Class 10 Science Practice Book

10
Standard
Science Around Us
Practice Book for Students
Central Board of Secondary Education

In collaboration with
Preface
Dear Teachers
The Central Board of Secondary Education, in its ongoing journey to improve the quality of
education, has developed the present set of resource books of Science for Classes 6-10 titled
Science Around Us - Practice Book for Students. These workbooks, focusing on key scientific
competencies, have been developed by CBSE in collaboration with ThinkTac.
The resolve of the National Education Policy (2020) to make education more meaningful and
relevant finds expression in the Board’s continuous endeavour to shift focus from rote learning
to development of competencies. Development of competencies would equip students with
key 21st century skills as envisioned by NEP (2020).
The practice books present a series of questions organised as themes, mapped to concepts
from the curriculum of the respective class. Each theme has multiple case studies describing a
real-life situation. The questions following the cases require students to recall and apply
concepts learnt in the curriculum. Implicit in it is the ability to interpret scientific data and draw
inferences. As students engage with this resource material, they would not only strengthen
scientific skills and competencies but also appreciate the relevance and applications of the
concepts studied in the natural contexts. The workbooks are designed to help learners develop
the ability to translate a real life problem as a science problem, recall and apply scientific
processes and tools, interpret the results and draw inferences. Dialogue and collaboration with
peers and teachers as students work on the theme would facilitate a deeper understanding.
Most real-life situations involve multiple concepts, often across academic subjects and
classes. As the workbooks are based on exploration of real-life scenarios, a few questions may
be from the curriculum of a lower or higher class. Adequate background information is provided
in such cases.
We welcome feedback for further improvement.
Team CBSE
Competency Based Education - X (Science) 2

About CBSE
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is a national Board under the Ministry of
Education, Govt. of India. The Board has more than 28,000 schools affiliated to it in India and
overseas. These include the Kendriya Vidyalayas, the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas, Central
Tibetan Schools, schools run/aided by the State Governments and private independent
schools. The Board’s main objective is to foster a conducive environment in schools that
encourages quality education and focuses on the holistic development of children. Through
progressive and innovative pedagogies, relevant to the various contexts in India, the CBSE
motivates schools and teachers to adopt child-centric enquiry-based techniques that allow
children to achieve academic excellence.
About ThinkTac
ThinkTac is a social enterprise that integrates experiential learning and 21st century skill
development into the academic curriculum to empower a learner to build skills that enables
her/him to excel in life. ThinkTac offers STEM learning programmes, integrated with I – X grade
curriculum and 21st century competencies offering material kits, resources and teacher
empowerment to schools.
The programmes are built on a foundation of hands-on activities - built using simple,
repurposed materials offering incredible scope for building, rebuilding and tinkering, which
fosters creative, problem-solvers of tomorrow. This supports children to create, experiment,
tinker, innovate and learn, mastering concepts and developing competencies needed to thrive
in the 21st century, enabling them to choose their life purpose.
Copyright © 2022 by CBSE and ThinkTac

This book is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY-NC License and may not
be used for any commercial purpose.

Acknowledgements
Advisory Inputs
Ms. Nidhi Chibber, IAS, Chairperson, Central Board of Secondary Education.
Guidance and Support

Dr. Joseph Emmanuel, Director (Academics), Central Board of Secondary Education.
Co-ordination
Dr. Sweta Singh, Joint Secretary (Academics), Central Board of Secondary Education.
Content Development
Dr. Procheta Mallik, Principal Scientist, ThinkTac
Sh. Vishal Bhatt, VP, Products, ThinkTac
Sh. Rajesh S, Educator & Content Developer, ThinkTac
Ms. Deepa Aditya, Educator & Content Developer, ThinkTac
Ms. Vindhya Rai, Educator & Content Developer, ThinkTac
Sh. Kailash N R, Educator & Content Developer, ThinkTac
Ms. Divyashree HB, Educator & Content Developer, ThinkTac
Ms. Shruti Sharma, Content Developer, ThinkTac
Sh. Ravi Rangan, CEO, ThinkTac
Content Review
Dr. Sweta Singh, Joint Secretary (Academic), CBSE, Academic Unit, New Delhi
Dr. Pratibha Kohli, Principal, Maharaja Agrasen Model School, Pitampura, New Delhi
Ms. A P Shreelatha, PGT (Physics), Bal Bharati School, Brij Vihar, Ghaziabad
Ms. Molina Sewal, TGT (Biology), Sanskriti School, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi
Ms. Manju Batra, HoD (Science), Suncity School, Sector 54, Gurugram, Haryana

Contents
Preface....................................................................................................... 2
Acknowledgements.................................................................................... 4
Theme 1: Metals and Non-metals.............................................................. 7
Theme 2: Acids, Bases and Salts.............................................................. 18
Theme 3: How do Organisms Reproduce................................................. 30
Theme 4: Life Processes - Nutrition in Human Beings............................. 41
Theme 5: Light - Reflection and Refraction.............................................. 56
Theme 6: Electricity................................................................................... 66
Theme 7: Magnetic Effects of Electric Current.......................................... 77

Theme 1: Metals and Non-metals
Prior Knowledge
It is recommended that you revise the following topics before you start working on these
questions.
Physical properties of metals and non-metals
Chemical properties of metals and non-metals, reaction of an acid and base,
weak/strong acids and bases, ignition temperature requirement for combustion
Reactivity series, displacement reactions
Metals & Non-metals
Every element in the periodic table can be classified either as a metal or a non-metal. As
you get familiar with the periodic table, you can simply look at it and tell which elements are
metals and which are non-metals. Simplistically, we define those elements to be metals
that are towards the left-hand columns of the periodic table, whereas non-metals populate
the right-hand columns. What’s the difference? As you dig deeper, you find that metals are
those elements that are happy to donate electrons, whereas non-metals are eager to
capture electrons, or at best share them! This makes chemistry a fascinating subject of
give and take, and some sharing, which results in the formation of every single molecule
and/ or compound known to us. Isn’t it marvellous? A particle with a weak negative charge
and virtually no mass is able to determine how different elements react with each other and
form ALL the substances known to us.
Case Study A - Properties of Metals, Non-metals and their Oxides

Let us look at the effect of this difference in the affinity for electrons on the physical and
chemical properties of the two types of elements. To look at the difference in their chemical
properties, we will compare the oxides of metals and non-metals.

Question 1
Depending on the properties, metallic or non-metallic elements have different applications.
Identify the objects from the list below which can be manufactured using either. Place
compounds of non-metals, like hydrocarbons (materials like wood and plastic) or silicate
(soil/sand), in the same category as non-metals while answering this question. Also assume
that cost does not influence the decision.
LED Cap (Lens)
1. Swings in playground
2. Spatula (used for serving/stirring food)
3. Furniture body
4. Cap (the lens on top) of an LED - see Fig. 1.1
5. Luggage handles
Fig. 1.1, Cap of an LED
a. All b. All except 4 Answer

c. 2, 3, 5 d. 2, 3, 4, 5
Question 2
A lab received samples of oxides of 4 different elements. Let us label the elements as E1,
E2, E3 and E4. Water based solutions were prepared from these oxides. The chemical
properties of the 4 oxides were not known, and hence a few tests were conducted using
the solutions.
Turmeric happens to be a natural acid-base indicator as it changes its colour to vermilion

(deep orangish-red) when exposed to a base. In an acidic environment, it remains yellow.
When vermilion prepared by mixing turmeric with a base is exposed to an acid, its colour
changes back to yellow. If the solution is basic, the colour of vermilion remains unchanged.
With a neutral solution, neither turmeric nor vermilion changes colour.
Given below are the colours of the solutions after adding turmeric and vermilion
respetively. For simplicity of representation, each solution is being referred to using the
name of the element whose oxide was used to prepare the solution.

Solution Colour after adding turmeric Colour after adding vermilion
E1 yellow yellow
E2 yellow vermilion
E3 vermilion vermilion
E4 vermilion vermilion
Table 1.1, Solution colour

An observation table (like Table 1.1) may have entries of different types - {yellow,
vermilion}, {vermilion, vermilion}, etc. What does an entry {yellow, vermilion} tell you about
the pH of the solution? Write your answer in the box given below.
Answer
Question 3
Is there any colour combination which is not possible? Justify your answer with
appropriate arguments. Write your answer in the box given below.
Answer
Question 4
Some solutions were now mixed with each other. Which reaction(s) can we predict, for
sure, will produce water as one of its products?
a. E1 & E2 b. E2 & E3 Answer

c. E3 & E4 d. E4 & E1

Case Study B - Burning Metals
While burning firecrackers, we experience fire with multiple colours. One of the ways to
achieve this is by mixing different metal powders while manufacturing the crackers. For
instance, copper burns with a bright green colour and magnesium with a bright white
colour. Let us dig deeper into this simple but enjoyable experiment with burning
magnesium which can be easily performed in a lab or even at home.
Fig. 1.2, Burning magnesium strip
Question 5
The lab that experimented with the oxides above explored the burning of magnesium. The
group burnt a 10 cm long magnesium strip by placing it in a candle flame and recorded the
time taken for the strip to catch fire as well as to burn fully. Later the strip was burnt by
exposing it to another magnesium strip, which was already burning, and the two time
values were recorded.
Exposed to a burning
Exposed to a candle flame
magnesium strip
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3

Time to catch
14 12 15 2 1 2
fire (s)
Time to burn full
8 7 9 8 8 7
strip (s)
Table 1.2, Time values
According to you, which of the following is the root cause of the behaviour seen in the first
row of the observations above? Note that we often have one cause leading to an effect
which causes another effect and so on. Root cause refers to the first cause.

a. The candle flame has less oxygen supply compared to the magnesium
flame.
b. The rate at which a candle flame transfers heat is less than the rate Answer
at which it is transferred from the magnesium flame.
c. Temperature of the candle flame is lower than that of the magnesium
flame.
d. As the candle wick burns, it produces CO2, which keeps extinguishing
the magnesium and hence it takes longer to catch fire.
Question 6
The lab conducted one more experiment to correlate the type of heat source and the time
taken to catch fire. This time, magnesium strips were burnt by exposing some to an oil
lamp’s flame and others to a bunsen burner’s flame. The average time to catch fire through
an oil lamp was 13.5 seconds whereas that with a bunsen burner was 3.8 seconds. The
people at the lab concluded that it would always take a longer time to catch fire from a wick
based heat source.
Do you think the experiment would help them explain the behaviour seen in the first row of
the observation table 1.2? Would you suggest any changes/additions to their experiment
for them to find the root cause?
a. Yes; to find the root cause they should add water to the ashes
produced by burning and verify that it is alkaline.
b. Yes; to find the root cause they should collect data from the other
wick-based heat sources (like a spirit lamp) before concluding. Two
data points are not sufficient.
c. No since there is nothing common between the heat sources used in Answer
the second experiment and those used in the first one; they should
use one heat source where the fuel is a solid (like matchstick) as in
the case of a candle (wax) and another where the fuel is a liquid (like
oil).
d. No since changing the heat source is irrelevant; they should instead
vary the length of the strip and observe the impact on the time taken
to catch fire when exposed to a candle vs burning magnesium strip.

Question 7
When magnesium is burnt, it forms magnesium oxide (MgO). There are no other products
of this reaction. The lab conducted another experiment where they placed three
magnesium strips in one pan of a beam balance and balanced it by placing appropriate
weight in the other pan. They then burnt these three strips, collected the ashes and placed
them back to the beam balance and checked if the two pans were still balanced. What do
you think they are trying to validate through their experiment?
a. Mass is conserved in any chemical reaction .
b. Burning of magnesium is a combination reaction where the mass of Answer

the product will be greater than that of the reactants
c. When an object undergoes combustion, it loses mass
d. Magnesium oxide is basic
Case Study C - Reactivity Series

Not all metals react with oxygen, water or acids in the same manner. A displacement
reaction helps to know which metal is more reactive among any two given metals. If metal
X displaces metal Y from its solution then we conclude that X is more reactive than Y. Eg:
if we add lead (Pb) to copper chloride (CuCl2) solution, we get lead chloride (PbCl2)
solution, with precipitates of copper metal. Based on several such displacement reactions,
a list of metals is developed in their decreasing order of reactivity, which is called the
reactivity series.
Our lab received 4 different metals along with three metal salts. Each salt belonged to the
sulphate group. The team at the lab named the metals M1, M2, M3 and M4. The salts
belonged to M1, M3 and M4.
Question 8
Metal M3 is placed in an M4 salt solution. It is left undisturbed for sufficient time for the
chemical reaction, if any, to happen.
Fig. 1.3, Metal M3 placed in M4 salt solution to infer reactivity

The colour of metal and colour of solution is observed before and after reaction and tabulated as
shown in Table 1.3.
Colour of metal (M3) Colour of solution
Before After Before After
Silver Silver Blue Blue
Table 1.3, Metal placed in salt solution
Which out of the options A to D can be inferred based on the observations in Table 1.3?
A. Metal M3 is more reactive than M4

B. Metal M4 is more reactive than M3
C. M3 is silver coloured
D. M3 salt solution has blue colour
a. A and C b. B and C Answer

c. C and D d. D and A
Question 9
The same experiment is repeated by placing metal M1 in M4 salt solution.

