1. The diameter of a cylindrical metal rod is measured using a micrometer screw gauge.

The diagram below shows an enlargement of the scale on the micrometer screw gauge when taking
the measurement.

What is the cross-sectional area of the rod?

A 3.81 mm2
B 11.4 mm2
C 22.8 mm2
D 45.6 mm2

2. The diameter and the length of a thin wire, approximately 50 cm in length, are measured as
precisely as possible.

What are the best instruments to use?

3. An athlete runs along a track.

A student draws a graph to represent how the velocity of the athlete varies with time for the first five
seconds of his run.
What is the maximum acceleration and total distance run during these five seconds?

4. Which quantity is a vector?

A kinetic energy

B speed

C weight

D work

5. The diagram shows a man standing in a lift.

The forces acting on the man and the forces acting on the lift are shown below.

Which statement is correct?

A N and W1 are always equal and opposite.
B (W1 + W2) is always equal to T .
C If N = W1 the lift must be at rest.
D If T = (D + W2) the lift must have a constant velocity.

6. A force of 30 N is required to pull the strings of a catapult into the firing position.

What is the tension in each string?

A 15 N B 17 N C 30 N D 35 N
7. A tennis ball of mass 56 g is struck by a tennis racquet. The graph shows how the force exerted on
the ball by the racquet varies with time.

What is the change in the velocity of the tennis ball?

A 50 cm s–1
B 100 cm s–1
C 50 m s–1
D 100 m s–1

8. The table shows the weights and masses of four objects on different planets.

On which planet is the gravitational field strength the largest?

9. The diagram shows a simple model of the braking system of a car. A force of 20 N is applied to
piston P. As a result, there is a force F on piston Q.

Piston P has an area of 5.0 cm2 and piston Q has an area of 25 cm2.

What is the force F?

A 4.0 N B 20 N C 100 N D 500 N

10. A wire has a length of 2.2 m and a diameter of 1.6 mm. The current in the wire is 0.44 A when a
potential difference of 0.50 V is applied between its ends.

What is the resistivity of the wire?

A 8.0 × 10–7 Ω m
B 1.0 × 10–6 Ω m
C 3.2 × 10–6 Ω m
D 4.2 × 10–6 Ω m
11. When the flash on a camera is used, a charge of 1.5 C flows through the flash-tube in 0.0030 s.
The average voltage across the flash-tube is 3600 V.

What is the electrical energy supplied to the flash-tube and what is the average power supplied?
12. The diagram shows three resistors in parallel.

What is the combined (equivalent) resistance?

A 7.5 Ω B 15 Ω C 30 Ω D 75 Ω

13. A potential divider circuit is set up by connecting two resistors in series as shown. The potential
difference across the circuit is V.

What is the potential difference across the 10 k Ω resistor?

A 10/25 V B 15/25 V C 10/15 V D 15/10 V
14. The diagram shows a circuit.

The switch is initially open and is then closed.

What are the meter readings?

15. The graph shows how the pressure of a fixed mass of gas varies with volume at constant
temperature.

What is the volume of the gas when the pressure is 25 kPa?

A 2.5 cm3 B 10 cm3 C 30 cm3 D 40 cm3

16. The Earth travels in a circular orbit around the Sun at constant speed.

Which arrows show the direction of the acceleration of the Earth and the direction of the velocity of
the Earth?

17. The diagram shows two objects of equal mass m separated by a distance r.

Which line, A to D, in the table gives the correct values of the gravitational field strength and the
gravitational potential at the mid-point P between the two objects?
18. A solid bar is heated at one end. How is thermal energy transferred to the other end of the bar?

A Heated molecules move along the bar, carrying energy to the other end.
B Heated molecules move along the bar, giving energy to others along the bar.
C Heated molecules stay completely still, but give energy to other molecules.
D Heated molecules vibrate more rapidly and pass energy to other molecules.

19. An electric field exists in the space between two charged metal plates.

Which graph shows the variation of electric field strength E with distance d from X along the line XY?

