06 AL Physics/M.C./P.

2006 Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination

AL Physics
Multiple Choice Questions

1. the point P on a wall as shown. It hits the

floor at Q and rebounds to the point R on the
opposite wall. Which of the following
A  B statements must be true? (Neglect air
 resistance and friction.)
O A. There is no kinetic energy loss for the
collision at Q.
W B. The ball hits R with a horizontal
velocity.
C. The total time of flight along the path
A weight W is suspended from the ceiling by PQR is 0.5 s.
inextensible strings as shown. String OA D. If the ball is projected with the same
makes an angle  with the vertical while horizontal speed at a point P’ vertically
string OB makes the same angle  with the above P, the total time of flight from P’
ceiling. Find the tension in OB. to the opposite wall would be longer.

A. W sin 
W 4. When a centrifuge is used to separate a
B. mixture of substances,
sin 
C. W cos  A. denser substances will move to the
W bottom of the test tube.
D.
cos  B. heavier substances will move to the
bottom of the test tube.
C. substances with larger volume will
2. A stone falls from rest. Neglecting air move to the mouth of the test tube.
resistance, the ratio of the distance travelled D. substances with larger angular speed
by the stone in the first second to that will move to the bottom of the test tube.
travelled in the second second is

A. 1:1 5. When a particle performs simple harmonic

B. 1:2 motion along a straight line, what is the
C. 1:3 phase relationship between the restoring
D. 1:4 force F acting on the particle and the
particle’s velocity v?

3. A. F and v are in phase.

B. F and v are in opposite phase.
P C. F leads v by a quarter cycle.
R D. F lags behind v by a quarter cycle.

Q
0.4 m 0.2 m
S T
horizontal floor

Inside a room, a small ball is projected

horizontally with a speed of 1.2 ms -1 from
 06 AL Physics/M.C./P.2

6. (1) wall as shown above. Which of the

following can be the resultant waveform at
different instants when the pulses meet each
other?

(1)

(2)

 
T1
(2)

(3)

 
T2

A bob of mass m tied to an inextensible A. (1) only

string performs B. (3) only
C. (1) and (2) only
(1) oscillation with amplitude  in a vertical D. (2) and (3) only
plane as a simple pendulum,
(2) circular motion in a horizontal plane as
a conical pendulum. 8.
TOP VIEW
Let T1, T2 be the respective tension in each
string making an angle  with the vertical as
shown. What are the expressions for T1
and T2?
/6 /6
wall
T1 T2
A. mg/cos  mg cos 
B. mg/cos  mg/cos  Water waves of frequency 2 Hz travelling
C. mg cos  mg cos  with speed 8 ms-1 strike a straight wall.
D. mg cos  mg/cos  The parallel straight lines represent wave

crests and they make an angle of with
6
7. the wall as shown. What is the phase
difference between the waves at two points 1
m apart along the wall?


A.
8

B.
Two identical wave pulses travel along a 4
stretched string with one end fixed to the
 06 AL Physics/M.C./P.3

 A. (1) only
C. B. (1) and (2) only
3
C. (2) and (3) only
 D. (1), (2) and (3)
D.
2

12.
9. The refractive indices of water and glass are
1.33 and 1.50 respectively. Which of the
following statements is/are correct?

(1) Light travels faster in water than in

glass.
(2) The frequency of light is reduced when The maximum power dissipation allowed for
it travels from water to glass. a certain resistor is 4 W. If three such
(3) Light bends towards the normal when it resistors are connected as shown, what is the
travels from glass to water. maximum power dissipated in this
combination without damaging any of the
A. (1) only resistors?
B. (3) only
C. (1) and (2) only A. 4W
D. (2) and (3) only B. 6W
C. 8W
D. 9W
10. An insulated metal sphere S of radius 2r
carries a charge +Q. Another insulated
metal sphere of radius r carrying a charge 13. A capacitor of capacitance C1 is charged to a
+2Q at infinity is connected to S through a potential difference of 12 V and then
conducting wire. What would the charge disconnected from the supply. When a
on S be after removing the wire? second uncharged capacitor of capacitance
C2 is connected across C1, the potential
A. +Q/2 difference becomes 8 V. Find C1: C2.
B. +Q
C. +3Q/2 A. 1: 2
D. +2Q B. 2: 3
C. 3: 2
D. 2: 1
11.

+2 C -2 C 14.

