Oct/Nov 2015

In an experiment to determine the density of a stone, the stone is placed into a measuring cylinder that is partially filled with water. Which statement is correct?

Density

A group of students plan to use a spring to construct a spring balance with a linear scale. The graph shows how the spring’s extension varies as the load on it changes. What is the full range of a balance with a linear scale that uses this spring?

Elastic deformation

A block with weight $900\,\text{N}$ has rectangular faces. The diagram gives the side lengths. The block may lie on any one of its faces. What is the least pressure that the block can apply to the ground when it is resting on one of its faces?

Pressure

A U-tube filled with water is being used as a manometer. If one side of the manometer is attached to a low-pressure chamber, the two water levels in the manometer move by $20\,\text{cm}$. The gravitational field strength $g$ is $10\,\text{N kg}^{-1}$. The density of water is $1000\,\text{kg m}^{-3}$. By how much is the pressure in this chamber below atmospheric pressure?

Pressure

A movable piston seals a gas inside a cylinder. The gas column has a length of $20\,\text{cm}$ and the pressure in the cylinder is $p$. The piston is drawn out by $30\,\text{cm}$, so the gas column is now $50\,\text{cm}$ long. The gas temperature remains constant. What is the gas pressure now?

Pressure

A lamp receives an input power of $6.0\,\text{W}$. In $3.0\,\text{s}$, the lamp loses $2.7\,\text{J}$ of energy. What is the efficiency of the lamp?

Efficiency

The diagrams show four thermometers. Which thermometer has the highest sensitivity, and which thermometer has the widest range?

Thermal expansion of solids, liquids and gases

Which kind of thermometer is used to measure temperatures above $1000^{\circ}\text{C}$, and which kind is used to measure temperatures that vary quickly?

Physical quantities and measurement techniques

Cold water enters an electric shower at $17^{\circ}\text{C}$. Each second, the shower transfers $6000\,\text{J}$ of energy to the incoming water and raises its temperature to $37^{\circ}\text{C}$. The specific heat capacity of water is $4200\,\text{J (kg}^{-1}\,^{\circ}\text{C}^{-1})$. What mass of hot water does the shower deliver in one second?

Specific heat capacity

What does the term latent heat of vaporisation mean?

Melting, boiling and evaporation

During a ripple tank experiment, plane wavefronts reach a plane surface. Which row correctly describes the waves after reflection from the surface?

General properties of waves

The diagram illustrates a micrometer scale. Which reading is indicated?

Physical quantities and measurement techniques

Which statement concerning red light and blue light is correct?

Light

A light ray travelling in a transparent medium with refractive index $1.8$ strikes the surface as illustrated. The light passes into air. What is the angle between the refracted ray and the normal in air?

Refraction of light

A musical note is generated by two sources. The traces made by each source on the screen of a cathode-ray oscilloscope (c.r.o.) are shown below. What difference is there between the sounds?

Uses of an oscilloscope

Which metal would be suitable for the core of an electromagnet?

Simple magnetism and magnetic fields

A polythene rod acquires a charge when it is rubbed with a dry woollen cloth. The charge produced arises from

Electrical charge

An insulated metal sphere that is positively charged is moved close to another insulated metal sphere with no net charge. Which diagram illustrates the charge distribution on the spheres?

Electrical charge

A camera flash works as a capacitor discharges through a flash-tube. During $3.2\,\text{ms}$, a charge of $6.0\,\text{C}$ flows through the flash-tube. What is the mean current in the flash-tube?

Electrical current

Which physical quantity results from multiplying a charge by a potential difference (p.d.)?

Electromotive force and potential difference

Three $10\,\Omega$ resistors are joined together to make networks X, Y and Z. In what sequence do the networks rank by total resistance, from the smallest to the largest?

Series and parallel circuits

Which circuit includes a fuse and a diode?

Circuit diagrams and circuit components

An object moves with a steady speed of $10\,\text{m s}^{-1}$ for $10\,\text{s}$. Over the following $5\,\text{s}$, it accelerates uniformly until its speed becomes $20\,\text{m s}^{-1}$. What total distance does the object travel?

