Feb/March 2017

The diagram illustrates the height of a stack made of identical coins. What is the thickness of a single coin?

Physical quantities and measurement techniques

A motor vehicle engine produces a large amount of power. Which statement is correct?

Energy, work and power

The diagrams illustrate two mercury barometers. In the diagram on the right, the tube has a greater diameter. In both tubes, there is a vacuum above the mercury. Which labelled position on the right-hand tube indicates the mercury level in the right-hand tube?

Pressure

The diagram illustrates four solid objects placed on a horizontal surface. Each object has the same weight, and all are shown to the same scale. Which object exerts the smallest pressure on the surface?

Pressure

On a hot day, the air pressure inside a car tyre is higher than it is on a cold day. Why does the pressure become higher on a hot day?

Kinetic particle model of matter

Tiny pollen grains are kept in water suspension. A strong light is directed in from the side. Viewed with a microscope, tiny points of light can be observed moving in an irregular, jittery way. What are the moving points of light?

Kinetic particle model of matter

When a thermometer is calibrated, the fixed points are indicated. What does the term fixed points mean?

Physical quantities and measurement techniques

Which statement gives the definition of the thermal capacity (heat capacity) of a solid body?

Thermal properties and temperature

A substance may be found in three states: solid, liquid or gas. Each of the two statements below gives a description of a change of state. change 1: Molecules get nearer to each other but still move through the substance. change 2: Molecules no longer move through the substance and only vibrate around fixed positions. Which changes of state are described by these statements?

Kinetic particle model of matter

The diagram illustrates the space between a hot surface and a cold surface. That space may be filled with air, solid iron, a vacuum or liquid water. Which row indicates whether heat may move between the surfaces by conduction and convection?

Transfer of thermal energy

A piece of wire gauze traps the ice at the bottom of a tube containing water. The water at the top of the tube reaches boiling point before the ice at the bottom melts. Why does this occur?

Transfer of thermal energy

In a laboratory vacuum, a ball is released and descends $200\text{ cm}$. Which statement describes the ball's acceleration?

Motion

In a shallow tank, a water wave travels towards a barrier that has a narrow opening. Which diagram shows the wave after it has passed the barrier?

General properties of waves

A ray of light strikes the surface of a glass block. Which row states how the ray’s speed and direction alter as it enters the glass?

Light

A boy notices a fish in a lake. Which labelled path does the light travelling from the fish to the boy’s eye follow?

Light

The points marked F are the principal foci of a lens. A beam of parallel light falls on the lens. Which diagram shows the route followed by the light after it has passed through the lens?

Light

Which main type of radiation is emitted by a campfire?

Transfer of thermal energy

A student is positioned a few hundred metres from a wall and shouts. He then hears a weak echo. Which statement is correct?

Sound

Which statement regarding ultrasound is correct?

Sound

A small compass is positioned near a strong bar magnet, at equal distance from each end. Which diagram shows the direction that the compass needle points in?

Simple phenomena of magnetism

A student wants to magnetise two steel bars, X and Y. She puts bar X inside a coil that is connected to a d.c. power supply. She holds bar Y parallel to a magnetic field and strikes it with a hammer. Which bar(s) are magnetised?

Simple phenomena of magnetism

Which particles travel in a metal to produce an electric current?

Electrical quantities

A man is standing beside a railway track. A train moving at $40\text{ m s}^{-1}$ needs $2.0\text{ s}$ to go past the man. What is the train's length?

Motion

The diagrams show four wires made of copper. Which wire has the largest resistance?

Electrical quantities

An air-conditioning unit, a lamp and an electric fire each take electrical energy from the mains supply. Which of these devices has all of that energy ultimately passed on to the surroundings?

Energy, work and power

In the circuits shown, every resistor has a resistance of $1.0\,\Omega$. Which circuit has the largest resistance?

Electric circuits

The diagram depicts an electric circuit. The brightness of the light falling on the light-dependent resistor (LDR) increases. What happens to the resistance of the LDR, the current in the fixed resistor and the reading on the voltmeter?

Electric circuits

The diagram illustrates two connected circuits used to decide when a bell is activated. The conditions are changed, and just one combination of conditions makes the bell sound. Which combination makes the bell sound?