P X Q metal
sheets
Charges +2 C and -2 C are situated at X
t
points P and Q respectively. X is the mid-
point of PQ. Which of the following Y
conclusions is/are correct? (The electric
potential at infinity is taken to be zero.)

(1) The electric field at X is pointing

towards Q. t
(2) The electric potential at X is zero.
(3) The electric field strength at X is the
strongest among any point between P
and Q.
 06 AL Physics/M.C./P.4

voltage power supply delivering sinusoidal

A capacitor made from two thin metal sheets a.c. Which of the following best shows
X and Y separated by a small thickness t of how the force of interaction F between them
insulating material has a capacitance of 8 varies with time t?
pF. Each metal sheet is then cut into four
identical sheets and they are joined together A.
to form another capacitor as shown. The F
same thickness t of insulating material is
used between the interleaved sheets, which
overlap completely. Neglecting the edge
effects, the capacitance of this capacitor is
approximately 0 t

A. 14 pF. B.
B. 16 pF.
F
C. 56 pF.
D. 64 pF.

15. 0 t

C.
F

0 t

In the figure, the ideal transformer has a

primary coil of 500 turns and two secondary D.
coils of 200 turns and 50 turns. If an a.c.
voltage of 240 V is applied to the primary, F
which of the following voltages can be
obtained from the secondary using different
connections of the secondary coils? 0 t

(1) 120V
(2) 96 V
(3) 72 V
17. In a vacuum, an electron moves in a circle
A. (1) only with speed v in a uniform magnetic field of
B. (1) and (2) only flux density 1 mT. If an -particle with
C. (2) and (3) only 1
D. (1), (2) and (3) speed v is to follow the same path, what
4
magnetic flux density in the opposite
direction is required? (Given: mass ratio of
16. an -particle to an electron is 7200: 1)

Q A. 0.9 T
P
B. 1.8 T
C. 3.6 T
R S D. 7.2 T

The figure shows two long, parallel

conductors PQ and RS connected to a low
 06 AL Physics/M.C./P.5

18. 20.

long straight 
wire I
P 0

r 0 t
T0

A long straight wire carrying a current I is The above graph shows the time variation of
placed at a distance r from the point P. the total flux  linking a rectangular coil
Both the wire and point P are in the plane of rotating in a uniform magnetic field within
the paper. When the current I increases by one period T0. If the angular velocity of the
0.1 A, the magnetic flux density B at point P coil is doubled, the graph would become
increases by 1.0  10-6 T. Find r.
(Given: permeability of free space 0 = 4  A.
10-7 Hm-l)

A. 1 cm 20
B. 2 cm
C. 4 cm 0
D. 8 cm T0 t

19. B.

      y 
x
      0
P Q 0 t
      T0

     
C.
In the figure, a metal rod PQ is placed along 
the x-direction and it is at right angles to a 20
uniform magnetic field pointing into the
plane of the paper. In which of the
following cases will there be an e.m.f. 0 t
induced in the metal rod? T0

(1) Rotating the rod about an axis through

its centre along the y-direction
(2) Moving the rod in the x-direction D.
(3) Moving the rod in the y-direction

A. (1) only
B. (3) only 0
C. (1) and (2) only T0
D. (2) and (3) only 0 t
 06 AL Physics/M.C./P.6

21. B. It is the number of disintegrations of the

substance occurring on one half-life of
the substance.
C. It is the fraction of the active nuclei
present that decay in one second.
D. It is equal to the reciprocal of the half-
life of the substance.

24. Some typical radiation doses are tabulated as

An alternating current in a closely-packed follows:
long solenoid produces a changing magnetic
flux through a secondary coil of a few turns Radiation dose
placed around the solenoid. Which of the Watching 0.005 mSv/hr for watching
following changes can increase the television every day in a year
amplitude of the induced voltage across the Flying in an 0.001 mSv/hr
secondary coil? aircraft
X-ray check 0.020 mSv each time
(1) Increasing the frequency of the
alternating current in the solenoid, Arrange the following in ascending order of
keeping its amplitude the same total radiation dose in one year.
(2) Increasing the cross-sectional area of
the secondary coil around the solenoid, (1) Watching television for 4 hours every
keeping its number of turns the same day
(3) Using a solenoid packed exactly in the (2) Travelling on an aircraft for 10 hours
same way but with more turns, keeping every month
its current the same (3) Taking X-ray check every 6 months

