PMT

Cambridge International AS & A Level

PHYSICS 9702/13
Paper 1 Multiple Choice October/November 2023
1 hour 15 minutes

You must answer on the multiple choice answer sheet.

*1358886132*

You will need: Multiple choice answer sheet

Soft clean eraser
Soft pencil (type B or HB is recommended)

INSTRUCTIONS
 There are forty questions on this paper. Answer all questions.
 For each question there are four possible answers A, B, C and D. Choose the one you consider correct
and record your choice in soft pencil on the multiple choice answer sheet.
 Follow the instructions on the multiple choice answer sheet.
 Write in soft pencil.
 Write your name, centre number and candidate number on the multiple choice answer sheet in the
spaces provided unless this has been done for you.
 Do not use correction fluid.
 Do not write on any bar codes.
 You may use a calculator.

INFORMATION
 The total mark for this paper is 40.
 Each correct answer will score one mark.
 Any rough working should be done on this question paper.

This document has 20 pages. Any blank pages are indicated.

IB23 11_9702_13/RP
© UCLES 2023 [Turn over
 PMT

Data

acceleration of free fall g = 9.81 m s–2

speed of light in free space c = 3.00  108 m s–1

elementary charge e = 1.60  10–19 C

unified atomic mass unit 1 u = 1.66  10–27 kg

rest mass of proton mp = 1.67  10–27 kg

rest mass of electron me = 9.11  10–31 kg

Avogadro constant NA = 6.02  1023 mol–1

molar gas constant R = 8.31 J K–1 mol–1

Boltzmann constant k = 1.38  10–23 J K–1

gravitational constant G = 6.67  10–11 N m2 kg–2

permittivity of free space 0 = 8.85  10–12 F m–1

1
( = 8.99  109 m F–1)
4 0

Planck constant h = 6.63  10–34 J s

Stefan–Boltzmann constant  = 5.67  10–8 W m–2 K–4

Formulae
1
uniformly accelerated motion s = ut + 2
at 2
v 2 = u 2 + 2as

hydrostatic pressure p =  gh

upthrust F =  gV
fsv
Doppler effect for sound waves fo =
v  vs

electric current I = Anvq

resistors in series R = R1 + R2 + ...

1 1 1
resistors in parallel = + + ...
R R1 R2

© UCLES 2023 9702/13/O/N/23

 PMT

1 What is the best estimate of the wavelength of green light?

A 260 nm B 540 nm C 780 nm D 920 nm

2 In an electric circuit, an ammeter reads 2 A.

In a second circuit, the ammeter reads 1 mA.

How many times larger is the current in the second circuit compared with the current in the first
circuit?

A 500 B 5000 C 500 000 D 5 000 000

3 A set of repeated measurements is made of a fixed quantity. An average of these measurements

is calculated.

What is the effect of averaging on the random error and the systematic error in the
measurements?

A Random error and systematic error are both reduced.

B Random error and systematic error are both unaffected.
C Random error is reduced but systematic error is unaffected.
D Random error is unaffected but systematic error is reduced.

© UCLES 2023 9702/13/O/N/23 [Turn over

 PMT

4 A boat is crossing a river in which the water is moving at a speed of 4.0 m s–1 from left to right.

river bank
NOT TO
SCALE
velocity of
water, 4.0 m s–1

velocity of boat in T
still water, 6.0 m s–1 resultant velocity, v

river bank

In still water, the speed of the boat is 6.0 m s–1. The boat is directed at an angle  to a line
perpendicular to the river banks. The resultant velocity v of the boat is in a direction perpendicular
to the river banks.

What are the values of  and v?

/ v / m s–1

A 42 4.5
B 42 7.2
C 48 4.5
D 48 7.2

5 A student walks at a constant speed for a distance of 50 m in a time of 40 s. The student rests for
a time of 10 s and then walks back to the starting point at a constant speed in a time of 30 s.

What is the distance–time graph for the motion of the student?

A B
100 100
distance / m distance / m
50 50

0 0
0 20 40 60 80 0 20 40 60 80
time / s time / s

C D
100 100
distance / m distance / m
50 50

0 0
0 20 40 60 80 0 20 40 60 80
time / s time / s

© UCLES 2023 9702/13/O/N/23

 PMT

6 The time taken for an object to fall from rest through a certain distance on Mars is TM. The time
taken for the same object to fall from rest through the same distance on Earth is TE. The
acceleration of free fall on Mars is 3.71 m s–2.

Assume that air resistance is negligible on both Earth and Mars.

TM
What is the ratio ?
TE
A 0.378 B 0.615 C 1.63 D 2.64

7 Which statement about mass is correct?

A Mass has a magnitude and a direction.

