Physics 11

Project 2
Waves, Sounds, Electricity and Magnetism

Academic School Year 2019-2020 onwards

 Physics 11 University Preparation – SPH3U
Project 2
Unit 4 - Waves and Sound
Part 1: Musical Instrument Presentation
Overall Expectations
1. Demonstrate scientific investigation skills (related to both inquiry and research) in the
four areas of skills (initiating and planning, performing and recording, analysing and
interpreting, and communicating);
2. Identify and describe careers related to the fields of science under study, and describe the
contributions of scientists, including Canadians, to those fields.
3. Analyze how mechanical waves and sound affect technology, structures, society, and the
environment, and assess ways of reducing their negative effects;
4. Investigate, in qualitative and quantitative terms, the properties of mechanical waves and
sound, and solve related problems;
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the properties of mechanical waves and sound and of
the principles underlying their production, transmission, interaction, and reception.
6. analyse the social, economic, and environmental impact of electrical energy production
and technologies related to electromagnetism, and propose ways to improve the
sustainability of electrical energy production;
7. investigate, in qualitative and quantitative terms, magnetic fields and electric circuits, and
solve related problems;
8. Demonstrate an understanding of the properties of magnetic fields, the principles of
current and electron flow, and the operation of selected technologies that use these
properties and principles to produce and transmit electrical energy.

Work in pairs or alone. No two groups will have the same instrument and no percussion
instruments, only instruments that play notes.

Must include:
Part A: Playing or demonstrating a musical instrument briefly (or having a recording of you for
people to hear) can be just a simple scale.

Part B: Power point slide show (approx. 2 minutes) consisting of:

1. The origin of the instrument *
2. A famous performer who uses the instrument *
3. Structure and labels of parts of instrument
4. How do parts create resonance and standing waves?
5. How are different notes produced?
6. How is tuning done?
7. How does a high quality professional instrument differ in construction from a lower
grade instrument and what difference in performance results?*
8. List of sources

*NOTE: If instrument is homemade, then 1, 2 and 7 are not necessary.

Possible instruments:
Guitar, piano, violin, flute, voice, cello, trumpet, harp, oboe, saxophone, xylophone, digereedoo,
home-made, harmonica etc.

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 Physics 11 University Preparation – SPH3U
Project 2
Evaluation: Speaking/Presentation style 20
Information/ Explanation 20
Extra (playing, demonstration, etc.) 10

Total 50

Homemade Instrument BONUS **** up to 5

Unit 5- Electricity and Magnetism

Part 2: Circuits
Overall Expectations
1. Demonstrate scientific investigation skills (related to both inquiry and research) in the
four areas of skills (initiating and planning, performing and recording, analysing and
interpreting, and communicating);
2. Identify and describe careers related to the fields of science under study, and describe the
contributions of scientists, including Canadians, to those fields.
3. Analyze the social, economic, and environmental impact of electrical energy production
and technologies related to electromagnetism, and propose ways to improve the
sustainability of electrical energy production;
4. Investigate, in qualitative and quantitative terms, magnetic fields and electric circuits, and
solve related problems;
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the properties of magnetic fields, the principles of
current and electron flow, and the operation of selected technologies that use these
properties and principles to produce and transmit electrical energy.
Go to: https://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cUser.dspLoginjoin

Vocabulary: ammeter, circuit, current, electron, ohmmeter, Ohm’s law, parallel circuit,
resistance, resistor, series circuit, voltage

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

Strings of holiday lights can be designed in one of two ways. In some strings of lights, each light
is connected to the others along a single wire (in series). In others, each light is attached to its
own wire (in parallel).

1. Suppose a single light bulb burns out. How do you think this will affect lights that are strung
along a single wire? _________________________________________________________

2. How will a single burned-out bulb affect the string of lights if each light is attached to its
own wire? ________________________________________________________________

Gizmo Warm-up
The Circuits Gizmo™ shows a circuit board and a variety of
components. Create a circuit with a battery, a light switch, a wire,
and a light bulb, as shown. (Click the light switch to turn it to OFF.)

1. Click the light switch to turn it to ON. What happens?

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 Physics 11 University Preparation – SPH3U
Project 2
2. Turn on Show current and select Electron flow. The moving dots represent a current of
electrons—tiny, negatively charged particles—moving through the wire. Voltage is a
measure of how much more potential energy an electron at one end of a battery has than an
electron at the other end of the battery.

A. . How does changing the battery’s voltage affect the current?

B. How does changing the battery’s voltage affect the brightness of the light?

3. Remove the wire. What happens? _____________________________________________

No marks are assigned to the part as it forms part of assessment of and as learning.

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 Physics 11 University Preparation – SPH3U
Project 2
Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity A: Click Clear. Create the circuit shown at right.
(Use the 10 ohm resistor.)
Ohm’s law Click on the battery. Set the Selected battery
voltage to 10 volts.
Introduction: Resistors are devices that slow the flow of current in a wire. The resistance of
the circuit to current is measured in units called ohms.

Question: What is the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance?