A. (1) only A. (1), (2), (3)

B. (3) only B. (2), (1), (3)
C. (1) and (2) only C. (1), (3), (2)
D. (2) and (3) only D. (3), (1), (2)

22. The ideal gas equation derived from the
kinetic theory can be expressed as
1 Nm 2
p c . In this equation, what does
3 V
the product Nm represent?
25. The value of the acceleration due to gravity
g is found by measuring the period T and the
length l of a simple pendulum. If T has an
error of 2% and l has an error of 1 %, the
calculated value of g would have an error of

A. the total mass of the gas A. 2%.

B. the mass of one mole of the gas B. 3%.
C. the number of molecules in unit volume C. 4%.
of the gas D. 5%.
D. the number of molecules in one mole of
the gas

23. Which of the following gives the correct

meaning of the decay constant of a
radioactive substance?

A. It is the rate of disintegrations of the

substance.
 06 AL Physics/M.C./P.7

26. 27.

m
P TOP VIEW

Q l

2m
O l
A ball P collides obliquely with ball Q
which is at rest on a horizontal table.
Neglect any friction between contact An L-shaped frame hinged at a fixed point
surfaces during collision. Which of the O is formed by two identical light rigid rods
following diagrams show(s) the possible of length l. The rods are perpendicular to
directions of subsequent motion of P and Q? each other and two small beads of masses m
and 2m are attached to the ends of the rods
(1) as shown. The system is released from rest
with m vertically above O. Find the
angular velocity of the system when 2m is
vertically below O.
P
Q g
A. 2
l
3g
B.
(2) l
2g
C.
P l

Q g
D.
l

(3)
28. The earth is at a distance r metres from the
centre of the sun. It takes 365 days for the
earth to revolve once around the sun in a
circular path. Given that universal
P
gravitational constant G = 6.7  10-11 Nm2kg-
2
Q , find the mass of the sun in terms of r.
(Neglect the effects of other planetary
objects.)

A. (1) only A. 1.9  10-4 r3 kg

B. (3) only B. 5.9  10-4 r3 kg
C. (1) and (2) only C. 1.8  104 r3 kg
D. (2) and (3) only D. 1.2  106 r3 kg

29. In a Young’s double-slit experiment, the

intensity of illumination detected at the
centre of the fringe pattern is I. If one of the
identical slits is covered, the intensity
measured at the same position would be
 06 AL Physics/M.C./P.8

I A.
A. .
4
I
B. .
2
I
C. .
2
D. I.

30. Which of the following phenomena can be B.

explained by interference of waves?

(1) The formation of nodes when one end

of a stretched string is fixed while the
other end is connected to a vibrator
(2) The purplish appearance of the coated
lens of a camera under sunlight
(3) The production of beats when two
tuning forks of nearly the same
frequency are sounded together C.

A. (1) only
B. (1) and (2) only
C. (2) and (3) only
D. (1), (2) and (3)

31. A tuning fork of frequency 512 Hz is held

over the mouth of a closed tube. If the speed D.
of sound in air is 338 ms-1, resonance will
occur when the length of the air column in
the tube is approximately

A. 8.3 cm.
B. 16.5 cm.
C. 33.0 cm.
D. 41.5 cm.

32. A pedestrian standing on the pavement sees 33. A sound-level meter is placed at a fixed
a police car approaching him along a straight position in front of a loudspeaker connected
road. The police car travels with a constant to an amplifier. The meter indicates an
velocity and the siren on it emits sound increase of 6 dB when the power output of
waves of frequency f0. Which of the the amplifier is adjusted. Find the power
following graphs shows the time variation of output of the amplifier if its original value is
the frequency f of the sound heard by the 100 mW.
pedestrian? (The police car passes by the
pedestrian at t = t0.) A. 200 mW
B. 400 mW
C. 600 mW
D. 800 mW
 06 AL Physics/M.C./P.9

34. The intensity of the solar radiation falling D.

normally on the earth’s surface due to the
overhead sun is about 500 Wm-2. It is rate
2
known that about of the solar radiation
3
reaching the earth is absorbed by the
atmosphere. Estimate the total power output
of the sun.
(Given: earth-sun separation = 1.5  108 km) 0 time

A. 1  1020 W
B. 4  1020 W 36.
C. 1  1026 W
D. 4  1026 W

6V X 3V
35. A capacitor in series with a resistor is
charged by a constant voltage d.c. supply.
Which of the following graphs best shows
how the rate of energy supplied to the
capacitor varies with time? Y
3 k 6 k
A. In the above circuit, the cells have negligible
internal resistance. What is the potential
rate
difference between the points X and Y? What
is the current in the wire connecting the two
points?

potential difference current

0 A. 0V 1.5 mA
time
B. 0V 0 mA
C. 3V 1.5 mA
B. D. 3V 0.5 mA

rate
37.