Part dipped in solution
Silver is coated with brown Blue Colourless
solid
Table 1.4, Another metal placed in salt solution

Infer the colour of metal M4 and the salt solution of M1 based on the results tabulated in Table
1.4 and write your answer in the space provided.
Answer
Question 10
Now the metal M4 is placed in the colourless M3 salt solution. What will be the colour of
the solution after the reaction (if any)?
Answer
Question 11
Table 1.6 shows the results of the experiment where metal M2 is placed in M1 salt solution.


Part dipped in solution
Grey is coated with silver Colourless Colourless
coloured crystals
Table 1.5, M2 placed in M1 salt solution
Combining the results tabulated in Table 1.3 to 1.5, infer the reactivity of metals M1 to M4
and place them in decreasing order of reactivity in the blanks below.
> > >
Case Study D - Symbiotic Relationship

Symbiosis exhibits a win-win for two different living organisms. It is one of the extraordinary
designs of nature which cannot be easily reproduced by humans but may get destroyed
due to human activities. One of the examples is the impact on marine life known as Coral
Bleaching.
Coral reefs, also known as the rainforests of the sea, occupy less than 1% of the ocean’s
floor space but are home to more than 1/4th of the marine species. Corals are green in
colour because they host the algae called zooxanthellae. Corals provide CO2 and waste
products that zooxanthellae use for photosynthesis and in return, provide oxygen and
organic products of photosynthesis. The coral uses these compounds to synthesise
calcium carbonate (limestone) which it uses to construct its skeleton - the coral reefs. The
sybiotic relationship between corals and zooxanthellae can exist in a narrow band of
environmental conditions which are getting disturbed due to multiple factors. Under
negative environmental conditions, the corals consume or expel the zooxanthellae which
give it the white colour which is called coral bleaching.
Question 12
The factors leading to coral bleaching include extreme water temperatures in the ocean,
excessive fishing, changes in salinity, oil spilling, ocean acidification, etc. The graphs in
Fig. 1.7 show a possible correlation between CO2 levels in the atmosphere and the pH
level of oceans. These graphs have been sourced from NOAA Pacific Environmental
Laboratory (PMEL).

Fig 1.7, Graph correlating atmospheric CO2 levels and pH level of oceans;
via NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL),
USA; graph edited to highlight relevant information
If a pH strip is dipped in a water sample collected from the ocean, which of the following
colours is it most likely to show? Refer to the pH colour scale given in Fig. 1.8.
pH Scale
Fig. 1.8, pH colour scale
a. b. Answer
c. d.
Question 13
The people at our lab were skeptical about the correlation drawn between the two data
sets because of two reasons:
1. Carbonic acid is a weak acid.
2. Is the rate at which CO2 would dissolve in water to form carbonic acid, high enough if
water is just exposed to air?

Pursuing question number 2, they conducted an experiment where they placed 5 litres of
distilled water in a wide mouth (3 feet diameter) container, exposed to open air and
measured the pH after 24 hours for 2 weeks.
pH strip
CO2
Distilled
Water
After 24 hours
Fig. 1.9, Experiment setup to test impact of CO2 on pH of water
Suggest changes to their experiment setup and process to make the experiment results
more accurate and relevant for the question on which they are researching. You may select
one or more than one from the following list.
a. Vary the geographic locations where the container is placed,

especially to cover the geographic conditions under which coral
reefs grow, and observe the pH of water every 24 hours for 2
weeks. Quantity of water and container size remain unchanged.
b. Vary the geographic conditions and at the same time, also vary the
quantity of water to understand the impact on the concentration of Answer
the acid.
c. Add salt to match the salinity of water with that of the ocean and
observe the solubility of salt in the water.
d. Repeat the same experiment at different times of the year to
correlate the CO2 levels in air with the water pH.
e. Blow CO2 externally.

Exploration Pathway
To explore this theme in an experiential manner you may work on the following hands-on
activities:
Electrical conductivity is the measure of the amount of electrical current a material can carry. A
conductor is a material which allows current to flow through it easily whereas an insulator is a material
which does not allow the flow of current through it. In this TACtivity, we will set up a circuit using AA cells
and an LED, to test the electrical conductivity of different materials used in our daily life.
Matter - Electrical
Conductivity
There are many wonderful natural acid-base indicators. One such ubiquitous food item in Indian
households is turmeric powder. The dazzling yellow of turmeric turns a deep red when exposed to a
basic/alkaline substance. However, it remains yellow if the test sample is neutral or acidic. The deep red
powder created by exposing turmeric to a basic substance is nothing but vermilion, which is now your
natural acid indicator, as it will turn back to yellow (turmeric) when exposed to an acidic solution, but will
remain a deep red when exposed to a basic or neutral substance. Enjoy testing various household
Acids-Bases - items, edible and non-edible, for their acidity or alkalinity!
Turmeric Indicator
Most metals burn in oxygen, provided there's a high enough ignition temperature, with spectacularly
coloured - often unique - flames to produce metal oxides, a classic chemical reaction. Here - using your
own DIY Tweezers - we burn ribbons of magnesium, which happens to have a relatively low ignition
temperature, and so possible to achieve with a candle flame. Enjoy the dazzling flames and test the
Reaction - Magnesium "ash" that forms. Is there a difference between the mass of the initial ribbon and the ash it forms?
and Oxygen
The ability of a metal to react with other chemicals is an important property of the metal and is called its
Reactivity. In this TACtivity we take three metals - Copper, Iron and Magnesium - with different
reactivities and test their behaviour by placing them in copper sulphate solution.
Reaction -Metal
Reactivity Series
Chemical reactions often create a change in colour. Here, we use a classic acid-base indicator to make
a simple "respirometer", which can be used to estimate your metabolic rate as you blow into a solution
of slaked lime.
DIY Respirometer

Theme 2: Acids, Bases and Salts
Prior Knowledge
questions.
Chemical properties of acids and bases
Reaction of acids and bases with metals
Reaction between acid and base
Importance of pH in everyday life
pH of salts
Forwarded Messages
What is easier, typing 100 words or clicking one button to forward a message having 100
words? It is not a surprise that there are many users on messaging applications who
forward more messages than composing their own. Have a look at the message below
which was forwarded multiple times at the beginning of the COVID period in 2020.
Keep in mind that the pH of the coronavirus ranges from 5.5 to 8.5. So all we have to do to
eliminate the virus is to eat more alkaline foods.
Bananas 9.9 pH
Yellow lemon 8.2 pH
Egg white 9.2 pH
Garlic 13.2 pH
Mango 8.7 pH
Mandarin 8.5 pH
Carrot 7 pH
Pineapple 12.7 pH
Watercress 22.7 pH
DO NOT keep this information just for yourself, give it to all your family and friends.

What would you do if you received a similar message? Since most items this message
recommends are food items and not chemicals, it is tempting to follow the recommendation
without verifying. Your thoughts may go in the following direction:
I am fond of bananas or mango or garlic anyways.

I don’t lose/spend much by eating one extra banana!
This message seems to be harmless even if it is not based on verified facts.
These are fruits/vegetables and hence not owned by any one company. If someone
is trying to spread rumours, what will they gain by doing this?
This message seems to be based on scientific evidence, since technical terms like
pH are used in it.
Is the above message actually harmless? For a pandemic like COVID 19, isn’t it important
for society that each human has a correct understanding about the disease? In general,
when we have false messages, forwarded on social media, what do you think could be the
motive? If you want to verify the above message, how would you do it?
Case Study A - pH of Food & Corona Virus

Given below are excerpts from 2 articles - 1 from a news agency and 1 from a popular
medical journal. The sources of both articles have also been mentioned.
“A virus itself does not have a pH,” said Sarah Stanley, associate professor of infectious
diseases and vaccinology at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health.
Stanley explained in an email that “pH is something that applies to a water based solution,
which a virus is not.” In addition, she said, it’s not possible for diet to change the pH of
blood, cells or tissues. The body regulates pH levels, it’s not something a person would
want to change.
Source: AP News
We also tested the virucidal effects of disinfectants by adding 15 μL of SARS-CoV-2 culture

(~7·8 log unit of TCID50 per mL) to 135 μL of various disinfectants at working
concentrations (appendix p 1). With the exception of a 5-min incubation with hand soap, no
infectious virus could be detected after a 5-min incubation at room temperature (22°C).
Additionally, we also found that SARS-CoV-2 is extremely stable in a wide range of pH
values at room temperature (pH 3–10; appendix p 1). Overall, SARS-CoV-2 can be highly
stable in a favourable environment, but it is also susceptible to standard disinfection
methods.
Alex W H Chin, Julie T S Chu, et al. published through The Lancet
Published: April 02, 2020, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2666-5247(20)30003-3

Question 1
By reading the excerpts of the articles, what part of the WhatsApp message can you conclude
for sure to be correct or incorrect? Justify your answer. Write your answer in the space given
below.
Answer
Question 2
pH data was collected for different food items by using pH paper. The original colour of the
pH paper is yellow. Its colour changes to those shown in Fig. 2.1 when it is dipped in a
solution of the corresponding pH.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
pH Scale
Fig. 2.1, Colour code on the pH strip
Given below is the data on the colour of the pH paper after water extract was dropped on
the pH paper for different food items. For the items which do not contain water, it was
soaked in water for some time and the water thus collected was used.
Colour of the pH paper after

Food items pH scale for reference
dipping in the food items
Yellow lemon 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
pH Scale

Garlic 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
pH Scale
Egg white 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
pH Scale
Mango 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
pH Scale
Banana 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
pH Scale
Mandarin 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
pH Scale
Carrot 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
pH Scale
Table 2.1, Colour of the pH paper after water extract was dropped on the pH paper for different food items.
i. Name any two items whose pH level has been incorrectly mentioned in the WhatsApp
message.
Answer
ii. Name any two items, whose pH level has been mentioned correctly.
Answer
iii. Name any one item in the original message for which you could have concluded that the
pH is incorrect without the experiment data. State the basis of your conclusion.
Answer

Case Study B - Model of Chloralkali Process
In the absence of pH paper (or any other industry manufactured acid-base indicator), one
can also use turmeric to test if a solution is acidic or basic. The colour of turmeric changes
from yellow to vermilion (deep orangish-red) when an alkaline solution is added. The colour
of vermilion changes to yellow when an acidic solution is added to it. Fig. 2.2 shows a setup
where common salt (NaCl) was dissolved in water and electric current was passed through
it after adding turmeric. The container carries 30 ml of water with 3 g of common salt and
0.5 g of turmeric dissolved in it.
Fig. 2.2, Experimental setup before the current was passed

through common salt solution
Fig. 2.3 and 2.4 show the situation after the setup is left undisturbed for some time. Note
that there is a plastic sheet inserted in the middle of the container to create two separate
chambers. This plastic sheet has a few small holes, which allow movement of ions across
the two chambers.
Fig. 2.3, Setup after 2 minutes Fig. 2.4, Setup after 5 minutes

Question 3
i. What can you infer about the pH of the products at the two terminals? Support your
answer with appropriate arguments. Write your answer in the box below.
Answer
ii. Write the chemical formula and the name of the product at the negative terminal in the
space below.
Answer
Question 4
The above process, also known as the chloralkali process, is used to make different
products from common salt. At industrial scale, so as to make products with a sizable
concentration, one has to increase the rate of reaction. The following parameters were
varied, and for each the time taken for the first colour change to be visible was observed.
Parameter varied Possible values

Battery voltage 1.5V, 3.0 V, 9.0 V
Salt concentration 3 g, 6 g, 9 g
Turmeric quantity 0.5 g, 1.0 g, 1.5 g
Temperature of water Ice cold, room temperature, warm water
Table 2.2, Possible values of the parameters that can be varied in the chloralkali process model
i. When the battery voltage is varied in order to study its effect on the rate of reaction, what
should be the value of salt concentration?
a. Varied between 3 g and 9 g
b. Fixed to a maximum value of salt, which can be dissolved in 30 ml
of water Answer
c. Same as in the original setup, i.e. 3 g
d. Does not matter - we can choose it randomly

ii. Justify your answer to the previous question (part i).
Answer
Question 5
i. It was observed that as the following quantities were increased, the rate of reaction
increased - battery voltage, salt concentration and temperature of the solution. Based on
this information, which of the following graphs correctly represents the data collected?
Since three different quantities have been varied and plotted on a single graph, the
x-axis does not show the actual values or unit of the quantities. You may assume that
each of the three quantities - battery voltage, salt concentration and temperature -
increases as you move towards the right on the x-axis.
a Time for first colour change to be visible (s) b Time for first colour change to be visible (s)
Battery Battery
Voltage Voltage
Water Water
Temperature Temperature
Time (s)
Time (s)
Salt Salt
Concentration Concentration
Voltage, Temperature, Salt Concentration Voltage, Temperature, Salt Concentration

Fig. 2.5 Fig. 2.6
c Time for first colour change to be visible (s) d Time for first colour change to be visible (s)
Battery Battery
Voltage Voltage
Water Water
Temperature Temperature
Time (s)
Time (s)
Salt Salt
Concentration Concentration
Voltage, Temperature, Salt Concentration Voltage, Temperature, Salt Concentration
Fig. 2.7 Fig. 2.8
Answer

ii. Why does the amount of turmeric not affect the time taken for first change to be visible?
Answer
Case Study C - Coconut

The coastal region fruit - Coconut - is unique in its own ways, like many other fruits. It is
heavy enough to harm an animal if it falls directly on the animal from the tree. In spite of
such a big mass, its seed is dispersed through water bodies, which cannot happen unless
it can float on water. The eagerness of the tree to drop its fruit straight into the water body
is visible in the picture in Fig. 2.9.
Fig. 2.9, Coconut tree at sea side, Image by Walkerssk via pixabay.com
Coconut has a wide variety of uses and applications as well. Tender coconut has nutritious
water and dry coconut is widely used in a variety of food items and cosmetic products. The
coconut’s composition is dependent on several factors, such as age, varieties, growing
seasons, geographical locations and environmental conditions, including rainfall and
temperature. Some of the properties relevant in this context are given in table 2.3. Fig. 2.10
shows the nutrients in 100 grams of fresh coconut.

