Mock Physics Promo Exam

Section A (24 marks)

This section consists of 15 multiple-choice questions.

You are advised not to spend more than 30 minutes on this section.

1 The equation relating the pressure and volume of a gas with its thermodynamic
temperature T is given by

pV = kT

where k is a constant. What are the units of k?

A no units
B kg m3 s-2 K-1
C kg m2 s-2 K-1
D kg m s-2 K-1

2 A student measures the p.d. across and current through a resistor as (6.25 ± 0.05) V
and (202 ± 2) mA respectively. How should the student express the resistance of the
resistor to the most appropriate precision?

A (30.94 ± 0.02) Ω
B (30.9 ± 0.6) Ω
C (31 ± 3) Ω
D (0.0309 ± 0.0005) Ω

a2
3 Given the function Y = , what is the consequential error in Y if there is an error of
bc
+2 % in a, + 3 % in b and − 4% in c?

A -3 % B 1% C 5% D 11 %

4 What thermodynamic temperature is equivalent to 323.45 °C?

A 50.70 K B 50.71 K C 596.60 K D 596.61 K

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5 The graph below shows the variation of temperature with time t, for 1 kg of a
substance. The substance is initially a solid, and is heated at a constant rate of 1000
W until all of it vaporizes. At any point, any vapor formed is allowed to escape freely
out of the container.

Which of the following statements is false?

A The latent heat of vaporization is greater than the latent heat of fusion.
B The specific heat capacity in the liquid state is lower than that in the solid
state.
C The total amount of energy to turn the substance from a solid at 0 oC to a
liquid, and to raise the temperature of it to 90 oC requires approximately as
much energy to vaporize all of the substance at boiling temperature.
D Of the substance is vaporized in a sealed container, it would require more
energy to vaporize everything.

6 A solid X is in thermal equilibrium with a solid Y, which is at the same temperature as

a third solid Z. The three bodies are of different materials and masses. Which one of
the following statements is correct?

A X and Y have the same heat capacity.

B Y and Z have the same internal energy
C There is no net transfer of energy if X is placed in thermal contact with Z.
D It is not necessary that Y should be in thermal equilibrium with Z.

7 Three bombs are projected vertically upwards relative to a tank, which is traveling
horizontally at a constant speed to the right. They are projected one by one at one-
second intervals. Neglecting air resistance, which of the following diagrams correctly
shows the positions of the tank and the three bombs at a certain instant of the
upward flight?

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8 A car at rest in a traffic queue moves forward in a straight line and then comes to rest
again. The graph shows the variation with time of its displacement.

What is its speed while it is moving?

A 0.70ms–1 B 0.80ms–1 C 1.25ms–1 D 1.40ms–1

9 Two forces P and Q act at a point X as shown in the vector diagram below.

P Q

X
In which of the following diagrams does the vector F represent the force which must
be applied at X to maintain equilibrium?

A B C D
F
F F
F

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10 Figure shows a gondola blown through an angle θ by the force of the wind. The weight of
the gondola is 1900 N and the angle θ is 25o. What is the magnitude of the force of the
wind?

A 803 N B 886 N C 1722 N D 4075 N

<img src=http://h2physics.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/q9b.jpg></img>

11 The diagram shows four forces applied to a cylinder.

30 N 20 N

30 N
20 N

Which of the following describes the resultant force and resultant torque on the
object?

Resultant force Resultant torque

A zero zero
B zero non-zero
C non-zero zero
D non-zero non-zero

12 A molecule of mass m travelling horizontally with velocity u hits a vertical wall at right
angles to the wall. It then rebounds horizontally with the same speed.

What is its change in momentum?

A zero B mu C –mu D –2mu

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13

B
A C
2 kg 3 kg 1 kg

3 blocks A, B, C of masses 2 kg, 3 kg and 1 kg respectively are accelerated along a

smooth horizontal surface by a force of 12 N applied to A as shown. What is the
magnitude of the force exerted by block C on B during this acceleration?

A 12 N B 8N C 4N D 2N

14 Three identical, stationary discs P, Q and R are placed in a line on a horizontal, flat
frictionless surface. Disc P is projected head-on towards disc Q.

