1

Fig. 1.1 shows a skier of mass 85 kg skiing down a very steep slope.

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1.

Fig. 1.1 (not to scale)

The skier starts from rest at the top T of the slope. The force of gravity accelerates him down the slope.
When he reaches the bottom B of the slope, his kinetic energy is 5.5 104 J.
(a) The gravitational field strength is 10 N / kg. Calculate
(i) the weight of the skier,

weight = ..............................................................[1]
(ii) the minimum possible difference in height between T and B.

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

(b) At B, the skier digs his skis into the snow and stops at the point P after travelling 33 m
horizontally.
Calculate the average horizontal force that acts on the skier between B and P.

force = ...........................................................[2]

During the Beijing Olympics, Usain Bolt won the 100 m sprint race in 9.7 s. The graph
below shows how his speed increased at the start of the race.

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2.

(b) Calculate his acceleration during the first 0.80 s.

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[2]
(c) The table shows how his motion changed during the race. Use the information to
complete the speed-time graph for the race.

[3]
3.

The diagram shows an arrangement which can be used to test the strength of a fabric. A
sample of the fabric is placed between a fixed surface and a clamp. The clamp is attached
to a pivoted beam. By adding sand to the container a stretching force is applied by the
clamp to the fabric.

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(a) The force applied by the sand and container is 60 N. Calculate the moment of this
force about the pivot.
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[2]
(b) Calculate the stretching force applied by the clamp to the fabric. (Assume that the weight of the beam
and clamp is negligible.)
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[2]
(c) State and explain how your answer to (b) would be affected if the weight of the beam
was not negligible.
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[2]
4.

(a) The diagram shows two metal spheres A and B. A is negatively charged and B is
uncharged.

(i) The stand of each sphere is made from the same material. Is the material a conductor or an insulator?
...................................................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Explain your answer.

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[1]

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(c) Explain the distribution of charges on sphere B.

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5.

The circuit shows a battery connected in a circuit with three resistors F, G and H and a
voltmeter. The resistance of G is 9 . The current in F is 6 A and the current in G is 2 A.

(a) (i) What is the current in H?

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[1]
(ii) What assumption have you made about the resistance of the voltmeter?
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[1]
(iii) Calculate the reading on the voltmeter.
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[1]
(b) A student states that resistors G and H will get equally hot in the circuit above.
(i) Is the student correct?
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[1]
6.

The diagram shows the shape of the magnetic flux pattern for a current-carrying straight
wire.

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(a) Is the direction of the magnetic flux pattern clockwise or anticlockwise?
............................................................................................................................................................................
[1]
(c) When two parallel wires carry a current I there is a force F of attraction acting between
them as shown below. This is because each wire is in the magnetic field produced by
the other wire.

(i) State two ways in which the force F could be increased.

1 .........................................................................................................................................................................
2 .........................................................................................................................................................................
[2]
7.

(a) Name a source of background radiation.

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[1]
(b) The diagram shows a radioactive source with a detector placed a distance d from it.

In an experiment d was varied and the count rate in counts per minute (cpm) was
recorded. The results are shown below.

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(i) Explain why the source must be an alpha emitter.

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[1]
(ii) Explain why the recorded count rate was greater at a distance of 10 cm than at a
distance of 8 cm from the source.
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[2]
(c) Thorium-232 decays by alpha emission to radium.
Complete the decay equation below.

[1]
8.

During a thunderstorm a student calculates that if she is at a distance of 1000 m from the
storm she should hear the thunder 2.90 s later than seeing the lightning flash.
(a) (i) Calculate the value of the speed of sound that she used in her calculation.
............................................................................................................................................................................
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[2]
(b) The diagram shows the relative positions of the student and a tall building during a
thunderstorm.

Using a stopwatch she records a time of 2.95 s between seeing the lightning and
hearing the thunder.
(i) Give two reasons for her recorded time being longer than her calculated time of
2.90 s.
1........................................................................................................................................................................

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2........................................................................................................................................................................
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[2]
(ii) She also hears a second quieter sound. Explain why she hears this second
sound.
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9

Fig. 7.1 shows some parts of a cathode-ray oscilloscope.

Fig. 7.1
(a) Explain why reversing battery A has no effect on the electron beam.
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(b) The connections to battery B are reversed. State and explain the effect on the electron
beam.
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......................................................................................................................................................................[2]

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(c) Fig.-7.2 shows an electrical circuit and a cathode-ray oscilloscope (C.R.O.).

Fig-7.2
(a) On Fig.-7.2, draw the connections you would make to enable the C.R.O. to measure
the potential difference (p.d.) across the resistor.

[1]

(b) Fig.-7.3 shows the trace on the screen before and after the connections are made.