B Mass resists changes in motion.
C The greater the mass of an object, the greater its acceleration when falling in a vacuum.
D The mass of an object depends on its location.

8 A snooker ball has a mass of 200 g. It hits the cushion of a snooker table and rebounds along its
original path.

The ball arrives at the cushion with a speed of 14.0 m s–1 and then leaves it with a speed of
7.0 m s–1. The ball and the cushion are in contact for a time of 0.60 s.

What is the average force exerted on the ball by the cushion?

A 1.4 N B 2.3 N C 4.2 N D 7.0 N

9 A ball falls from rest through air and eventually reaches a constant velocity.

For this fall, forces X and Y vary with time as shown.

force X force Y

0 0
0 time 0 time

What could be forces X and Y ?

force X force Y

A air resistance resultant force

B air resistance weight
C upthrust resultant force
D upthrust weight

© UCLES 2023 9702/13/O/N/23 [Turn over

 PMT

10 An object X of mass 0.30 kg is travelling in a straight line at a constant velocity of 3.0 m s–1 on a
horizontal frictionless surface. Object X collides with a stationary object Y of mass 0.50 kg.

After the collision, X moves with a velocity of 2.0 m s–1 at an angle of 60 to its direction before the
collision. Object Y moves with a velocity v at an angle of 41 to the direction of X before the
collision, as shown.

Y v

3.0 m s–1 41q

X Y 60q
0.30 kg 0.50 kg X 2.0 m s–1

before collision after collision

What is the value of v?

A 0.80 m s–1 B 1.2 m s–1 C 1.6 m s–1 D 1.8 m s–1

11 A uniform rigid beam of length 3.2 m is pivoted at its centre. Two children sit at the opposite ends
of the beam, as shown.

child
mass 24 kg 3.2 m

child
mass 36 kg
pivot
20q

One child has a mass of 24 kg. The other child has a mass of 36 kg. The heavier child causes one
end of the beam to permanently rest on the ground, so that the beam makes an angle of 20 to
the horizontal ground.

What is the moment of the weight of the 24 kg child about the pivot?

A 72 N m B 130 N m C 350 N m D 380 N m

© UCLES 2023 9702/13/O/N/23

 PMT

12 Two parts of a sailing boat are the mast and the boom. The mast is a vertical rigid beam and the
boom is a horizontal rigid beam. One end of the boom is attached to the mast by a pivot. The
other end of the boom is connected to the mast by a rope, as shown.

rope

mast T

40q
pivot

boom
200 N

The rope is at an angle of 40 to the horizontal and exerts a tension force T on the boom. The
weight of the boom is 200 N. The mass of the boom is uniformly distributed along its length. The
boom is in equilibrium.

What is the magnitude of T ?

A 130 N B 160 N C 260 N D 310 N

13 Full-fat milk is made up of fat-free milk mixed with fat.

A volume of 1.000  10–3 m3 of full-fat milk has a mass of 1.035 kg. It contains 4.00% fat by
volume.

The density of fat-free milk is 1.040  103 kg m–3.

What is the density of fat?

A 1.25  102 kg m–3

B 9.15  102 kg m–3

C 9.28  102 kg m–3

D 1.16  103 kg m–3

14 Which expression for pressure is correct?

A force per unit area

B mass per unit area
C mass per unit volume
D weight per unit volume

© UCLES 2023 9702/13/O/N/23 [Turn over

 PMT

15 A wooden cylinder floats partially submerged in a bath of water. A force F is applied to the
cylinder until it is just fully submerged.

wooden cylinder

water
F

Which statement is not correct?

A Some of the water gains gravitational potential energy.

B The cylinder loses gravitational potential energy.
C Work is done by force F on the cylinder.
D Work is done by the upthrust on the cylinder.

16 A system has a useful power output of 4.0 W and a wasted power of 16 W.

What is the efficiency of the system?

A 5.0% B 20% C 25% D 80%

17 A parachutist is falling towards the ground at a constant speed v. The rate at which she is losing
gravitational potential energy is R.

The acceleration of free fall is g.

What is the mass of the parachutist?

gv R 2R v2
A B C D
R gv v2 2R

18 A copper wire of diameter 1.6 mm is stretched within its limit of proportionality by a tensile force of
430 N.

The Young modulus of copper is 130 GPa.

What is the strain in the wire?