Electric circuits

In this circuit, a component at X automatically prevents the wiring from overheating if a fault develops. Which row shows the components that are suitable?

Electrical safety

The diagram depicts a simple transformer with an input of $240\,\text{V}$ and an output of $40\,\text{V}$. The primary coil has 600 turns. How many turns are on the secondary coil?

Electromagnetic effects

A wire is positioned between the poles of a horseshoe magnet. A current flows through the wire in the direction indicated, and this produces a force on the wire. Three further setups, P, Q and R, of the wire and magnet are arranged as shown. Which arrangements produce a force in the same direction as in the original setup?

Electromagnetic effects

The nuclide symbol for one isotope of silver is $^{109}_{47}\text{Ag}$. What is the number of nucleons in the nucleus of this isotope?

The nuclear model of the atom

A radioactive substance gives off radiation at a rate of 600 emissions per second. After four hours, its radiation emission rate has fallen to 300 emissions per second. What is the half-life of the substance and what is the rate of emission after another four hours?

Radioactivity

Which statement about the masses and weights of objects on Earth is correct?

Mass and weight

A radioactive source is positioned close to a detector. The radiation reaching the detector from the source is recorded for 10 minutes while different materials are placed between the source and the detector. Which kinds of radiation does the source emit?

Radioactivity

A stone weighs $5.7\text{ N}$. The gravitational field strength $g$ is $10\text{ N kg}^{-1}$. What is the stone's mass?

Mass and weight

The metal block shown has a mass of $240\text{ g}$. Calculate the density of the metal.

Density

An engine in a car produces a forward force of $100\text{ kN}$ on the vehicle. The combined resistive force acting on the car is $20\text{ kN}$. What is the resultant force on the car?

Forces

A student puts together the apparatus shown in the diagram in order to determine the centre of mass of the card. The student checks that the card, the string and the bob are all stationary. What should the student do next?

Mass and weight

A man has a choice of using either an escalator or a lift to move upwards between two floors in a hotel. The escalator takes $20\,\text{s}$ to transport the man from one floor to the other. The useful work done against gravity is $W$. The useful power developed is $P$. The lift takes $30\,\text{s}$ to transport the same man between the same two floors. What useful work against gravity is done by the lift, and what useful power is developed by the lift?

Energy, work and power

The diagram shows the height of a stack made up of identical coins. How thick is one coin?

Physical quantities and measurement techniques

A $40\,\text{W}$ lamp loses $34\,\text{J}$ of energy each second as heat to its surroundings. What efficiency does the lamp have?

Energy, work and power

A liquid column has height $h$, mass $m$ and density $\rho$. The gravitational field strength is $g$. Which expression gives the pressure caused by the liquid column?

Pressure

The diagrams illustrate two mercury barometers. In the diagram on the right, the tube has a greater diameter. In both tubes, the space above the mercury is a vacuum. At which labelled point on the right-hand tube is the mercury level in that tube shown?

Pressure

Tiny pollen grains are held in water, and a bright light is directed from the side. When the mixture is viewed under a microscope, little points of light are observed moving in a random, jerky way. What are these moving points of light?

Kinetic particle model of matter

At $-39\,^\circ\text{C}$, liquid mercury freezes while its temperature remains unchanged. Which row shows whether the mercury takes in or gives out energy and what happens to the bonds between the mercury atoms?

Thermal properties and temperature

A model thermometer is made from a flask containing coloured water and a stopper through which a glass tube is fitted, as illustrated. The model thermometer may be altered in one of two ways. • The flask may be swapped for a bigger one filled with coloured water. • The glass tube may be swapped for another tube with a wider internal diameter. Which statement is correct?

Thermal properties and temperature

A metal has a specific heat capacity of $360\,\text{J (kg }^\circ\text{C)}^{-1}$. An object made from this metal has a mass of $2.0\,\text{kg}$. What is the object's thermal capacity (heat capacity)?

Thermal properties and temperature

In what kind of substance do free electrons take part in the transfer of thermal energy?

Transfer of thermal energy

Four objects are made from the same material and each has the same mass. They are all at the same temperature. The objects have different surfaces and different surface areas. Which object gives out infra-red radiation at the highest rate?

