*P16*

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Pre-Leaving Certificate Examination, 2020

Triailscrúdú na hArdteistiméireachta, 2020
PHYSICS – HIGHER LEVEL

TIME: 3 HOURS

Answer three questions from Section A and five questions from Section B.

For the Examiner’s Use Only

Part One
Total Mark Adv. Ex.
Short-Answer Questions
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Question 4
Question 5
Question 6
Question 7
Question 8
Question 9
Question 10
Question 11
Question 12
Accumulated Mark
Disallowed Marks

Net Mark
 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) 1.64 3.27 4.90 6.53 8.17 9.80 12.50

a(ms-2) 1.1 1.9 3.1 4.1 4.7 6.0 7.4

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 the graph, find the mass of the body (6)
After plotting the graph, a student found that the line drawn 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. A student carries out an experiment, to determine a value for the specific heat capacity of water.

The student switches on the power supply and an immersion heater heats the water.
The energy supplied to the immersion heater is measured.
The student records the following measurements.

energy supplied to immersion heater = 21∙6 kJ

mass of water = 500 g
initial temperature of the water = 16 °C
final temperature of the water = 24 °C
reading on voltmeter = 12 V
reading on ammeter = 4∙0 A

(i) Draw a suitable diagram of the experimental setup. (6)

(ii) How did the student determine the energy supplied to the immersion heater? (6)
(iii) Why was an initial temperature of 16 °C chosen? (3)
(iv) Determine the value of the specific heat capacity of water obtained from these
measurements. (16)
(v) Explain why the value determined from the experiment is different from the
expected value. (3)
(vi) Calculate the time for which the immersion heater is switched on in this experiment. (6)

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3. An experiment was carried out to investigate how the resistance, R, of a resistor varies with
temperature, θ.

The table below shows the data collected.

θ (°C) 0 20 40 60 80 100

R (Ω) 6500 2790 1210 390 160 65

(i) Draw a labelled diagram of the arrangement of apparatus used in this experiment. (9)
(ii) Name the instruments used to measure the resistance and temperature values. (4)
(iii) Plot a graph, on graph paper, of the resistance against temperature for the resistor. (12)
(iv) Use your graph to determine at what temperature the resistance of the resistor
is 1.6 kΩ. (6)
(v) How does the resistance of the resistor vary with temperature? (6)
(vi) What is the general name given to this type of resistor? (3)

4. A student performed an experiment to measure the speed of sound in air by adjusting the length
of a column of air, until it resonated with a tuning fork of known frequency f. The length, l, of
the column of air was measured when it was vibrating at its first harmonic. The student also
measured the diameter of the air column.
The following data were recorded

f (Hz) 512 427 341

l (mm) 153 192 237

Diameter of the air column = 35 mm

(i) Draw a labelled diagram of the apparatus used in the experiment and
explain how the length of the column of air was adjusted. (6)
(ii) How did the student know that the column of air was vibrating at its first harmonic? (6)
(iii) Use all the data in the table to calculate the speed of sound in air. (18)
For the 512 Hz tuning fork, the student continued to increase the length of the
column of air until resonance was observed for a second time and continued
adjusting the length to the position where resonance was observed for a third time.
(iv) Calculate the distance between these two positions. (10)

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 Section B (280 MARKS)

Answer five questions from this section.

Each question carries 56 marks.

_____________________________

5. Answer any eight of the following parts (a), (b), (c), etc.

(a) The moon orbits the earth every 27.3 days.

What is its angular velocity?

(b) Define sound intensity.

(c) What is the relationship between the frequency of a vibrating stretched string
and its length?

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

(e) The Figure shows an optical fibre. How does light

travel through the fibre?

(f) At what speed would light travel in the optical fibre

if its core has a refractive index of 1.46?

(g) What is the positive charge stored on a 10 μF

capacitor when it is connected to a 120 V d.c.
supply?

(h) Draw labelled diagrams to show the magnetic field about:

a. a long straight current-carrying wire
b. a current-carrying solenoid

(i) If the half-life of a radioactive isotope is 12 years, what fraction of the undecayed nuclei
in a sample of the isotope will decay after 60 years?

(j) Give the difference between the quark composition of a baryon and of a meson.

or

Write an expression for the electric field intensity E at a distance d from a charge Q.

Marks (8 X 7)

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6.
(i) State Newton’s laws of motion. (7)
The equation F = – ks, where k is a constant, describes a law that
governs the motion of a body.

(ii) Name this law and give its definition. (7)

(iii) Give the name for this type of motion and describe the motion. (7)

A mass at the end of a spring is an example of a system that obeys this law.

(iv) Give two other examples of systems that obey this law. (7)
A spiral spring has a length of 1 m. A mass of 1 kg is attached to
the end of the spring and is allowed to hang freely. The length
of the spring becomes 1.1 m.

(v) Find the constant for the spring. (7)

1.1 m

m = 1Kg

The mass is then pulled down a further distance x and then released.

