Autumn 2015 Main Exam

STUDENT NUMBER:
SURNAME:
(FAMILY NAME)

OTHER NAMES:

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if you infringe university rules.

68041 Physical Aspects of Nature

th

Tuesday, 9 June 2015. 9.30am to 12.40pm

Time Allowed: 3 hours and 10 mins

No reading time.

This is a Closed Book exam

Please refer to the permitted materials below:

Permitted materials for this exam:

Calculators (including programmable)

Drawing instruments
i.e. Rulers, Set Squares and Compasses

Materials provided for this exam:

This examination paper

One (1) multiple choice answer sheet (GPAS-240R)

Three (3) answer booklets (5-pages)

Students please note:

PART A: ALL MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS ARE

COMPULSORY. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS ON THE
MULTIPLE CHOICE ANSWER SHEET.
PART B: YOU NEED TO ANSWER ANY THREE (3)
QUESTIONS ONLY. ANSWER EACH QUESTION IN A
SEPARATE BOOKLET.
WRITE THE QUESTION NUMBER CLEARLY ON THE
FRONT OF EACH ANSWER BOOKLET.

Do not open your exam paper until instructed.

Faculty of Science

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68041 Physical Aspects of Nature Main Exam

PHYSICS DATA SHEET

g = 9.81 m/s2
= 5.678 10-8 W/(m2K4)
R = 8.314 J/(moleK)
NA = 6.022 1023 molecules/mole
kB = 1.381 10-23 J/(Kmolecule)
c = 3.00 108 m/s
h = 6.626 10-34 Js
0 = 8.854 10-12 F/m
0 = 4 10-7 H/m

1
8.99 10 9 N m 2 /C 2
4 0
e = 1.602 10-19 C
me = 9.110 10-31 kg = 0.00055 u
mp = 1.673 10-27 kg = 1.00728 u
mn = 1.675 10-27 kg = 1.00867 u
1 u = 1.661 10-27 kg
G = 6.673 10-11 m2N/kg2
Rydbergs constant = 1.097 107 m-1
Temperature of ice point = 273.15 K
1 atmosphere = 1.013 105 Pa
Mass of Earth = 6.37 1024 kg
1 curie = 3.70 1010 Bq

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68041Physical Aspects of Nature Main Exam

PART A (40 marks)

All questions in Part A are COMPULSORY. Record your answers to these questions on the
Multiple Choice Answer Sheet.
Each correct answer is worth one mark
m
. If m = 1.25 kg and V = 0.00015 m3, the
V
density of the body to the correct number of significant figures is:

1. The density of a body, , can be calculated using

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

8000 kg/m3
8300 kg/m3
8330 kg/m3
8333 kg/m3
8333.3 kg/m3

2. A block of ice in the form of a cube has dimensions 2.0 mm 2.0 mm 2.0 mm. The volume of
the cube, expressed in m3 is:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

8.0 m3
8.0 10-3 m3
8.0 10-6 m3
8.0 10-9 m3
8.0 10-12 m3

d
, where d is the distance the body
t
travels in a time, t. In an experiment, both d and t are measured. The percentage uncertainty in d is
found to be 3%. The percentage uncertainty in t is also 3%. The percentage uncertainty in v is
therefore closest to:

3. The average speed, v, of a body can be calculated using v

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

0%
1%
6%
9%
27%

4. 1 Pa is equal to:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

1 N/m
1 m/N
1 N/m2
1 kg/ms
1 N/ms

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68041 Physical Aspects of Nature Main Exam

5. Which state of matter is associated with the highest of temperatures?

A.
B.
C.
D.

Liquid
Plasma
Gas
solid

6. The vessels shown below all contain water to the same height. Rank them according to the
pressure exerted by the water on the vessel bottoms, least to greatest.

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

1, 2, 3, 4
3, 4, 2, 1
4, 3, 2, 1
2, 3, 4, 1
All pressures are the same

7. Which one of the following principles best explains the ability of a hot air balloon to rise?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Archimedes principle.
Pascals principle.
Bernoullis principle.
Conservation of energy principle.
Conservation of mass principle.

8. Water flows through an enlarged section in a horizontal pipe. As the water enters this section, its
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

speed increases and its pressure decreases.

speed increases and its pressure remains constant.
speed increases and its pressure increases.
speed decreases and its pressure increases.
speed decreases and its pressure decreases.

