LC Physics and Chemistry case studies
LC Physics and Chemistry · Put your knowledge to work in context.
Leaving Certificate Physics and Chemistry is a combined senior-cycle subject examined by the State Examinations Commission for students in Ireland, typically taken over two years and assessed by a written paper. It suits candidates who want a single subject covering both the physical laws of motion, heat, waves, electricity and the atom alongside chemical bonding, stoichiometry, equilibrium, organic chemistry, kinetics, redox and laboratory work. The LC Physics and Chemistry case studies are 5 cases and about 2,473 words.
1Trolley on a Ramp: Is Friction Really Negligible?
A transition-year team is testing energy conservation with a 0.500 kg trolley on a 1.20 m ramp. The ramp's upper end is 0.168 m above the lower end, and a 0.050 m card on the trolley passes through a light gate at the bottom.
519 words, about 3 min2Resonance Tube: When the Tuning Fork Marking Is the Weak Link
A student measures the speed of sound using a resonance tube and a tuning fork marked 512 Hz. The water level is lowered until a loud resonance is heard.
478 words, about 2 min3Acid–Base Titration: Indicator Endpoint Versus Equivalence
A student titrates 20.0 cm³ of 0.100 M ethanoic acid (Ka = 1.8 × 10⁻⁵) with 0.100 M NaOH, using phenolphthalein. The burette reading at the first persistent pale pink, lasting 30 s, is 19.70 cm³.
519 words, about 3 min4Daniell Cell Reading Low: Diagnosing a Diluted Half-Cell
A student sets up a Daniell cell: a zinc electrode in 1.0 M ZnSO₄ and a copper electrode in a blue solution labelled '1.0 M CuSO₄', joined by a KNO₃ salt bridge. A digital voltmeter reads 1.04 V at 21 °C.
484 words, about 2 min5Specific Heat of Water: Correcting for the Calorimeter and Heat Loss
A student determines the specific heat capacity of water using an electric heater. Water of mass 200 g is placed in a copper calorimeter of mass 80 g (c Cu = 385 J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹).
473 words, about 2 min