(vi) What is the resultant force, in terms of x, acting on it? (7)

(vii) Show that the mass executes simple harmonic motion. (7)

A simple pendulum has a length of 85 cm. The

maximum angular displacement of the pendulum is 35°.

(vii) Use the principle of conservation of energy to

calculate the maximum speed of the pendulum
bob. (7)

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7. When light shines on a compact disc it acts as a diffraction grating, causing diffraction and
dispersion of the light.

(i) Explain the underlined terms. (7)

(ii) Derive the diffraction grating formula. (7)
(iii) Can a diffraction grating which diffracts light also diffract X-rays? Justify your answer. (7)

Light travels as a transverse wave.

(iv) Name another type of wave motion and give two differences between these two types
of wave motion. (7)
(v) What is the Doppler effect? (7)
(vi) Explain, with the aid of labelled diagrams, how this phenomenon occurs. (7)

The emission line spectrum of a star was analysed

using the Doppler effect. The red line emitted
by a hydrogen discharge tube in the laboratory
has a wavelength of 656 nm. The same red line
in the hydrogen spectrum of a moving star has a
wavelength of 720 nm.
(vii) Calculate the frequency of the red line in the
star’s spectrum. (7)
(viii) Calculate the speed of the moving star. (7)
(speed of light = 3.00 × 108 m s–1)  

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 photovoltaic cells

8. A solar jar is designed to collect energy from lid rechargeable battery

the Sun during the day and release this energy
LEDs
as light at night. When the solar jar is placed in
sunlight, photovoltaic cells on the lid are used glass
to charge a rechargeable battery.

(i) What is the maximum energy that can fall on

an area of 0.5 m2 in one hour if the solar constant
is 1350 W m-2? (7)

Part of the circuit in the solar jar is shown. In direct

sunlight the photovoltaic cells produce a combined
voltage of 4.0 V.
(ii) Calculate the voltage across the 2 Ω and 18 Ω
resistors. (14)

Another part of the circuit containing the

LEDs is shown. The switch is now closed
rechargeable
and the LEDs light. battery

(iii) State the purpose of the resistor connected in series with each LED. (7)

After a few hours the rechargeable battery produces a voltage of 3∙4 V. At this point in time
the voltage across each LED is 1∙6 V and the current in each LED is 25 mA.

(iv) Determine the value of the resistor in series with each LED. (14)

When the battery is completely discharged it then takes 6 hours of direct sunlight to fully
charge the battery. During this time, there is a constant current of 0.135 A to the battery.

(v) Calculate the total charge supplied to the battery during this time. (14)

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9.
Nuclear disintegrations occur in radioactivity and in fission.
(i) Distinguish between radioactivity and fission. (6)
(ii) Give an application of (i) radioactivity, (ii) fission. (6)

Radioactivity causes ionisation in materials.

(iii) What is ionisation? (6)
(iv) Describe an experiment to demonstrate the ionising effect of radioactivity. (6)

Cobalt−60 is a radioactive isotope with a half-life of 5.26 years and emits beta particles.
(v) Write an equation to represent the decay of cobalt−60. (6)
(vi) Calculate the decay constant of cobalt−60. (6)
(vii) Calculate the rate of decay of a sample of cobalt−60 when it has 2.5 × 1021
atoms. (6)
(Refer to Mathematics Tables, p. 44.)

The ITER nuclear facility at Caderache in south-east

France is a global collaboration that has been formed to
“demonstrate that fusion is an energy source of the future”.
The construction of the facility is expected to be completed
in 2025, when commissioning of the reactor can commence.
Energy can be produced in a fusion reaction by combining a
deuterium and a tritium nucleus as follows:

2 3 4
1 H + 1 H 2 He + n + energy

(viii) How much energy is produced when a deuterium nucleus (2H) combines with a
tritium nucleus (3H)? (6)
(ix) Calculate the force of repulsion between a deuterium and a tritium nucleus when
they are 2 nm apart in free space. (8)

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10. Answer either part (a) or part (b).

(a) Momentum, energy and charge are conserved in all nuclear reactions.
In beta-decay an unstable nucleus emits an electron.
In the early 20th century it was found that momentum and energy did not appear to be
conserved during beta-decay. What was the solution to this contradiction? (7)
Write a nuclear equation for beta-decay. (7)

The conservation laws also apply to pair annihilation. Pair annihilation can be described
using the following equation for an electron and a positron at rest.

e-10 + e 01 → 2γ
Why are photons always produced in pairs during pair annihilation? (7)
Explain how charge is conserved in the annihilation. (7)
Calculate the maximum frequency of each emitted photon. (14)
Electrons are negatively charged leptons. List the two other negatively charged leptons. (7)
List the three forces that these leptons can experience, in order of strength. (7)

(b) What principle of operation do d.c motors and galvanometers have in common? (7)
What is the principal energy conversion that takes place in a d.c. motor? (3)

The diagram shows a simple d.c. motor.

