Name: _______________________________________________

Christmas homework worksheet

A Level Physics

Date:

Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Total marks available: 131

Total marks achieved: ______

Sage College

Questions
Q1.

A practical physics textbook states that "measurements may give a precise value for the
quantity being determined but this may not necessarily be an accurate value".

Describe what physicists mean by the terms accuracy and precision.

(2)

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(Total for question = 2 marks)

Q2.

Our understanding of the atom has developed over time, from early models in which atoms were
considered to be hard incompressible spheres, through to the nuclear model of the atom and the
ladder model in which electrons exist in a discrete number of allowed energy states.

The nuclear model of the atom was established following a series of experiments in which alpha
particles were directed at thin gold foil.

(i) An alpha particle approaching a gold nucleus, , head-on will be brought to rest and
returned along its original path.

Calculate the minimum distance between the alpha particle and the nucleus for alpha particles
of energy of 5.5 MeV.

(4)

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Minimum distance = ...........................................................

(ii) It is observed that electrons, with energy of 5.5 keV, are diffracted as they pass through the
thin gold foil.

Explain a conclusion about the electrons that can be made from this observation.

(3)

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(Total for question = 7 marks)

Q3.

A student wanted to plot a graph of current against potential difference for a light emitting diode
(LED). He used the circuit shown.
The graph of current against potential difference obtained by the student is shown.

(i) The student wrote the following conclusion.

Criticise the student's conclusion.

(2)

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(ii) The student used the LED with a 5.0 V power supply as shown in the circuit.

To be lit to normal brightness the current through the LED must be 18 mA.
Calculate the resistance of the resistor needed in the circuit.

(4)

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Resistance = ...........................................................

(Total for question = 6 marks)

Q4.

Motors usually have a rotating component which can do work W.

(a) A motor lifts a load in a time t. The axle of the motor has a radius r and exerts a force F.

The power produced by a motor can be calculated by using the following word equation.

Power = moment of the force exerted by the rotating axle × angular velocity

Derive this equation, starting with power

(4)

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(b) An electrostatic motor was first demonstrated by Benjamin Franklin in 1750.

The diagram shows a simplified version of part of this motor.

This consists of a rod, with an oppositely charged sphere at either end, which rotates around a
fixed pivot. Two stationary charged spheres apply a force on the spheres at either end of the
rod.

(i) In the diagram below, electric field lines have been drawn around one pair of these spheres.

Add to the diagram to show

the directions of the field lines

the lines of equipotential.

(3)

(ii) The distance between the centres of each charged sphere in this pair is 5.0 cm.
Show that the force between this pair of charged spheres is about 0.04 N.

charge on each sphere = 0.10 μC

(2)

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(c) The table shows the typical power and the corresponding angular velocity required for three
different appliances.

Deduce which of these appliances, in principle, could use the electrostatic motor in (b).

You should use the word equation in (a) and assume that the length of the rod in the
electrostatic motor is 8.0 cm.

Assume that the electrostatic motor would deliver a constant force throughout one complete
rotation.

(4)

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(Total for question = 13 marks)

Q5.

Two students are carrying out an investigation to determine a value for the speed of sound in
air.

They stand 80 m from a building. One student hits two pieces of wood together to make a loud
sound and a short time later an echo is heard. The other student uses a stopwatch to measure
the time interval t between the two pieces of wood being hit and the echo being heard. The
procedure is repeated. The students also measure the air temperature.

(a) Explain how a sound wave travels through air.

(2)

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(b) The students repeat the investigation on a different day. The results are shown in the table.

(i) Deduce why the students thought it necessary to make a third measurement on day 2.

(1)

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(ii) Calculate the percentage uncertainty in the mean value of time on day 1.

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Percentage uncertainty = ...........................................................

(iii) Calculate the difference in the value for the speed of sound between day 1 and day 2
obtained from these results.

(2)

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Difference in speed = ...........................................................

(iv) The students state that the difference in the speed of sound between day 1 and day 2 is due
to the change in air temperature.

Explain whether the results obtained are sufficient for this statement to be made.

(2)

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(Total for question = 9 marks)

Q6.

A school dynamics trolley has a plunger attached to a spring. When the plunger is pushed in, the
spring is compressed. When the plunger is released, it is pushed back out by the spring.
(a) A student investigated the spring to determine whether it obeys Hooke's law in compression.

The trolley was placed vertically in front of a scale and weights were added in turn to the top of
the plunger, as shown. The position of the end of the plunger was recorded each time.

The recorded results are shown in the table.

(i) Use the results to plot a graph of weight against compression. You may use the additional
column for your processed data.

(5)
(ii) The student concluded that the spring obeys Hooke's law with a spring constant of about 600
N m–1.

Determine whether the student's conclusion is justified.

