Oct/Nov 2020

A heavy nail is secured tightly in a wall. A string pulls it at $40^{\circ}$ to the vertical, and the nail remains at rest. Three forces act on the nail: its weight $W$, the tension $T$ in the string, the force $R$ applied by the wall. Which diagram, drawn to scale, shows the three forces?

Balanced and unbalanced forces

A length of thread is joined to a lamina at point P, as shown in the diagram. The lamina is able to rotate freely around point Q. The tension in the thread is $F$. What is the moment of $F$ about Q?

Turning effect of forces

Which list includes only quantities that can be changed by a force?

Forces

An extension-load graph is drawn for a spring. Which point shows the limit of proportionality for this spring?

Elastic deformation

A mercury manometer is employed to determine the pressure of a gas. The atmospheric pressure is $p_0$ and the density of mercury is $\rho$. What is the gas pressure?

Pressure

An electric current flows through a resistor. Which energy transfer takes place?

Action and use of circuit components

A ball is released from the height shown. If air resistance is ignored, which statement about the ball’s total energy is correct?

Energy

Which source of electrical energy is non-renewable?

Energy resources

The table gives some data from a high-jump competition. Which athlete clears the greatest height?

Physical quantities and measurement techniques

A worker pushes a barrel with weight $2000\,\text{N}$ up a plank that is $2.0\,\text{m}$ long and into a lorry. The rear of the lorry is $0.80\,\text{m}$ above the flat road surface. What amount of work is done on the barrel against gravity?

Work

Information for three kinds of electricity generator is shown. Which generator is the least efficient, and which is the most efficient?

Efficiency

A car starts moving. Its speed increases until it is travelling at a steady speed. It then keeps travelling at this steady speed for the rest of the journey. What happens to the car's acceleration, and what happens to its velocity, during the journey?

Motion

A physics book gives the instruction ‘divide the length between two marks on the glass tube into 100 equal parts’. What is this referring to?

Physical quantities and measurement techniques

State one unit used for heat capacity.

Specific heat capacity

A block of aluminium is heated. What change occurs in the kinetic energy and in the potential energy of the molecules?

Kinetic particle model of matter

Which statement correctly describes the melting of ice and the boiling of water?

Melting, boiling and evaporation

A substance melts at $-17\,^{\circ}\text{C}$ and boils at $117\,^{\circ}\text{C}$. What state is the substance in at $-10\,^{\circ}\text{C}$ and at $110\,^{\circ}\text{C}$?

States of matter

A smoke particle Z is observed to move in a random manner while suspended in air, as shown. Which statement best explains the random movement of Z?

Particle model

An electromagnetic wave travels at a speed of $3.0 \times 10^{8}\,\text{m s}^{-1}$ and has a wavelength of $10\,\text{cm}$. What is the wave frequency?

General properties of waves

Three objects P, Q and R are set in front of a plane mirror. The student’s eye is placed as illustrated. Which images of P, Q and R are visible to the student in the mirror?

Reflection of light

A light ray R strikes a surface from water to air at an incidence angle of $\theta$. The angle $\theta$ is smaller than the critical angle $c$. Which statement describes the path followed by R next?

Refraction of light

A parallel beam of light falls on a thin converging lens. F is one of the lens’s focal points. Which ray diagram shows the light after it has travelled through the lens?

Thin lenses

A car with a mass of $800\,\text{kg}$ is accelerating forwards at $2.5\,\text{m s}^{-2}$. A frictional force of $1200\,\text{N}$ acts against the car's motion. What is the driving force produced by the engine of the car?

Balanced and unbalanced forces

Which description of a sound wave is accurate?

Sound

In which medium does sound travel the most quickly?

Sound

A bar magnet is inserted into a hollow iron cylinder. The diagram illustrates the magnetic field pattern that is formed. What produces the field within the cylinder wall?

Simple magnetism and magnetic fields

A polythene rod is moved close to a stream of water coming from a metal tap that is earthed. Tap water is an electrical conductor. The water is attracted towards the rod, as illustrated. Which description of the rod and water is correct?