9. Which one of the following characterises the net force on a particle falling through a fluid at its
terminal velocity? The net force:
A.
B.
C.
D.

Page 4 of 17

is at a maximum.
points upwards.
points downwards.
is zero.

Autumn 2015

68041Physical Aspects of Nature Main Exam

10. To obtain the absolute pressure from the gauge pressure:

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

subtract atmospheric pressure from the gauge pressure

add atmospheric pressure to the gauge pressure
subtract 273 from the gauge pressure
add 273 pressure to the gauge pressure
convert the gauge pressure to N/m2

11. A large stone is resting on the bottom of a swimming pool. The normal force exerted by the pool
floor on the stone is equal to:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

the weight of the stone.

the weight of the water displaced by the stone.
the sum of the weight of the stone and the weight of the displaced water.
the difference between the weight of the stone and the weight of the displaced water.
the surface tension of water.

12. If we know an object is moving at constant velocity, we may assume:

A.
B.
C.
D.

the net force acting on the object is zero.

there are no forces acting on the object.
the object is accelerating.
the object is losing mass.

13. Which of the following is the form of energy associated with an object's motion?
A.
B.
C.
D.

Potential
Electrical
Bio-chemical
Kinetic

14. A person standing on the ground throws a ball upwards. At the top of the trajectory, which of the
following is maximised?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
15.

the work done on the ball.

the total energy of the ball.
the kinetic energy of the ball.
the potential energy of the ball.
the momentum of the ball.
Microshock can cause ventricular fibrillation if a sufficiently large current passes directly to
the heart. The threshold for ventricular fibrillation to occur due to Microshock is typically:

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

100 pA.
100 nA.
100 A.
100 mA.
100 kA.

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68041 Physical Aspects of Nature Main Exam

16.

A low pass filter used in signal conditioning in electronic circuits allows signals:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

17.

A typical voltage range of alpha signals generated by the human brain, as detected by electrodes
placed on the scalp, is:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

18.

0.55
1.1
2.2
8.0
24.0

A current of 1 mA flows through human tissue that has resistance of 15 k. The power
dissipated in the tissue is closest to:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

20.

10 pV to 50 pV.
10 nV to 50 nV.
10 V to 50 V.
10 mV to 50 mV.
10 V to 50 V.

Three resistors of value 4.0 , 8.0 , and 12.0 are connected together in parallel. The
effective resistance of this arrangement is closest to:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

19.

of high frequency to pass.

of low frequency to pass.
of high amplitude to pass.
of low amplitude to pass.
of low voltage to pass.

15000 W
15 W
15 mW
15 W
15 nW

Which one of the following statements is not true about electric fields.
A. An electric field can exert a force on stationary charge.
B. An electric field can exert a force on moving charge.
C. A body can be shielded from an external electric field by completely wrapping the body in
aluminium foil.
D. High electric fields can cause ionisation.
E. A unit of electric field is the N/m.

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Autumn 2015

68041Physical Aspects of Nature Main Exam

21.

An electric eel delivers a voltage of 600 V at a current of 0.9 A to its prey for a period of 5 ms.
The energy dissipated in its prey over this period is closest to:
A. 1.6 J
B. 1.9 J
C. 2.7 J
D. 3.2 J
E. 3.6 J

22.

When the temperature of a copper wire increases, so does its electrical resistance. The best
explanation for this is:
A. The density of the wire increases with temperature resulting in a stronger barrier to the
motion of the electrons.
B. The atoms that make up the wire vibrate more vigorously as the temperature increases
resulting in more frequent collisions with electrons and hence higher resistance.
C. The velocities of the electrons reduce as the temperature increases hence higher resistance.
D. At higher temperature the atoms in the copper wire break loose from their bonds and
collide with the electrons resulting in an increase of resistance.
E. The masses of the electrons increase as the temperature rises. The more massive electrons
move more slowly through the wire hence the resistance increases.

23.

Which one of the following statements is true about specific heat capacity :
A. A substance with a large specific heat capacity requires a large amount of heat to be
transferred to it for its temperature to rise by 1 C.
B. Water has a lower specific heat capacity than copper.
C. Water in liquid form has a lower specific heat capacity than water in the form of ice.
D. The SI unit of specific heat capacity is the J/C.
E. The SI unit of specific heat capacity is the J/kg.

24.

