*P16*

Pre-Leaving Certificate Examination, 2015

Triailscrúdú na hArdteistiméireachta, 2015

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PHYSICS – HIGHER LEVEL

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TIME: 3 HOURS
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Answer three questions from Section A and five questions from Section B.

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N.B. Relevant data are listed in the Formulae and Tables booklet, which is
available from the Superintendent.

Page 1 of 9
 SECTION A (120 marks)

Answer three questions from this section.

Each question carries 40 marks.
_____________________________

1. In an experiment to investigate the relationship between the acceleration of a body and the
force applied to it, a student recorded the following data.

F (N) 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2.0 2.4 2.8

a (ms–2) 0.08 0.18 0.28 0.31 0.45 0.51 0.6

Describe the procedure involved in measuring the acceleration of the body. (12)

Using the data above, plot a graph showing the relationship between the acceleration of the
body and the force applied to it. (16)

From your graph, find the mass of the body. (6)

After completing this experiment, a student found that the graph did not go through the origin.
Suggest a possible reason for this and describe how the apparatus should be adjusted so that
the graph would go through the origin. (6)

2. In an experiment to measure the wavelength of a monochromatic light source, a narrow beam

of light was incident normally on a diffraction grating having 400 lines per mm. A number of
bright images were observed. The angles θ between the central bright image and the first two
images to the left and right were measured and recorded as shown below.

2nd image to the 1st image to the Centre image 1st image to the 2nd image to the
left of centre left of centre right of centre right of centre
θ (°) 30 14 0 14.5 31

Name a source of monochromatic light.

Describe, with the aid of a diagram, how the data above was obtained.
Using the data, calculate the wavelength of the monochromatic light.

Based on your results, what source of monochromatic light was used? (24)

What effect would each of the following changes have on the bright images formed?

(i) Using a monochromatic light source of longer wavelength.

(ii) Increasing the distance between the slits.

(iii) Using a source of white light instead of monochromatic light. (16)

Page 2 of 9
3. In an experiment to measure the specific latent heat of vaporisation of water, a student used
a copper calorimeter containing water and a sensitive thermometer. The water was cooled
below room temperature before adding dry steam to it.

The following measurements were recorded:

Mass of copper calorimeter = 34.6 g
Initial mass of calorimeter and water = 96.4 g
Mass of dry steam added = 1.2 g
Initial temperature of calorimeter and cooled water = 8.2 °C
Final temperature of calorimeter and water = 20.0 °C

How was the water cooled below room temperature? (6)

How was the steam dried? (6)

Describe how the mass of the steam was determined. (6)

Why was a sensitive thermometer used? (6)

Using the data, calculate the specific latent heat of vaporisation of water. (16)

(specific heat capacity of water = 4180 J kg–1 K–1; specific heat capacity of copper = 390 J kg–1 K–1)

4. The following is part of a student’s report on an experiment to investigate the variation of the
current I with potential difference V for a semiconductor diode.

“I set up the apparatus as shown in the circuit diagram. I measured the current flowing
through the diode for different values of the potential difference. I recorded the following
data.”

V (V) 0 0.49 0.60 0.64 0.69 0.71 0.73

I (mA) 0 3.0 5.4 11.7 17.4 27.3 36.5

Draw a circuit diagram used by the student.

How did the student vary and measure the potential difference? (15)
Using the data, draw a graph to show how the current varies with the potential difference for
the semiconductor diode.
Does the resistance of the diode remain constant during the investigation? Justify your
answer. (18)
The student continued the experiment with the connections to the semiconductor diode
reversed.
Sketch the graph that the student would obtain.
What adjustments should be made to the circuit to obtain valid readings? (7)

Page 3 of 9
 SECTION B (280 marks)

Answer five questions from this section.

Each question carries 56 marks.
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5. Answer any eight of the following parts (a), (b), (c), etc.

(a) What are the two conditions for the equilibrium of a set of co-planar forces?

(b) What is the critical angle of a sample of glass whose refractive index is 1.5?

(c) Name the parts labelled A and B of the spectrometer shown in the diagram.

A B

(d) Explain why snow is slow to melt as the air temperature rises above 0 °C.

(e) What is the positive charge stored on a 10 μF capacitor when it is connected

to a 120 V D.C. supply?

(f) Name the two optical phenomena that occur when white light passes through a prism.

(g) When will an RCD (residual current device) disconnect a circuit?

(h) The peak voltage of an A.C. supply is 300 V. Calculate its rms voltage.

(i) Draw a ray diagram to show the formation of an image in a convex mirror.