Composition of tender coconut Nutrients in 100 grams of fresh coconut
Property Coconut maturity 40
stage (months)
30
5-6 8-9 >12
Amount (g)
20
Volume of
684 518 332
water (mL) 10
pH 4.78 5.34 5.71

0
Protein Carbs Fibre Fat
Total Phenolic Composition
54.0 24.6 25.7
Content ** (mg/L)
Table 2.3, Composition of tender coconut. Fig. 2.10, Nutrients in 100 grams of fresh coconut.
** Phenol (or phenolics) is a class of chemical compounds made from 3 elements - carbon,
hydrogen and oxygen - which have some special properties. Simplest example of a phenol
is C6H5OH
Question 6
Aakash and his friends went to explore a coconut farm. They purchased some coconut
products from the farm owner who showed them some of the old coconut products, which
had an unpleasant smell and warned them not to keep the fresh products they had bought,
for a long duration.
Given below are statements related to the unpleasant smell from the coconut products.
Which ones do you think are correct?
A. Coconut products have compounds of carbon. Carbon present in the food turns to
CO2 when exposed to air. CO2 has an unpleasant smell.
B. Coconut has fats and oils. When they are oxidised, they become rancid and their
smell changes
C. Coconut has fats and oils and hence they are acidic. Acids smell bad if they are
exposed to air for long periods.
D. To prevent oxidation of coconut snacks, nitrogen gas can be filled in the bag
containing snacks
a. A and D b. B and C Answer

c. B and D d. A and C

Question 7
While roaming around the field, Aakash and his friends opened the snacks that they had
taken to the field. In one of the boxes, sliced apples had turned brown in colour. Aakash
explained the theory that he had recently read and noted.
The total phenolic content in the apples, or any other plant product, causes browning.
Most plant products have polyphenols, but in some fruits like apples, peaches, bananas,
avocado, etc., the amount is relatively more and browning can be observed easily.
Coconut Testa, a thin layer of coat covering the coconut seed, changes its colour if
exposed to air. By observing the opened tender coconut shells, Aakash could conclude the
relative maturity of the tender coconuts.
Which of the following coconut testa, in terms of its age (in months), takes the least amount
of time to turn into a dark brown colour?
a. 5-6 b. 8-9 Answer

c. 9-12 d. >12
Question 8
Coconut husk and dry leaves are highly flammable. So wherever you are working with dry
coconut material, like at a coir factory or in a coconut thatched building, it is always
advisable to have a fire extinguisher at hand. While talking about the dangers of a fire in
such circumstances, Aakash introduced his recently brought magic substances to his
friends. “Mixing them releases CO2 gas, which can be used to extinguish a fire”, he told
them.
Choose the balanced chemical equation which represents the reaction between the two
magic ingredients:
a. NaCO3 + HCl NaCl + H2O + CO2

b. Na2CO3 + 2 HCl 2 NaCl + H2O + CO2 . Answer
c. Na2CO3 + 2 HCl Na2Cl2 + H2O + CO2
d. Ca(OH)2 + CO2 CaO + CO2+ H2O

Question 9
While returning, the group of friends carried tender coconut water in their water bottles.
Aakash had a copper water bottle. After 4 hours, the coconut water stored in the copper
bottle tasted bad and caused Aakash to vomit. Choose the correct statement/s from the
following options.
A. Coconut water is acidic, which is harmful to the stomach

B. Coconut water is basic and causes vomiting if consumed
C. Acidic coconut water reacts with copper, forming a salt which is not consumable for
humans
D. Aakash was suffering from acidity. Stomach acids are expelled out from the body when
alkaline coconut water is consumed.
E. Alkaline tender coconut water neutralises stomach acids causing vomiting
a. A, C b. C Answer
c. B, D d. E
Question 10
The same group of students visited the coconut farm after a year. Unfortunately, the sight
of the lively green plants had changed to dying yellow trees, despite having adequate
water. This implies that adding more water did not help the trees. After having a detailed
discussion with the farmer, it appeared that the region got affected by acid rain, and
generally acid rain has a pH between 4.2 and 4.4. Coconut trees tolerate soil pH from
5.0-8.0. But for optimum growth, a pH range of 5.5-6.5 is ideal. If you were in that group of
students, which of the following suggestions (option A to D) would you give to the farmer?
A. Coconut yield is high in coastal regions as these trees are near salty water. Salt (NaCl)
must be added to the plants as a fertiliser to bring the pH level of the soil back to normal /
almost neutral
B. Lime (calcium oxide/hydroxide) can help to bring the soil pH back to neutral by neutralising
the acidic environment of the soil
C. Hydrochloric acid can be used to bring the soil pH back to neutral
D. Add more water to the plants to dilute the acids present in the soil
a. A and D b. B and D Answer

c. C and D d. B only

Exploration Pathway
activities:
There are many wonderful natural acid-base indicators. One such ubiquitous food item in Indian
households is turmeric powder. The dazzling yellow of turmeric turns a deep red when exposed to a
basic/alkaline substance. However, it remains yellow if the test sample is neutral or acidic. The deep
red powder created by exposing turmeric to a basic substance is nothing but vermilion, which is now
your natural acid indicator, as it will turn back to yellow (turmeric) when exposed to an acidic solution,
but will remain a deep red when exposed to a basic or neutral substance. Enjoy testing various
Acids-Bases - household items, edible and non-edible, for their acidity or alkalinity!
Turmeric Indicator
A B C
pH plays a significant role in digestion. While the mouth is alkaline to digest carbohydrates, the
stomach is highly acidic to activate Pepsin, the enzyme that digests protein. In this TACtivity, we
create an artificial stomach where we use citric acid and pepsin to help digest milk.
Digestion - Protein
Fires kill more than a hundred thousand people every year worldwide. The numbers would be far
higher were there no fire extinguishers and fire persons to deal with them. How are they extinguished?
What can be done to save more lives, if help is not near at hand? Fire requires 3 key ingredients:
material to burn, oxygen and an initial temperature high enough to ignite the material. Take any one of
these 3 out, and you have yourself a potentially effective fire extinguisher. In this experiment, we
produce carbon dioxide using a classic reaction, and use that to douse a candle flame by literally
Fire Extinguisher Model "pouring" it over the flame.
+ _
Commercially, sodium hydroxide is made through the electrolysis of brine solution. Here, we do the
same, albeit on a much smaller scale, to make your own sodium hydroxide, the quintessential base,
with hydrogen and chlorine as by-products.
DIY Base (Membrane)
Acids react with most metals to form salt and hydrogen gas. In this TACtivity, we react magnesium
with citric acid to liberate some hydrogen gas. Inflate a balloon with the hydrogen gas and enjoy
seeing the balloon float in air. Add a cotton thread to the bottom of the balloon and play around with
the length of the thread to see the balloon go up and down.
Reaction - Acid and Metal

Theme 3: How do Organisms Reproduce?
Prior Knowledge
questions.
Modes of reproduction
Sexual reproduction in flowering plants
Reproduction in human beings
Reproductive health
Reproduction in Flowering Plants
While we know sexual reproduction occurs in animals as well as plants, do we have female
and male flowers separate? We not only have the flowers separate but also the trees.
According to Horticulturist Thomas Leo Ogren, the 1949 publication of the USDA Yearbook
of Agriculture gave this advice to the reader: “When used for street plantings, only male
trees should be selected, to avoid the nuisance from the seed.” According to Thomas, this
preference for male trees in the urban landscape has led to a disproportionate amount of
pollen in the air, ultimately resulting in multiple allergy issues for humans. Thomas calls this
Botanical Sexism.
Do you agree with Thomas? If you look around in your neighbourhood, do you think the
plants are male plants, female plants or bisexual?
Case Study A - Unisexual and Bisexual plants

A bisexual flower will have male as well as female parts, whereas unisexual flowers will
have only one of the two. Given below is a list of plants categorised as unisexual/bisexual.
By looking at their flowers, can you determine if it is unisexual/bisexual?
Unisexual Papaya Corn Watermelon Wheat Rice Coconut Pumpkin Cucumber Bitter Gourd
Bisexual Rose Hibiscus Mustard Brinjal Tomato Mango Chilly Long bean Marigold
Table 3.1, List of commonly known plants, categorised as unisexual and bisexual

Question 1
Fig. 3.1-3.3 are diagrams of flowers showing only some parts of the flowers.
A B C
Fig. 3.1, option A Fig. 3.2, option B Fig. 3.3, option C
Which of the above can be used to represent a brinjal flower and a papaya flower,
respectively? Place the brinjal flower diagram before the papaya while answering.
a. B, C b. C, C Answer
c. A, B d. C, B
Case Study B - Reproduction of Yeast

Humans have learnt the art of growing microorganisms in controlled environments. We
employ them to make a variety of products. Interestingly, we do not hear of any animal
rights violation protests for this because it is not considered unethical. One such
microorganism which humans use is the unicellular organism yeast. It is used in many
fermented products as well as to make fluffy baked food items. When dosa batter or bread
dough is left aside, its volume increases after some time. Someone looking at this for the
first time may conclude (incorrectly) that extra food got produced from thin air. The fact is
that extra air gets produced to make the food appear to have grown in quantity. Where
does this extra air come from? As the yeast/bacteria respire, they produce carbon dioxide,
which leads to an increase in volume. Further, as these microorganisms feed on the sugar
in the batter/dough, they reproduce and grow in number, thereby producing even more
carbon dioxide. This leads to an increase in the rate at which carbon dioxide is produced
till the microorganisms die, either because the food is cooked or oxygen supply is stopped
or the food is insufficient for the total number of microorganisms. Some people believe that
humans will also go through a similar growth cycle!

Question 2
i. Which of the following modes of reproduction does yeast exhibit?
a. Reproduction through male & female germ cells .
b. Fission Answer
c. Vegetative propagation
d. Spore formation
ii. A baker using yeast while baking is closely observing the rate at which it grows. Her goal
is to find ways to speed up the yeast’s growth so as to expedite her baking process. She
heard someone claim that yeast grows exponentially i.e. the number of individuals in
each new generation is a multiple of the number of individuals in the previous
generation. Based on the information about its mode of reproduction, do you think this is
true always / sometimes / never / cannot be claimed for sure? Justify your answer.
Answer
Case Study B (continued) - Rate of Reproduction of Yeast

What should the baker do to speed up the fermentation - add more sugar / more yeast to
the dough or just leave the dough aside for more time? She conducted the following
experiment to find an answer. Measured quantities of water, sugar and yeast were put in a
plastic bottle. A balloon was fixed on top of the bottle and the amount of gas collected in the
balloons was observed.
Fig. 3.7, Measured quantity of sugar Fig. 3.8, Measured quantity of yeast
Fig. 3.6, 150 ml water taken in a bottle added to the water added to the sugar and water mixture

Fig. 3.9, Balloon is fixed on the mouth Fig. 3.10, Setup left aside undisturbed Fig. 3.11, Gas produced due to
of bottle to collect the gas released for 6 hours respiration inflates the balloon
Fig. 3.12, Volume of balloon estimated Fig. 3.13, Balloon removed after tying Fig. 3.14, Volume of gas collected is
every one hour thread to prevent the escape of gas measured at the end
Fig. 3.15, Lime water solution prepared Fig. 3.16, Gas from the balloon is Fig. 3.17, Lime water turns milky, which
and shifted to a test tube dissolved in the lime water solution indicates that the gas has CO2
Question 3
Which parameter should be observed to infer the rate of fermentation?
a. Colour of lime water after the gas from the balloon is dissolved in it .
b. Volume of the balloon at regular time intervals Answer

c. Volume of the balloon after 6 hours
d. Maximum volume of the balloon, if left undisturbed for more than 6
hours

Question 4
The above experiment was conducted with three different setups (see table 3.2).
Quantity of sugar Quantity of yeast
Setup 1 3g 2g
Setup 2 9g 2g
Setup 3 3g 6g
Table 3.2, Details of the three experiment setups
The amount of water was kept as 150 ml for all the three setups. All setups were placed at
the same temperature as well. The observations recorded are shown in table 3.3.
Volume of balloon (in cm3)

Time
Setup 1 Setup 2 Setup 3
1 hour 9 9 57
2 hour 17 46 205
3 hour 57 83 503
4 hour 57 83 725
5 hour 46 69 725
6 hour 29 57 503
Table 3.3, Hourly observation data with each of the three setups
Multiple inferences can be drawn from this data, out of which some are listed below. Which
of these are correct? More than one can be correct.
a. Most yeast are dead in Setup 1 and 2 after 5 hours.

b. The population of yeast inside Setup 1 and 2 remained the same as
at the start of the experiment. Answer
c. The population of yeast increased with time in Setup 3.
d. Most yeast are dead in Setup 3 after 3 hours.