Motion

A power supply is connected to four resistors that have different resistances, as shown. The currents through the four resistors are $I_1$, $I_2$, $I_3$ and $I_4$. Which equation is correct?

Series and parallel circuits

Which diagram shows a lamp connected correctly to the mains supply in a house?

Circuit diagrams and circuit components

P and Q are two parallel straight wires with currents directed into the plane of the paper. P and Q act on each other with a force. Which arrow indicates the force acting on Q?

Forces on a current-carrying conductor

The diagram illustrates a simple d.c. motor. What is the component marked Q?

The d.c. motor

An experiment is arranged to explore how the current in a filament lamp varies with the potential difference across it. Which circuit is correct?

Circuit diagrams and circuit components

Electric power cables carry electrical energy across long distances by means of high-voltage alternating current. What advantages are there in using a high voltage and in using an alternating current?

The transformer

Which part of the circuit includes a potential divider?

Series and parallel circuits

What particles are released from the hot filament of a cathode-ray oscilloscope (c.r.o.), and what type of field is used to speed them up?

Electrical charge

In the circuit diagram, all the lamps are identical. Lamp P glows at normal brightness. Switch Y is closed, and the lamps switch on. Which row shows the brightness of the lamps?

Series and parallel circuits

What type of electromagnetic radiation is emitted in radioactive decay?

The three types of emission

Which object experiences the greatest resultant force?

Balanced and unbalanced forces

Which row indicates where nuclear fusion happens and what nuclear fusion means?

Fission and fusion

In which example does friction act in the same direction as the object's forward motion?

Friction

The diagram shows the Moon travelling in its orbit around the Earth. Which arrow shows the direction of the resultant force acting on the Moon at the moment shown?

Circular motion

Which of the following statements about mass is correct?

Mass and weight

The combined weight of the load and the wheelbarrow shown is $600\,\text{N}$. What magnitude of force $F$ is needed just to raise the loaded wheelbarrow?

Turning effect of forces

A force acts on a body. Which properties of the body might all be altered by the force?

Forces

Which one is a scalar quantity?

Physical quantities and measurement techniques

Cylinders P and Q are both made from copper. The height of P is 2 times the height of Q. The diameter of P is 1/2 the diameter of Q. Which statement is correct?

Density

The combined weight of the load and the wheelbarrow illustrated is $600\,\text{N}$. What magnitude of force $F$ is required to lift the loaded wheelbarrow just off the ground?

Turning effect of forces

A gas is confined in a cylinder by a piston that can move. The gas column has a length of $20\,\text{cm}$ and the pressure in the cylinder is $p$. The piston is drawn out by $30\,\text{cm}$, making the gas column $50\,\text{cm}$ long. The temperature of the gas remains unchanged. What is the gas’s new pressure?

Particle model

A rectangular storage tank has a base measuring $2.0\,\text{m}$ by $3.0\,\text{m}$. Paraffin fills the tank to a depth of $3.0\,\text{m}$. The density of paraffin is $800\,\text{kg m}^{-3}$ and the gravitational field strength is $10\,\text{N kg}^{-1}$. What pressure is produced at the bottom of the tank by the paraffin?

Pressure

A person launches a stone so that it moves along the path shown in the diagram. At which point does the stone have the greatest gravitational potential energy?

Energy

A piston with an area of $10\,\text{cm}^2$ is moved in slowly into a very large cylinder that contains gas at a pressure of $10\,\text{N cm}^{-2}$. As the piston travels a distance of $0.10\,\text{m}$, the gas pressure stays constant. What force does the gas exert on the piston, and what work is done by the piston on the gas?

Pressure

A gas is enclosed in a sealed container whose volume stays constant. When the gas is heated, the pressure exerted by the gas on the container walls increases. How do the gas particles produce this rise in pressure?

Particle model

The diagrams illustrate four thermometers. Which thermometer is the most sensitive, and which thermometer has the widest range?

Thermal expansion of solids, liquids and gases

In the diagrams, part of the liquid in a dish evaporates. Which molecules leave the liquid, and which molecules in the liquid have the higher average kinetic energy?