Transfer of thermal energy

A surfer rides every 30th wave crest as it heads towards the beach. The wave crest moves at a speed of $1.6\,\text{m s}^{-1}$, and the gap between neighbouring crests is $24\,\text{m}$. How many wave crests does the surfer ride in one hour?

General properties of waves

Four balls of different masses are released from the heights shown. Air resistance can be ignored. Which statement about the balls is correct?

Motion

In a shallow tank, a water wave travels towards a barrier that has a narrow opening. Which diagram shows the wave after it has passed the barrier?

General properties of waves

Light travels through an optical fibre. What occurs to the light inside the fibre?

Light

The points marked F are the main foci of a lens. A beam of parallel light falls on the lens. Which diagram shows the route taken by the light after it emerges from the lens?

Light

Which statement correctly describes sound waves?

Sound

Which statement concerning ultrasound is correct?

Sound

A small compass is positioned near a strong bar magnet, at equal distance from both ends. Which diagram shows the direction in which the compass needle points?

Simple phenomena of magnetism

A bar magnet may be demagnetised either by striking it repeatedly over a long period or by gradually withdrawing it from a coil linked to a power supply. Which row correctly completes the descriptions of how these methods are performed?

Simple phenomena of magnetism

What particles move through a metal to produce an electric current?

Electrical quantities

The diagrams show four copper wires. Which wire has the largest resistance?

Electrical quantities

An air-conditioning unit, a lamp and an electric fire each take electrical energy from the mains supply. For which one of these devices is all of this energy ultimately passed to the surroundings?

Energy, work and power

An object moves along a straight line. The diagram shows the object’s speed-time graph. At which labelled point is the object accelerating at a varying rate?

Motion

Four circuits have been arranged. In which circuit does the ammeter indicate the largest reading?

Electric circuits

The diagram illustrates an electric circuit. The light incident on the light-dependent resistor (LDR) becomes brighter. What happens to the resistance of the LDR, the current in the fixed resistor and the voltmeter reading?

Electric circuits

The diagram shows two linked circuits used to control the point at which a bell is activated. The conditions are changed, and only one pair of conditions makes the bell ring. Which pair makes the bell ring?

Electric circuits

A truth table for a logic gate is shown. Which kind of logic gate does it represent?

Electric circuits

In this circuit, a component at X gives automatic protection to the wiring against overheating when a fault occurs. Which row shows components that are suitable?

Electrical safety

The diagram represents a simple transformer with an input of $240\text{ V}$ and an output of $40\text{ V}$. The primary coil has $600$ turns. How many turns does the secondary coil have?

Electromagnetic effects

The diagram represents a current-carrying wire. The wire is positioned at $90^\circ$ to a magnetic field. The magnetic field points into the page. A force is produced on the wire because of the current and the magnetic field. In what direction does the force act?

Electromagnetic effects

A radioactive material gives out radiation at a rate of $600$ emissions per second. After four hours, its radiation rate is $300$ emissions per second. Determine the substance’s half-life, and state the emission rate after another four hours.

Radioactivity

The nuclide notation for one isotope of silver is $^ {109}_{47}\text{Ag}$. What is the number of nucleons in the nucleus of this isotope?

The nuclear model of the atom

The equation shows an isotope of radium Ra decaying into an isotope of radon Rn, together with the emission of particle X. $^ {226}_{88}\text{Ra} \rightarrow ^ {222}_{86}\text{Rn} + X$. What is particle $X$?

Radioactivity

Which statement concerning the masses and weights of objects on Earth is correct?

Mass and weight

An atomic nucleus undergoes one or more radioactive decay processes. Which decay process makes the proton number fall by $1$?

Radioactivity

An object aboard a space probe above the Earth has a weight of $3.5\,\text{N}$. At the probe’s altitude, the gravitational field strength is $7.0\,\text{N kg}^{-1}$. On the Earth’s surface, the gravitational field strength is $10\,\text{N kg}^{-1}$. What are the object’s mass and its weight at the Earth’s surface?

Mass and weight

A skydiver leaps out of a helicopter that is stationary and soon attains a constant vertical speed. She then deploys her parachute. Which statement about the falling skydiver is correct?

