2003

Section A
Answer all the questions in this section.

1. Fig 1.1 shows a car of mass 1250 kg moving along a straight, level road. The engine
enables a forward force of 5500 N to act on the car. An opposing force, comprising air
resistance and frictional forces, of 3000 N also act against the car.

a) Calculate the acceleration of the car.

acceleration = ...........................
[2]

b) As the car goes faster with the same forward force, it undergoes decreasing
acceleration. Explain why this happens.

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[2]
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2. a) Explain what is meant by the centre of gravity of an object.

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[1]

b) A non-uniform plank of wood XY is 2.50 m long and weighs 950 N. Spring balances
A and B are attached to the plank at a distance of 0.40 m from each end, as shown in
Fig 2.1.

When the plank is horizontal, spring balance A records 570 N.

(i) In the space provided, draw a diagram showing all the forces acting on the plank.
Mark out a likely position for the centre of gravity of the plank. Label the position
as ‘c.g.’. [2]
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(ii) Calculate the reading on spring balance B.

reading = .........................
[1]

(iii) Determine the distance of the centre of gravity from the end X of the plank.

distance = ........................
[2]
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3. A steel ball of mass 80 g is held 1.6 m above a horizontal steel plate, as shown in Fig 3.1.

The ball is dropped from rest and it bounces on the plate, reaching a height h.
Take g = 10 m/s2.

a) Calculate the speed of the ball as it reaches the plate.

speed = ........................
[2]
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b) As the ball loses contact with the plate after rebound, the kinetic energy of the ball is 90%
of that before.

Calculate
(i) the height h to which the ball reaches;

height = ........................
[2]

(ii) the speed of the ball as it leaves the plate after rebounce.

speed after rebounce = ........................

[2]

c) Suggest what happens to the 10% of the energy after rebounce.

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[1]
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4. Figure 4.1 shows a mercury-in-glass thermometer.

a) Explain why the thermometer has

(i) a narrow capillary bore;

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[1]

(ii) a bulb of very thin glass.

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[1]

b) The thermometer has a scale extending from -10 oC to 110 oC. The length of the scale
is 240 mm. What is the sensitivity of the thermometer?

sensitivity = ........................
[2]
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5. Fig 5.1 shows a plastic optic fibre of thickness 1.8 x 10-4 m bent to form a uniform curve
of radius OP.

A ray of light enters the fibre in a direction as shown in the figure.

Taking plastic to have a refractive index of 1.6, determine

a) the critical angle of the plastic;

critical angle = ........................

[2]
b) the minimum value of OP so that the ray is trapped inside the fibre.

value of OP = ........................
[2]
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6. Ultra-sound is used in industry for measuring the levels of liquids in containers. Fig 6.1
shows the arrangement used.

The transducer produces pulses of ultra-sound which pass through the liquid under test.
By timing reflected pulses, it is possible to calculate the position of the reflecting surface.
In the liquid, the ultra-sound has a frequency of 10 MHz and speed of 1500 m/s.

a) (i) Explain what is meant by ultra-sound.

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[1]

(ii) Calculate the wavelength of the ultra-sound in the liquid.

wavelength = ........................
[2]
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b) Find the time interval between the transmitted pulse being given out and the reflected
pulse arriving back at the transducer for a depth of liquid of 0.75 m. (The time taken to
travel through the base of the container can be ignored).

time interval = ........................

[2]

c) Give one reason to explain why the reflected pulse will have a smaller amplitude than the
transmitted pulse.

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[1]
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7. When sprays are used to paint the metal car body panels, the result is sometimes patchy,
with some areas being missed. One way to overcome this problem is to use ‘electrostatic
spraying’. Fig 7.1 shows this.

a) (i) Explain why the droplets spread out as they leave the nozzle.

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[1]

(ii) Explain why it is important that the metal panel has a negative charge.

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[1]

b) State one advantage of using electrostatics in this way to paint the metal panel.

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[1]

c) Suggest how the paint droplets become positively charged upon leaving the nozzle.

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[2]
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8. A stiff wire XY is connected to a galvanometer by flexible wires so that it can swing

freely between two magnets, as shown in Fig 8.1.

The wire XY is set swinging as shown in Fig 8.2 by displacing it to one side at position R
and then releasing it.

A graph is plotted showing how the reading on the galvanometer varies with time after
the wire has been set swinging.
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a) Explain why there is a deflection in the galvanometer.

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[2]

b) Will the current in the wire initially flow from X toY, or from Y to X when it is released?

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[1]

c) Without changing the apparatus, suggest one way to increase the deflection on the
galvanometer.

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[1]

d) Which of the stages 1 to 5 corresponds to the reading shown as ‘A’ on the graph? Explain
your choice.