P Q R

If the
consequent collisions are perfectly elastic, what will be the final motion of the three
discs?

P Q R
A Moving Left Moving Left Moving Right
B Stationary Stationary Moving Right
C Moving Left Stationary Moving Right
D Moving Right Moving Right Moving Right

15 What is the power required to give a body of mass m a forward acceleration a when it
is moving with velocity v up a frictionless track inclined at an angle θ to the
horizontal?

A mavg sin θ
B mav sin θ + mgv
C mav + mgv sin θ
D (mav + mgv) sin θ

16 The diagram shows two bodies X and Y connected by a light cord passing over a
light, free-running pulley. X starts from rest and moves on a smooth plane inclined at
30o to the horizontal.

What will be the total kinetic energy of the system when X has travelled 2.0 m along
the plane (g = 9.8 m s-2)?

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 A 20 J B 59 J C 64 J D 132 J

17 A particle travels in uniform circular motion.

Which of the following correctly describes the linear velocity, angular velocity and
linear acceleration of the particle?

Linear velocity angular velocity linear acceleration

A varying constant varying

B varying constant constant
C constant varying zero
D constant constant zero

18 A bucket of water of mass 1.5 kg is whirled in a vertical circle of radius 0.50 m. What is
the minimum speed of the bucket at the highest point of the circle so that the water
does not spill out?

A 1.6 m s-1 B 2.2 m s-1 C 2.5 m s-1 D 4.9 m s-1

19 Two identical stars each of mass M are separated by distance d. They are rotating
about their centre of mass in circular motion with a periodic time T, given by

A T2 = π 2d3/(2GM)
B T2 = 4π 2d3/(GM2)
C T2 = 2π 2d3/(GM)
D T2 = 4π 2d3/(GM)

20 A satellite moves in an elliptical orbit around the Earth, well above the
atmosphere. At the point in its orbit nearest to the Earth’s surface,

A the kinetic energy is maximum and the potential energy is minimum.

B the kinetic energy is minimum and the potential energy is maximum.
C both the kinetic energy and the potential energy are minimum.
D both the kinetic energy and the potential energy are maximum.

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 21 The diagram shows two pendulums suspended from the same thread PQ.

P Q

X is a heavy pendulum with the frequency fx of which can be varied. Y is a lighter

pendulum of fixed frequency fy. As the frequency of oscillation of X is increased by
shortening the thread, the amplitude of the oscillation of Y changes. Which of the
following graphs best represents the relationship between the amplitude ay of the
oscillation of Y and the frequency fx of X ?
A B

ay / m ay / m

C D
ay / m ay / m
fx / Hz fx / Hz
0 0
fy fy

fx / Hz fx / Hz
0 0
fy fy

22 The smallest distance between two points of a progressive transverse wave which
π
have a phase difference of rad is 0.050 m. If the frequency of the wave is 500 Hz, what
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is the speed of the wave?

A 25 m s-1
B 75 m s-1
C 150 m s-1
D 1700 m s-1

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23 A stationary transverse wave is set up as shown in the figure. The speed, frequency
and wavelength of the wave are v, f and λ respectively. What would be the speed and
wavelength of the wave if the frequency is doubled and other physical conditions remain
constant?

Wave speed Wavelength

A v λ /2
B v 2λ
C 2v λ
D 2v 2λ

24 A lamp emits light of two distinct wavelengths, x and y. When the lamp is used as a
source for a diffraction grating experiment, it is found that the second order maximum for
wavelength x occurs at precisely the same angle as the third order maximum for wavelength
y. The ratio x to y is therefore

A 2 B 3/2 C 2/3 D 1/2

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 Section B (46 marks)
This section consists of 5 short structured questions.
You are required to answer all questions.

1 (a) State the Principle of conservation of linear momentum. [2]

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(b) High speed neutrons produced in a nuclear reactor during nuclear fission
processes have to be slowed down by collisions with nuclei in the moderator of the
reactor before they can trigger additional fissions. Some nuclear reactors use
heavy water moderators in which elastic collisions, some of which are head-on
collisions, occur between neutrons (of mass 1.0 u) and deuterons (of mass 2.0 u).