Forces

A car travels along a circular route while rounding a bend on a level road. Its speed stays constant. Which statement about the forces acting on the car is correct?

Motion

When a moving body has a change in momentum, what unit is used to measure the change in momentum?

Momentum

To move between two floors in a hotel, a man may use either an escalator or a lift. The escalator needs 20 seconds to take the man from one floor to the other. The useful work done against gravity is $W$. The useful power developed is $P$. The lift needs 30 seconds to take the same man between the same two floors. What useful work against gravity does the lift do, and what useful power does the lift develop?

Energy, work and power

Fig. 1.1 illustrates how a car’s speed changes over a brief interval of time.

Motion

Fig. 10.1 displays two mirrors set at right angles to one another. A ray of light falls on mirror A, and it is then reflected towards mirror B.

Light

As shown in Fig. 11.1, an electrical conductor is positioned between the poles of a magnet.

Electromagnetic effects

This question concerns the atomic structure of an atom.

The nuclear model of the atom

A student is trying to determine the density of a small stone. Fig. 2.1 shows a measuring cylinder containing water, resting on a balance. The stone is then placed in the water, as shown in Fig. 2.2.

Density

In Fig. 3.1, a beam rests on a pivot and is balanced at its centre of mass.

Mass and weight

Nuclear power stations generate a useful type of energy. Fig. 4.1 shows a section of a nuclear reactor.

Radioactivity

A tractor's front bucket is used to force fence posts into the ground, as illustrated in Fig. 5.1. Each post touches the ground over an area of 100 cm$^2$. When the bucket pushes on a post, the post exerts a downward force of 6500 N on the ground.

Pressure

Water may be found as ice, liquid water, or steam. Fig. 6.1 shows how the molecules are arranged in the three states of water.

Kinetic particle model of matter

Fig. 7.1 shows a wave travelling along a string.

General properties of waves

A cruise ship is putting on a firework display close to a cliff, as shown in Fig. 8.1. A firework is launched from the cruise ship into the air. It bursts with a vivid flash of light and a loud bang.

Sound

Fig. 9.1 shows a beaker of water with an electric heating element inside it. The heating element is switched on.

Transfer of thermal energy

Fig. 1.1 shows the axes used for distance-time graphs. On Fig. 1.1, sketch graphs for an object that is (i) travelling at constant speed, labelling the graph A, (ii) travelling at decreasing speed, labelling the graph B.

Motion

Describe how charge moves in an electric circuit, referring to the particles involved and the terminals of the battery.

Electrical quantities

A radioactive source is positioned 20 mm from a radiation detector, as shown in Fig. 11.1. The detector first records a count rate of 150 counts/s. A sheet of paper is inserted between the source and the detector. The detector count rate then drops to 60 counts/s. Keeping the paper in position, a magnetic field is applied at right angles to the direction of the radiation. The detector count rate then drops to 20 counts/s. The count rates have not been background-corrected. The background count is 20 counts/s.

Radioactivity

Explain why momentum should be regarded as a vector quantity.

Momentum

State the conditions that must hold if the object (i) does not accelerate, (ii) does not rotate.

Forces

Fig. 4.1 illustrates a Galilean thermometer. This thermometer is used to measure the approximate temperature of the air around it.

Density

(i) State two ways in which evaporation differs from boiling. (ii) Give one example of a change of state that does not involve boiling or evaporation.

Kinetic particle model of matter

Fig. 6.1 illustrates apparatus used to demonstrate some effects of energy transfer by radiation. The matt-black glass bulb, the shiny glass bulb and the spaces above the liquid in the tube each contain air. When switched on, the heater glows red. It is positioned the same distance from each bulb.

Transfer of thermal energy

Fig. 7.1 displays an object together with the image produced by a converging lens. A single ray from the object tip to the image tip is indicated. Fig. 7.1 is drawn full size.

Light

(i) Suggest the material used for the two coils. State why this material is chosen. (ii) Suggest the material used for the core. State why this material is chosen.

Electromagnetic effects

Fig. 9.1 is a graph showing current plotted against potential difference (p.d.) for a filament lamp.

Electric circuits