Force and Motion II: Paper 3 Guide (Form 5 SPM Physics)

Paper 3 at a glance

• Paper 3 carries 15 marks

Experiment: Relationship between force and extension of a spring (Hooke's law)

To investigate the relationship between the stretching force and the extension of a spring and to determine the spring constant.

• Manipulated: Stretching force, F (the weight of the load)
• Responding: Extension of the spring, x
• Constant: The same spring
• Graph: Plot F (y-axis) against x (x-axis). A straight line through the origin shows F is directly proportional to x, obeying Hooke's law; the line curves beyond the elastic limit.
• Analysis: By Hooke's law F = kx, so the gradient of the F against x graph gives the spring constant k. The straight-line region shows the spring obeys Hooke's law.

• Full experiment page

Paper 3 skill checklist

• Table: quantities with units in the headings, consistent decimal places, derived column calculated correctly.
• Graph: axes labelled with unit, scale using more than half the grid, points plotted with a sharp pencil, best-fit line.
• Gradient: a large triangle on the line, coordinates shown, unit of the gradient stated.
• Relationship: "y increases linearly with x" or "y is directly proportional to x" only if the line passes through the origin.
• Precaution: one that improves accuracy, stated with its reason.

More on graph skills

• Graph skills hub
• All Paper 3 experiments

More Force and Motion II resources

• Chapter overview: Force and Motion II
• Revision Notes
• Common Mistakes
• Practice Questions
• Paper 2 Answering Guide
• Key Terms
• Calculation practice sets

Source: DSKP KSSM Physics Form 4 and 5 (Versi English), Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia: Format Pentaksiran mulai 2021, Fizik (4531) (Bahagian Pembangunan Kurikulum (BPK), KPM)