Question 5
The graphs plotting the volume of the balloon with reference to time are given below for
each setup.
Volume of balloon (cublic cm)

Phase 1: upto 3 hours
Setup 1
Phase 2: 3 to 4 hours
Phase 3: atfer 4 hours
Time (hours)
Fig. 3.16, Graph showing volume of balloon with time in Setup 1

Setup 2 Phase 2: 3 to 4 hours
Time (hours)

Setup 3 Phase 2: 4 to 5 hours
Time (hours)
A common pattern can be seen across the three setups, in all the three graphs. The pattern
has been identified in terms of three phases of the reaction in each setup. These phases
have been captured in the column next to each graph. While the graphs show what is
common, can the graphs be plotted differently to show the difference as well? If yes, how?
If not, why not? Write your answer in the box given below.
Answer

Question 6
Provide a hypothesis to explain the reason behind the declining curve in Phase 3. Write
your answer in the box given below.
Answer
Question 7
Based on the experiment’s observations, if a baker wants to increase the rate of
fermentation, what should she increase? Pick only one of the following and answer based
on the data obtained from the experiment only. Do not apply your prior knowledge (if any)
related to baking.
a. Water b. Sugar Answer

c. Yeast d. Temperature
Case Study C - Contraceptive Pills

Like yeast, any organism which gets access to sufficient food and conducive living
conditions, starts to reproduce and the population continues to grow. The same applies to
humans as well. However, some adults may not be ready - mentally, physically, socially,
financially, etc - to reproduce at certain stages of life. Contraceptive options allow these
individuals to wait/avoid reproduction while continuing to have sexual pleasures. However,
certain contraceptive options also have a short/long-term impact on the individual’s ability
to reproduce, which is often referred to as fertility/infertility. Studies have been carried out
on women of reproductive age to understand the relationship between the usage of
contraceptive pills and infertility. Studies have shown that many women take anywhere
from 2 to 15 menstrual cycles after stopping the contraceptive pills before they can
conceive. It varies depending on the age as well as on whether the women were pregnant
at least once before.

Question 8
Before going into the effect of oral contraceptive pills, let us look at the structure of the
female reproductive system and the sequence of events occurring during the monthly
cycles.
Fig. 3.19, Picture representing female reproductive system in humans
Given below is the length of different organs of a female reproductive system. This is an
average range. What is the minimum distance which the sperm cells need to travel to
fertilise the egg? Calculate from the point where they are released, which can be assumed
to be 5 cm inside the system.
Part of female reproductive system Average Length

Vagina 2.5 cm
Cervix 2 cm
Uterus 8 cm
Fallopian tube 9.5 cm
Table 3.4, Average length of parts of female reproductive system
a. 4 cm
b. 12 cm Answer
c. 22 cm
d. Depends; anywhere between 1 to 17 cm

Case Study C (continued) - Stages of Menstrual Cycle
Inside the body of a female of reproductive age, one egg (sometimes more than one) is
released each month. This is called ovulation. If this egg gets fertilised by the sperm, the
zygote gets implanted in the uterus, where it divides and grows. The system prepares the
uterus to receive the zygote, each month by thickening its linings. This happens regardless
of whether the egg gets fertilised or not. If it does not, the lining is shed, which comes out
through the vagina as the menstrual fluid which is called menstruation. Hence, there are
four major events in the cycle: release of an egg(ovulation), thickening of the uterus lining,
{fertilisation of egg and implantation of the zygote in uterus} or {shedding of uterus lining if
fertilisation does not occur (menstruation)}. It is called a cycle since these four events
repeat each month. For this cycle to repeat without error, a fine control is required which is
achieved through various hormones to trigger each stage of the cycle. For example, when
the oestrogen hormone level increases and reaches its peak, the eggs are released from
the ovary.
Question 9
One of the most common oral contraceptive pills contains a combination of the hormones
oestrogen and progesterone. These pills help maintain constant levels for these two
hormones. This has two effects:
1. Since oestrogen levels remain constant, the peak of oestrogen is not detected.
2. Cervical mucus, which is secreted inside the cervix, thickens.
How will these two effects reduce the chances of pregnancy? Select all the options which
could be correct.
a. Menstruation is prevented
b. Sperms are less likely to pass through the cervix and reach the
fallopian tube
Answer
c. Ovulation is prevented
d. Eggs may be released and also meet sperms but uterus lining
won’t be maintained

Question 10
After ovulation, the egg has a life of 12 to 48 hours. The sperm cells, which meet the eggs
in the fallopian tube, can survive in the female reproductive system for around 5 days.
Intercourse may or may not result in pregnancy due to various reasons. What is the
window during which an intercourse is most likely to result in pregnancy? The choices
given below are in terms of the day number of an average menstrual cycle (see Fig. 3.20).
Assume that the eggs and sperm cells are both fertile.
Fig. 3.20, Days and events in an average menstrual cycle
a. 1 to 5
b. 6 to 10
Answer
c. 11 to 16
d. 17 to 23
e. 24 to 28
Question 12
Given below are the events which occur in a human reproduction cycle, which results in a
successful pregnancy. Arrange them in the order of occurrence.
A. Sperm cells enter the female body

B. Zygote is formed and implanted in the uterus
C. Egg matures and enters the fallopian tube
D. Uterus lining thickens
a. A, C, D, B b. C, A, B, D Answer
c. D, A, B, C d. C, D, A, B

Exploration Pathway
activities:
Arguably the most beautiful part of a plant is the flower. They happen to be the reproductive part of many
plants. Many flowers have both female and male parts. In this TACtivity, we will dissect a flower and
observe its parts to understand how they participate in helping a plant reproduce to propagate its species
for another generation.
Explore Flowers
Yeast can respire even in the absence of oxygen - breaking down sugar, releasing carbon dioxide and
other by products. Here, yeast is allowed to act on sugar water in a bottle, the mouth of which is sealed with
a balloon. Over time, as the yeast starts to digest the sugar, the balloon starts to inflate! This process is
called anaerobic respiration and is also used to make alcohol commercially.
Respiration -
Anaerobic
Every flower in a flowering plant produces pollen, the vital male ingredient required for plants to pollinate
and reproduce. Pollen comes in various textures and colours, and here, with your own DIY Microscope,
you can observe their fine structure on a microscope slide.
Microscope - Pollen

Theme 4: Life Processes - Nutrition in Human Beings
Prior Knowledge
questions.
Organs of the digestive system in humans
Role of enzymes
Relationship of the digestive system with the respiratory and circulatory system
Energy from Food
In 2015, one of the popular noodles brands was banned in India since it was concluded to
be unhealthy to eat. Though the ban was removed after some time, it triggered debates
which continue till date in some groups of people. Who decides if a packed food product
can be sold in the market or not? In India, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(also known as FSSAI) is responsible for protecting people’s health by supervising the
quality of food. FSSAI regulates the quality of packed food products by issuing rules and
guidelines which each manufacturer needs to comply with. For example, as per the FSSAI
rules each packed food item must have a green dot or red dot to indicate whether it is a veg
or non-veg product. Another regulation ensures that packed food items have labels
showing the nutritional value of the food product including the information on how much
energy can one derive from that food product. The food’s energy value is measured in this
unit called Calorie. If a food packet says that 100 g of that food would give us 400 Calories,
does our body get the full 400 Calories or less than that? Note that some energy is spent
in digesting the food as well. Digestion is essential for extracting the energy from the food.
How much is this energy? What if it is equal to the energy we get from the food? What if it
is more?

Case Study A - Negative Calorie Food
People often attempt to lose weight to be fit and healthy. One of the ways which is being
talked about is to eat food with negative calories. If the energy spent in digesting a food
item is more than the energy we get out of it, the final effect of eating the food item would
be loss of energy. So, the claim made by people is that you will lose more energy if you eat
these food items when compared with fasting! A research institute studied the energy used
by our body to digest food and described it in terms of the percentage of energy obtained
from different components of food (see table 4.1).
Amount of energy used to digest the food

Component of food
(in terms of % of energy obtained from that food)
Carbohydrates 5 to 10%
Fats Less than 5%
Proteins 20% to 30%
Table 4.1, Percentage of energy spent in digestion of different types of food components
For instance, if one obtains 100 Calories of energy by digesting the fats in a food item, the
energy spent in the digestion itself would be less than 5 Calories.
Question 1
Assuming that the findings of the research institute are accurate, what can you infer about
negative calorie food? Choose the most appropriate option.
a. The findings are not related
b. Data is not sufficient to conclude Answer
c. It is not possible to have negative calorie food
d. Negative calorie food must be rich in protein
Case Study B - Experiment with Starch

Out of the different components of food, carbohydrates are the primary source of energy.
Carbohydrates are produced by plants through photosynthesis and stored in the form of
starch. When iodine is added to starch, the colour of iodine changes from brown to blue
black (see Fig 4.1 to 4.3).

Iodine
Rice Solution
Water
Iodine Solution
Fig. 4.1, Step 1 - 2 ml of rice Fig. 4.2, Step 2 - 2 to 4 drops of iodine Fig. 4.3, Colour of iodine changes from brown to
water used as the food sample added to the food sample blue-black, indicating the presence of starch
With Without
amylase amylase
Amylase Solution
Fig. 4.4, Step 3 - Two set-ups of Fig. 4.5, Step 4 - Amylase enzyme / saliva Fig. 4.6, Step 5 - In the sample
food sample with iodine prepared added to one of the two samples containing amylase, observe colour
change from blue-black to clear white
indicating digestion of starch
Question 2
Fig. 4.4 to 4.6 shows an experiment. What is the hypothesis this experiment is testing?
What is the role of iodine in this experiment?
Answer

Case Study B (continued) - Types of variables
Variables: The quantities which can vary are called variables. E.g. the price of petrol in
India may change based on the price of crude oil in the international market and hence can
be considered a variable. However, the maximum volume of petrol which can be filled in
the fuel tank of a given vehicle cannot change (unless you get the tank redesigned).
Hence, this cannot be considered a variable and is called a constant.
In the context of experiments, there are three types of variables:
Independent variable - The variable whose value is changed during the experiment.
Dependent variable - This variable is measured/observed during the experiment as we
vary the independent variable.
Controlled variable - This quantity is kept unchanged during the experiment. It can vary,
and hence is not a constant, but it is kept unchanged during the experiment so that we
can derive unambiguous inferences from the experiment.
Question 3
In our experiment (Fig. 4.4 to 4.6), there are multiple variables out of which, some are listed
in Table 4.2. Each variable has been given a short name to make the reference easier.
# Variable name Short name
1 Colour of food sample and iodine before adding saliva CB

2 Colour of food sample and iodine after adding saliva CA
3 Quantity of food sample (in ml) FS
4 Quantity of iodine (in number of drops) IO
5 Quantity of saliva (in number of spits) SA
6 Temperature of mixture of food sample and TE
iodine (room temperature/warm/ice cold)
7 Time taken for colour of mixture (of food and TI
iodine) to change (in seconds)
8 Presence/absence of saliva/amylase (present/absent) SL
Table 4.2, Multiple variables with short name

We will now conduct another experiment where we will vary the “Quantity of saliva” (SA in
Table 4.2) and observe the impact on digestion time, which can be inferred from the time
taken for the colour of mixture to change (named as TI in Table 4.2). For this experiment,
some variable(s) will be independent, some will be dependent and some controlled. The
types of 4 out of 7 variables have been given below. Fill the type for remaining 3 in the
respective blank spaces inside the answer box.
CB CA FS IO SA TE TI
Dependent Controlled Controlled Independent
Question 4
We will now vary TE and observe the impact on TI. Fill the missing variable types for this
experiment.
CB CA FS IO SA TE TI
Dependent Controlled Independent Dependent
Case Study B (continued) - Relate the Variables

Table 4.3 and 4.4 captures the results of an experiment where we vary the amount of saliva
and temperature of mixture. The observations filled under the “Colour” columns are coded
to improve the readability: A – deep blue/blackish / C – transparent / E – any other colour
OBSERVATIONS - EFFECT OF AMOUNT OF SALIVA
# Amount of saliva Colour (before) Colour (After) Time (min)

1 No Saliva A A 9 9 9
2 Spit once A C 0 0 2
3 Spit thrice A C 0 0 1
Table 4.3, Observations - Effect of amount of saliva on digestion
OBSERVATIONS - EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE

