O-Level Physics Home Lab Apparatus Checklist
Download printable cheat-sheet (CC-BY 4.0)30 Nov 2025, 00:00 Z
Reviewed by
Chee Wei Jie
Academic Advisor (Physics)
TL;DR
SEAB’s 2026 O-Level Physics syllabus lists eighteen core practical experiences in Section 4 of the document.
You can rehearse most of them at home with safe, low-cost substitutes - but keep to school-grade apparatus for final calibration.
Log sources, costs, and limitations so ACE commentary remains realistic.
Pair this checklist with the full practical roadmap in our O-Level Physics Experiments hub.
1 | Priority apparatus by experiment family
| Practical | School apparatus | Home/affordable substitute | Notes & limitations |
| Length/diameter | Metre rule, vernier calipers, micrometers | Metal rulers with 0.5 mm markings, digital calipers (around $20) | Calibrate against a reliable reference (coin, calibration strip). |
| Time | Digital stopwatch | Smartphone stopwatch / PhyPhox timer | Reaction time still affects accuracy - practise multi-period timing. |
| Density | Electronic balance, measuring cylinder | Kitchen scale (0.1 g), 100 mL syringe or measuring jug | Expect larger uncertainty; dry objects thoroughly before measuring. |
| g measurement |