Melting, boiling and evaporation

A thermally insulated beaker contains $300\,\text{g}$ of water, and its initial temperature is $30\,^{\circ}\text{C}$. Water at $100\,^{\circ}\text{C}$ is then poured in until the temperature of the mixture becomes $50\,^{\circ}\text{C}$. The specific heat capacity of water is $4.2\,\text{J}\,\text{g}^{-1}\,^{\circ}\text{C}^{-1}$. What mass of water is added?

Specific heat capacity

In an experiment to determine the density of a stone, the stone is placed into a measuring cylinder that already contains some water. Which statement is correct?

Density

Select the statement that is correct.

Physical quantities and measurement techniques

An echo sounder emits ultrasound with a frequency of $24\,\text{kHz}$. In water, the ultrasound moves at $1.5\,\text{km}\,\text{s}^{-1}$. What wavelength does ultrasound of this frequency have in water?

General properties of waves

An object is observed through a converging lens. The diagram illustrates the paths followed by two rays travelling from the top of the object to an eye. In what ways does the image differ from the object?

Thin lenses

In a ripple tank experiment, plane wavefronts reach a plane surface. Which row gives the correct description of the waves after reflection from the surface?

General properties of waves

Which statement concerning red light and blue light is correct?

Electromagnetic spectrum

A loudspeaker emits a sound wave with frequency $50\,\text{Hz}$. The amplitude of the sound wave is increased. What would be heard?

Sound

An ultrasound scanner creates an image of an unborn baby. How does the scanner produce the image?

Sound

A ship’s siren is reflected off a cliff. A sailor standing on the deck hears an echo $4.0\,\text{s}$ after the siren is sounded. The speed of sound in air is $320\,\text{m}\,\text{s}^{-1}$. How far away from the cliff is the ship?

Sound

Which material can be attracted by a magnet?

Simple magnetism and magnetic fields

Which row correctly identifies an electrical conductor and an insulator?

Electrical quantities

The diagram displays a micrometer scale. What reading is indicated?

Physical quantities and measurement techniques

A positively charged insulated metal sphere is moved near an uncharged insulated metal sphere. Which diagram shows how the charge is distributed on the spheres?

Electrical charge

The diagram depicts the magnetic field that surrounds wire X, with the current flowing into the paper. The arrows on the field lines indicate the direction of the force acting on

Magnetic effect of a current

P and Q are two parallel, straight wires carrying currents into the plane of the paper. P and Q act on each other with a force. Which arrow indicates the force acting on Q?

Forces on a current-carrying conductor

An $18\,\text{V}$ power supply is connected to three resistors, as shown. What potential difference is across the $2.0\,\Omega$ resistor?

Series and parallel circuits

An immersion heater has the marking $24\,\text{V}$, $120\,\text{W}$. What current flows through the heater when it is attached to a $24\,\text{V}$ supply?

Electrical quantities

Electric power cables carry electrical energy across long distances by using high-voltage, alternating current. What advantages come from using a high voltage and from using an alternating current?

The transformer

Which particles come from the hot filament of a cathode-ray oscilloscope (c.r.o.), and what type of field is used to speed them up?

Electromotive force and potential difference

In the diagram, electrical device X is connected between a $6\,\text{V}$ a.c. supply and a $12\,\text{V}$ lamp. The lamp is observed to shine at normal brightness. What is X?

The transformer

In the circuit diagram shown, every lamp is identical. Lamp P shines at normal brightness. Switch Y is closed and the lamps illuminate. Which row shows the brightness of the lamps?

Series and parallel circuits

A radioactive isotope $^{14}\text{C}$ emits beta-particles. A sample of this isotope is kept for a time equal to its half-life. Which two quantities fall to half of their starting values during this interval?

Half-life

A lorry needs $15\,\text{minutes}$ to move along the route $P Q R S$. What is the lorry’s average speed?

Motion

In the Geiger-Marsden experiment, a beam of alpha-particles is directed at a very thin sheet of gold foil in a vacuum. What conclusion is drawn from this experiment?