# Temperature Colour (before) Colour (After) Time (min)
1 Room temperature A C 0 0 2
2 Warm water A C 0 0 1
3 Ice cold water A C 0 0 4

Table 4.4, Observations - Effect of temperature on digestion time
It is common to find more than one variable in a system that are related to each other. Think
of an example having the following variables: the price of petrol, total money paid for a
fixed volume of petrol, the price of crude oil, oil production, etc., are all variables that are
related to each other. However, the maximum capacity of the fuel tank, or average number

of kilometres the vehicle can run by using one litre of petrol (also known as its mileage),
are not related.
Directly related: A situation where an increase in one quantity causes an increase in the
other quantity, or a decrease in one quantity results in a decrease in the other quantity.
Continuing the above example, as the price of petrol increases, the total money paid for a
fixed volume of petrol also increases.
Inversely related: In other cases, as we increase one quantity, the other decreases. If we
decrease one, the other increases. In this example, as the petrol price increases, the
amount of petrol purchased in one visit may decrease and vice versa, assuming most
people fill petrol by a rupee amount, say ₹ 500.
Question 5
Based on the observations in table 4.3 and 4.4, fill the following two blanks by one of these
three options - Directly related /Inversely related /Not related.
i. Time taken by food to digest is to the amount of saliva
added to the food
ii. Time taken by food to digest is ______________ to the temperature
Question 6
Instead of using a qualitative indicator for temperature (warm, ice cold, etc), the last
experiment was repeated with actual temperature values. Fig. 4.7 shows a graph, which
plots the change in digestion time as the temperature is varied.
Impact of temperature on digestion

4
Digestion time (minutes)
0
0 20 40 60 80
Temperature (degree centigrade)
Fig. 4.7, Impact of Temperature on digestion time
Which of the following hypotheses provide the most appropriate explanation for what we
observe in the graph?

a. Hypothesis 1: As the temperature decreases, the time taken for the
reaction decreases because when the temperature is low, mole-
cules are closer to each other and that increases the probability of a
chemical reaction between the molecules.
b. Hypothesis 2: As the temperature increases, the time taken for the
reaction decreases because when the molecules have higher Answer
energy they collide more often and that increases the probability of
a chemical reaction between the molecules.
c. Hypothesis 3: The digestion time changes with temperature
because the pH changes as the temperature increases.
d. Hypothesis 4: The digestion time changes with temperature
because food melts as the temperature increases.
Question 7
Based on the observations in table 4.3 and 4.4, what rules would you practice in your life
to improve the digestion of starch in your mouth? To answer this question, select the appro-
priate Rule and Reason from Table 4.5.
Rule 1 (A1) Have a fixed schedule for eating.
Rule 2 (A2) Chew food for as long as we can.
Rule 3 (A3) Each adult must drink at least 3 litres of water everyday.
Rule 4 (A4) Eat warm food.
Reason 1 (R1) The amylase enzyme is more active at high temperatures and
hence the digestion process is faster.
Reason 2 (R2) Enzymes, like amylase, get secreted at specific times of the day.
For effective digestion, we should use them as they get secreted.
Reason 3 (R3) When this rule is followed, more saliva gets secreted and mixed
with food, which ultimately leads to faster digestion of starch.
Table 4.5, Rules and reasons related to food habits and practices
Select the rules which can be inferred from the observations of the experiment only. Do not
pick those which are based on other data points or perspectives that you may already
have.
a. A1-R2, A2-R3, A4-R1 b. A1-R2, A3-R3, A4-R1 Answer

c. A2-R3, A4-R1 d. A1-R2, A2-R3
Note that as the food stays in the mouth for more time, we secrete more saliva.

Question 8
Given below are the inferences drawn from the experiment observations captured in Table
4.3 and Table 4.4. Categorise these inferences into three categories - Correct inference,
Incorrect inference, Insufficient data to draw this inference. Note that you may have prior
knowledge on a subject but if that cannot be inferred from the experiment observations,
then it needs to be categorised under insufficient data to draw this inference.
a. Colour of food sample and iodine changes from blue black to colourless if and only if
saliva is added.
b. Rice water digests faster than potato.
c. Colour of food samples changes faster when the amount of saliva is less
d. Saliva is acidic.
e. The amount of saliva secreted in the mouth is more when the temperature of food is
higher.
f. As we add more saliva, digestion time continues to decrease till it reaches zero
Answer
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Case Study C - Secretion of Saliva

Saliva plays an important role in the digestion of food, not only by digesting starch but also
by making the chewed food consistent before it is pushed to other parts of the digestive
system. What decides the amount of saliva secreted and how do we hold it within the
mouth?
Many humans suffer from this disease called Parkinson’s disease (PD) which is a nervous
system disorder that affects movements. Shaking head/legs/hands are one of the distinct
symptoms of PD. Another symptom of PD is drooling where saliva flows out of the mouth

unintentionally. A group of researchers working on this problem proposed a reduction in the
amount of saliva secreted as a solution to drooling. A medicine was designed for this and
a study was conducted which showed that the medicine did not impact the saliva secretion
rate in the people who were not suffering from PD. This study was conducted on 150
people belonging to three different subgroups (see Table 4.6).
Sample size (group of people tested) 150

Not suffering from PD 50
Treatment Group - Suffering from PD, underwent treatment 50
Controlled Group - Suffering from PD, no treatment 50

Table 4.6, Sample size and distribution of people in different categories
Question 9
Which out of the four graphs shown in Fig. 4.8 to 4.11 correctly represents the findings of
the researchers?
Parkinson’s Disease - Effect of drug on drooling - Plot 1 Parkinson’s Disease - Effect of drug on drooling - Plot 2
Saliva production (ml/min)
No PD Treatment Controlled No PD Treatment Controlled
Fig 4.8, Plot 1 Fig 4.9, Plot 2
Parkinson’s Disease - Effect of drug on drooling - Plot 3 Parkinson’s Disease - Effect of drug on drooling - Plot 4
No PD Treatment Controlled No PD Treatment Controlled

a. A, C, D, B b. C, A, B, D Answer
c. D, A, B, C d. C, D, A, B
Question 10
Fig. 4.12 captures the four stages of the famous experiment conducted by Ivan Pavlov. A
dog was placed in 4 different situations in the order shown in the picture. In each situation,
the saliva secreted by the dog was collected.
Fig. 4.12, The 4 stages of Pavlov’s experiment
Given that the mouth secretes saliva for a purpose, in which of the four situations does the
saliva not meet its intended purpose? Explain the reason as well.
Answer

Case Study D - Other parts of the digestive system
While saliva helps in speeding up the chemical reaction of starch digestion in our mouth,
the teeth contribute through a physical change. Aakash met with an accident where he lost
his canine and incisor teeth. He had only molar teeth left.
Question 11
Which of the following food items will he find difficult/not possible to eat?
A. Cooked vegetables B. Big chapati/roti/bread
C. Cooked rice D. Whole apple
Choose the correct answer option.
a. A and B b. C and D Answer

c. A and C d. B and D
Case Study D (continued)

With multiple painkillers and limited food intake, Aakash’s digestive system got affected
badly. On one of the days, he vomited twice in a span of four hours. He felt a pain in the
throat after the vomit and he wondered what caused it. The sour taste also made him
wonder if acid came out along with the vomit. When he spoke to one of his friends who was
a Biochemist, his friend shared a theory about the functioning of the stomach. Aakash
found his friend’s theory hard to accept and decided to conduct an experiment which is
shown through a series of pictures in Fig. 4.13-4.20.
Test the presence of protein in milk before digestion
Cu
S
O4
Fig. 4.13, Step 1 - add NaOH Fig. 4.15, Step 3 - Colour

Fig. 4.14, Step 2 - add CuSO4
to milk changes to purple
Change of colour of copper sulphate (CuSO4) from blue to purple indicates the presence
of protein. If it remains blue, one can infer that protein is not present.

Each test tube contains milk
A A B C
B C
Citric Citric
Acid Acid
Fig. 4.16, Step 4 - Acid added to test tube A Fig. 4.17, Step 5 - Acid added to test tube C
A B C A B C
Pepsin
Pepsin
Fig. 4.18, Step 6 - Pepsin added to test tube B Fig. 4.19, Step 7 - Pepsin added to test tube C
Pepsin enzyme helps speed up the digestion of protein
A B C
Protein test after digestion - purple

colour in A and B, blue in C
Fig. 4.20, Step 8 - Pepsin test after digestion
Question 12
What do you think was the theory about the functioning of the stomach which Aakash was
trying to test through the experiment shown in Fig. 4.13 to 4.20? Our stomach needs

a. An acid to digest protein.
b. An alkali to digest protein.
c. An alkaline environment for the pepsin enzyme to get activated
which is required for digesting protein. Answer
d. An acidic environment for the pepsin enzyme to get activated
which is required for digesting protein.
e. A neutral environment for the pepsin enzyme to get activated
which is required for digesting protein.
Question 13
Table 4.7 shows the average pH levels of different organs of the digestive system.
Average pH level of organs of the digestive system

Mouth 6.5 to 7.5
Oesophagus 7
Stomach 1 to 2
Liver 7 to 7.5
Pancreas 8 to 8.3
Small intestine 6.5 to 7
Large intestine 5.5 to 7
Table 4.7, pH levels of digestive system organs
Based on the data in the table which of the following statements is true?
a. Stomach secretes acidic juices

b. Stomach secretes alkaline juices but its effect is visible only when food reaches small
intestine
c. Pancreas secretes acidic juices
d. Pancreas secretes alkaline juices
e. Saliva is acidic and its effect is visible when it reaches the stomach along with food
Note that the food travels from the mouth through the oesophagus to the stomach and then
to the small intestine where the juices secreted by the pancreas and liver, meet the food.

Answer
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Question 14
Fig. 4.21 shows the different organs of the human body, which take part in the digestion of
food.
Salivary glands
Mouth
Oesophagus
Liver
Gall Bladder
Pancreas
Small Large
Intestine Intestine
Appendix
Rectum
Anus
Fig. 4.21, Organs of human digestive system
In which organ (if any) of the digestive system does the food get converted to usable
energy? How is the energy transferred from that part to the rest of the body?
Answer

Question 15
Which of the following is incorrect about the digestive system? You may choose more than
one option here.
a. All changes happening inside the digestive system are chemical changes
b. Digestion is a combination of physical and chemical change
c. It produces energy from food
Answer
d. It uses energy to digest food
e. It breaks food into smaller parts
Exploration Pathway
The process of digestion begins in our mouth when we chew our food to reduce them to smaller food
particles. The amylase enzyme present in our saliva helps in breaking down complex carbohydrates such
as starch present in wheat, potatoes, corn, rice and other grains - into simple sugars. Our body utilises
these simple sugars to obtain the energy needed to do our daily activities.
In this TACtivity, we will perform a test to demonstrate the breakdown of starch by the amylase enzyme.
Digestion - Starch
(Amylase)
A B C
pH plays a significant role in digestion. While the mouth is alkaline to digest carbohydrates, the stomach
is highly acidic to activate Pepsin, the enzyme that digests protein. In this TACtivity, we create an artificial
stomach where we use citric acid and pepsin to help digest milk.
Digestion - Protein
Osmosis is the process by which solvent molecules move from a less concentrated to a more concentrat-
ed solution through a semipermeable membrane.
This process is vital in all kinds of biological scenarios (in our kidneys, in plants, etc.), as well as human
applications (e.g. water filters). Here, we use a potato to demonstrate two different kinds of osmosis -
Explore - Osmosis endosmosis and exosmosis.
Animals have different types of teeth - Incisors, Canines, Premolars and Molars are the main ones. One
can figure out a lot of information about the animal just by looking at the teeth. In this TACtivity, we create
models of the four main types of teeth and understand their function.
Teeth Models

Theme 5: Light - Reflection and Refraction
Prior Knowledge
questions.
Rectilinear propagation of light - formation of shadows, umbra-penubra, opacity of
materials
Reflection off a plane surface - plane mirrors, incident and reflected ray, normal
Refraction and refractive index of materials - how and why does refraction occur,
the normal to a surface, refractive index of air, glass, water, etc.
Direct To Home (DTH)
The DTH technology for TV content reception was proposed in India in 1996 and approved
by the government in 2000. It promised better picture quality and completely changed how
TV content was delivered to individual homes. It replaced the local players (referred to as
cable operators, cable guys, cable wala, etc.) by a selected set of big companies.
What lies at the heart of this technology is a dish antenna installed in each house, which
receives signals directly from the satellite and a cable then runs down into the house,
transmitting the signals received from the satellite. This dish antenna has to maximise the
signals it catches but should be portable enough for each house to have their own antenna.
Typical dish antennas are around 60 cm in diameter and are called "dish" because they are
similar to the cooking/eating dishes we use - a shallow paraboloid. Let us dig deeper and
understand what is so special about the "dish" shape.

