Grade 11 free-fall practical: estimating how method changes cut the uncertainty in g.

The teacher names the AQA A-level physics required practical for determining g by free fall and shares a Google Sheet with columns for the proposed change, the source of uncertainty it targets and the estimated effect on the percentage uncertainty in g. Each student adds one row: for example, using light gates instead of a stopwatch, increasing the drop height, or plotting h against t² and taking g as twice the gradient instead of calculating it from a single drop. The teacher sorts the sheet by the targeted uncertainty during the lesson, groups similar suggestions, and challenges estimates that look too large or too small. Students end by choosing the three changes the class judged most effective and writing them into an improved method.

Tools: Google Sheets Nine ideas for your own version in Generate