Which one of the following statements about heat is not true:

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

25.

The SI unit of heat is the joule.

When heat is transferred to ice, the temperature of the ice always increases.
Heat flows from a body at high temperature to a body at low temperature.
Heat can travel through a vacuum.
When two bodies are in thermal equilibrium with each other, no net heat is transferred
between them.

Which of the following properties must be known in order to calculate the amount of heat
needed to melt 1.0 kg of ice at 0oC?
I. The specific heat of water II. The latent heat of fusion for water
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

III. The density of water

I only
I and II only
I, II, and III
II only
I and III only
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68041 Physical Aspects of Nature Main Exam

26.

Calculate the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 200 g of ice from -15 oC
to 0oC. The specific heat capacity of ice is 2089 J/kgC.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

27.

If two objects are in thermal equilibrium, they both must:

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

28.

be at the same temperature.

contain the same amount of heat.
have the same specific heat capacity.
have the same thermal conductivity.
have the same mass.

There is a circular hole in a sheet of metal. As the temperature of the sheet increases:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

29.

6.3 J
12.6 J
6.3 kJ
12.6 kJ
6.3 MJ

the diameter of the hole decreases.

the area of the hole increases.
the diameter of the hole does not change.
the density of the sheet of metal increases.
the thickness of the metal sheet decreases.

The transverse wave shown is travelling from left to right in a medium.

The direction of the instantaneous velocity of the medium at point P is:

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

30.

Up.
Down.
Right.
Left.
None of the above, as the medium is not moving at this instant.

Acoustic coupling gel is used in abdominal imaging using ultrasound mainly because the gel:
A. makes the patients skin more supple.
B. assists in coupling the ultrasonic transducer to the abdomen.
C. cools the surface of the skin where the ultrasonic transducer is to be located.
D. prevents the frequency of the ultrasound from changing.
E. calms the patient.

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Autumn 2015

68041Physical Aspects of Nature Main Exam

31. The frequency of ultrasonic waves typically used to examine a persons abdomen lies in
which one of the following ranges:
A. 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
B. 100 kHz to 500 kHz.
C. 2 MHz to 10 MHz.
D. 100 MHz to 600 MHz.
E. 1 GHz to 8 GHz.

32. Which one of the following statements concerning sound waves and light waves is correct.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Sound waves travel faster than light waves in air.

Sound waves can be diffracted, but light waves cannot
Sound waves can be refracted, but light waves cannot
Light waves are longitudinal waves, but sound waves are transverse waves
Light waves can travel through a vacuum, but sound waves cannot

33. When a light wave travels from air into glass:

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

the velocity of the wave decreases.

the velocity of the wave increases.
the frequency of the wave decreases.
The frequency of the wave increases
the wavelength of the wave does not change

34. Light travelling within glass is incident on a glass to air boundary at an angle of incidence of
40. If the refractive index of the glass is 1.63, the light will be:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

refracted with an angle of refraction of 23.2.

refracted with an angle of refraction of 40.
refracted with and angle of refraction of 60
refracted with an angle of refraction of greater than 90.
totally internally reflected.

35. An object is placed 40 cm in front of a convex lens of focal length 20 cm. Which of the
following statements is correct:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

the image produced by the lens will be virtual.

the image produced by the lens will be upright.
the image will be 20 cm from the lens.
the image will be 40 cm from the lens.
the image will be larger than the object.

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68041 Physical Aspects of Nature Main Exam

36. In a compound microscope, the intermediate image produced by the microscope is:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

virtual, upright, and magnified.

real, upright, and magnified.
real, inverted, and magnified.
virtual, inverted, and reduced.
virtual, inverted, and magnified.

37. Let Z denote the atomic number and A denote the mass number of a nucleus. The number of
neutrons in this nucleus is:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Z
AZ
ZA
A+Z
2A Z

38. The rem is the correct unit to use in reporting the measurement of:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

the rate of decay of a radioactive source.

the ability of a beam of gamma ray photons to produce ions in a target.
the energy delivered by radiation to a target
the biological effect of radiation.
none of the above.

39. Which of the following particles cannot be accelerated by an electric field?

A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

Proton.
Neutron.
Electron.
Alpha particle.
Sodium ion.

40. The binding energy of a nucleus is the energy that must be supplied to:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.