Electrical charge

A small negative charge is put at a point where the electric field points vertically upwards. A force acts on the charge because of the field. Which direction does the force act in?

Electrical charge

For the circuit illustrated, the resistance of resistor Y is four times the resistance of resistor X. What is the difference $V_Y - V_X$ between the voltages indicated by the voltmeters?

Series and parallel circuits

A pair of identical resistors are joined in parallel and the combined resistance is $4.0\,\Omega$. What is the combined resistance if those same two resistors are instead connected in series?

Series and parallel circuits

Three lamps that are all identical and three ammeters are arranged as illustrated. The ammeter readings are $I_1$, $I_2$ and $I_3$. In what way are the readings connected?

Series and parallel circuits

A thermistor and a light-dependent resistor (LDR) are joined in series. A potential difference (p.d.) of $6.0\,\text{V}$ is applied across the pair, as shown. The thermistor’s resistance is $6000\,\Omega$ in a cold room and $1000\,\Omega$ in a warm room. The LDR’s resistance is $2000\,\Omega$ in dim light and $500\,\Omega$ in bright light. In which situation is the p.d. across the LDR equal to $2.0\,\text{V}$?

Series and parallel circuits

A student works out the energy consumed by an electric heater. What equation is used to calculate the energy $E$ in kWh?

Power

A parachutist who is descending at a constant speed opens her parachute. Which row is correct for the direction of the resultant force and for the direction of the acceleration of the parachutist immediately after her parachute opens?

Balanced and unbalanced forces

Isotope P is radioactive, and its half-life is $7.0$ years. Initially, a sample has $0.016\,\text{kg}$ of P. How long will it take before the sample has $0.0020\,\text{kg}$ of P?

Half-life

A gas enclosed in a cylinder is compressed by a piston while the temperature is kept constant. Which property of the gas stays the same?

Particle model

A block is suspended from a spring balance. The block causes the marker inside the balance to move downward. What can the marker’s position be used to find?

Mass and weight

A plastic ball carrying electric charge is stationary. What kinds of field does the ball produce?

Electrical charge

Which statement correctly describes mass and weight?

Mass and weight

What expression is used to determine density?

Density

A heavy nail is securely fixed into a wall. A string pulls on it at $40^\circ$ to the vertical. The nail remains stationary. Three forces act on the nail: - its weight $W$, - the tension $T$ in the string, - the force $R$ exerted by the wall. Which diagram, drawn to scale, shows the three forces?

Balanced and unbalanced forces

Which list includes only quantities that a force can alter?

Forces

An extension-load graph is drawn for a spring. Which point shows the limit of proportionality for this spring?

Elastic deformation

The diagram represents a diver at a depth of $20\ \text{m}$ beneath the lake surface. At this depth, the total pressure is $3.0 \times 10^5\ \text{Pa}$. An air bubble has a volume of $0.60\ \text{cm}^3$ when it leaves the diver. It then travels up to the lake surface, where the pressure is $1.0 \times 10^5\ \text{Pa}$. The temperature of the air in the bubble stays constant. What is the volume of the air bubble at the surface of the lake?

Particle model

A ball is released from a height as illustrated. If air resistance is ignored, which statement about the ball’s total energy is correct?

Energy

A pupil applies an average force of $F$ to move a box through a distance of $d$ along a horizontal table. The box has mass $m$ and the gravitational field strength is $g$. How is the work done by the pupil in pushing the box calculated?

Work

A labourer pushes a barrel, with a weight of $2000\ \text{N}$, up a plank that is $2.0\ \text{m}$ long and onto a lorry. The lorry’s rear platform is $0.80\ \text{m}$ above the road’s horizontal surface. What is the work done on the barrel against gravity?

Work

What does the term power mean?

Power

The diagram depicts a glass tube containing water, hung above a bench. The water can move freely around the tube. At point $P$, a convection current is travelling downwards. At which point should the tube be heated to produce this convection current?

Convection

Which physical property is not suitable for measuring temperature?