4V 1V 4V
0 time
R C L
C.
rate The r.m.s. voltages across the three
components of the above RCL series circuit
are indicated as shown. What is the r.m.s.
value of the applied voltage?

A. 9V
0 time B. 7V
C. 5V
D. 3V
 06 AL Physics/M.C./P.10

38. In a photoelectric emission experiment using
light of a certain wavelength, the potential
difference V required to stop any electrons
from reaching the anode is measured for
different light intensity I. Which of the
following graphs shows how V depends on
I?
A.
V
(1) the energy of a photon of red light from
a ruby laser
(2) the average kinetic energy of an air
molecule near room temperature
(3) the kinetic energy of an electron in a
cathode-ray tube arriving at the screen
Given:
Boltzmann constant = 1.38  10-23 JK-1
l eV = 1.60  10-19 J
Use the information to arrange the above in
the order of increasing energy.

A. (2), (1), (3)

B. (1), (2), (3)
0 I C. (3), (2), (1)
D. (3), (1), (2)

B.
40.
V

0 I

C. An elastic cord is suspended vertically and

loaded with a steadily increasing load to a
V maximum. The load is then steadily
reduced to zero. The extension-load graph
is as shown and P, Q, R represent the areas
of the respective regions. Which of the
following areas respectively represent

0 (1) the work done in stretching the elastic

I
cord, and
(2) the energy recovered in unloading?
D.
(1) (2)
V A. P Q
B. P R
C. Q+R R
D. Q+R P

0 I 41. A metal rod of length 1.0 m is hit with a

39. It is known that the energy of a photon of
yellow light is about 2 eV. The energies of
some particles are stated below:
hammer at one end. It takes 5.5  10-4 s for
the compression pulse generated to travel to
the other end and reflected back to the end
hit by the hammer. Find the Young modulus
of the metal. (Given: density of the metal =
9.0  103 kgm-3)
 06 AL Physics/M.C./P.11

velocity of flow is doubled, the difference in

A. 1.2  1011 Pa heights of liquid would become
B. 0.6  1011 Pa
C. 3.3  107 Pa A. 1.4 h
D. 1.6  107 Pa B. 2h
C. 2.8 h
D. 4h
42. When using a transistor circuit to operate a
relay, the transistor can be protected by
connecting 45. Which of the following equations is/are
based on the principle of conservation of
A. a reverse biased diode in series with the energy?
relay.
B. a reverse biased diode in parallel with (1) m1u1 + m2u2 = m1v1 + m2v2
the relay. (2) U = Q + W
C. a forward biased diode in series with the (3) p + ½v2 + gh = constant
relay.
D. a forward biased diode in parallel with A. (3) only
the relay. B. (1) and (2) only
C. (2) and (3) only
D. (1), (2) and (3)
43. The input resistance of an operational
amplifier is of the order 1012 . This
means that the amplifier

(1) draws a negligible current from the

circuit supplying its input.
(2) does not alter the value of the voltage
supplied to its input.
(3) can be made to behave like a high-
impedance voltmeter.

Which of the above statements is/are

correct?

A. (3) only
B. (1) and (2) only
C. (2) and (3) only
D. (1), (2) and (3)

44.

The velocity of flow of an incompressible,

non-viscous liquid is measured by Pitot-
static tubes. The difference in heights of
the liquid in the tubes shown is h. If the
 06 AL Physics/M.C./P.12

Question No. Key Question No. Key

1. A (53) 26. B (51)

2. C (54) 27. C (58)
3. C (60) 28. B (67)
4. A (75) 29. A (54)
5. C (51) 30. D (40)

6. D (52) 31. B (62)

7. D (38) 32. C (69)
8. B (35) 33. B (77)
9. A (79) 34. D (38)
10. D (42) 35. D (23)

11. B (53) 36. A (29)

12. B (77) 37. C (78)
13. D (51) 38. A (46)
14. A (55) 39. A (47)
15. D (19) 40. C (35)

16. C (39) 41. A (48)

17. A (41) 42. B (30)
18. B (82) 43. D (56)
19. B (56) 44. D (67)
20. B (52) 45. C (54)

21. A (25)
22. A (81)
23. C (42)
24. C (63)
25. D (66)