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remove a nucleon
remove an alpha particle
remove a beta particle
separate the nucleus into its constituent nucleons
separate the nucleus into a collection of alpha particles

Autumn 2015

68041Physical Aspects of Nature Main Exam

Answer three questions only from Part B

Please answer each question in a separate booklet.
PART B (Total 60 marks)
QUESTION 1: Properties of Matter and Mechanics (20 marks)
a)

A train of mass
106 kg accelerates from rest at a rate of 1.2 m/s2. Calculate the resultant force
exerted by the locomotive on the train.
[2 marks]

b)

An 80 kg fisherman in a stationary 120 kg boat throws the anchor of mass 20 kg horizontally from
the boat at a speed of 5.5 m/s. Neglecting water resistance, find the velocity (i.e. magnitude and
direction) of the boat after the anchor is thrown.
[5 marks]

c)

Calculate the depth below the surface of a lake at which the pressure due to the weight of the water
equals 1.0 atm. Take the density of water to be 1000 kg/m3 and 1 atm = 1.01 105 Pa.
[3 marks]
Roofs are sometimes lifted off vertically and buildings sometimes explode outwards during a
hurricane. Use Bernoullis principle to explain these phenomena.
[4 marks]

d)

e)

Blood is flowing through an artery of radius 2.0 mm at a rate of 30 cm/s.

i)
Calculate the flow rate of blood in the artery. Express your answer in SI units.
[3 marks]
ii)

Calculate the volume of blood that passes through the artery in 2 minutes.
[3 marks]

Autumn 2015

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68041 Physical Aspects of Nature Main Exam

QUESTION 2: Electricity (20 marks)

a)

How many excess electrons does an object with a total charge of 2.0 10-9 C have on it?
[2 marks]

b)

Two charges of magnitude 1.8 10-17 C are separated by a distance of 150 nm. What is the size of
the force experienced by each charge?
[2 marks]

c)

A potential difference of 80 mV exists between the inner and outer membrane of a cell. The inner
surface of the cell is negative with respect to the outer. How much work is required to move one
sodium ion (Na+) from the interior of the cell to the exterior?
[2 marks]

d)

Consider the circuit diagram below

5

20 V
30
30
i) Determine the current through each resistor in the circuit above.
ii) Calculate the power dissipated in the 5 resistor.

[3 marks]
[2 marks]

e)

Explain why a bird can land on a high voltage electric fence without experiencing an electric
shock whereas a person standing of the ground with bare feet grasping the same fence would feel a
shock.
[3 marks]

f)

A heart defibrillator passes 10.0 A of current through a patients torso for 5.0 ms to restore normal
beating of the heart.
i)

How much charge passed through the patients torso?

[2 marks]

ii) What voltage was used if a total energy of 550 J was dissipated in the patient? [2 marks]
iii) What was the resistance of the path through the patient?

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Autumn 2015

[2 marks]

68041Physical Aspects of Nature Main Exam

QUESTION 3: Optics and Waves (20 marks)

a)

With the aid of a diagram, describe total internal reflection. Explain how this phenomenon is
exploited in the endoscope
[4 marks]

b)

The eye produces a real image on the retina a distance 2.00 cm from the lens in the eye. A person is
looking at a poster a distance 2.0 m from the lens.
i) Calculate the focal length of the lens in the eye
ii) Calculate the power of the lens in diopters
iii) Is the image upright or inverted?

[2 marks]
[2 marks]
[1 mark]

c)

Briefly describe, with the aid of a diagram, myopia and hyperopia. How can these defects be
remedied/treated?
[4 marks]

d)

Ocean waves of a period of 10 seconds have a velocity of 16 m/s.

i) What is the wavelength of the waves ?
ii) What is the (horizontal) distance between a crest and the nearest trough?

e)

[2 marks]
[2 marks]

A bat can detect small objects, such as an insect, whose size is approximately equal to one
wavelength of the sound the bat emits.
If a bat emits sound at a frequency of 60 kHz, and if the speed of sound in air is 340 m/s, what is the
smallest insect the bat can detect? Does the temperature of the air affect how small an insect the bat
can detect? Explain.
[3 marks]

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68041 Physical Aspects of Nature Main Exam

QUESTION 4: Thermal and nuclear (20 marks)

a)

Explain briefly the difference between temperature and heat

[2 marks]

b)

The coefficient of linear expansion of glass is 8.30 10-6 oC . A block of glass of dimensions,
10.0 mm 50.0 mm 100.0 mm is heated from 20 C to 100 C. What is its new volume?