Case Study A - Reflection from a Dish
In a dish antenna, the dish captures the signals and reflects all of them to one point (its
focal point), called the feed horn, from where it is further sent to the house through a cable.
The dish antenna has the same shape as the reflecting surface of a solar cooker. In a solar
cooker, the food being cooked will be placed at the focal point.
Fig. 5.1, Dish antenna Fig. 5.2, Solar cooker
Question 1
Be it the feed horn or the stand on which the food container is placed, its location has to
be determined based on the shape of the reflecting dish. If you want this point to be further
away from the dish, what changes would you make to the dish?
A
D Dish
Fig. 5.3, Schematic of the dish with diameter A and depth D
Fig. 5.4, Answer option a Fig. 5.5, Answer option b
No change to the dish, just

place it at a higher altitude
Fig. 5.6, Answer option c Answer option d
a. Make it deeper, i.e. increase D and decrease A, as in Fig. 5.4

b. Make it shallower, i.e. increase A and decrease D, as in Fig. 5.5 Answer
c. Increase the aperture, i.e. increase A and D, as in Fig. 5.6
d. No change to the dish, just place it at a higher altitude

Question 2
Here is a simple model of the dish antenna / solar cooker reflector, where we model a
curved mirror, using a bunch of flat mirrors. The flat mirrors are mounted along the
perimeter of a semicircle. The focus of this curved mirror is obtained by joining the
reflected ray from each mirror, where the incident ray is parallel and close enough to the
principal axis.
Fig. 5.7, Draw a circle of radius 9 cm on a Fig. 5.8, Draw two lines parallel to the principal
graph sheet axis on both sides of the principal axis
Fig. 5.10, Fix a flat mirror along the curve Fig. 5.9, Pierce two board pins on one of
and place a third pin such that it hides the the parallel lines
reflection of the two pins
Fig. 5.11, Draw the reflected ray and shift Fig. 5.12, Identify the point where all reflected rays merge
the position of the mirror to the next as the focal point of the curved mirror. Measure the focal
incident ray and repeat the process length and check if you see a relation with the radius of
curvature of the curved mirror.
Imagine that you take this model to a different universe, where the laws of optics are a little
different. There, the angle of reflection is more than the angle of incidence. Then you will
notice that the focal length of the model of the curved mirror will be

a. More compared to this universe
b. Less compared to this universe Answer
c. Same
d. Two times the focal length in this universe
Question 3
Fig. 5.14, Curved mirror model with light falling on the mirrors
If the above model is placed in direct sunlight, and we place an object at the focal point, it
can heat up at a very fast rate. Many of you would have seen a similar behaviour with a
magnifying glass. Aakash had a magnifying glass through which he could see the clear
image of an object when he placed it 20 cm away from the object and 10 cm away from his
eyes. How far should he place the glass from the paper to burn it using sunlight?
a. 10 cm b. 15 cm Answer
c. 20 cm d. 30 cm
Case Study B - Snell’s Law

The fact that the light rays coming out of a magnifying glass converge at one point implies
that the rays bend as they pass through the magnifying glass. The extent to which a light
ray bends when it passes through a medium is determined by Snell’s law. Here is a simple
experiment set-up to measure the refractive index of different mediums. It uses a
transparent plastic box and a few board pins.

Fig. 5.14, Place a transparent rectan- Fig. 5.15, Draw a normal at the middle
gular container at the centre of an A4 of the rectangular outline. Place a
sheet fixed on cardboard & trace its protractor on the normal line and draw
outline a line at an angle of your choice. This
will be the incident line.
Fig. 5.17, Place the container filled

with water on the outline and look
through it such that the image of the
Fig. 5.16, Now, pierce two board pins two board pins merge into one. Pierce
on the incident line two more board pins such that while
looking through the container, all 4
pins are in a straight line.
Fig. 5.18, Remove the container and

board pins from the cardboard. Join the
marks made by the pins and extend the Fig. 5.19, Measure the angle of refrac-
straight line up to the outline and join it tion with the help of a protractor.
to the incident line on the other end.
Recall that < AOP in Fig. 5.19 is the angle of incidence and < QOB is the angle of refraction.

Question 4
The plastic container here was filled with a sample of water collected from a lake at 5
different times of the year. The angle of incidence and angle of refraction were plotted, as
shown in the graph in Fig. 5.20.
Refractive index of water from the lake during the year
Jan Apr June Sept Nov
50
Angle of refraction (degrees)

40
30
20
10
20 30 40 50 60
Angle of incidence (degrees)
Fig. 5.20, Graph of angle of refraction vs angle of incidence for water collected
from the lake at different times of the year.
Which of the following inferences can be drawn for sure based on the graph above?
a. The water of the lake continued to get polluted as the year progressed.
b. The density of water continued to increase as the year progressed.
c. The visibility of light through the lake water was highest during June Answer
and lowest during April.
d. The visibility of light through the lake water was lowest during June
and highest during April.
Case Study C - Telescope

Galileo and Newton are not quite contemporaries, the former predating the latter by a few
decades in the 17th century, but both giants of science that will endure for all time. Another
great scientist, Copernicus, postulated that the Earth was NOT the centre of the universe,
let alone the so-called “Solar System”. He studied the motion of planets and stars in the
night sky and determined that the explanation for the Earth being at the centre required all
kinds of complicated geometry that didn’t make sense in nature. However, it was Galileo
(who of course liked Copernicus’ idea but had to prove it too!) using his wonderful
refracting telescope that saw evidence first-hand that all things don’t revolve around the
Earth (we now know that only the Moon and some artificial satellites do, but back then
people - and the Church - thought EVERY heavenly body revolved around the Earth). He
observed Jupiter and noticed it had 4 bright spots, in a line, on either side of it. Over hours
of observations over many nights, he noticed that these dots move and seem to be moving
around Jupiter. That was the only way to explain their changing position. So he was
convinced of Copernicus’ theory and had the proof for it too. However, the Church didn’t

like it and jailed him for his views. Meanwhile, scientists like Kepler, and then Newton
started talking about planetary motion, how we perhaps revolve around the Sun, and how
gravity can explain all these motions so simply. Using Kepler’s Laws, Newton was able to
form his Universal Law of Gravitation, and the rest - as we say - is history! Like Galileo,
Newton too was a compulsive experimentalist and conducted experiments in virtually
every field of physics, often creating altogether new fields. So he too, of course, built a
telescope! In his case, he built a reflecting telescope.
Question 5
Below is a schematic of a refracting and a reflecting telescope. The shapes of the labelled
parts - A, B, C, D - are not accurate. They are only placeholders.
A (Primary) Refraction Telescope
A B
Reflection Telescope
C (Primary)
The shapes of the labelled parts - A, B, C, D - are not accurate.
Fig. 5.21, Schematics of refracting and reflecting telescopes
For the refracting telescope, parts A and B do the job of focusing the light from a faraway
object, such that light from the object can be captured by an optical device, be it the human
eye or a camera or a spectrometer. In the spaces below, write down what kind of optical
element you think A and B are. Your options are: convex lens / concave lens / convex mirror
/ concave mirror.

Question 6
In the reflecting telescope, the purpose of C and D is the same as that of A and B in a
refracting telescope. What do you think C and D are? Your answer options are the same:
convex lens / concave lens / convex mirror / concave mirror.
Question 7
Referring to the schematic diagram in Fig 5.21, what kind of image do you think you get
from the two telescopes shown there?
a. Both show an inverted image
b. Inverted for reflecting and upright for refracting Answer
c. Inverted for refracting and upright for reflecting
d. Both show an upright image
Question 8
As you can see from the schematic of the reflecting telescope, the primary element C has
a hole in the middle! This means that some of the area of C is lost and the telescope can
capture less light than if it didn’t have the hole.
Fig. 5.22, Hole in the primary element of a reflecting telescope
Does this imply that reflecting telescopes are less preferred than refracting telescopes? Let
us quantify the area lost due to the hole. Typically, the size of the hole is about one-tenth of
the diameter of C. E.g., if the primary has a diameter of 1 m, then the hole has a diameter
of 10 cm. Given this, what per cent of the light would a telescope with a hole capture com-
pared to if it didn’t have a hole?
a. 50% b. 90% Answer

c. 75% d. 99%

Case Study D - Prism Spectrometer
A prism will disperse white light into different colours. Using a prism, we can build a
spectrometer with which we can measure the wavelength of light from different sources.
The collimator (see Fig. 5.22) helps in allowing only a narrow beam of light to be incident
on the prism and the telescope is where you see the dispersed light.
i D
Eye
Source of
Light
}
}
}
I. Collimator setup II. Prism table setup III. Telescope setup
Fig. 5.23, Prism spectrometer
While doing the experiment with a spectrometer, one would need to vary the angle of
incidence (i) and also, measure the angle of deviation (D).
Question 9
Among the three setups mentioned in Fig. 5.23, how many of them should be movable (not
fixed) at the least, in order to conduct experiments with a spectrometer?
a. 0 b. 1 Answer
c. 2 d. All the three
Question 10
If you use white light as the source of light for the prism spectrometer, which colour will
have the maximum value for D?
a. Red b. Yellow Answer

c. Green d. Violet

Exploration Pathway
Curved mirrors come under a broad category of mirrors that have a reflecting surface, which is curved.
When the surface is curved inwards it’s called a concave mirror, and those with an outward bulge are
called convex mirrors. In this TACtivity, we determine the focal length of a concave mirror by obtaining
an image of the object placed at different points.
Explore Curved
Mirror
The speed of light through a medium depends on a property of the material, called its refractive index.
^i ^i = 30o This is closely related to the density of the material. This feature of light changing its speed in different
materials is known as refraction. This is manifest in the form of a light ray changing its direction towards
the normal of a surface, when it enters a denser medium, because its speed has reduced. Snell's Law
states that the ratio of the refractive indices of two materials is the same as the ratio of the sine of the
angle of the incident and refracted rays. In this classic experiment, we use square glass containers at
Snell’s Law home and test their refractive index, using pins and observing the "bend" between the incident and
refracted rays.
An optical bench is a versatile tool useful in conducting a series of optics experiments, involving lenses
and mirrors. It is particularly useful when two or more optical elements need to be placed in a straight
line and at a fixed level so that their optical axes align. Here, we make our own Optical Bench, using
foam, skewers, straws and graph paper, and conduct various focal length experiments, using lenses
DIY Optic Bench and/or mirrors.

(Fresnel Lens)
The visible light we see, from the Sun or from a bulb, is often made up of many colours of light. How
can we separate these colours? Such an instrument that does so is called a "Spectroscope", which
uses a phenomenon called "diffraction", to split light into its constituent colours. The CD by itself is an
excellent spectroscope, as the closely placed optical lines act as a perfect diffraction grating. Here, we
create a cardboard encasing for the CD and point it towards any light source to then see emission
spectral lines, i.e. the light split into its constituent colours.
Spectroscope Model

Theme 6: Electricity
Prior Knowledge
questions.
Conductors and Insulators
Static Electricity
Electric Current, Voltage and Resistance; Ohm’s Law
Series and Parallel Circuits
The Kite Experiment
American scientist, Benjamin Franklin, is famous for flying his kite in a lightning storm. This
is quite dangerous because as little as 150 mA of current across the body is enough to kill
a human. He is reported to have felt only a mild shock when he touched the metal key hung
on the kite string. In Benjamin’s mind, this was enough to demonstrate that lightning was
indeed an electrical phenomenon. Based on the available literature, Benjamin seems to
have set up the experiment such that a part of the kite string was made of hemp and some
part of silk. By staying indoors, the silk part was kept dry and the assumption was that the
dry silk would offer enough resistance for electricity and hence prevent the lightning shock
from travelling to Benjamin.
Fig.6.1, Franklin’s Kite Experiment; Image by ENERGY.GOV - HD.11.029

via Wikimedia Commons

Case Study A - Kite Experiment Electrical Parameters
Valuable learnings and applications have resulted from Benjamin’s experiment but many
people wonder how practical was the experiment and in fact, some people even doubt if it
was actually conducted or was just a thought experiment. Let us imagine and put some
numbers for different parameters in his experiment. Table 6.1 provides some numbers
assumed based on the known range for each of these parameters:
Potential difference between the thunder cloud and ground 300 million volts
Resistance offered by air column between Benjamin and thunder

1000 Ω
cloud (value simplified to make approximate calculations)
Resistance offered by Benjamin’s body

Negligible **
** negligible compared to the resistance of the air column
Value of current which can be fatal for Benjamin 150 mA

Table 6.1, Values of electric parameters in Benjamin’s experiment
Question 1
Would a voltage level of the thunder mentioned in Table 6.1 have proved fatal for
Benjamin? Justify your answer.
Answer
Question 2
The electrical conductivity of air depends on the level of humidity. Which of the following
changes to the resistance of the air column between Benjamin and thunder cloud would
change the answer to Question 1?
a. 1.5 times increase b. 2.5 times increase Answer

c. 1.5 times decrease d. 2.5 times decrease

Question 3
A group of students who were fascinated by Benjamin’s experiment as well as courage,
wanted to understand the impact of resistance on the current flow without putting their lives
in danger like Benjamin. They conducted a simpler and controlled experiment using a 3 V
battery, a bulb and a couple of resistors. The circuit diagrams (Fig. 6.2 - 6.5) represent the
four different set-ups of the experiment. The luminescence of the light emitted by the bulb
was measured in each case. Predict and arrange the four set-ups in the decreasing order
of luminescence. Note that the bulb would be brighter with a higher current when compared
to lower current passing through it.
10 KΩ 10 KΩ 10 KΩ
100 KΩ 10 KΩ 100 KΩ 100 KΩ 100 KΩ
A B C D
Fig. 6.2 Fig. 6.3 Fig. 6.4 Fig. 6.5
In the circuit diagrams (Fig. 6.2 to 6.5), represents the bulb.
a. D, A, C, B b. B, C, A, D Answer
c. B, D, C, A d. D, B, C, A
Question 4
One of the students observed during the experiment described above that the
luminescence of the bulb did not remain constant in some cases and hence, decided to
observe the value of current passing through a circuit as the voltage was varied. As part of
the study, the students also connected variable resistors to various circuits to see the impact
on current as the resistance was varied. The values of current and voltage were plotted for
four set-ups. The graphs are given in Fig. 6.6 to Fig. 6.9. Connect the graphs to the
inferences. The y-axis shows current and x-axis represents voltage.