20. When will 1 C of charge pass a point in an electrical circuit?

A when 1 A moves through a potential difference of 1 V
B when a power of 1 W is used for 1 s
C when the current is 5 mA for 200 s
D when the current is 10 A for 10 s
21. A pupil adds 37 g of ice at 0 °C to 100 g of water at 30 °C. The final temperature of the water and
melted ice is 0 °C. No heat is lost to, or gained from, the surroundings.

The specific heat capacity of water is 4.2 J/(g °C).

What is the specific latent heat of ice?
A 47 J/g B 341 J/g C 4700 J/g D 12 600 J/g

22. Two copper wires of the same length but different diameters carry the same current.
Which statement about the flow of charged particles through the wires is correct?
A Charged particles are provided by the power supply. Therefore, the speed at which they travel
depends only on the voltage of the supply.

B The charged particles in both wires move with the same average speed because the current in both
wires is the same.

C The charged particles move faster through the wire with the larger diameter because there is a
greater volume through which to flow.

D The charged particles move faster through the wire with the smaller diameter because it has a
larger potential difference applied to it.

22. A student takes measurements of the current in a resistor of constant resistance and the
potential difference (p.d.) across it. The readings are then used to plot a graph of current against p.d.

There is a systematic error in the current readings.

How could this be identified from the graph?

A At least one anomalous data point can be identified.
B The data points are scattered about the straight line of best fit.
C The graph is a curve, not a straight line.
D The straight line graph does not pass through the origin.
23. The heat capacity of an object, of mass 2.0 kg, is C.
The energy needed to:
A increase the temperature of the whole object by ∆t is C∆t.
B increase the temperature of unit mass of the object by ∆t is C∆t.
C melt the whole object is C.
D melt unit mass of the object is C.

24. A positively charged rod is brought near to an isolated uncharged conducting sphere.

What are the charges on sides X and Y of the sphere?

A Both X and Y are positively charged.
B Both X and Y are negatively charged.
C X is positively charged and Y is negatively charged.
D X is negatively charged and Y is positively charged.
25. The diagrams show a negative electric charge situated in a uniform electric field and a mass
situated in a uniform gravitational field.

Which row shows the directions of the forces acting on the charge and on the mass?

26. Two train carriages each of mass 5000 kg roll toward one another on a level track. One is travelling
at 2.00 m s–1 and the other at 1.00 m s–1, as shown.

They collide and join together.

What is the kinetic energy lost during the collision?

A 1250 J B 7500 J C 11 250 J D 12 500 J

27. What is equivalent to the unit of electric field strength?
A J C m–1 B N s A–1 C kg m s–3 A–1 D kg m3 s–3 A–1

28. Two vertical conducting plates X and Y are positioned so that they are separated by a distance of
6.0 mm in air. A 60 V d.c. supply is connected as shown.

What is the electric field strength at E, a point midway between the plates?
A 1.0 × 104 V m–1 towards X B 1.0 × 104 V m–1 towards Y
C 2.0 × 104 V m–1 towards X D 2.0 × 104 V m–1 towards Y

29. Four students each made a series of measurements of the acceleration of free fall g. The table
shows the results obtained.

Which set of results could be described as precise but not accurate?

30. Which diagram shows the electric field pattern of an isolated negative point charge?

31. In an experiment to determine the acceleration of free fall g, a ball-bearing is held by an

electromagnet. When the current to the electromagnet is switched off, a clock starts and the ball-
bearing falls. After falling a distance h, the ball-bearing strikes a switch to stop the clock which
measures the time t of the fall.

Which expression can be used to calculate the value of g?

32. A positive charge experiences a force F when placed at point X in a uniform electric field.
The charge is then moved from point X to point Y.
Distances r and s are shown on the diagram.

What is the change in the potential energy of the charge?

