Leaving Cert Physics

John - Higher Level

 Another hurdle cleared, and this one wasn't too bad either. To be honest I was pretty prepared for physics, and none of the questions were too mind-boggling. In the practical section I headed straight for the questions on the laws of equilibrium and the focal length of a mirror. These were pretty straightforward, and the Boyle's law question looked manageable too, but labeling the table scared me (which one's pressure?) so I answered on the electricity practical instead. This was fine until I got to the graph, which was somewhere between a line and a curve, but not quite either. I hope my explanation of its shape was sufficient. The section B questions were all pretty nice; I answered q5, q12(a),(b), and the ones on the International Space Station, the wind chimes and the particle physics option of q10. Regarding q6, does anyone know why the space station occupants experience weightlessness? I said their centripetal acceleration counteracts the gravity, but I was kind of clutching at straws. I'm sorry that I didn't attempt q11; I'm told it was easier than it looked, but overall, I'm happy. One more blog from me, then I'm done! Please note: blog posts reflect the opinion of the author and not necessarily the opinion of the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union. Blogs are updated daily by 6.30 pm on scheduled examination dates.