Graphs Inferences
200
Inference A
Current (mA)
150
100
Resistance remains constant initially
50
and starts increasing beyond a certain
0 value of voltage. Increase in resistance
5V 10 V 15 V 20 V 25 V 30 V 35 V
Voltage (V) is proportional to voltage.
Fig. 6.6, Graph A
20
Inference B
Current (mA)
15
10
Resistance remains constant initially and
5
starts decreasing beyond a certain value of
0 voltage.
5V 10 V 15 V 20 V 25 V 30 V 35 V
Voltage (V)
Fig. 6.7, Graph B
60
Inference C
Current (mA)
40
Resistance remains constant initially and

starts increasing beyond a certain value of
20
voltage. Increase in resistance is random.

0
5V 10 V 15 V 20 V 25 V 30 V 35 V
Voltage (V)
Fig. 6.8, Graph C
20
Inference D
Current (mA)
15
10
High resistance initially and reduces
5
drastically beyond a certain voltage.
0
5V 10 V 15 V 20 V 25 V 30 V 35 V
Voltage (V)
Fig. 6.9, Graph D
Match the graph to the appropriate inference and write the name of the inference in the
blank spaces given.
a. Graph A Inference
b. Graph B Inference
c. Graph C Inference
d. Graph D Inference

Case Study B - Fuse
To understand the change in resistance, the students dug deeper and collected the
following information:
Electric resistance Changes as the temperature of the material changes.
Heating effect of As current flows through a material, it gets heated and the
current amount of heat is directly proportional to the resistance and
the square of the current.
Effect on electric During electric hazards like short circuits, there is a significant
appliances increase in the amount of current which can damage the
circuit and may also cause fire.
Protection against We make use of the same heating property to protect against
the heating effect its side effects. A fuse is a protective device which is part of the
circuit and it melts when the amount of current increases
beyond a point.
Table 6.2, Information on heating effects of electric current
Question 5
Using the information in Table 6.2, the students decided to design a fuse for a house. All
the wiring in this house was done using copper wires since copper is less oxidative than
other metals and it has less resistivity. What kind of wire would you recommend to the
students for making the fuse? While choosing the option from below, compare the
electrical resistance and melting point of the metal/alloy with copper, since house wiring is
done using copper.
a. Lower resistance, higher melting point
b. Higher resistance, higher melting point
Answer
c. Higher resistance, lower melting point
d. Lower resistance, lower melting point
e. Copper wire itself
Question 6
Since this was a custom made fuse, the students did not find a predefined location for
fixing the fuse. The wiring of the house was done by 4 different electricians. Some
electricians were not comfortable with representing circuits as diagrams. Each of them
gave a different circuit diagram to the students.

Fan Fan Fan Fan
Fridge Fridge Fridge Fridge
Toaster Toaster Toaster Toaster
Light Light Light Light
Fuse
Fuse Fuse Fuse
Diagram A Diagram B Diagram C Diagram D
Fig. 6.10 Fig. 6.11 Fig. 6.12 Fig. 6.13
The toaster is malfunctioning and draws current significantly higher than the safety limits.
If the house wiring is implemented as per the circuit diagram, in which case will the fuse
not play its intended role? Wherever we have switches in the circuit, assume that all are in
the ON position.
a. A and B b. A, B and D Answer

c. A only d. C and D
Case Study C - Properties of Heating Element

To diagnose the problem with the toaster, the students disassembled it. They noticed that
the toaster had a coil inside. After some discussion, they concluded that it was the heating
element of the toaster which was malfunctioning. The students observed that the heating
element also looked like a metal wire and they assumed it to be a good conductor of
electricity for current to pass through.
Question 7
They wondered why the heating element wire heated up when current passed through it,
though the connecting wire, which connected the toaster to the main power supply, did not.
Can you give them the best possible explanation from the options below?

Fig. 6.14, Pop up toaster
a. The connecting wire as well as the heating element have low

electrical resistivity
b. The connecting wire has low electrical resistivity while the Answer
heating element has high electrical resistivity
c. Both have high electrical resistivity
d. The connecting wire has high electrical resistivity while the
heating element has low electrical resistivity
Question 8
As the students dived deep into the design of the heating element of electric appliances
like toasters, they learnt that in appliances like geysers, the heating element has three
layers. The innermost layer gets heated as high current passes through it. This heat is
transferred to the outermost layer through another layer of a material in between. The
outermost layer passes the heat to water. While heat should get transferred from the
innermost layer to water, electric current should not.
Metallic Casing
Nichrome wire
Identify “X”
Fig. 6.15, A cross section of a 3-layered heating element
Fig. 6.15 shows the cross-sectional view of the 3-layered heating element immersed in
water in appliances like geysers. Based on the properties of the materials given in Table
6.3, select suitable material for making the middle layer of the heating element.

a. Nichrome b. Copper Answer
c. PVC d. Magnesium oxide
Material Electrical Resistivity Thermal conductivity* Melting Point (oC)

Nichrome High Low 1,400
Copper Very low Very high 1,085
PVC Very high Very low 100 - 260

Magnesium Very high 2,852
Very high
oxide
*The thermal conductivity of a material is a measure of its ability to conduct heat.
Table 6.3, Material properties of some substances
Case Study D - Power Consumption by Home Appliances

Akash’s home provides an uninterrupted power supply through a UPS and 2 batteries. The
capacity of the batteries can provide a power backup up to 3000 W for 1 hour. This implies
that if the power usage is reduced to 1500 W per hour then it can last for 2 hours. There
was a power cut for 8 hours on one of the nights and Akash had the following constraints:
i. He had to use his desktop computer for 2 hours before sleeping
ii. The heat of May did not allow Akash to sleep without a fan
iii. His eye doctor had prescribed him to not work on a computer in the dark
iv. The refrigerator cannot be switched off for more than 2 hours to prevent food from
getting spoilt.
Question 9
Akash decides to keep the fridge and fan off while he is working for the first two hours and
then sleep for 5 hours with lights off (fan & fridge are ON). Which of the 4 plots from Fig. 6.16
to Fig. 6.19 gives the best representation of the power consumption during the 8 hours? Note
that he switches off all appliances after waking up. Consider the data in Table 6.4 on power
consumption while answering the question.

Power consumed by the appliances
Filament Bulb Ceiling Fan Fridge Desktop Computer
100 W 75 W 400 W 200 W
Table 6.4, Power consumption data for various appliances
a. Plot 1 b. Plot 2 Answer

c. Plot 3 d. Plot 4
Question 10
Akash decides to reduce the power consumed by his filament bulb. He has a couple of
resistors lying at home. Which of the following options will work for him and why?

a. Decrease the resistance of the circuit by adding a resistor parallel
to the bulb. This will reduce the power dissipated by the bulb.
b. Resistance of the bulb has to be decreased, not the circuit. So,
no option other than replacing the bulb. Answer
c. Increase the resistance by adding a resistor in series with the
bulb. This will reduce the current drawn by the bulb.
d. Increase the resistance by adding a resistor in series with the
bulb. This will increase the current drawn by the bulb.
Question 11
To confirm his hypothesis, Akash purchases two more filament bulbs. One with a power of
40 W and the other with 60 W and connects them in series and observes the brightness of
the two bulbs. He then connects them in parallel and observes the brightness. Which bulb
will be brighter?
a. Series - 60 W; Parallel - 60 W
b. Series - 40 W; Parallel - 60 W Answer
c. Series - 40 W; Parallel - 40 W
d. Series - same; Parallel - 60 W
e. Series - depends on which bulb is connected first from the
positive terminal of the power source; Parallel - 60 W
Question 12
What would be the length of the tungsten filament of a 100 W filament bulb? Use the
following data for the calculations.
Thickness of the filament 30 μm

Resistivity of tungsten
(at around 3000 oC)
6.2 x 10-7 Ωm
Voltage supply 230 V AC
a. Less than 10 cm b. 50 to 100 cm Answer

c. 2 to 4 m d. Greater than 4 m

Exploration Pathway
The electrical resistance of an object is a measure of its opposition to the flow of electric current. In
this TACtivity, we understand the use of resistors in simple electric circuits and show how they behave
in series and parallel. We will be using industrial resistors and understand the way they are colour
coded.
Circuit Resistance
Components in an electric circuit can either be connected in "series" or in "parallel". But what is this
Series and Parallel? How are they different? How do different components behave when connected
in series or parallel? In this TACtivity, we make a simple circuit using cells, LED and a switch. We then
explore making and observing parallel and series circuits by connecting the components in different
ways.
Circuit -
Series and Parallel
Electrical power is one of the most popular methods for heating water, rooms and cooking. High
resistance conductors end up being the best materials to use for a heating element. In this TACtivity,
we use steel wool to make our own mini electrical heater!
Electric Heater Model
A switch is a mechanism that removes, restores or diverts the conducting path in a circuit when it is
operated. In this TACtivity, using ice cream sticks, magnets and some electrical tape and wire, we are
going to make a simple tap switch to make or break small DC circuits.
DIY Switch

Theme 7: Magnetic Effects of Electric Current
Prior Knowledge
questions.
Magnetic Field and Field Lines - working of compasses, poles, shapes of magnets
Electromagnetic Induction - the magnetic field around current-carrying conductors

and electric currents in a conductor in the presence of a changing magnetic field
The direction of Induced Currents, Fields and Forces - Fleming's Left And Right
Hand Thumb Rules, the strength of an Electromagnet
Electromagnet
Electromagnets, at first glance, seem to be less useful than permanent magnets, because
they require a constant input of energy to remain magnetised. However, the fact that elec-
tromagnets can be turned ON and OFF has been exploited in many areas, one of these is
for lifting and sorting metal scraps. Also, the ability to vary the strength of the magnet
proves very useful in a variety of applications.
Fig. 7.1, An Electromagnetic Crane

Case Study A - Electromagnet
The magnetic behaviour of an electromagnet is the result of current flow through a wire. A
current carrying wire produces circular lines of magnetic force centred at the wire (Fig. 7.2).
The direction of the current is, by convention, the direction in which positive charges move.
The direction of the magnetic field is from North to South.
I I I
Fig.7.2, Magnetic field around a wire Fig.7.3, Magnetic field around a coil
Pictured in Fig. 7.3 is a similar set-up but with the wire wound into a coil which helps in
adding the magnetic forces at the centre of the coil.
Question 1
Where do you think the poles of the electromagnet shown in Fig. 7.3 lie?
I I I I
N
N S
S
A B
I I I I
S N
S N
N S Answer
C D

Question 2
What does the strength of an electromagnet depend on? The formula to calculate the
strength is B=μnI where B is the magnetic field strength; μ indicates the resistance to mag-
netic field offered by the material around which the coil has been wound; I is the current
passed through the coil and n is the number of turns of the wire divided by the length of the
coil (see Fig. 7.4). Using this information, select the strongest magnet out of the list below.
Assume that same current is passed through each.
a. A high resistance wire wrapped close together in a coil

b. A low resistance wire looped close together in a coil
Answer
c. A high resistance wire neatly looped with 1 cm spacing
between the turns
d. A low resistance wire neatly looped with 1 cm spacing
between the turns
Fig.7.4, How to count number of turns and how to measure length of coil
Question 3
In questions one and two we looked at coils of wire in the open air, i.e with an air core. But
for many practical applications, the wire is wrapped around a metal core (such as iron nail).
This increases the strength of the resulting electromagnet even when the current and den-
sity of turns are kept the same. Keeping in mind the factors that affect coil strength, why do
you think this is the case?
a. The iron nail behaves exactly like the open air.

b. The iron nail is not easily magnetised in a magnetic field.
Answer
c. The iron nail is easily magnetised in the magnetic field as
compared to air.
d. The iron nail is repelled by magnetic field.