A 4.1  10–4 B 1.3  10–3 C 1.6  10–3 D 5.2  10–3

© UCLES 2023 9702/13/O/N/23

 PMT

19 Compressive forces are applied normally to the end faces of a cylinder of initial length L. The
cylinder is compressed by the forces so that its length decreases to 0.6L. After the compressive
forces are removed, the cylinder’s length increases to 0.8L.

cylinder

L 0.6L 0.8L
before compressive compressive after compressive
forces applied forces applied forces removed

What describes the deformation of the cylinder when its length was 0.6L?

A both elastic and plastic

B elastic only
C plastic only
D neither elastic nor plastic

20 When sound travels through air, the air particles vibrate. A graph of displacement against time for
a single air particle is shown.

displacement

0 time
0 T 2T

Which graph shows how the kinetic energy of the air particle varies with time?

A B
kinetic kinetic
energy energy

0 time 0 time
0 T 2T 0 T 2T

C D
kinetic kinetic
energy energy

0 time 0 time
0 T 2T 0 T 2T

© UCLES 2023 9702/13/O/N/23 [Turn over

 PMT

10

21 A wave travels on the surface of water. P, Q, R and S are four particles of water on the surface.

The diagram shows the positions of the particles at one instant. The direction of travel of the
wave is from left to right.

direction of wave travel

P

R
Q

Which two particles are about to move upwards?

A P and R B P and S C R and S D Q and S

22 A loudspeaker emits sound of frequency fs. The loudspeaker is attached to a car that moves with
increasing speed directly towards a stationary observer.

Which statement describes the frequency of the sound heard by the observer?

A a frequency greater than fs and increasing

B a frequency greater than fs but decreasing
C a frequency less than fs and decreasing
D a frequency less than fs but increasing

23 Which statement about electromagnetic waves in a vacuum is correct?

A Amplitude is inversely proportional to velocity.

B Frequency is inversely proportional to wavelength.
C Intensity is proportional to amplitude.
D Velocity is proportional to wavelength.

© UCLES 2023 9702/13/O/N/23

 PMT

11

24 A vertically polarised electromagnetic wave of intensity I0 is incident normally on a polarising

filter. The transmission axis of the filter is at an angle of 30 to the vertical.

The transmitted wave from the first filter is then incident normally on a second polarising filter.
The transmission axis of this filter is at an angle of 90 to the vertical.

transmission axis
30q polarising
filters
transmission axis

vertically polarised
electromagnetic wave

What is the intensity of the wave after passing through the second filter?

A 0 B 0.063 I0 C 0.19 I0 D 0.56 I0

25 Which statement concerning a stationary wave is correct?

A All the particles between two adjacent nodes oscillate in phase.

B The amplitude of the stationary wave is equal to the amplitude of one of the waves creating it.
C The wavelength of the stationary wave is equal to the separation of two adjacent nodes.
D There is no displacement of a particle at an antinode at any time.

26 Stationary sound waves can be formed in the air columns of pipes. One type of pipe is closed at
one end and open at the other end. Another type of pipe is open at both ends.

Which pipe can form a stationary sound wave with the lowest frequency?

A B C D

2L 2L

L L

© UCLES 2023 9702/13/O/N/23 [Turn over

 PMT

12

27 Water waves in a ripple tank are made to pass through a small gap, as shown.

Which diagram shows the waves after they have passed through the gap?

A B

C D

28 Light of a single wavelength is incident normally on a double slit. The slit separation can be
varied.

A screen is placed a fixed distance away from the double slit. The screen and double slit are
parallel. A pattern of bright interference fringes is observed on a screen.

NOT TO
a SCALE
light

double
slit screen

Which graph best shows the variation of the separation x of the bright interference fringes with
the slit separation a?

A B C D

x x x x

0 0 0 0
0 a 0 a 0 a 0 a

© UCLES 2023 9702/13/O/N/23

 PMT

13

29 A diffraction grating is used to measure the wavelength of light.

The spacing of the slits in the grating is 1.15  10–6 m. The angle between the first-order
diffraction maxima is 60.0, as shown.

grating

light 60.0q

What is the wavelength of the light?

A 288 nm B 498 nm C 575 nm D 996 nm

30 What could not be used to create an electric current?

A alpha-particles
B beta-particles
C neutrons
D protons

31 What is the definition of the potential difference (p.d.) across a component?

A the energy transferred per unit charge

B the energy transferred per unit current
C the power transferred per unit charge
D the power transferred per unit current

32 The resistance of a filament lamp increases as the current in it increases.

What is the reason for this?

A The charge of each charge carrier increases.

B The potential difference across the filament decreases.
C The power dissipated by the filament decreases.
D The temperature of the filament increases.

© UCLES 2023 9702/13/O/N/23 [Turn over

 PMT

14

33 A battery of electromotive force (e.m.f.) 12 V and negligible internal resistance is connected to a

fixed resistor of resistance 40  and a thermistor of resistance RT, as shown.

