1

PDG
Candidate Name ( )

ANDERSON JUNIOR COLLEGE

2010 JC2 Preliminary Examination

PHYSICS 9646/02
Higher 2
Paper 2 Structured Questions Tuesday 14 September 2010
1 hour 45 minutes

Candidates answer on the Question Paper.

No Additional Materials are required.

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

Write your name, register number and PDG on the spaces provided above.
Write in dark blue or black pen on both sides of the paper.
You may use a soft pencil for any diagrams, graphs or rough working.
Do not use staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid.

Section A
Answer all questions. For Examiner’s Use
It is recommended that you spend about 1 hour 15 minutes on this 1
section.
2
Section B
Answer question 8. 3
It is recommended that you spend about 30 minutes on this section.
4
At the end of the examination, fasten all your work securely together. 5
The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each
question or part question. 6

Deduction

Total

This document consists of 19 printed pages and 1 blank page.

9646/02/AJC2010Prelim [Turn Over

 2

Data

speed of light in free space, c = 3.00 x 108 m s-1

permeability of free space, μ0 = 4π x 10-7 H m-1

ε0 = 8.85 x 10 F m
-12 -1
permittivity of free space,

(1/(36π)) x 10-9 F m-1

elementary charge, e = 1.60 x 10-19 C

the Planck constant, h = 6.63 x 10-34J s

unified atomic mass constant, u = 1.66 x 10-27 kg

rest mass of electron, me = 9.11 x 10-31 kg

rest mass of proton, mp = 1.67 x 10-27 kg

molar gas constant, R = 8.31 J K-1 mol-1

the Avogadro constant, NA = 6.02 x 1023 mol-1

the Boltzmann constant, k = 1.38 x 10-23 J K-1

gravitational constant, G = 6.67 x 10-11 N m2 kg-2

acceleration of free fall, g = 9.81 m s-2

9646/02/AJC2010Prelim
 3

Formulae

uniformly accelerated motion, s = ut + 12 at 2

v2 = u2 + 2as

work done on/by a gas, W = p ΔV

hydrostatic pressure, p = ρgh

gravitational potential, φ = - Grm

displacement of particle in s.h.m., x = x0 sin ωt

velocity of particle in s.h.m., v = v0 cos ωt

= ±ω ( x 02 − x 2 )

mean kinetic energy of a molecule of an ideal gas, E = 32 kT

resistors in series, R = R1 + R2 + …

resistors in parallel, 1/R = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + …

Q
electric potential, V =
4 πε 0 r

alternating current/voltage, x = x0 sin ωt

transmission coefficient, T ∝ exp(-2kd)

8π 2 m(U − E )
where k =
h2

radioactive decay, x = x0exp(-λt)

decay constant, λ=
t1
2

9646/02/AJC2010Prelim [Turn Over

 4

Section A

Answer all questions.

It is recommended that you spend about 1 hour 15 minutes on this section.

1 (a) State the principle of floatation.

[1]

(b) A uniform cylindrical wooden rod of length L and weight 60 N, attached at one end to a
light string, is slowly lowered into water. It is found that, when the system is in
equilibrium, the string is vertical and exactly half of the rod is underwater, as shown in
Fig. 1.1. The upthrust is acting through a point S which is 0.25L from the end of the rod
immersed in the water.

string
upthrust

rod

• S water

Fig. 1.1

(i) Calculate the upthrust experienced by the rod

upthrust = ……………………….. N [2]

(ii) Calculate the density of the wood from which the rod is made if the density of water
is 1.0 x 103 kg m-3.

density = .………………………... kg m-3 [2]

9646/02/AJC2010Prelim
 5

(iii) Explain why the percentage of the rod submerged in water will be more than 50%
when the string is cut.

[2]

2 (a) (i) On Fig. 2.1, draw lines to represent the gravitational field outside an isolated
uniform sphere.

Fig. 2.1 [2]

(ii) A second sphere has the same mass but a smaller radius. Suggest what
difference, if any, there is between the patterns of field lines for the two spheres.

[1]

(b) The Earth may be considered to be a uniform sphere of radius 6380 km with its mass of
5.98 × 1024 kg concentrated at its centre, as illustrated in Fig. 2.2

Fig. 2.2

9646/02/AJC2010Prelim [Turn Over

 6

A mass of 10.0 kg on the Equator rotates about the axis of the Earth with a period of
1.00 day.