(4)

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(b) Another trolley was adapted by placing a tube around the plunger so that it could be used to
launch marbles. A marble was placed in the tube while the plunger was depressed. When the
plunger was released it launched the marble.

Determine the maximum possible launch velocity of the marble when the spring is compressed
by 5.4 cm.

spring constant = 610 N m–1

mass of marble = 4.1 g

mass of plunger = 35.4 g

(4)

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Maximum launch velocity = ...........................................................

(c) The launch velocity was measured using a light gate and data logger. This produced a
smaller value for the launch velocity than that calculated in (b).

Give a reason why this method produced a smaller value for the launch velocity.

(1)
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(Total for question = 14 marks)

Q7.

A student investigates the motion of a friction-free trolley down a ramp. On the top of the trolley
there is a metal loop which makes contact with a length of thin resistance wire, AB, fixed above
the ramp. The resistance wire has a uniform diameter.

The trolley accelerates down the ramp and the metal loop stays in contact with the wire along
the full length of the ramp.

The student uses a protractor to measure the angle θ between the ramp and the horizontal and
records a value of 4° with an uncertainty of ±1°.

(a) The two ends of the wire are connected to a 1.5 V cell. A data logger, set to measure
potential difference, is connected to the metal loop and to the negative terminal of the cell.

Explain how the potential difference recorded by the data logger will vary as the loop moves
along the length of the
wire AB.

(3)

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(b) The graph shows the data obtained from the data logger.

Determine the velocity of the trolley at 1.5 s.

1.5 V represents a distance of 2.00 m.

(4)

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Velocity = ...........................................................
(c) The student calculated the velocity of the trolley at 2.0 s to be 1.5 m s–1.

By considering the acceleration of the trolley, determine whether the student's measurement of
θ was within the uncertainty quoted.

(4)

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(Total for question = 11 marks)

Q8.

Mass spectrometry is a technique used to separate ions based on their charge to mass ratio.

The atoms in a sample are ionised and then accelerated and formed into a fine beam.
This beam is passed into a region of uniform magnetic field and the ions are deflected by
different amounts according to their mass.

Analysis of mass spectrometer data shows that chlorine exists in nature as two isotopes,
chlorine-35 and chlorine-37.
In a mass spectrometer, chlorine-35 ions are accelerated through a potential difference of 8.50
kV to produce an ion beam.

Show that the speed of singly ionised chlorine-35 atoms is about 2.2 × 105 m s−1.

mass of an ion of chlorine-35 = 34.97 u

(4)

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(Total for question = 4 marks)

Q9. A student is investigating how the potential difference across a capacitor varies with
time as the capacitor is charging.

He uses a 100 μF capacitor, a 5.0 V d.c. supply, a resistor, a voltmeter and a switch.

(a) (i) Draw a diagram of the circuit he should use.

(2)

(ii) Suggest why a voltage sensor connected to a data logger might be a suitable instrument for
measuring the potential difference across the capacitor in this investigation.

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(b) Calculate the maximum charge stored on the capacitor.

(2)

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Charge = ...........................................................

(c) The graph shows how the potential difference across the capacitor varies with time as the
capacitor is charging.

(i) Estimate the average charging current over the first 10 ms.

(2)

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Average charging current = ...........................................................

(ii) Use the graph to estimate the initial rate of increase of potential difference across the
capacitor and hence find the initial charging current.

(3)

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 Initial charging current = ...........................................................

(iii) Use the value of the initial charging current to find the resistance of the resistor.

(2)

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Resistance = ...........................................................

(Total for Question = 12 marks)

Q10.

In recent years there has been a development of ultracapacitors which have much higher
capacitance than traditional capacitors. Capacitors store energy due to charge in an electric field
whereas batteries store energy due to a chemical reaction. There are several applications where
ultracapacitors have an advantage over batteries; for example storing energy from rapidly
fluctuating supplies or delivering charge very quickly.

(a) A typical ultracapacitor has a capacitance of 1500 F and a maximum operating potential
difference of 2.6 V.

(i) Show that the charge on this capacitor when fully charged is about 4000 C.

(2)

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(ii) Complete the graph on the axes below to show how the potential difference varies with
charge for this capacitor.

(2)
(iii) Calculate the energy stored in this capacitor when fully charged.

(2)

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Energy = ...........................................................

(b) The graph below shows how the current varies with time as the capacitor is discharged
through a circuit.

(i) Describe and explain the shape of the graph.

(2)

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(ii) Calculate the resistance of the circuit.

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Resistance = ...........................................................

(c) There is a limit to the amount of charge an ultracapacitor can hold but it can deliver the
charge very quickly. A battery can deliver much more charge but only at a slower rate. For
electric powered vehicles it is suggested that using a combination of batteries and
ultracapacitors would give the best performance.

Suggest, with reasons, which stages of a journey would be more suited to ultracapacitors and
which would be more suited to batteries.