-1

[3 marks]
c)

How much heat is required to raise the temperature of 400 g of water from 32oC to 90oC? Take the
specific heat capacity of water to be 4186 J/(kg.oC)
[2 marks]

d)

You jump, nude, into a swimming pool. The temperature of the pool water is 10 C. What is the rate
of heat flow from your body due to conduction?
[3 marks]
Use the following data:
Data: Thermal conductivity of the body = 0.20 W/(m.K)
Thickness of human body (between interior and exterior) = 2.5 cm
Interior temperature of human body = 37C
Surface area of body = 1.5 m2.

e)

A drug prepared for a patient to locate cancer tumours is tagged with 9943Tc , which has a half-life of
6.05 hours. If the drug contains 4.5 109 Tc nuclei, determine its activity.
[3 marks]

f)

A radiation dose of 250 rad is administered to a patient to combat a cancerous growth, which has a
mass of 0.12 kg. Assuming all the energy deposited is absorbed by the growth, calculate the amount
of energy absorbed in joules. [1 rad = 0.01 J/kg]
[3 marks]

g)

Discuss briefly the biological effects of radiation on living tissues.

Page 14 of 17

Autumn 2015

[4 marks]

68041Physical Aspects of Nature Main Exam

Mechanics Equations

v u at

v 2 u 2 2as

s r

v r

F ma

Fs s N

KE 12 mv2

s ut 12 at 2

v2
r

P Fv
W = Fscos

Fk k N

PE = mgh

m1v1i + m2v2i = m1v1f + m2v2f

p mv

impulse Ft

Waves & Optics Equations

v f

1
T

I r Z 2 Z 1 2

I o Z 2 Z 1 2

n1 sin 1 n2 sin 2
fr ft

n 2 v1

n1 v 2

2 f t v cos
c

10 log

v T

n1 n2 n2 n1

p q
R

z v
sin c

n2
n1

1 1
1 n2
1
f n1
r1 r2

I
I0

1
f

1 1 1

f p q
q
p

h
mv

Atomic and Nuclear Equations

1
1
R 2 2

m n
1

N N 0e t

A A0 e t

I I 0e x

E hf
T1 2
t1 2

n2

n2

Autumn 2015

h
p

hf W K max

E mc 2

AN

1
1
1

Teff Trad Tbio

Page 15 of 17

68041 Physical Aspects of Nature Main Exam

Thermal Physics Equations

l l 0 T

A A0 T

l l 0 1 T

A A0 1 T

T TC
Q
kA H
t
l

M
NA

v RMS

N nN A

Q mcT

Q mL

V V0 1 T

Q
qA(T TS )
t

PV nRT Nk B T

V V0 T

Q
A(T 4 TS4 )
t

3k B T
3RT

m
M

Properties of Matter Equations

P

F
A

F/A
l / l0

P 12 v 2 gh constant

R 4 P
Q
8 l
2
P
R

Q Av

Fd 6Rv
4
P
R

F/A F/A

d/y

P P0 gh

A1v1 A2v2
F
l

2 cos
h
gR

W
A

F/A
v / y

B fluidVg

2 R2
vT
g ( f )
9

Re

vd

Electricity Equations

V
I

F IlB

P IV = I2R

Rs R1 R2 ...

1
1
1

...
R p R1 R2

F
qq
q
F 1 22
E
q
4 o r
4 o r 2
A
1
1
1
C p C1 C2 ... C o

...
d
C s C1 C 2

PE 12 CV 2

Page 16 of 17

l
A

Vq 12 mv2

W
q

Autumn 2015

Q = CV

F qvB

V = Ed
V
C

q
4 o r
r o A
d

R R0 1 T T0

68041Physical Aspects of Nature Main Exam

Uncertainty Equations
range
n
If V = a + b, or V = a b, then V = a +b
uncertaint y

If V = ab or V = a/b, then

V a b

V
a
b

Prefixes used in the SI system

Factor

Prefix

Symbol

factor

-12

pico

10

-9

nano

10

-6

micro

10

-3

milli

10

-2

centi

10

10

10
10
10
10

Prefix

Symbol

kilo

mega

giga

12

tera

15

peta

END OF EXAMINATION PAPER

Autumn 2015

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