1. Form hypothesis: How do you think increasing the resistance in a circuit will affect the
current in the wire? ___________________________________________ 2 marks
2. Observe: Turn the light switch On to start the flow of current. An ammeter is a device that
measures current in Amperes (A). Drag the Ammeter ( ) to various parts of the circuit.
4 marks
A. Is the current the same throughout, or does it change? _______________________
B. What is the current in the wire now? _____________________________________

3. Collect data: Measure the current in the circuit using the resistor and voltage combinations
given below. 3 marks

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Voltage Resistance
10 volts 10 ohms
20 volts 10 ohms
30 volts 10 ohms
Voltage Resistance
50 volts 20 ohms
50 volts 100 ohms
50 volts 200 ohms
 SPH3U Physics 11
4. Analyze: What is the mathematical relationship between voltage (V), resistance (R),
and current (I)? Express your answer as an equation: ____________ 2 marks
This equation is known as Ohm’s law.

5. Test: Test your equation with other combinations of voltage and resistance. Modify
the equation if necessary. 2 marks

6. Apply: Use Ohm’s law to find the resistance of the light bulb in the Gizmo. What is it?
2 marks
Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity B: Click Clear.
Create a circuit as shown.
Series circuits Click the battery to select it. Set the
Selected battery voltage to 10 volts.

Question: In a series circuit, there is only one path for charge to flow. What are the
properties of series circuits?

1. Observe: Turn the light switch ON and observe the light bulb. Then start replacing
the wire segments with new light bulbs. 2 marks
A. How does each new light bulb affect the others?
B. Use the Ammeter to measure the current in various parts of the circuit. Is the
current the same throughout, or does it change?

2. Form hypothesis: How do you think the total resistance of a series circuit is
calculated? 1 mark

Experiment: Create a series circuit with a 10-volt battery and four 10-ohm resistors,
as shown. Measure the current. (1 mark)
A. Based on the voltage and current, what is the
resistance of the circuit? (Hint: Use Ohm’s law.)

B. Ohmmeters measure resistance. Remove the battery and attach the terminals of
the Ohmmeter ( ) to the ends of the circuit. What is the resistance? 2 marks

3. Make a rule: How do you calculate the total resistance of a series circuit? 1 mark
Test your rule using the Gizmo. If necessary, modify your rule.

4. Extend your thinking: Replace the battery. Turn on Show current, and remove one
resistor. Why would it be a problem if your household appliances were connected in a
series circuit? 2 marks

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 SPH3U Physics 11
Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity C: Click Clear.
Create a circuit as shown.
Parallel circuits Click the battery to select it. Set the
Selected battery voltage to 15 volts.

Question: In a parallel circuit, there is more than one path along which charges can
flow. What are the properties of parallel circuits?

1. Observe: Turn the light switch ON and observe the light bulb. Then add two more
light bulbs to the circuit, parallel to the first two.

A. How does each new light bulb affect the others? __________________________
1 mark

B. Use the Ammeter to measure the current in various parts of the circuit. Is the
current the same throughout, or does it change? Explain: 2 marks

2. Form hypothesis: How do you think the overall resistance of a parallel circuit is
affected by the putting more resistors in it? 2 marks

3. Experiment: With the battery voltage set to 15 volts, measure the current in a parallel
circuit with 1, 2, 3, and 4 light bulbs. (In each case, place the ammeter next to the
battery.) Use Ohm’s law to calculate the equivalent resistance of the circuit. Record
results below. 4 marks

Number of light bulbs 1 2 3 4

Voltage 15 volts 15 volts 15 volts 15 volts
Current
Overall resistance

4. Make a rule: The equivalent resistance of a parallel circuit with n identical resistors is
…. ? 1 mark

5. Apply: What will be the equivalent resistance and current in a parallel circuit with a
15-volt battery and three 10-ohm resistors? Test your answers with the Gizmo.
Equivalent resistance: ________ Current:_______ 2 marks

6. Extend your thinking: Household appliances are usually connected in a parallel

circuit. Why do you think it might be a problem if too many appliances are turned on
at once? (Hint: current in a wire also produces heat.) 2 marks

7. Calculate: Determining the total resistance of a parallel circuit when there is a variety
of resistors is more complex. 3 marks

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 SPH3U Physics 11
 The total current in the circuit (I) is equal to the sum of currents in each
branch:

 Ohm’s law (V = IR) can be rewritten as I = V / R. Substituting this expression

into the equation above:

 (Note: Since each branch of the circuit might have a different resistance, we
write R1, R2, and so forth. But the voltage is the same across each branch, so V
is used for each term.)
 Divide each side of the equation by V, and you get an expression for the total
resistance of the circuit:

8. Practice: Determine the total resistance of each of the following parallel circuits. Then
use the Gizmo to check your answer. (You can calculate the total resistance from the
current and voltage using Ohm’s law, or use the Ohmmeter to measure the resistance
directly.) 5 marks

A. A parallel circuit with a 20-ohm resistor and a 10-ohm resistor. ____________

B. A parallel circuit with two 20-ohm resistors and a 10-ohm resistor. _________

C. A parallel circuit with a 15-ohm light bulb and a 20-ohm resistor. __________

D. A parallel circuit with two 100-ohm resistors and a 20-ohm resistor. ________

E. A parallel circuit with a 10-ohm, 20-ohm, 100-ohm and 200-ohm resistor. ___

Total marks 46

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