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[3]

e) Describe the position and motion of the wire which correspond to the reading shown as
‘B’ on the graph.

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[2]
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9. Fig 9.1 illustrates how the radiation from a radioactive source is detected using the
apparatus.

Different thicknesses of aluminium are placed between the source and the detector. The
count rate is obtained for each thickness. Fig 9.2 shows the variation with thickness x of
aluminium of the count rate.

a) Suggest why it is not possible to detect the presence of the emission of -particles
from the source.

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[1]
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b) State the evidence provided in Fig 9.2 for the emission from the source of

(i) -particles;

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[2]

(ii) -radiation.

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[2]
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Section B
Answer all the questions from this section. Question 12 has a choice of section to answer. Do
Question 12 on separate answer sheets.

10. a) Explain, using molecular theory of matter,

(i) why a kettle of water with a steady supply of thermal energy takes a much longer time
to boil dry than it does to reach its boiling point;

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[3]

(ii) why there is a drop in temperature when rapid evaporation of a volatile liquid occurs.

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[3]
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b) Oxygen has a boiling point of -183 oC and a melting point of -218 oC. Describe briefly
how oxygen at 0 oC and oxygen at -246 oC differ in respect of

(i) spacing of the molecules;

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[2]

(ii) motion of the molecules.

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[2]
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11. Figure 11.1 shows a circuit with a battery of e.m.f. 6.0 V and negligible internal
resistance. R1 and R2 are resistors, each of 150  and 300 Ω, respectively. V is a high
resistance voltmeter and A is an ammeter of negligible resistance.

a) (i) What are the ammeter and voltmeter readings when the positive terminal of the
voltmeter is connected to point F?

ammeter reading = ..............................

voltmeter reading = ..............................

[3]

(ii) What are the corresponding ammeter and voltmeter readings when the positive
terminal of the voltmeter is connected to point H?

ammeter reading = ..............................

voltmeter reading = ..............................

[2]
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b) The circuit is now changed by connecting a thermistor in series with a resistor of

resistance 1200 , as shown in Fig 11.2.

(i) Briefly describe the variation of the resistance of the thermistor with temperature.

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[1]
At room temperature of 26 C, the resistance of the thermistor is 3600 . When the
o

temperature is 80 oC, its resistance is 1200 .

(ii) Calculate the readings on A and V at room temperature.

ammeter reading = ..............................

voltmeter reading = ..............................

[3]

(iii) Without any calculation, write down the reading on V when the ambient
temperature is 80 oC.

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[1]
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12. On the separate answer paper provided.

EITHER

a) The output of a logic circuit can be displayed using a light-emitting diode (LED) and an
associated series resistor as shown in Fig 12.1.

(i) When the LED is lit, what is the logic state at A? [1]

The LED has a potential drop of 3.0 V across it and has a current of 15 mA flowing
through it when it is lit.

(ii) Calculate the resistance of R. [2]

(iii) Why is the resistor R needed? [1]

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b) A student designed the circuit of Fig 12.2 in order to compare two logic states
represented by X and Y.

(i) Identify the logic gate labelled K, and draw out its truth table. [2]

(ii) Copy the table below and, using Fig 12.2, complete the truth table for the logic
outputs A, B and C. [3]

X Y A B C
0 0
0 1
1 0
1 1

(iii) Hence briefly describe the states when the yellow LED lights up. [1]
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OR
a) State what is meant by specific latent heat of fusion of ice. [2]

b) A student performed an experiment using the apparatus as illustrated in Fig 12.3.

A heating coil was placed in a filter funnel and surrounded by lumps of ice. The potential
difference V across the heater and mass m of water collected in time t of 500 s were
measured for various values of the heater current I.

The values were recorded and a spreadsheet was used to make calculations as shown in
the table in Fig 12.4.

A B C D E
1 potential current, mass of water time taken, thermal energy
difference, V I collected, m t supplied
2 /V /A /g /s /J
3 4.0 2.0 14.9 500 4000
4 6.0 3.0 29.8 500 9000
5 7.0 3.5 39.5 500 12250
6 8.0 4.0 50.6 500

Fig 12.4
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(i) Explain how the values for the thermal energy supplied by the heating coil in column E
were calculated from the relevant columns in the table. [1]

(ii) Calculate the thermal energy supplied when the mass of the water collected was 50.6 g.
[2]

The student wishes to find out the value of the specific latent heat of fusion of ice. He chose
the values from row 5 to do the calculation.

(iii) Write down the energy equation that will help him get started. [1]

(iv) Hence, determine the value of the specific latent heat of fusion of ice. [2]

Later, the student discovered that all four values of the specific latent heat of fusion of ice
calculated from each row of data were less than the actual value of 336 J/g.

(v) Suggest a reason to explain the discrepancy. [2]

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