One such collision occurs between a neutron moving with speed v

colliding elastically and head-on with a deuteron which is initially at rest, as
illustrated below.

neutron deuteron

(i) In qualitative terms, what can be stated about the subsequent motion as a
result of knowing that the collision between a neutron and deuteron is
1. elastic, and

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2. head-on? [2]

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(ii) Using your answer to b(i),

1. determine the velocity of separation of the two particles after the

collision, and

2. find the speed of the neutron, expressed as a fraction of its original

speed, v, after an elastic, head-on collision with the neutron.

[5]

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2 A football match is played on a flooded pitch. The conditions are as such that the
football will stop upon touching the ground. Midfielder Nazri noticed that his
teammate, Fandi, is left unmarked in the opposition area. If he can make a direct
pass to the feet of Fandi, who is 20.0 m away, Fandi will be clear on goal.

20.0 m

(a) If the ball is stationary before it is hit, state the angle θ Nazri has to hit such
that he will need to impart the minimum speed to the ball for it to reach Fandi.
[1]

(b) Considering only the horizontal component of the flight, express in terms of u
and θ , the time of flight of the ball. [2]

(c) Considering the vertical component of the flight, express in terms of u and θ ,
the time for the ball to reach its maximum height. [2]

(d) Hence, find the minimum speed in (a). [2]

(e) There is an opposition defender, Sasikumar, standing midway between them.

Assuming that Sasikumar is 1.80 m tall and is capable of jumping 0.600 m
vertically above the ground. Determine whether Nazri’s pass will be
intercepted by Sasikumar. [3]

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3 The following experimental set-up is used to determine the specific latent heat of
fusion of ice. Equal mass of crushed ice is put into two funnels F1 and F2. Two
identical immersion heaters are completely immersed into the ice. The heater in F1 is
unconnected while that in F2 is connected to an electric supply.

(a) Define the specific latent heat of fusion of a substance. [2]

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(b) Why is crushed ice used? [1]

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(c) Funnel F1 starts to drip as soon as the apparatus is set up. Explain. [2]

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(d) When both funnels F1 and F2 are dripping at the same rate, the following
procedure is carried out:

The beakers are replaced by two dry beakers. The switch S1 is closed and a
stop watch is started.

After 20 minutes, the following readings are recorded:

Power of heater = 15 W
Mass of water in beaker B1 = 3.0 g
Mass of water in beaker B2 = 8.4 g

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 (i) Find the heat supplied by the heater in 20 minutes. [2]

(ii) What is the mass of ice melted by absorbing heat from the heater?
[1]

(iii) Hence find the specific latent heat of fusion of ice. [2]

4 A planet P of mass m orbits the Sun S of mass M in a circular orbit of radius r with
angular velocity ω as shown in the diagram below.

P
ω
S
r

(a) (i) On the same diagram, draw an arrow representing the linear velocity
of P and label this v. [1]

(ii) Draw a second arrow representing the direction of the linear

acceleration of P. Label this a. [1]

(b) Write down an expression in terms of m, M, r and G, for the magnitude of the
gravitational force exerted by the Sun on the planet. [1]

(c) Use this expression to find the angular velocity of the planet in its orbit.
[2]

(d) The Earth is 1.50 x 1011 m from the centre of the Sun and takes exactly one
year to complete one orbit. The planet Jupiter takes 11.9 years to complete
an orbit of the Sun. Calculate the radius of Jupiter's orbit.
[2]

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5 (a) State the equation defining simple harmonic motion. [1]

(b) A light helical spring is 30.0 cm long in its relaxed state and 35.0 cm long
when it is suspended vertically and supports a mass M = 0.20 kg at its lower
end. A student pulls the mass down a further 4.0 cm and then releases it. The
subsequent motion of the mass is simple harmonic and its period is given by

M
T = 2π
k
where k = force constant of spring.

(i) Given that the motion can be described by the equation

x = A cos Bt ,
where x = displacement of the mass from the equilibrium position and
t = time after release, determine the values of A and B. [4]

(ii) Calculate the maximum speed of the mass.