A decreases by Fs
B increases by Fs
C decreases by Fr
D increases by Fr
33. A ball is released from rest on a smooth slope XY.
It moves down the slope, along a smooth horizontal surface YZ and rebounds inelastically at Z.
Then it moves back to Y and comes to rest momentarily somewhere on XY.

Which velocity-time graph represents the motion of the ball?

34. An extension lead is used to connect a 240 V electrical supply to a heater as shown.

A voltmeter measures the potential difference (p.d.) across the heater as 216 V and an ammeter
measures the current through the heater as 7.7 A.

What is the total resistance of the extension lead?

A 3.1 Ω
B 6.2 Ω
C 28 Ω
D 31 Ω

35. A mass m is situated in a uniform gravitational field.

When the mass moves through a displacement x, from P to Q, it loses an amount of potential energy
E.

Which row correctly specifies the magnitude and the direction of the acceleration due to gravity in
this field?
36. Which statement about molecules in a gas is correct?

A In Brownian motion experiments, the molecules can be seen moving randomly in all
directions.

B The pressure exerted by a gas is caused by molecules bouncing against each other and
changing kinetic energy.

C The pressure exerted by a gas is caused by molecules rebounding from the walls of a
container and changing momentum.

D When the average speed of the molecules in a closed container increases, the density must
also increase.

37. The diagram shows a light-dependent resistor (LDR) and a thermistor forming a potential divider.

Under which set of conditions will the potential difference across the thermistor have the greatest
value?
38. A ship of mass 8.4 × 107 kg is approaching a harbour with speed 16.4 m s–1. By using reverse thrust
it can maintain a constant total stopping force of 920 000 N.

How long will it take to stop?

A 15 seconds
B 150 seconds
C 25 minutes
D 250 minutes

39. A tractor of mass 1000 kg is connected by a tow-bar to a trailer of mass 1000 kg. The total
resistance to motion has a constant value of 4000 N. One quarter of this resistance acts on the trailer.

When the tractor and trailer are moving along horizontal ground at a constant speed of 6 m s–1, what
is the force exerted on the tractor by the tow-bar?

A 0N B 1000 N C 3000 N D 4000 N

40. A tiny oil droplet with mass 6.9 × 10–13 kg is at rest in an electric field of electric field strength 2.1 ×
107 N C–1, as shown.

The weight of the droplet is exactly balanced by the electrical force on the droplet.

What is the charge on the droplet?

A 3.3 × 10–20 C
B –3.3 × 10–20 C
C 3.2 × 10–19 C
D –3.2 × 10–19 C

End of Paper 1
 -Paper 2-
Answer all questions.
The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question.
You may lose marks if you do not show your working or if you do not use appropriate units.

1. This question is about power dissipation in a resistor and the internal resistance of a battery.

In the circuit below the variable resistor can be adjusted to have known values of resistance R. The
battery has an unknown internal resistance r.

The table below shows the recorded value I of the current in the circuit for different values of R. The
last column gives the calculated value of the power P dissipated in the resistor.

a) Complete the last line of the table by calculating the power dissipated in the variable resistor when
its value is 10.0 . [1]

b) If each value of R is known to ±10 % determine the absolute uncertainty in the value of P when R =
10.0 ? [2]

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
c) On the grid below plot a graph of power P against resistance R. Include an error bar for the point
you plotted when R = 10.0 . [4]

d) It can be shown that the power dissipated in the external resistor is a maximum when the value of
its resistance R is equal to the value of the internal resistance r of the battery i.e. R = r. Use this
information and your graph to find the value of r. [1]

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

e) The manufacturer of the battery gives the value of its internal resistance as 4.50  ± 0.01 . Is the
value of r that you obtained from your graph consistent with the manufacturer’s value? Explain. [2]

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

[Total: 10]
2. A shopping trolley and its contents have a total mass of 42 kg. The trolley is being pushed along a
horizontal surface at a speed of 1.2 m s –1. When the trolley is released, it travels a distance of 1.9 m
before coming to rest.