The nuclear model of the atom

An apple with mass $0.15\,\text{kg}$ and weight $1.5\,\text{N}$ is dropping from a tree. At one stage of its fall, the air resistance acting on the apple is $0.60\,\text{N}$ upwards. What is the acceleration of the apple at this stage?

Balanced and unbalanced forces

At time $t_1$, a stone is released from a balloon that is at rest. The stone attains terminal velocity at time $t_2$. Which row shows the stone’s acceleration at time $t_1$ and at time $t_2$?

Motion

The gravitational forces between objects in the Solar System are listed below. $P$: the force exerted on the Moon by the Earth $Q$: the force exerted on the Earth by the Sun $R$: the force exerted on the Earth by the Moon $S$: the force exerted on the Moon by the Sun Which two forces form a Newton’s third law pair (action and reaction)?

Balanced and unbalanced forces

The diagram shows the Moon moving in orbit around the Earth. Which arrow shows the direction of the resultant force acting on the Moon at the moment illustrated?

Circular motion

A student makes some revision notes about gravity, mass and weight. Which statement is incorrect?

Mass and weight

Fig. 1.1 depicts an archer shooting an arrow at a target in a competition. The arrow's mass is 0.018 kg and it starts from rest. It leaves the bow 0.011 s after the bow string is released. At the moment it leaves the bow, its velocity is 95 m/s.

Motion

Fig. 10.1 displays a solenoid (long coil) X linked in series with a battery, a switch S and a variable resistor (rheostat). Switch S is closed, so the current in the solenoid produces a magnetic field.

Electromagnetic induction

Fig. 11.1 gives the proton number and nucleon number for the nuclei of five neutral atoms. Table data: Neutral atom 1: proton number 16, nucleon number 35 Neutral atom 2: proton number 17, nucleon number 35 Neutral atom 3: proton number 18, nucleon number 38 Neutral atom 4: proton number 18, nucleon number 40 Neutral atom 5: proton number 19, nucleon number 39

The three types of emission

Fig. 2.1 displays a freezer used to keep food frozen.

Kinetic particle model of matter

A lorry with mass $4.4 \times 10^{4}\,\text{kg}$ is moving along a straight, horizontal road at $20\,\text{m s}^{-1}$.

Work

In Fig. 4.1, a screwdriver with mass 64 g is shown balanced in equilibrium on a pivot.

Centre of gravity

In a steam cleaner, water is raised to its boiling point and then changed into steam (water in the gas state).

Melting, boiling and evaporation

A lit candle is set near a thin converging lens, and the candle is treated as the object. A white, vertical screen is shifted to a point on the side of the lens opposite the candle. Fig. 6.1 is a full-size, graph-paper drawing of the lens and the screen. The focal length of the lens is 2.4 cm. The screen is 7.2 cm from the centre of the lens. A sharply focused, inverted image of the candle is formed on the screen, as shown in Fig. 6.1.

Thin lenses

Audible sound waves and ultrasound waves are both made up of compressions and rarefactions.

Sound

A potential divider is formed using a light-dependent resistor (LDR) together with a $6.0\,\text{k}\Omega$ fixed resistor. This potential divider is placed in series with a 12 V d.c. power supply, and a voltmeter is placed across the $6.0\,\text{k}\Omega$ resistor. Fig. 8.1 shows the circuit diagram. Light falls on the LDR. The resistance of the LDR is $2.0\,\text{k}\Omega$.

Action and use of circuit components

Force is a vector quantity, whereas mass is a scalar quantity.

Balanced and unbalanced forces

Water is carried to a village in a tank that is pulled by a tractor. Fig. 1.1 shows the tank being pulled by a tractor. The total mass of the tractor and the tank is 4100 kg when the tank is empty and 6500 kg when the tank is full of water.

Energy

A thin wire with plastic insulation is wound into a solenoid (long coil). The solenoid is joined to a sensitive ammeter. Fig. 10.1 shows the N-pole of a steel magnet positioned beside the solenoid. Points X and Y are located on the axis of the solenoid.