Calculate,

(i) the gravitational force FG of attraction between the mass and the Earth,

FG = …………………………… N [1]

(ii) the centripetal force FC on the 10.0 kg mass,

FC = …………………………… N [1]

(iii) the difference in magnitude of the forces

difference = …………………………… N [1]

(c) By reference to your answers in (b), suggest, with a reason, a value for the acceleration
of free fall at the Equator.

[2]

9646/02/AJC2010Prelim
 7

3 A fixed mass of gas in a heat pump undergoes a cycle of changes of pressure, volume and
temperature as illustrated in Fig. 3.1. The gas is assumed to be ideal.

p / 105 Pa

24 B 720 K

12 C 360 K

3.0 A 400 K
1.5 D 200 K

0.45 2.0 V / 10–3 m3

Fig. 3.1

(a) Determine the number of moles of the gas.

number of moles = …………………………………. moles [1]

(b) Complete the table below indicating the energy changes in each stage of the cycle.

Increase in internal Heat supplied to Work done on

energy / J gas / J gas / J

A to B 720 0

B to C – 810

C to D – 360 0

D to A
[4]

9646/02/AJC2010Prelim [Turn Over

 8

(c) State one practical use of such a heat pump.

[1]

4 A diffraction grating with 300 lines per millimeter is being used in a typical light experiment.
Different types of light are allowed to fall normally on the diffraction grating and the resultant
pattern to be studied is formed on a screen placed at distance D from the grating as shown
in Fig. 4.1. The distance D is 3.00 m.

Monochromatic
screen

light source

Fig. 4.1

(a) The first light source to be studied is a monochromatic light source of wavelength
650 nm.

(i) Explain the meaning of the term “monochromatic”.

[1]

(ii) State the reason why the light rays can be assumed to be parallel.

[1]

(iii) Calculate the maximum number of maxima.

maximum number of maxima = ………………………………… [3]

9646/02/AJC2010Prelim
 9

(b) The next experiment is of light from a low pressure sodium lamp. Light from the lamp
consists mostly of two wavelengths, 588.99 nm and 589.59 nm.

(i) Instead of the expected two spectral lines, only one spectral line is observed.
Explain quantitatively why this has happened.

[2]

(ii) Suggest an improvement to the experimental set-up to help overcome this

problem.

[1]

5 Fig. 5.1 shows a potential divider circuit consisting of two resistors with resistances 10 kΩ
and 40 kΩ respectively. The battery has an e.m.f. E and negligible internal resistance.

W X Z
10 kΩ 40 kΩ

Fig. 5.1

(a) Determine the potential difference VWX across the 10 kΩ resistor in terms of E.

[2]

9646/02/AJC2010Prelim [Turn Over

 10

(b) A thermistor P is connected in parallel with the 10 kΩ resistor and a resistor of

resistance 20 kΩ is connected in parallel with the 40 kΩ, as shown in Fig. 5.2.

W X Z
10 kΩ 40 kΩ
G
P 20 kΩ

Y
E

Fig. 5.2

A galvanometer is connected between X and Y. At room temperature of 29 °C, it was

found that there is no current flowing through the galvanometer.

(i) Suggest what can be deduced about the potential at points X and Y at 29 °C.

[1]

(ii) Determine the resistance of the thermistor P at 29 °C.

Resistance = ………………………………… Ω [2]

(iii) The temperature of the thermistor is slowly raised.

1. Indicate on Fig 5.2 the direction of the current flowing between X and Y.
[1]

2. Explain why a reading is detected on the galvanometer whenever the

temperature is not at 29 °C.

[1]

9646/02/AJC2010Prelim
 11

6 In a proposed fusion reactor, one possible reaction is

+ → + + .

binding energy of deuterium, 2H = 2.24 MeV

binding energy of helium, 4He = 28.28 MeV

(a) State the product P in the above reaction.

[1]

(b) Find the binding energy per nucleon of 3H, tritium. Explain your working clearly.

B.E. per nucleon of 3H = ………………………MeV [3]

(c) How much energy E is produced by 150 kg of the appropriate mixture of the isotopes
of hydrogen, if the process is 12.0% efficient?

E = ………………………… MeV [2]

(d) Explain the difficulties involved in tapping energy from fusion process.