Name each of the parts labelled A and B on the diagram and state the function of each. (4)
What material is normally used in part B? Give two properties of this material that
make it suitable for use in a motor. (7)
List three factors that affect the torque (couple) acting on the coil. (14)
If the motor jammed, a larger current than normal would flow through the motor.
Explain why. (7)
What would be the effect on the motor if this happened? (4)
What changes can be made to a d.c. motor to convert it to an a.c. generator? (3)
A galvanometer has an internal resistance of 90 Ω and a full-scale deflection of 10 mA.
Explain how the galvanometer could be converted into a voltmeter of full-scale
deflection 5 V. (7)

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11. Read the following passage and answer the accompanying questions.
The Irish Government launched its Climate Action Plan in June 2019. The plan features 183
action plans and a timeline for delivery. Some of the actions will take a long time (for example,
gas-fired boilers will be banned for new homes after 2025) but there are deadlines later in
2019, and during 2020, for achieving progress on most of the targets.
The key targets are a 30% reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases such as Carbon dioxide
(CO2), Methane (CH4) and Nitrous oxide (N2O) by 2030, with a view to becoming a carbon-
neutral nation by 2050.
The Environmental Protection Agency produced final estimates of greenhouse gas emissions
for the period 1990 -2017. For 2017, total national greenhouse gas emissions are estimated
to be 60.74 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2 eq), which is 0.9 % lower (or
0.53 Mt CO2 eq) than emissions in 2016 (61.27 Mt CO2 eq) and follows the 3.5% increase in
emissions reported for 2016. Emission reductions have been recorded in 7 of the last 10 years,
however two of the last three years have seen large increases in emissions.
Whilst there was a reduction in emissions in 2017, the decreases are mainly due to mild weather
conditions, which is evident in residential heating and increased renewables in electricity
generation.

While Ireland has been a leader in moving to renewables, emissions are still 13% higher than
the EU average because of Ireland’s dependency on coal and peat. In addition, demand looks
set to increase as the economy grows – for example it is estimated that data centres will use
39 % of all electricity power.
To address that, the plan provides that renewable energy such as wind and solar power will
provide 70 % of all electricity by 2030 (up from 55%). This will require a substantial increase
in offshore wind and a contribution from solar energy. However, the bulk of the increased
electricity will come from land-based wind farms. (Adapted from https://www.epa.ie/)

(a) What does it mean to become carbon-neutral?

(b) Which of the three greenhouse gases listed is the heaviest?
(c) Which two sectors contribute the most to our carbon emissions?
(d) Solar radiation powers our climate system. What is the source of the Sun’s energy?
(e) Define the solar constant.
(f) Solar power can be captured using a solar cell. This makes use of semiconductor materials
such as silicon to convert sunlight into electricity. Why is silicon a semiconductor?
(g) List the main sources of renewable energy.
(h) Land-based wind farms use wind turbines to charge batteries. The a.c output voltage
has to be converted to a d.c voltage. How is this achieved?
Marks (8 X 7)
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12. Answer any two of the following parts, (a), (b), (c), (d).

(a)
• Distinguish between a real image and a virtual image, in terms of light
rays. (4)
• Draw a ray diagram to show the formation of an image of an object by a
convex mirror. (4)

An experiment was carried out to measure the focal length of a convex mirror. A tall search
pin was used to locate each image.
• Sketch the arrangement of the apparatus.
• Explain why the images could not be located using a screen.
• How was the tall search pin used to find the image positions?
• What measurements were made in the experiment?
• How were these measurements used to determine the focal length of the mirror?
(20)

(b) A thermometer uses a thermometric property to measure temperature. The

thermometric property of a thermocouple thermometer is emf.

• Explain the underlined terms. (9)

• What is the SI unit of temperature? Give an advantage of using
this unit in scientific measurements. (6)
• Describe a laboratory experiment to demonstrate the principle of
operation of a thermocouple. (9)
• Give an advantage of using a thermocouple thermometer instead
of a mercury-in-glass thermometer. (4)

(c) A semiconductor diode is formed when small quantities of phosphorus

and boron are added to adjacent layers of a crystal of silicon to increase its conduction.
Explain how the presence of phosphorus and boron makes the silicon a better
conductor. (6)
What happens at the boundary of the two adjacent layers? (9)
Describe what happens at the boundary when the semiconductor diode is
(i) forward biased, (ii) reverse biased. (9)
Give a use of a semiconductor diode. (4)

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(d) Answer either part (i) or part (ii).
(i) State Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction. (6)
Describe an experiment to demonstrate Faraday’s law. (9)

Hollow Copper Tube

Hollow Glass Tube

A hollow copper pipe and a hollow glass pipe, with identical
dimensions, were arranged as shown in the diagram. A student
measured the time it took a strong magnet to fall through each
cylinder. It took much longer for the magnet to fall through the
copper pipe. Explain why. (13)
Or
(ii) Draw a diagram to show the basic structure of the bi-polar transistor. (6)
State the relationship between the three currents flowing in a transistor circuit. (6)
Draw the circuit diagram for a transistor circuit that can be used as a voltage
inverter (NOT gate). (8)
Draw the truth table for a NAND gate. (8)

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