[3]

(iii) Sketch a graph below to show how the kinetic energy E k of the mass
varies with its displacement x. [2]

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 Section C (40 marks)

1 (a) A billiard ball is hit with a uniform velocity of 20 ms-1 at an angle of 450 with the
horizontal, as shown in the Figure 1.1.

20 ms-1

45o

Fig, 1.1

(i) Calculate the magnitude of the horizontal and vertical component of this velocity.
[3]

(ii) If this ball hits a cushion and rebounds at the same speed but at 450 with the
cushion as shown in Figure 1.2 below, calculate the change in velocity of the ball.
[3]

45o 45o
20 ms-1
20 ms-1

Fig. 1.2

(b) Fig. 1.3 shows a simplified diagram of the forces acting on a spine of a person,
as he bends forward. The lumbosacral disc is the lowest disc of the spinal
column, and it acts as a pivot for the spine. The length of the spine is L. The force
F is the combined effect of all the back muscles, and it is angled at 150 from the
spine. W is the weight of the upper body. Both forces act at a distance of 0.6L
from the pivot.

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 L

0.6L
F 150
W

650

Lumbosacral disc
(pivot)

Fig. 1.2
(i) State the conditions for a body in static equilibrium under the action of a system of
forces. [2]

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(ii) If F = 800 N and W = 490 N, show that for equilibrium, a third force R that is
exerted on the spine by the pivot has to act along the direction of the spine. What
is the magnitude of this force R? [4]

(iii) Now suppose that while in the position as shown in the figure, the person picks
up a load of 50 N with his arms. Effectively, this can be considered as adding
another force of 50 N at a distance of 0.85L from the pivot.

1. Calculate the new magnitude of F required for this person to remain in

equilibrium. [3]

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 2. If the minimum force of R needed to cause slip disc at the pivot is 1300 N,
determine whether the person will suffer from slip disc at this posture.
[5]

2 (a) Fig 2.1 shows a bicycle inner tube in which the pressure is being increased using
a bicycle pump. Assume that air behaves like an ideal gas.

Fig 2.1

The cycle inner-tube has a volume of 1.30 x 10-3 m3 which remains constant as
more air is pushed into it. When full of air, the pump contains 1.80 x 10-4 m3 of air at
a pressure of 1.00 x 105 Pa and a temperature of 300 K.

When the piston is pushed in, all the air molecules from the pump are transferred
into the inner tube.
Initially the air in the inner tube has a pressure of 1.50 x 105 Pa and a temperature
of 300 K.
Given: the universal gas constant, R = 8.31 Jmol-1K-1

(i) Calculate the number of moles of gas in the inner tube initially. [2]

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 (ii) Calculate the number of moles of gas transferred into the inner tube each
time air is pushed into the tube. [1]

(iii) Calculate the new pressure in the inner tube after one "pump-full" of air has
been transferred to the inner tube.

Assume that the temperature of the air in the pump and the inner tube
remains constant at 300 K when the air is pushed into the inner tube and that
air behaves like an ideal gas. [2]

(b) Fig 2.2 shows a graph of the variation of pressure with volume of the air in the
pump up to the time when it starts to enter the inner tube.

Fig 2.2

(i) Use the graph to estimate the work done on the gas while the gas is being
compressed to the point at which the air enters the inner tube. Show your
working. (Notice that neither of the scales on the axes starts at zero.)
[3]

(ii) Given that 6.1 J of heat is absorbed during the compression, find the change
in internal energy of the air during the process. If the temperature increased
or decreased? [2]

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(c) State the conditions that are necessary for an observable interference
pattern. [4]

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(b) A laser emitting light of wavelength 6.0 × 107 m is used to illuminate two
parallel slits. Interference fringes are thus produced on a screen placed 2.0 m
away from the slits and the fringe separation obtained is 5.0 mm.

(i) Calculate the distance between the centres of the two slits. [2]

(ii) State and explain two changes that you would expect to see in the
fringe pattern if both the slits were each made narrower and their
separation is increased. [4]

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