Fig.7.5, An Iron Nail Electromagnet Fig.7.6, Hands on - Fig.7.7, Dipping into Fig.7.8, Attracted
Finished Electromagnet Iron Filings Fillings
Case Study B - DC Motor

In a DC motor, the electromagnetic effects produce rotation. To understand how DC motors
work let us build a model using ring magnets, a coil through which current is passed and
an AA battery. Later in this section we will also explore other types of motors.
Fig.7.9, Take 60 cm of insulated (enamelled) Fig.7.10, Tie knots on both ends to secure the
copper wire and wind it around an AA battery. coil. Make sure the loose ends are exactly
Then carefully remove the coil from the cell. diametrically opposite, i.e 9 o'clock and 3
o'clock.
Fig.7.11, Use a paper cutter and scrape the Fig.7.12, Place the cell inside the cut cycle tube
insulation from one entire coil lead, i.e. the lead (wide rubber band).
is scrapped entirely. The other lead should be
scraped on three-quarters of the circumference,
but much like the first lead, along its entire
length, i.e. the lead is scraped on three sides.

Fig.7.13, Insert the pin in between the cycle tube Fig.7.14, Place two ring magnets on the
and cell. Place the safety pins perpendicular to surface of the cell, in between the two safety
the cell so that the head of each safety pin pins. If necessary, use tape to secure the
touches one terminal of the cell. magnets.
Fig.7.15, Add another magnet. Fig.7.16, Insert the ends of the coil through
the "hinge" ends of the safety pins so that the
coil aligns directly above the magnets. The
coil should spin once you give it a small
impetus (push).
Question 4
In which direction will the point P on the coil (refer Fig. 7.17) experience a force?
Fig.7.17, Model of a Simple DC Motor

Note that the number of turns in the coil shown in Fig. 7.17 is reduced for clarity. The real
coil would have 6-8 turns like shown in the build section.
a. Outside the paper

b. Into the paper Answer
c. Towards the positive terminal of the battery
d. Towards the negative terminal of the battery
Question 5
Fig.7.18, Model of a Simple DC Motor (during other half of its rotation)
After half rotation, in which direction will the point P on the coil (refer Fig. 7.18) experience
a force?
a. Outside the paper

b. Into the paper Answer
c. Towards the positive battery terminal
d. Towards the negative battery terminal
Question 6
What do you think would happen if the current to the coil is interrupted when it reaches the
stage shown in Fig. 7.18? This could happen because of the partial insulation left on one
coil end.

a. The coil will stop
b. The coil will continue moving and finish the rotation because of its
Answer
momentum
c. The coil will stop and change direction
d. This couldn't happen because the safety pins are good conductors of
electricity
Question 7
Fig.7.19, Parts of a DC Motor
What is the key difference between the motor made with the AA battery (Fig. 7.9 to Fig.
7.16) and the motor depicted in Fig. 7.19?
a. Magnets on either side of the coil, the AA battery motor would

not work with magnets on either side of the coil.
b. One can change the direction of this motor while that's not pos- Answer
sible with the AA battery version.
c. The split ring commutator, which allows current to flow through
the coil throughout its rotation.
d. All of the above.
Question 8
A homopolar motor is an interesting experiment to do, one end of a battery is connected to
a small yet powerful neodymium magnet, on the other end, a copper wire is shaped in such
a way that it balances on the top terminal and is free to rotate. The other ends of the copper
rotor are touching the magnet. The rotor begins to turn, perhaps with some gentle nudging.
What can one say about the type of magnet required for this motor to work?
The magnet should have a surface.
Neodymium magnet
Fig.7.20, A model of a Homopolar* Motor
a. rough and non-conducting

b. rough and conducting Answer
c. smooth and non-conducting
d. smooth and conducting
*The name homopolar indicates that the electrical polarity of the conductor and the ma netic field poles do
not change (i.e., that it does not require commutation like a DC motor).
Case Study C - Railguns

With the ability for magnetic fields to move electrified conductors being well known by this
time, people in the early 1900s wondered if this could be utilised as a weapon. This led to
the design of a railgun which is mostly an experimental weapon that uses an electric
current to launch an electrically conductive metal projectile. A railgun would have a pair of
conductive rails or tracks acting as a barrel, with the bullet (often called the projectile) being
another piece of conductive metal placed between the rails.
Battery Bank +
Direction of the Current

Underground
Cables
Direction of the Current Projectile

Feed Rails
Fig.7.21, Parts of a Railgun

When a large DC current is applied to this setup, a magnetic field is created around the
rails as well as the projectile. As you apply the right-hand thumb rule to imagine the
direction of the magnetic field, you would also notice that the field around the rails and
projectile, add up at the centre and point in the same direction, like a coil. The electric field
and magnetic field together generate a force thereby pushing the projectile out of the
barrel. Read more about railguns at the end of this chapter.
Question 9
Fig. 7.21 shows the design of a simplified railgun. Given below is an Assertion and a
Reason.
Assertion (A): Based on the given diagram and information, the railgun has two
loops/turns of conductor.
Reason (R): The current passes through the first feed rail, then through the metal
projectile and back to the negative end of the battery through the second feed rail. Hence,
it completes one loop.
Which of the following is true about the Assertion (A) and Reason (R) stated above?
a. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of the assertion
b. Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of the
assertion Answer
c. A is true, but R is false
d. A is false, but R is true
Question 10
Which way will the projectile move in this case (Fig. 7.21)?
a. Right to left b. Left to right Answer

c. Upwards d. Downwards
Question 11
How would you reverse the direction of the projectile?
a. Reverse the whole apparatus
b. Reverse the current Answer
c. Reverse the projectile
d. None of the above

Case Study D - Electric Bell
A slightly more practical example of the interplay between electricity and magnetism is the
electric bell. Fig. 7.22 contains all the essential parts of a simple electric bell.
Bell
Striker
Springy
metal
Metal
core Metal Piece
Point
contact
Push switch
Fig.7.22, Parts of an Electric Bell
Question 12
What is a good choice of metal or alloy for the core and piece?
a. Iron, because it is both attracted to a magnet and
can be magnetised only temporarily
b. Brass, for its corrosion resistance and the fact that
it's not attracted to a magnet Answer
c. Steel, because it is attracted to a magnet and it can
be magnetised permanently
d. Aluminium, because it's conductive, light and not
attracted to a magnet
Question 13
Fig.7.23, A Can Experiment

Here is an example of a science experiment gone wrong, an empty aluminium can is
placed in a coil of thick copper wire, then a high voltage DC current is applied to the coil for
a short time. Surprisingly the aluminium can, despite not being magnetic, responds to this
sudden inrush of current in the coil.
i. Why does the can respond?
a. It just moved because of the current heating the wire.
b. The coil's magnetic field induced an electric current in the can, which
led to the can having its own magnetic field. Answer
c. The can was responding purely to the electric field.
d. The can repels all magnetic fields thereby floating above the coil
momentarily.
ii. Which way is the force acting on the part of the can inside the coil?
A B
C D
a. Radially outward b. Sideways - Left Answer

c. Sideways - Right d. Radially inwards

Further Reading - Railguns
In 1917, in the midst of World War I, French inventor Andre Louis Fauchon-Villeplee made
the first prototype of an electromagnetic cannon (so-called Railgun), but it was never
field-tested or improved upon. This was because, while it worked in principle, the amount
of power it would require to fire it was deemed unfeasible. The idea languished for years,
till in 1985 the Yugoslavian Military Technology Institute made a railgun with 7 kilojoules of
kinetic energy, under a project called EDO-0. Project EDO-1, a successor to project
EDO-0, was created in 1987. It used a projectile with a mass of 0.7 g and achieved bullet
speeds in the range of 3,000 m/s. In more recent times, the US military has many working
prototypes of railguns, but there are still none in active use on the battlefield. One of the
applications being researched is railguns as the main guns for a large battleship, but once
again the energy requirements would mean that the ship would need to have a sizable
nuclear reactor to power it. How much energy? Well, The Office of Naval Research set a
world record by conducting a shot with muzzle energy (kinetic energy imparted to the
bullet) of 33 megajoules, which was all released in a small fraction of a second. Even with
no other losses in the system, 33 megajoules of electrical energy is enough to power an
average Indian household for a little over three days! With so much energy being input over
such a small time, a truly massive power source is required. Furthermore, the rails undergo
immense stresses during firing, due to the gargantuan amounts of current being conducted
through them, so much so that a challenge with initial railgun prototypes was to stop the
bullet welding itself to the rails because of the heat and sparks generated. The plume of fire
in Fig. 7.24 is an indication of just how much heat; it shows a railgun bullet (on the left) as
it exits the barrel.
Fig. 7.24, The Firing of a Railgun; Image by U.S. Navy via Wikimedia Commons

Exploration Pathway
This amazingly simple model of a DC Motor allows you to experience various facets of
electromagnetism first-hand. The simple design and materials allow you to play with, experiment and
tinker with this model and discover the properties of electricity and magnetism yourself. Current from
the battery flowing through the copper coil makes it an electromagnet (Oersted’s Law), which in turn
interacts with permanent magnets, providing a thrust for the copper coil to rotate. All electric motors in
the world work on the same principle. Here you make, play with, tinker and experiment with a brilliantly
DC Motor model simple model first-hand.
A current carrying conductor produces a magnetic field, i.e. it becomes an electromagnet. This principle
can be used to make an electric bell, which is a mechanical bell that functions by means of an
electromagnet.
In this TACtivity, we wind enamelled copper wire around a nail and fix the two ends of the wire to metal
strips. As you pass current through the metal strips, the nail turns into an electromagnet the strip would
DIY Electric Bell get attracted and produce sound.
Using a 5ml syringe as the core, we wind 35-gauge insulated copper wire making 500 loops on it. Within
the syringe, we place a magnet that moves as we shake the syringe. The two ends of the copper wire
are connected to an LEDs. As the syringe is moved up and down, the LEDs should light up!
Generator Model
Sound is heard due to the rarefaction and compression of a column of air, i.e. a pressure wave, usually
caused by a vibrating string or membrane. Speakers do the incredible job of converting an electric
signal into a sound wave. How is this achieved?? In this stand-out TACtivity, you make your very own
Headphone using thin copper wire, a neodymium magnet, a plastic container and an audio jack.
DIY Headphone Connect the jack to your phone or MP3 player and listen to all the music you want!!
Measuring the current and voltage in a circuit, or across components in a circuit, is vital to carrying out
a host of experiments. The fundamental instrument used for doing so is called a Galvanometer, named
after the famous Italian scientist Luigi Galvani, a pioneer in the field of electricity more than 200 years
ago. In this TACtivity, we use copper wire, a container and other household items to make your very own
galvanometer: a marker that distinctly deflects when a current is passed through the coil!
DIY Galvanometer

10
Features
10
Vishal Bhat has a masters from IIT Delhi and is the co-founder and Chief Learning Officer at ThinkTac
Dr. Procheta Mallik has a PhD from Glasgow and is the co-founder and Principal Scientist at ThinkTac
www.facebook.com/thinktac www.instagram.com/thinktac www.youtube.com//thinktac

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Class 10 Science Practice Book

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Competency Based Education - X (Science) 2

Copyright © 2022 by CBSE and ThinkTac

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 3

Guidance and Support

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 4

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 5

Metals & Non-metals

Case Study A - Properties of Metals, Non-metals and their Oxides

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 6

a. All b. All except 4 Answer

Turmeric happens to be a natural acid-base indicator as it changes its colour to vermilion

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 7

Table 1.1, Solution colour

a. E1 & E2 b. E2 & E3 Answer

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 8

Fig. 1.2, Burning magnesium strip

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 9

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 10

a. Mass is conserved in any chemical reaction .

b. Burning of magnesium is a combination reaction where the mass of Answer

Case Study C - Reactivity Series

Fig. 1.3, Metal M3 placed in M4 salt solution to infer reactivity

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 11

Colour of metal (M3) Colour of solution

Before After Before After

Silver Silver Blue Blue

Table 1.3, Metal placed in salt solution

A. Metal M3 is more reactive than M4

a. A and C b. B and C Answer

Fig. 1.4, Metal M1 placed in M4 salt solution to infer reactivity

Colour of metal (M1) Colour of solution

Before After Before After

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 12

Fig. 1.5, Metal M4 placed in M3 salt solution to infer reactivity

Fig. 1.6, Metal M2 placed in M1 salt solution to infer reactivity

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 13

Before After Before After

> > >

Case Study D - Symbiotic Relationship

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 14

1. Carbonic acid is a weak acid.

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 15

Fig. 1.9, Experiment setup to test impact of CO2 on pH of water

a. Vary the geographic locations where the container is placed,

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 16

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 17

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 18

I am fond of bananas or mango or garlic anyways.

Case Study A - pH of Food & Corona Virus

We also tested the virucidal effects of disinfectants by adding 15 μL of SARS-CoV-2 culture

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 19

Colour of the pH paper after

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 20

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 21

Fig. 2.2, Experimental setup before the current was passed

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 22

Parameter varied Possible values

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 23

Voltage, Temperature, Salt Concentration Voltage, Temperature, Salt Concentration

Voltage, Temperature, Salt Concentration Voltage, Temperature, Salt Concentration

Fig. 2.7 Fig. 2.8

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 24

Case Study C - Coconut

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 25

Property Coconut maturity 40

pH 4.78 5.34 5.71

a. A and D b. B and C Answer

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 26

a. 5-6 b. 8-9 Answer

a. NaCO3 + HCl NaCl + H2O + CO2

Competency Based Education - X (Science) 27

A. Coconut water is acidic, which is harmful to the stomach