Thermal properties and temperature

A student carries out an experiment to determine how much energy is required to raise the temperature of a steel nail by $1.0\ ^\circ\text{C}$. Which quantity is the student finding?

Specific heat capacity

A car starts moving. Its speed increases until it reaches a steady speed. It then keeps travelling at this steady speed for the remainder of the journey. What happens to the car's acceleration and what happens to its velocity during the journey?

Motion

A substance melts at $-17^\circ\text{C}$ and boils at $117^\circ\text{C}$. What state is the substance in at $-10^\circ\text{C}$ and at $110^\circ\text{C}$?

States of matter

Which statement about a liquid is correct?

States of matter

A quantity of gas is enclosed in a cylinder by a piston that can move. When the piston is pushed inward, the gas volume gets smaller while the temperature remains unchanged. What happens to the gas pressure, and what is the reason?

Particle model

A plane mirror fixed to a vertical wall produces an image of an object positioned in front of it. Which properties describe that image?

Reflection of light

Which statement is correct about light travelling from air into glass?

Refraction of light

Different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are used in applications. Which option correctly matches X-rays, ultraviolet light and microwaves with their applications?

Electromagnetic spectrum

In which medium does sound travel the fastest?

Sound

A scientific research boat sends out ultrasound pulses to locate fish below it. An ultrasound pulse is reflected back from a shoal of fish $6000\,\text{m}$ vertically beneath the boat. The following pulse is transmitted $2.0\,\text{s}$ after the echo from the earlier pulse is detected. The speed of ultrasound in water is $1500\,\text{m s}^{-1}$. What is the time gap between the two pulses?

Sound

Which row gives the correct description of ultrasound?

Sound

What quantity is stored in a battery, and what unit is used for it?

Electromotive force and potential difference

The speed-time graph for a car’s journey is shown. At which section of the journey does the car have non-uniform acceleration?

Motion

A car battery supplies $150\,\text{kC}$ of charge to a circuit before recharging becomes necessary. Two headlamps connected in parallel to the battery are turned on. Each lamp carries a current of $4.0\,\text{A}$. What time elapses before the battery needs recharging?

Electrical current

Three identical lamps and three ammeters are arranged as shown. The ammeter readings are $I_1$, $I_2$ and $I_3$. What is the relationship between these readings?

Series and parallel circuits

A thermistor and a light-dependent resistor (LDR) are linked in series. A potential difference (p.d.) of $6.0\,\text{V}$ is applied across the pair, as illustrated. The thermistor's resistance is $6000\,\Omega$ in a cold room and $1000\,\Omega$ in a warm room. The LDR's resistance is $2000\,\Omega$ in dim light and $500\,\Omega$ in bright light. Under which conditions is the p.d. across the LDR equal to $2.0\,\text{V}$?

Series and parallel circuits

A $240\ \text{V}$ mains circuit has eight $60\ \text{W}$ lamps connected in parallel. At the instant the lamps are switched on, the filaments are cold, and the current is four times the final steady current in the circuit. What is the initial current supplied by the mains?

Electrical current

What is combined with a magnet to produce an induced electromotive force (e.m.f.) in a simple a.c. generator?

The a.c. generator

What converts kinetic (movement) energy into electrical energy?

Electromagnetic induction

A transformer contains $4800$ turns on the primary coil and $480$ turns on the secondary coil. The primary coil is linked to a $240\ \text{V}$ a.c. supply, and the secondary coil is attached to a lamp. How does the current in the lamp at the output compare with the input current?

The transformer

A cathode-ray oscilloscope has its Y-gain adjusted to $2\ \text{V/division}$ and is linked to a generator. Which row gives the description of the generator’s signal and its amplitude?

Uses of an oscilloscope

A potential divider is connected to a power supply of voltage $12\ \text{V}$. The resistors $X$ and $Y$ begin with the same resistance. The resistance of $X$ is reduced to half. What change occurs in the output voltage?

Series and parallel circuits

What does the term half-life of a radioactive element mean?

