O-Level Physics Optics Practical Handbook (Paper 3)

Name: Eclat Institute Clementi Campus
Address: 442 Clementi Ave 3, #01-105, Singapore, 120442, SG

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30 Nov 2025, 00:00 Z

Reviewed by

Chee Wei Jie

Academic Advisor (Physics)

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TL;DR
SEAB’s 2026 O-Level Physics syllabus (6091) lists optics and wave investigations-lenses, mirrors, refraction, wave speed-as staple Paper 3 tasks.
Earn MMO marks by rehearsing precise alignment, consistent ray tracing, and clean oscilloscope or timer readings within the shared apparatus slot.
ACE marks hinge on linking experimental gradients to lens/mirror equations, propagating measurement uncertainty, and proposing refinements grounded in the syllabus skill strands.

Keep Your Physics Practical Stack On Track

Use our O-Level Physics Experiments hub to find companion drills for every Paper 3 skill before you attempt these walkthroughs.

1 | What the syllabus expects for optics and waves

The 2026 O-Level Physics syllabus highlights ray diagrams, refraction (Snell’s law), lens formulae, and wave measurements as core practical experiences. Section 4 (Practical Assessment) explicitly states that Paper 3 tasks sample the four skill strands-Planning (15 %), MMO, PDO, ACE-across these experiments.
Candidates may be asked to determine focal length, verify $n = \sin i / \sin r$ , measure wave speed in a ripple tank, or time a pendulum/elastic-string oscillation (Section 4.3, SEAB 2026 syllabus).
Apparatus is shared across 55 min rotations, so the syllabus advises efficient setup, neat data tables, and uncertainty awareness. Practical questions can incorporate data-analysis prompts without live apparatus (

Investigation	MMO checkpoints
Focal length of convex lens	Level the bench, set lens at the optical axis, adjust screen until the image is sharp, measure $u$ and $v$ using a metre rule with mm marks.
Mirror formula verification	Use a plane mirror to align object and image heights, read distances at eye level to reduce parallax, repeat while averaging forward/back setups.
Refraction through glass block	Mark normal lines accurately, use pins at least 5 cm apart, measure angles with a protractor only once the refracted ray is extended clearly.
Ripple tank wave speed	Stabilise frequency with a signal generator, use a stroboscope or video frame count, measure 10+ wavelengths for averaging.

O-Level Physics Optics Practical Handbook (Paper 3)

Keep Your Physics Practical Stack On Track

1 | What the syllabus expects for optics and waves

2 | Planning framework before you touch the kit

3 | MMO drill table for common optics setups

4 | PDO: presenting your optics data cleanly

5 | ACE commentary templates

6 | Quick practice prompts

Sources

Related Posts

Keep Your Physics Practical Stack On Track

1 | What the syllabus expects for optics and waves

2 | Planning framework before you touch the kit

3 | MMO drill table for common optics setups

4 | PDO: presenting your optics data cleanly

5 | ACE commentary templates

6 | Quick practice prompts

Sources

Related Posts

1 | What the syllabus expects for optics and waves

2 | Planning framework before you touch the kit

3 | MMO drill table for common optics setups

4 | PDO: presenting your optics data cleanly

5 | ACE commentary templates

6 | Quick practice prompts