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AQA GCSE · Question 08.3 · Waves
The student measured the angles of refraction for two additional angles of incidence. Table 2 shows the additional results.
<br>
Angle of incidence (degrees): 70, 80
<br>
Angle of refraction (degrees): 35, 37
<br><br>
Complete Figure 14. You should:
<br>
• plot the results from Table 2
<br>
• draw the line of best fit.
The student measured the angles of refraction for two additional angles of incidence. Table 2 shows the additional results.
<br>
Angle of incidence (degrees): 70, 80
<br>
Angle of refraction (degrees): 35, 37
<br><br>
Complete Figure 14. You should:
<br>
• plot the results from Table 2
<br>
• draw the line of best fit.
How to approach this question
1. **Plotting:** For the first point (70, 35), find 70 on the x-axis and 35 on the y-axis. Mark the intersection with a cross (x). For the second point (80, 37), find 80 on the x-axis and 37 on the y-axis (just under 38, or just over halfway between 36 and 38). Mark this point.
2. **Line of best fit:** Look at all the plotted points. The trend is a curve that gets less steep as the angle of incidence increases. Draw a single, smooth curve that goes as close as possible to all the points. It should not be a "join-the-dots" line.
Full Answer
The two new points (70, 35) and (80, 37) should be plotted accurately. A smooth curve should be drawn that passes through or close to all the points, showing the trend.
The two new data points to plot are (70, 35) and (80, 37).
- The point (70, 35) is plotted by finding 70 on the horizontal axis and 35 on the vertical axis.
- The point (80, 37) is plotted by finding 80 on the horizontal axis and 37 on the vertical axis.
The line of best fit for this data is a smooth curve, not a straight line. It should start from the origin (0,0), pass close to all the plotted points, and show that the angle of refraction increases as the angle of incidence increases, but at a decreasing rate (the curve flattens out).
Common mistakes
✗ Plotting the points inaccurately.\n✗ Joining the dots with a series of straight lines instead of drawing a single smooth curve.\n✗ Forcing the line to be straight when the data clearly shows a curve.
Practice the full AQA GCSE Physics Foundation Tier Paper 2
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