Half-life

A car is moving forwards at high speed. The brakes are applied, and the car skids over the road surface. In what direction, and at what point, does the friction force act?

Friction

Which row represents the atomic structure of a neutral atom with a nucleon number of $9$?

The atom

A car with mass $800\ \text{kg}$ has a forward acceleration of $2.5\ \text{m s}^{-2}$. A frictional force of $1200\ \text{N}$ acts opposite the car's motion. What is the driving force from the car's engine?

Balanced and unbalanced forces

A satellite moves around a planet along a circular orbit, as illustrated. Its speed remains constant. The satellite exerts a force on the planet. What is the direction of the force on the planet?

Circular motion

A block is suspended from a spring balance. The block pulls the marker inside the balance downward. What can the marker’s position be used to find?

Mass and weight

An astronaut is on a planet where the gravitational field strength is one fifth of the Earth value. He suspends rock samples from a spring balance made for use on Earth. The mass of each sample is $0.1\ \text{kg}$. The spring balance shows $1.0\ \text{kg}$. How many rock samples are there?

Mass and weight

A plastic ball carrying an electric charge is stationary. Which kinds of field does the ball produce?

Electrical charge

Fig. 1.1 presents the distance-time graph for a skydiver who exits a balloon at time $t = 0$.

Motion

Fig. 10.1 illustrates a wire with length $l$ and cross-sectional area $A$. Fig. 10.2 illustrates a solid cube of metal W with side $1.0\,\text{cm}$. Fig. 10.3 illustrates a circuit made up of a $1.2\,\text{V}$ cell, a $9.6\,\Omega$ resistor and a $1.0\,\text{m}$ length of wire. Fig. 10.4 illustrates the oscilloscope screen.

Electrical quantities

Fig. 2.1 shows a satellite travelling at constant speed in a circular orbit around the Earth. Speed is a scalar quantity whereas velocity is a vector quantity.

Circular motion

Fig. 3.1 presents, from above, a door together with an automatic door-closer. When the door swings open and shut, the hinge functions as the pivot. A girl opens the door by applying a force $P$ at point X. Force $P$ acts perpendicular to the surface of the door.

Turning effect of forces

As illustrated in Fig. 4.1, the three angles of a glass prism are $45^\circ$, $45^\circ$ and $90^\circ$. At point Y, a ray of light with a single frequency travels through air and is incident on the prism face at $90^\circ$. The ray then enters the glass prism.

Refraction of light

Fig. 5.1 shows some parts of a thermocouple thermometer that is being used to find the temperature of a liquid.

Physical quantities and measurement techniques

For electricity sent over long distances, a transformer is first used to raise the voltage before transmission. At the far end, a second transformer lowers the voltage back to the normal mains value.

The transformer

Nuclear fusion is a process that happens in the Sun and in other stars.

Stars

The lake water has density $1000\,\text{kg m}^{-3}$. At a point $25\,\text{m}$ below the lake surface, the total pressure is $3.5 \times 10^{5}\,\text{Pa}$. The gravitational field strength is $10\,\text{N kg}^{-1}$. An underwater depth gauge contains a small cylinder, as shown in Fig. 8.1.

Pressure

A small glass measuring cylinder containing oil is put in a freezer held at $-18^\circ\text{C}$. Fig. 9.1 plots the way the oil’s temperature changes with time $t$.

Melting, boiling and evaporation

The mass of a glass beaker is 50 g. A liquid with density $1.8\,\text{g cm}^{-3}$ is added to the beaker until the level reaches the $200\,\text{cm}^3$ mark.

Centre of gravity

The combined mass of the wheelbarrow and its load is 90 kg. A worker pushes the wheelbarrow and load up a plank of length $2.0\,\text{m}$ onto a platform. The platform is $0.60\,\text{m}$ above the ground. The worker applies a force of $290\,\text{N}$ to the wheelbarrow in the same direction as its motion.

Energy, work and power

Fig. 3.1 shows a hot water tank fitted with two electric heaters X and Y. Heater X operates in the daytime, whereas heater Y is used only at night, when electricity is cheaper.