Fig-7.3
The Y-gain control is set at 2 V for each division on the screen.
(i) State the value of the p.d. across the resistor.
..................................................................................................................................................

p.d. = ..............................................................

[1]

(ii) The Y-gain control is altered to 4 V for each division.

On Fig.-7, draw the new trace seen on the screen.

[1]

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8.

The figure above shows the transmission of electric power using a series of five transformers T 1, T2, T3, T4
and T5. The power generated at the power station is 66kW. The voltage is stepped-up to 132 kV using the
transformer T1.The voltage is then stepped-down in stages using transformer T 1, T2, T3 and T4.
(a) Is the power generated at the power station in the form of alternating current (a.c.) or direct
current (d.c.)? Explain your answer.
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(b) What is the advantage of stepping up the voltage to 132 kV for transmission over a large
distance?
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(c) What is the turn ratio for the transformer T2 ?

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A bus breaks down on a road with a 10 upward slope. The passengers get out and push the
bus to the top of the slope at a constant speed. Fig. 10.1 shows the passengers exerting a
force on the bus parallel to the line of the slope.
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10

10

Sec B

Fig. 10.1

(a) The total mass of the bus is 3200 kg.

(i) Calculate the weight of the bus.

weight = ..................................................... [1]

(ii) On Fig. 10.1, draw two arrows to show the direction of the weight of the bus and
the direction of the force exerted on the bus by the passengers.

[1]
(iii) The total force exerted by the passengers on the bus is 17 000 N along the line of the
slope. Use a graphical method to determine the size and direction of the resultant of this
force and the weight of the bus. State the scale used.

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scale = ...........................................................
size of resultant = ...........................................................
direction of resultant = ...........................................................
[4]
(iv) The bus travels at a constant speed. State the size of the resultant of all the forces
acting on the bus.
..............................................................................................................................
[1]
(b) As the passengers push the bus up the slope, work is done against two forces. State
the names of these two forces and, for each force, state the form of energy produced as
work is done.
force 1 ..............................................................................................................................
form of energy 1 ...............................................................................................................
force 2 ..............................................................................................................................
form of energy 2 ...............................................................................................................
[4]
(c) When the bus reaches the top of the slope, it stops and the passengers get back in.
(i) On the axes of Fig. 10.2, sketch the distance-time graph for the bus from a time
when the passengers are pushing the bus at constant speed until they get back
into the stationary bus.

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Fig. 10.2
[3]
(ii) State how the speed of a moving object may be obtained from an accurately drawn
distance-time graph.
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[1]

13

(a) Draw a labelled diagram of the basic structure of a cathode-ray oscilloscope.

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10

[6]
(b) Describe how electrons in the oscilloscope are
(i) emitted,
(ii) given kinetic energy.

[4]
(c) Fig. 10.1 shows a trace obtained on an oscilloscope screen.

Fig. 10.1
The time-base is set at 10 ms/cm.

14

Determine the time for one complete oscillation on the screen.

(ii)

Calculate the frequency of the signal applied to the oscilloscope.

(iii)

With the same signal applied to the oscilloscope, the time-base setting is altered to
20 ms/cm. State what effect this has on the trace shown on the screen.

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(i)

11

[5]

(a) In an experiment to measure the specific heat capacity of water, an electric heater heats water
in a glass beaker. The temperature of the water is measured at regular intervals of time. Fig. 11.1
shows how the temperature varies with time t.

Fig. 11.1
(i) Use Fig. 11.1 to determine the change in temperature between
t = 0 and t = 100 s,

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t = 100 s and t = 200 s.

change = .................................................................

change = .................................................................[1]
(ii) State and explain why the values in (i) are different.
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[2]
(iii) Describe and explain what happens to the water if the heating is continued.
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[2]
(b) (i) The experiment in (a) is repeated using 72 g of water. The heater supplies 7400 J of
thermal energy (heat) to the water and the temperature rise of the water is 23 C.
Calculate the specific heat capacity of water.

specific heat capacity = ......................................[2]

(ii) A bullet of mass 72 g is fired from a gun at a speed of 450 m / s.
Calculate the kinetic energy of the bullet.

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energy = .............................................................[3]

(iii) The amount of internal energy gained by the water and the amount of kinetic energy gained
by the bullet are approximately equal.
Describe the change in the motion of the molecules of the water and of the molecules of the
bullet that this addition of energy has caused.
water: ..............................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................................
bullet: .....................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................................[3]
(c) A thermocouple is used in the experiment in (a). In the space below, draw a labelled diagram
of a thermocouple thermometer. Show clearly the part of the thermocouple that is placed in the
water in this experiment.

[2]

Things to be improved/The weakest area of students

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