Candidate

Centre Number Number

Candidate Name

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE LOCAL EXAMINATIONS SYNDICATE

General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level
PHYSICS 5054/4
PAPER 4 Alternative to Practical
MAY/JUNE SESSION 2001 1 hour

Candidates answer on the question paper.

No additional materials are required.

TIME 1 hour

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

Write your name, Centre number and candidate number in the spaces at the top of this page.
Answer all questions.
Write your answers in the spaces provided on the question paper.

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question.

FOR EXAMINER’S USE

TOTAL

This question paper consists of 11 printed pages and 1 blank page.

SB (ND/PW) QF10455/5
© UCLES 2001 [Turn over
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1 A small bird lands and stays on a thin horizontal branch of a tree as shown in Fig. 1.1.

branch

Fig. 1.1

This produces up and down oscillations of the branch. A student counts and times the
oscillations, and finds that the time for 10 oscillations is 7.7 s. The bird then flies away.

The student has 12 similar coins. Some of them are attached to the spot where the bird
had landed as shown in Fig. 1.2.

sticky tape

coins branch

Fig. 1.2

The branch is then made to oscillate. The time for 10 oscillations is obtained with different
numbers of coins attached to the branch.

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The student’s results are shown in the table.

object on number of time/s mass of

the branch oscillations object / g

nothing 10 4.5 0

2 coins 10 6.4

4 coins 10 7.3

bird 10 7.7 X

6 coins 10 8.0

8 coins 10 8.5

Using a balance, the student finds that the mass of 12 coins is 90 g.

(a) Complete the table by giving the missing information in the mass column. [2]

(b) By using the values given in the table, complete the following statement about the
mass X of the bird.

‘X is greater than ..................... g but less than ..................... g’.

[1]

(c) (i) State the graph that you would plot to help you determine the value of X.

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

(ii) Explain how you would obtain the value for X from your graph.

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.............................................................................................................................[3]

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2 When you blow into a bottle, as shown in Fig. 2.1, a loud sound may be heard.

Fig. 2.1

You can also make a loud sound using the apparatus shown in Fig. 2.2.

output frequency

output terminals
signal generator small
loudspeaker
bottle

When full, the bottle Va volume of air

holds a volume of
450 cm3 of water
Vw volume of water

Fig. 2.2

The output frequency of the signal generator can be changed. For a given volume Va of air,
the sound is loud for only one value of frequency f. Your teacher asks you to find out how
the value of the volume Va of air in the bottle affects the frequency at which a loud sound is
heard. You pour a known volume Vw of water into the bottle and then determine Va. The
loudspeaker is placed over the open top of the bottle and the frequency of the signal
generator is adjusted until a loud sound is heard coming from the bottle. All the readings
are recorded, including the volume Vb of water that fills the bottle. Vb is found to be
450 cm3.

(a) How can you change the volume of air inside the bottle?

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

(b) What does the volume Va of air, plus the volume Vw of water always equal?

Va + Vw = ....................................................................................................................[1]

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(c) In the experiment, you determine different values of frequency and different volumes of
water and air. In the space below, draw up a table in which you could record all the
observations you need to make.

[4]

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3 A student makes an electromagnet by wrapping wire around an iron nail. In one experiment
the length of wire used makes a coil of 40 turns. The coil is connected in a series circuit as
shown in Fig. 3.1.

nail A

paper clips

Fig. 3.1

The student uses the variable resistor to obtain six different values of current through the
coil. For each value of current, the strength of the electromagnet is measured by the
number N of paper clips that the nail can pick up. Three trials are performed and the
average number of clips picked up is determined.

The student’s values are given in the Table 1 below.

number of turns 40
current / A number N of paper clips average number
trial 1 trial 2 trial 3 of paper clips

0.5 1 0 0 0.3

1.0 6 9 6 7.0

1.5 12 15 13 13.3

2.0 24 26 23 24.3

2.5 36 37 34 35.7

3.0 37 53 41 43.7

Table 1

(a) Explain why you think that it was a good experimental procedure to take an average of
the values obtained for N in the three trials.

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(b) (i) Complete Table 2 below.

change in current through change in average number of

the coil paper clips picked up

from 0 to 1.0 A 7.0

from 1.0 A to 2.0 A

from 2.0 A to 3.0 A

Table 2
[2]

(ii) With reference to Table 2 explain how you know that the strength of the
electromagnet is not directly proportional to the magnitude of the current through
the coil.

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

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

(c) Table 1 shows that for a current of 3.0 A the first two values for N are 37 and 53.
The number 53 is 43% larger than 37. Suggest one reason why there is such a large
difference between the number of clips.

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

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4 The thermometer in Fig. 4.1 is a full-size diagram of a centigrade thermometer.

10
C
0
10
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
-1

Fig. 4.1

(a) What range of temperatures may be measured using this thermometer?

temperature range = ...................................................................................................[1]

(b) On Fig. 4.1 mark the lower fixed point with the letter L and the upper fixed point with
the letter U. [1]

(c) You dissolve 15 g of common salt in 200 cm3 of water. The salt becomes what is
known as a dissolved impurity. The solution is used to discover the effect of the
dissolved impurity on the boiling point of water.

Further amounts of salt are added and the boiling point determined for each mass.
The graph of Fig. 4.2 represents the results of the experiment.
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108 Q
P
x x
107
boiling point/°C
106

x
105

104

x
103

102
x

101

100

99
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
mass/g

Fig. 4.2

At the beginning of the experiment the salt dissolves very quickly. It takes longer as
more salt is added. At the point marked Q on the graph, not all the salt is dissolved.

Describe how the boiling point is changed by the presence of salt as a dissolved
impurity. In your description, suggest what has happened at the points P and Q.

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

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.....................................................................................................................................[3]

(d) When determining the upper fixed point of the thermometer it is held in steam.
Suggest a reason for this.

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

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5 A student is using a digital ohmmeter. The meter measures directly the resistance of an
electric component. Fig. 5.1 shows the use of the ohmmeter to measure the resistance of a
thermistor at different temperatures.

112
ohmmeter
thermometer

oil
thermistor

heater

Fig. 5.1

The temperature of the oil is increased slowly and the resistance obtained at suitable
temperatures. The readings are given in the table below.

temperature/°C 22 29 40 52 63 72 82 92 102

resistance/Ω 350 290 205 150 110 84 70 55 40

(a) On page 11 plot the graph of resistance/Ω (y-axis) against temperature/ °C (x-axis).
(Please note the instruction about using the graph paper. This is given on the graph
paper.)

Draw the best smooth curve for the points. [4]

(b) (i) The thermometer measures the temperature of the oil. How would you perform
the experiment to ensure that the thermistor is at the same temperature as the
oil?

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

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(ii) How could you make a parallax error when taking the readings?

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