Convection

Describe the structure of a solid in terms of molecules.

Specific heat capacity

A washing machine cable has three separate conductors. One of these conductors contains a fuse.

Electrical safety

Phosphorus-32 ($^{32}_{15}\text{P}$) is a phosphorus isotope that undergoes radioactive decay.

Radioactivity

A bus sets off from a bus-stop at time $t = 0$ and moves along a horizontal road until it arrives at a second bus-stop. Fig. 7.1 shows the distance-time graph for the bus from $t = 0$ to $t = 60\,\text{s}$.

Motion

The lens is a thin converging type and is made from a transparent substance with refractive index 1.4.

Thin lenses

Fig. 9.1 illustrates a permanent magnet resting on a sheet of paper.

Electromagnetic effects

A student looks into how bridge strength changes with width. Fig. 1.1 shows the apparatus the student uses.

Turning effect of forces

A student performs an experiment to determine a value for the specific latent heat of fusion of ice. He has to find the mass of ice melted by the heater in time $t$. He uses the apparatus shown in Fig. 2.1.

Melting, boiling and evaporation

A student uses a ray box to study how light travels through the transparent plastic block in Fig. 3.1.

Refraction of light

Two students work out the speed of sound in air using an echo method. One student is positioned a long way from a tall building, as shown in Fig. 4.1.

Sound

A student carries out an investigation into balancing a metre rule. She uses a metre rule with a small hole drilled through it at the 5.0 cm mark. • She places the pivot at the 5.0 cm mark. • She supports the far end of the rule with a newton meter attached to a loop of string at the 95.0 cm mark. • She hangs a 200 g mass from the rule by means of a loop of thread. • The student shifts the loop of thread holding the 200 g mass until it is positioned at the 25.0 cm mark on the metre rule. Fig. 1.1 shows the apparatus arranged by the student. • She works out the distance $d$ of the mass from the pivot and enters her value in the first row of Table 1.1. • She changes the height of the clamp supporting the newton meter until the rule is horizontal. • She notes the reading $F$ on the newton meter in the first row of Table 1.1. • The student then repeats the procedure with the loop of thread supporting the mass placed at the 40.0 cm, 55.0 cm, 65.0 cm and 80.0 cm marks on the metre rule.

Turning effect of forces

A student is comparing the resistances of lamps X and Y. He assembles the circuit shown in Fig. 2.1. • He measures the current $I$ in the circuit. • He measures the potential difference (p.d.) $V$ across lamp X. • He swaps lamp X for lamp Y and repeats the current and voltage measurements. • He connects lamp X back into the circuit so that it is in parallel with lamp Y. • He measures the total current $I$ in the circuit. • He measures the p.d. $V$ across lamps X and Y in parallel. The student’s readings are given in Table 2.1.

Series and parallel circuits

A student carries out an investigation into the reflection and refraction of light with a semi-circular glass block. • He puts a glass block on a sheet of paper. • He traces the outline of the block with a pencil. • He uses a ray box to send a ray of light to the centre C of the flat face AB of the block. • He marks AB and point C. Fig. 3.1 shows the observation made by the student. • He uses a pencil to put two crosses $X_1$ and $X_2$ on the incident ray. • He uses a pencil to put two crosses $X_3$ and $X_4$ on the emergent ray. • He uses a pencil to put two crosses $X_5$ and $X_6$ on the ray reflected from the face AB. • He removes the glass block and the ray box. Fig. 3.2 shows the student’s sheet of paper.

Refraction of light

A student is studying how fitting a lid changes the rate at which hot water in a beaker cools. • She transfers $200\,\text{cm}^3$ of hot water into a beaker. • She puts a thermometer into the water, as shown in Fig. 4.1. • She leaves it for a brief period. • She notes the water temperature and, at the same moment, starts a stopwatch. This is at time $t = 0$. Fig. 4.2 shows the thermometer at time $t = 0$.

Transfer of thermal energy