Electromagnetic induction

Lead has proton number (atomic number) 82. The radioactive isotope lead-209 ($^{209}_{82}\text{Pb}$) decays by emitting beta-particles.

Radioactivity

The surface of a running track is rubber. A heavy trolley is pulled onto the track and a large force acts on the rubber. State two effects that this force has on the rubber.

Elastic deformation

A tank that is very deep is used to train sailors to escape from submarines. It is cylindrical and open to the air at the top. Fig. 3.1 illustrates the tank. The area of the tank’s base is $45\,\text{m}^2$ and water fills the tank to a depth of 32 m.

Pressure

A copper saucepan fitted with a wooden handle contains cold water. It is set on a heating element that is glowing red hot as part of an electric cooker. Fig. 4.1 illustrates the saucepan resting on the heating element.

Transfer of thermal energy

State what feature a physical property must have to be suitable for measuring temperature.

Thermal properties and temperature

A gas is enclosed in a cylinder by a piston while under atmospheric pressure. A movable rod keeps the piston in a fixed position. Figure 6.1 shows the cylinder. The cylinder is heated. As the gas temperature rises, the pressure rises as well.

Particle model

At A, a light ray in air meets a parallel-sided glass block. The angle between the side of the block and the ray of light in air is $35^\circ$. The ray then reaches the block’s edge at B, and Fig. 7.1 shows the light ray together with the glass block. At A, the angle of refraction in the glass is $33^\circ$.

Refraction of light

A television studio spotlight is operating at full brightness. The bulb inside the spotlight is supplied with 230 V, and the current through the lamp filament is 27 A.

Electrical quantities

Aeroplanes travel at great heights, where the temperature is far below $0^\circ\text{C}$. Ice that builds up on an aeroplane may drop to the ground and hit the surface. Fig. 9.1 shows a block of ice dropping from an aeroplane as it nears an airport. The mass of the falling block of ice is 1.2 kg and the gravitational field strength $g$ is $10\,\text{N kg}^{-1}$.

Balanced and unbalanced forces

A bar magnet that is freely suspended will settle pointing along the north-south line.

Simple magnetism and magnetic fields

The maker of 'Super Quilted Paper Towels' says that these white paper towels are more absorbent than another brand of yellow towels. A student plans an experiment to test the absorbency of paper towels. The student pours $30\,\text{cm}^3$ of water into a small shallow dish. He then cuts one paper towel into sixteen identical small squares. One small square is put into the water and then lifted out using tongs, as shown in Fig. 2.1. The student holds the wet square above the water and gently shakes it twice before placing it in a beaker. He carries on with more squares until all of the water has been taken out of the shallow dish. He records the number of squares needed to remove all of the water from the shallow dish.

Physical quantities and measurement techniques

A student uses a pin-hole camera to form an image. The pin-hole camera is made from a light-proof box with a tiny hole (pin-hole) on one side and a very thin paper screen on the opposite side. The student aims the pin-hole of the camera at a bright window. Light enters the camera through the pin-hole and forms an image on the thin paper screen.

Light

A student determines how much glass was needed to make a small beaker. Fig. 4.1 presents the beaker as a full-size drawing.

Physical quantities and measurement techniques

A student carries out an experiment to determine an accurate value for the focal length of a converging lens. His school possesses lenses with focal lengths 10 cm and 15 cm. He is handed a lens taken from a packet marked ‘focal length 10 cm’.

Thin lenses

A group of students is asked to determine the diameter of a large inflatable beach ball. One student uses a long length of string to measure the ball’s circumference. He then calculates the diameter. Fig. 2.1 shows the student with the beach ball.

Physical quantities and measurement techniques

A school laboratory has a length somewhere between $5\,\text{m}$ and $6\,\text{m}$. Three students, A, B and C, are asked to determine the laboratory’s length.

Physical quantities and measurement techniques

A student is told to find the resistance $R$ of a resistor. The student is given the apparatus below. • the resistor with unknown resistance $R$ • four $1.5\,\text{V}$ cells • an ammeter • a voltmeter • connecting leads

Resistance