(j) Give two advantages of a circular accelerator over a linear accelerator.

or

State two assumptions of the kinetic theory of gases.

(8 × 7)

Page 4 of 9
6. On 16 August, 1960, Joseph Kittinger established a record for the highest altitude parachute
jump. Kittinger jumped from a height of 31 km. In 2012, at the age of 84, he participated
in the Red Bull Stratos project as capsule communicator, directing Felix Baumgartner on his
record-breaking 39-kilometre (24 miles) freefall from Earth’s stratosphere. The total jump,
from leaving the capsule to landing on the ground, lasted approximately ten minutes.

Calculate the acceleration due to gravity at a height of 39 km above the surface of the earth.
(14)
What was the downward force exerted on Felix and his equipment at 39 km, taking their total
mass to be 200 kg? (8)

Estimate how far he fell during the first 10 seconds.

What assumptions did you make in this calculation? (14)

What was his average speed during the remaining 9 minutes and 50 seconds? (11)

Calculate the upthrust that acted on Felix when he reached constant velocity in the last stage
of his descent (assume g = 9.81 m s–2 during this stage). (9)

(radius of earth = 6.36 × 106 m; mass of earth = 5.97 × 1024 kg)

7. State Newton’s second law of motion. (6)

The equation F = – ks, where k is a constant, describes a law that governs the motion of a
body.
Name this law and give its definition. (9)

Give the name for this type of motion and describe the motion. (9)

A mass at the end of a spring is an example of a system that obeys this law.
Give two other examples of systems that obey this law. (6)

The springs of a mountain bike are compressed vertically by 5 mm when a cyclist of mass
80 kg sits on it. When the cyclist rides the bike over a bump on a track, the frame of the
bike and the cyclist oscillate up and down.

Using the formula F = – ks, calculate the value of k, the constant for the springs of the bike.
(6)
The total mass of the frame of the bike and the cyclist is 100 kg.

Calculate (i) the period of oscillation of the cyclist and (ii) the number of oscillations of the
cyclist per second. (20)

(acceleration due to gravity, g = 9.8 m s–2)

Page 5 of 9
8. (a) A straight wire carrying a current is surrounded by a magnetic field.

How can this magnetic field be detected? Sketch the shape of this magnetic field.

Name one other effect of an electric current. (14)

The figure shows a circuit with a 10 Ω resistor and a 5 Ω resistor in series connected to
a battery. The current in the circuit is 0.4 A.

0.4 A

10 Ω 5

Calculate (i) the effective resistance of the two resistors and (ii) the voltage
(potential difference) across the 5 Ω resistor. (14)

(b) State Coulomb’s law of forces between electric charges. (6)

Define electric field strength and state the unit in which it is measured. (6)

Use Coulomb’s law to derive an expression for the electric field strength at a
distance r from a point charge Q. (9)

Calculate the magnitude of the electric field strength at a point which is 5 cm from
a positive charge of 2 μC. (7)

(take the permittivity of the medium, ɛ = 9 × 10–12 Fm–1)

9. What is thermionic emission? (6)

X-rays are produced when high-energy electrons collide with a target.

Draw a labelled diagram of an X-ray tube. (12)

What are X-rays and how do they differ from light rays?
Give two uses of X-rays. (18)

When electrons hit the target in an X-ray tube, only a small percentage of their energy is
converted into X-rays. What happens to the rest of their energy and how does this influence
the type of target used? (9)

A potential difference (voltage) of 40 kV is applied across an X-ray tube.

Calculate (i) the maximum energy of an electron as it hits the target and (ii) the frequency
of the most energetic X-ray produced. (11)

(plank constant = 6.6 × 10–34 J s; charge on electron = 1.6 × 10–19 C)

Page 6 of 9
10. Answer either part (a) or part (b).

(a) In 1932 the English physicist, John Cockroft and the Irish physicist, Ernest Walton,
bombarded lithium with protons.

How were the protons accelerated? How were the alpha particles detected? (8)

Write a nuclear equation to represent the splitting of a lithium nucleus by a proton. (12)

Calculate the energy released in this reaction. (9)

Most of the accelerated protons did not split a lithium nucleus. Explain why. (6)

Cockcroft and Walton’s apparatus is now displayed at CERN in Switzerland, where

very high energy protons are used in the Large Hadron Collider. In the Large Hadron
Collider, two beams of protons are accelerated to high energies in a circular accelerator.
The two beams of protons then collide producing new particles. Each proton in the
beams has a kinetic energy of 2.0 GeV.

