate average value.
💡 IGCSE Tip:
In the exam, clearly mention:
Measuring multiple events (e.g., 10 oscillations or 100 sheets).
Dividing the total by the number of events to get the average value.
Using proper measuring instruments (e.g., stopwatch, ruler, micrometer).
This topic appears in the Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625) syllabus, under Section 1.3 –
Forces.
📘 Syllabus Point:
"Determine, by calculation or graphically, the resultant of two vectors at right angles,
limited to forces or velocities only."
✅ What This Means:
You are expected to find the resultant vector (combined effect) when two forces or
velocities act at right angles (90°) to each other.
🧮 1. By Calculation – Using Pythagoras' Theorem
If two vectors (e.g. a force and a velocity) act perpendicularly, you can treat them as the
two sides of a right-angled triangle.
Formula:
Where:
A and B are the magnitudes of the two perpendicular vectors.
The resultant is the hypotenuse of the triangle.
📌 Example (Calculation):
A body experiences:
A force of 3 N to the right.
A force of 4 N upward.
Find the resultant force:
📉 2. Graphically – Using a Scale Diagram
✏️Steps:
1. Draw the first vector (e.g. force or velocity) to scale using a ruler.
2. From the end of the first vector, draw the second vector at a 90° angle.
3. Join the starting point to the end of the second vector — this line is the resultant
vector.
4. Measure the length of the resultant line and convert it using the same scale.
📌 Example (Graphical):
1 cm = 1 N
Draw 3 cm right (3 N), then 4 cm up (4 N), both from connected ends.
The diagonal will measure 5 cm = 5 N (just like the Pythagoras answer).
✅ IGCSE Exam Tip:
If the question says “by calculation,” use Pythagoras.
If it says “graphically,” use a scale, draw carefully, and label your vectors.
Make sure vectors are drawn head-to-tail for the graphical method.
Would you like a practice question with a solution?