40 :

12 V

RT

Initially, the temperature of the thermistor is 15 C and the current in the circuit is 0.10 A.

The temperature of the thermistor then changes, which causes the current to increase to 0.12 A.

How does the temperature of the thermistor change and what is RT at the new temperature?

temperature RT at new
of thermistor temperature / 

A increases 60
B decreases 60
C increases 100
D decreases 100

© UCLES 2023 9702/13/O/N/23

 PMT

15

34 A cell of electromotive force (e.m.f.) 3.0 V and internal resistance 0.50  is connected to a
variable resistor, a voltmeter and an ammeter, as shown. The resistance of the variable resistor is
varied.

The reading on the ammeter I and the reading on the voltmeter V are recorded.

3.0 V
0.50 :

A
V

Which graph shows how V varies with I ?

A B
0.50 3.0
V/V V/V

0 0
0 6.0 0 0.5
I/A I/A

C D
3.0 6.0
V/V V/V

0 0
0 6.0 0 3.0
I/A I/A

© UCLES 2023 9702/13/O/N/23 [Turn over

 PMT

16

35 Three resistors, R1, R2 and R3, are connected in parallel to a cell. The currents in the resistors are
I1, I2 and I3. The potential differences across the resistors are V1, V2 and V3. The current in the
cell is I0. The potential difference across the cell is V0, as shown.

V0

I0
V1

I1 R1
V2

I2 R2
V3

I3 R3

Which equation can be obtained by applying Kirchhoff’s second law to the circuit?

A I0 = I1 = I2 = I3

B I0 = I1 + I2 + I3
C V0 = V1 = V2 = V3
D V0 = V1 + V2 + V3

36 Three resistors, each of resistance R, are connected in a network, as shown.

X Y
R R

The total resistance between points X and Y is 8.0 .

What is the value of R ?

A 2.7  B 4.0  C 5.3  D 12 

© UCLES 2023 9702/13/O/N/23

 PMT

17

37 A potentiometer and a driver cell of electromotive force (e.m.f.) E are used to measure the e.m.f.
of a new cell.

A sliding contact at P is moved along a resistance wire QR until the reading on the galvanometer
is zero.

driver cell
E

Q R
P

new cell

What is an essential requirement for the e.m.f. of the new cell to be measured accurately?

A The e.m.f. of the driver cell must be less than the e.m.f. of the new cell.
B The galvanometer must have a large resistance.
C The internal resistance of the new cell must be zero.
D The resistance per unit length of the wire QR must be constant.

38 The table shows the number of nucleons and the total number of particles (protons, neutrons and
electrons) in neutral atoms of four nuclides W, X, Y and Z.

number of total number

nucleons of particles

W 19 30
X 19 31
Y 21 32
Z 22 31

Which two nuclides are isotopes of each other?

A W and X B W and Y C X and Z D Y and Z

© UCLES 2023 9702/13/O/N/23 [Turn over

 PMT

18

39 When a sample of a radioactive isotope decays by -particle emission, the -particles emitted
have a single discrete energy.

When a sample of a radioactive isotope decays by – particle emission, the – particles emitted
have a continuous range of energies.

What is the explanation for this?

A An antineutrino is emitted with a – particle but not with an -particle.

B An antineutrino is emitted with an -particle but not with a – particle.

C The -particles have much more energy than the – particles.

D The – particles have much more energy than the -particles.

40 Some particles are a combination of three quarks.

Which combination of quarks does not result in a particle with a charge of either +1.6  10–19 C or
zero?

A up, down, down

B up, strange, strange
C up, up, down
D up, up, up

© UCLES 2023 9702/13/O/N/23

 PMT

19

BLANK PAGE

© UCLES 2023 9702/13/O/N/23

 PMT

20

BLANK PAGE

Permission to reproduce items where third-party owned material protected by copyright is included has been sought and cleared where possible. Every
reasonable effort has been made by the publisher (UCLES) to trace copyright holders, but if any items requiring clearance have unwittingly been included, the
publisher will be pleased to make amends at the earliest possible opportunity.

To avoid the issue of disclosure of answer-related information to candidates, all copyright acknowledgements are reproduced online in the Cambridge
Assessment International Education Copyright Acknowledgements Booklet. This is produced for each series of examinations and is freely available to download
at www.cambridgeinternational.org after the live examination series.

Cambridge Assessment International Education is part of Cambridge Assessment. Cambridge Assessment is the brand name of the University of Cambridge
Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), which is a department of the University of Cambridge.

© UCLES 2023 9702/13/O/N/23