Explain why new particles are formed. (6)

What is the maximum net mass of the new particles created per collision? (9)

What is the advantage of using circular particle accelerators in particle physics? (6)

(mass of alpha particle = 6.6447 × 10–27 kg; mass of proton = 1.6726 × 10–27 kg; mass
of lithium nucleus = 1.1646 × 10–26 kg; speed of light = 2.9979 × 108 m s–1; charge on
electron = 1.6022 × 10–19 C)

(b) State the principle of operation of an electric motor. (6)

The diagram shows a simple D.C. motor.

Name each of the parts labelled A and B on the diagram N S

and state the function of each.

What material is normally used in part B? Give two

properties of this material that make it suitable for use in
a motor. A B

List three factors that affect the torque (couple) acting

on the coil. (18)

If the motor jammed, a larger current than normal would flow through the motor.
Explain why.

What would be the effect on the motor if this happened? (12)

What changes can be made to a D.C. motor to convert it to an A.C. generator? (6)

Draw a sketch of the output voltage from an A.C. generator. (9)

Give two ways in which the output voltage from an A.C. generator can be increased. (5)
Page 7 of 9
11. Read the following extract and answer the accompanying questions.

Under the right circumstances, light can be used to push electrons, freeing them from
the surface of a solid. This process is called the photoelectric effect. The photoelectric
effect was first observed in 1887 by Heinrich Hertz (1857–1894) during experiments
with a spark-gap generator — the earliest form of radio receiver.
However it was not until 1905 that Albert Einstein published a paper that explained
experimental data from the photoelectric effect as being the result of light energy being
carried in discrete quantized packets. This discovery led to the quantum revolution.
Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1921 for “his discovery of the law of the
photoelectric effect”.
(The Project Physics Course, Halt, Rinechant and Wilson, New York)

(a) What is meant by a photon of light? (4)

(b) What is the photoelectric effect? (4)

(c) Explain with the aid of a diagram, how X-ray production is the inverse of the
photoelectric effect. (6)

(d) Give an expression for Einstein’s photoelectric law. (6)

Current is moving electrons. An investigation was carried out into the relationship between
current flowing in a metal and the frequency of light shining on it. The graph below illustrates
this relationship. Current starts flowing when the frequency of light is 4 × 1014 Hz.
Current

4 × 1014 Hz Frequency

(e) What is the threshold frequency of the light? (6)

(f) What is the energy of the light shining when the frequency is the threshold
frequency? (6)
(g) What is the work function of the metal? (6)
(h) What is the frequency of light shining on the metal when the wavelength of the
light is 550 nm? (6)
(i) What is the maximum energy of an emitted electron when light of wavelength
550 nm shines on it? What type of energy is this? (6)
(j) Explain why current does not flow when the frequency of light is less than
4 × 1014Hz. (6)

(c = 3.0 × 108 m s–1, e = 1.6 × 10–19 C, h = 6.63 × 10–34 Js)

Page 8 of 9
12. Answer any two of the following parts (a), (b), (c), (d).

(a) Define capacitance. (6)

Mention two common uses of capacitors. (6)
A parallel plate capacitor has two square plates of side 12 cm which are 3 mm apart.
Calculate the capacitance of the capacitor and calculate the energy stored in the
capacitor when the potential difference between the plates is 180 V. (16)
(take the permittivity of the medium, ɛ = 9 × 10–12 Fm–1)

(b) A student holds a motion sensor attached to a data-logger.

List the instructions you should give the student so that the data-logger will display the
graph shown in the figure below. (4)
Distance from Motion Sensor (m)

1 2 3 4 5 6

Time seconds

How many different velocities can you see? (5)

What is the total of all the velocities added together? (5)
The graph below represents the motion of a cyclist on a journey.
20
Velocity (Km h –1)

15

10

0
0 5 10 15 20

Time (mins)

Using the graph, calculate the distance travelled by the cyclist and the average speed for
the journey. (14)

(c) What is radioactivity? (6)

In beta (β) radiation, negatively-charged particles are emitted.
Which type of nuclear radiation emits positively charged particles? (6)
List two uses of radioactive substances. (12)
Give two precautions when using radioactive substances. (4)

(d) Define magnetic flux. (6)

State Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction. (6)
A square coil of side 5 cm lies perpendicular to a magnetic field of flux density 5 T.
The coil consists of 300 turns of wire. What is the magnetic flux cutting the coil? (8)
The coil is rotated through an angle of 90° in 0.4 seconds.
Calculate the magnitude of the average e.m.f. induced in the coil while it is being
rotated. (8)
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