(3)

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(Total for question = 15 marks)

Q11. (a) Explain what is meant by the principle of conservation of momentum.

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(b) The picture shows a toy car initially at rest with a piece of modelling clay attached to it.

A student carries out an experiment to find the speed of a pellet fired from an air rifle. The pellet
is fired horizontally into the modelling clay. The pellet remains in the modelling clay as the car
moves forward. The motion of the car is filmed for analysis.

The car travels a distance of 69 cm before coming to rest after a time of 1.3 s.

(i) Show that the speed of the car immediately after being struck by the pellet was about 1 m
s−1.

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(ii) State an assumption you made in order to apply the equation you used.

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(iii) Show that the speed of the pellet just before it collides with the car is about 120 m s−1

mass of car and modelling clay = 97.31g

mass of pellet = 0.84 g

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(c) The modelling clay is removed and is replaced by a metal plate of the same mass. The metal
plate is fixed to the back of the car. The experiment is repeated but this time the pellet bounces
backwards.

*(i) Explain why the speed of the toy car will now be greater than in the original experiment.

(3)

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(ii) The film of this experiment shows that the pellet bounces back at an angle of 72° to the
horizontal.

Explain why the car would move even faster if the pellet bounced directly backwards at the
same speed.

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(d) The student tests the result of the first experiment by firing a pellet into a pendulum with a
bob made of modelling clay. She calculates the energy transferred.

The student's data and calculations are shown:

Data

mass of pellet = 0.84 g

mass of pendulum and pellet = 71.6 g

change in vertical height of pendulum = 22.6 cm

Calculations

change in gravitational potential energy of pendulum and pellet

= 71.6 × 10−3 kg × 9.81 N kg−1 × 0.226 m = 0.16 J

therefore kinetic energy of pendulum and pellet immediately after collision = 0.16 J

therefore kinetic energy of pellet immediately before collision = 0.16 J

therefore speed of pellet before collision = 19.5 m s−1

There are no mathematical errors but her answer for the speed is too small.

State and explain which of the statements in the calculations are correct and which are not.

(4)

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(Total for Question = 16 marks)

Q12.

A physics textbook states that "when carrying out experimental measurements there will always
be errors and uncertainties".

Describe what physicists mean by error and by uncertainty.

(2)

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(Total for question = 2 marks)

Q13.

A method to determine the wavelength of light using a converging lens was first proposed by Sir
Isaac Newton.

A converging lens is placed on a plane glass plate. The lens is illuminated from above with a
parallel beam of monochromatic light, as shown.

Some of the light is reflected from the upper surface of the lower glass plate and some from the
lower surface of the lens. Interference between these two reflected waves produces circular
fringes. The pattern is viewed through a microscope.

When considering the principles of this experiment, a student suggests that interference fringes
would only be produced with monochromatic light. This is because interference requires
coherent light waves.

Discuss the validity of the student's suggestion.

(4)

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(Total for question = 4 marks)

Q14.

In 2015 the Messenger spacecraft crashed into the surface of the planet Mercury after four years
in orbit observing the surface of Mercury.

Messenger's orbit was highly elliptical, varying between 200 km and 15 000 km above the
surface of Mercury. Messenger completed one full orbit every 12 hours.

mass of Messenger spacecraft = 565 kg

mass of planet Mercury = 3.30 × 1023 kg
radius of planet Mercury = 2430 km

It has been suggested that the same orbital period of about 12 hours could have been achieved
if Messenger was in a circular orbit 7690 km above the surface of Mercury.

(i) Determine whether this suggestion is correct.

(4)

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(ii) The elliptical orbit chosen had advantages over this circular orbit.

Explain one advantage.

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(Total for question = 6 marks)

Q15.

A student is investigating electromagnetic induction using a U-shaped magnet. The magnetic

flux density between the poles of the magnet is 74 mT. The magnetic field outside the region of
the poles is negligible.
She places a stiff copper wire between the poles of the magnet as shown in the diagram.
The wire is connected to an ammeter of resistance 0.25 Ω

(a) The rectangular poles measure 6.0 cm × 2.4 cm.

Show that the magnetic flux between the poles of the magnet is about 1 × 10−4 Wb.
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(b) The student holds the wire as shown in the diagram and moves it vertically upwards at a
constant speed of 1.2 m s−1
Calculate the e.m.f. induced in the wire when it is moving.

(3)

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Induced e.m.f. = ...........................................................

(c) According to Lenz's law, a force will act on the wire to oppose the motion of the wire.

Calculate the magnitude of the force that opposes the motion and comment on this value.

(4)

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Magnitude of force = ...........................................................

Comment

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 (Total for question = 10 marks)

Mark Scheme

Q1.

Q2.
Q3.

Q4.
Q5.
Q6.
Q7.
Q8.

Q9.
Q10.
Q11.
Q12.

Q13.
Q14.
Q15.
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