(a) Assuming that the total force opposing the motion of the trolley is constant,
(i) calculate the deceleration of the trolley,

deceleration = ........................................... m s –2 [2]

(ii) show that the total force opposing the motion of the trolley is 16 N. [1]

(b) Using the answer in (a)(ii), calculate the power required to overcome the total force
opposing the motion of the trolley at a speed of 1.2 m s –1 .

power = .................................. W [2]

(c) The trolley now moves down a straight slope that is inclined at an angle of 2.8° to the horizontal,
as shown in Fig. 3.1.

Fig. 3.1

The constant force that opposes the motion of the trolley is 16 N.

Question continued on next page

Calculate, for the trolley moving down the slope,
(i) the component down the slope of the trolley’s weight,

component of weight = ............................... N [2]

(ii) the time for the trolley to travel from rest a distance of 3.5 m along the length of the slope.

time = ............................ s [4]

(d) Use your answer to (c)(ii) to explain why, for safety reasons, the slope is not made any
steeper.

...................................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................................. [1]

[Total: 12]
3. A kettle is rated as 2.3 kW. A mass of 750 g of water at 20 °C is poured into the kettle. When the
kettle is switched on, it takes 2.0 minutes for the water to start boiling. In a further 7.0 minutes, one
half of the mass of water is boiled away.

(a) Estimate, for this water:

(i) the specific heat capacity,

specific heat capacity = .................................. J kg–1 K–1

(ii) the specific latent heat of vaporisation.

specific latent heat = ................................. J kg–1 [5]

(b) State one assumption made in your calculations, and explain whether this will lead to an
overestimation or an underestimation of the value for the specific latent heat.

....................................................................................................................................................................
....................................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................................... [2]

(c) Explain the difference between heat capacity and specific heat capacity. [3]

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
[Total: 10]
over
4. The orbit of the Earth, mass 6.0 × 1024 kg, may be assumed to be a circle of radius 1.5 × 1011 m with
the Sun at its centre, as illustrated in Fig. 1.1.

The time taken for one orbit is 3.2 ×107 s.

(a) Calculate
(i) the magnitude of the angular velocity of the Earth about the Sun,

angular velocity = ........................... rad s–1 [2]

(ii) the magnitude of the centripetal force acting on the Earth.

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

(b) (i) State the origin of the centripetal force calculated in (a)(ii).

....................................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................................... [1]

(ii) Determine the mass of the Sun.

mass = .............................. kg [3]

[Total: 8]
5. The aeroplane shown below is travelling horizontally at 65 m s–1. It is used to drop sacks of flour as
emergency supplies. A sack is shown at the instant it is released from the low flying aeroplane. Ignore
air resistance for this question. The diagram is not to scale.

(i) A villager standing to the side observes the flight path of the sack. Which path, A, B or C shows the
path of the sack? Explain your answer. [3]

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(ii) (a) To avoid damaging the sack, the maximum vertical component of the sack’s velocity must not
exceed 30 m s–1 on impact with the ground.
Show that the maximum height from which the sack can be dropped is about 46 m. [2]

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(b) Calculate the time taken for the sack to reach the ground if it is dropped from a height of 46 m.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….[2]
Question continued on next page
(iii) Calculate the resultant velocity of the sack on impact with the ground when it is dropped from a
height of 46 m. [3]

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

[Total: 10]
6. Two point charges of –6.0 μC and +6.0 μC are arranged at points A and B respectively as in the
diagram. Point X lies as shown, with ABX being an equilateral triangle.

(a) Indicate clearly on the diagram the directions of:

(i) the electric field at X due to the charge at A (label it EA ), [1]
(ii) the electric field at X due to the charge at B (label it EB ), [1]
(iii) the resultant (net) electric field at X due to the charges at A and B (label it ER ). [2]

(b) Calculate the magnitude of the resultant electric field at X, showing your working clearly. [3]

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

(c) Point Y is at a distance 0.40 m to the right of B.

Determine the electric potential at Y. [3]

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
[Total: 10]
End of Examination