[2]

9646/02/AJC2010Prelim [Turn Over

 12

7 The decay of radioactive nuclei is said to be random and spontaneous. In a radioactive

decay, the activity of the atoms at time t is given by

A = A0 e - λ t

where A0 is the activity at the start of the decay and λ is the decay constant.

Every year, a private detective visits a suspected nuclear

waste disposal site for a particular radioactive isotope. This GM tubes
isotope decays into a stable nuclide. He uses a Geiger 15.0 mm
counter that contains 4 Geiger Mueller (GM) tubes as shown in
Fig. 7.1. Each GM tube has a diameter of 44.0 mm and 44.0 mm
length 15.0 mm. He uses the Geiger counter to record the
count rate C of the disposal site yearly. The count rate at
time t follows the same relationship as the activity

C = C0 e - λ t
Fig. 7.1
where C0 is the count rate at the start of the decay and λ is the
decay constant.

On his visit in 1998, he noticed a significant increase in the count rate. He suspects that a
quantity of the isotope may have been dumped illegally on the site. After reporting his
discovery, he continued to monitor the radiation. The count rates he recorded from 1990 to
2003 are charted as shown in Fig. 7.2.

Graph of ln (C/ s-1 ) vs year

ln (C / s-1 )

Year

Fig. 7.2

9646/02/AJC2010Prelim
 13

(a) Explain what is meant by the radioactive decay is random and spontaneous?

[2]

(b) (i) Using Fig. 7.2, estimate the decay constant λ.

λ = ...................................... s-1 [3]

(ii) Hence, or otherwise, estimate the half-life T of the radioactive isotope.

T = ...................................... s [1]

(c) Explain the difference between count rate and activity of the radioactive source.

[2]

9646/02/AJC2010Prelim [Turn Over

 14

(d) The radiation of the isotope can be taken as coming from a point source. The private
detective records the count rate at the gate to the site which is 10 m from the isotope.
Fig. 7.3 shows the count rate recorded, the activity of the isotope and the number of
nuclei of active isotope for the year 1997 and 1998.

Count rate Number of nuclei of the

Year Activity / x 1012 Bq
detected / x 106 counts s-1 isotope / x 1021
1997 10.85 2.242
1998 14.95 3.088 1.136

Fig. 7.3

(i) Explain how the count rate shown in Fig. 7.3 can be determined using Fig. 7.2.

[1]

(ii) Show that the activity A1 of the isotope in 1997 is 2.24 x 1012 Bq.

[2]

(iii) Determine the number of nuclei N1 of the isotope in 1997.

N1 = ……………………………. [2]

9646/02/AJC2010Prelim
 15

(iv) Hence, or otherwise, estimate the number of radioactive nuclei N2 that has been
dumped illegally.

N2 = ………………………………. [2]

(e) Explain why the two sections of the graph, before and after the illegal dumping, are
parallel.

[1]

9646/02/AJC2010Prelim [Turn Over

 16

Section B

It is recommended that you spend about 30 minutes on this section.

8 A manufacturer of tennis rackets is concerned about the force acting on the tennis ball. It is
known that the contact force between the ball and the racket is affected by the time of
contact between the ball and the racket. The contact force between the ball and the racket
will affect the speed of the ball as it leaves the racket.

Design an experiment to investigate how the time of contact between a bouncing tennis ball
and a horizontal surface depends upon the distance fallen by the ball.

You may assume that a pressure pad is available (a pressure pad is a device which closes
two contacts when the surface of the pad is depressed).

A diagram of a pressure pad is shown in Fig. 8.1

springy metal plates

to circuit

soft rubber spacers

flexible case
Fig. 8.1

You may assume that you have the following equipment available, in addition to that
normally found in a science laboratory.

Tennis ball Power supply

Pressure pad Resistor
Voltage sensor Metre rule
Datalogger Retort stand
Oscilloscope

You should draw diagrams to show the arrangement of your apparatus. In your account you
should pay particular attention to

(a) the equipment you would use for the investigation,

(b) the procedure to be followed,

(c) the control of variables,

(d) any safety precautions,

(e) any precautions that you would take to improve the accuracy of the experiment.

[12]

9646/02/AJC2010Prelim
 17

Diagram

9646/02/AJC2010Prelim [Turn Over

 18

9646/02/AJC2010Prelim
 19

9646/02/AJC2010Prelim [Turn Over