Series & Parallel Circuits (OCR Gateway GCSE Physics: Combined Science)

Exam Questions

34 mins11 questions
16 marks

A student investigates if lamps are brighter in a series circuit or a parallel circuit. He sets up two different circuits, A and B.

q20-paper1-oct-nov2020-ocr-gcse-physics


State which circuit will have the brightest lamps and explain why.

In your answer, include the variables that the student will need to control in this experiment.

Did this page help you?

2a2 marks

A student builds two electrical circuits. Each circuit uses identical cells and identical fixed resistors.

q19-paper3-oct-nov2020-ocr-gcse-physics

Explain why circuit A has a lower total resistance than circuit B.

2b7 marks

Another student investigates the resistance of a filament lamp.

i)
Explain why the resistance of a filament lamp increases when current increases.
[2]



ii)
Design a circuit diagram which could be used to investigate how the resistance of a filament lamp changes with current.

Use the circuit symbols below. Each symbol can be used once, more than once, or not at all.

q19bii-paper3-oct-nov2020-ocr-gcse-physics


[2]

iii)
Describe how the student would use the circuit you have drawn in 19(b)(ii) to investigate how the resistance of a filament lamp changes with current.


 [3]

Did this page help you?

3a2 marks

A student takes voltage and current measurements for four resistors (A, B, C and D).

The table shows the results from this experiment.

Resistor Voltage (V) Current (A) Resistance (Ω)
A 12.0 2.0  
B 6.0 1.5  
C 7.5 1.5  
D 8.0 2.0  

Which two resistors have the same resistance value?

Use the results to show this.

3b1 mark

Calculate the maximum resistance that can be made using all four resistors.

Answer = ......................... Ω 
3c6 marks
i)
Draw a circuit diagram that could be used to find out how the resistance of a filament bulb changes with current.

Describe the readings you need to take.

[4]

ii)
Sketch the shape of the graph from (c)(i) using the axes below.

q19cii-paper3-specimen-ocr-gcse-physics
State how this graph can be used to calculate resistance at any specific value of current.

[2]

3d2 marks

A voltmeter is used to measure the output voltages produced from the circuit.

The voltmeter is not connected to a circuit and not recording a voltage.
q19d-paper3-specimen-ocr-gcse-physics
Name the type of error on the voltmeter and suggest how it should be dealt with.

Did this page help you?