Working as a physicist

Units and equations

1 Isaac Newton’s law of gravitation gives the magnitude of the attractive force F
between two point masses m1 and m2 a distance d apart:
Gm1m2
F 2

Use this equation to determine the appropriate SI units for the universal
gravitational constant G.
(2)

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(Total for Question 1 = 2 marks)

2 The drag force F acting on a small sphere of radius r moving at low velocity v
through a fluid is given by Stokes’ law:
F  6πηrv , where η is the viscosity of the fluid.
(a) Use this equation to determine the appropriate SI units for η.
(2)

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(b) Show that your answer to (a) is equivalent to the Pa s.

(1)

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(Total for Question 2 = 3 marks)

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3 The time period T for the oscillations of a mass m suspended from a spring of
spring constant k depends only on m and k.
Use the fact that all equations in physics must balance in terms of units to
decide which one of the following equations could represent the time period.
Explain your answer.
 m
A T  2π 
 
 k 

 m 
B T  2π  
 k 

 k 
C T  2π  
 m 
k 
D T  2π 
 
 m 
(3)

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(Total for Question 3 = 3 marks)

4 (a) Explain what is meant by a base unit.

(2)

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(b) Explain what is meant by a derived unit.

(2)

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 F
(c) Pressure p is defined by the equation p  , where F is the force acting
A
perpendicular to an area A. The pascal (Pa) is the derived unit for pressure.
Express this derived unit in the equivalent base units.
(1)

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(Total for Question 4 = 5 marks)

Electrical units

5 (a) Show that 1 Nm is equivalent to 1 VC.

(2)

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(b) Express the ohm in SI base units.

(2)

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(Total for Question 5 = 4 marks)

Standard form

6 (a) Calculate the electrical energy transferred by a 50 mW generator operating

for 50 ms. Express your answer in standard form.
(2)

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 (b) Calculate the cross-sectional area of a copper wire of diameter 250 μm.
Express your answer in standard form in m2.
(2)

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(Total for Question 6 = 4 marks)

Interpreting graphs

7 (a) What is represented by the gradient of each of the graphs described below?
In each case, use a unit argument to justify your answer.
(i) Displacement against time for a rocket
(1)

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(ii) Velocity against time for a sprinter
(1)

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(iii) Energy transferred against time for an electric motor
(1)

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(iv) Force against extension for a spring obeying Hooke’s Law
(1)

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(v) Stress against strain for a metal wire obeying Hooke’s Law
(1)

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 (b) What is represented by the area under each of the graphs described below?
In each case, use a unit argument to justify your answer.
(i) Velocity against time for a car
(1)

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(ii) Power against time for a generator
(1)

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(iii) Force against extension for a spring obeying Hooke’s Law
(1)

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(iv) Stress against strain for a metal wire obeying Hooke’s Law
(1)

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(v) Charge transferred against voltage for an electrical component
(1)

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(Total for Question 7 = 10 marks)

Order of magnitude

8 Give an order of magnitude estimate in SI units for each of the following

quantities.
(a) The time taken for light to reach the Earth from the Sun
(2)

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 (b) The power output of a nuclear power station
(2)

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(c) The kinetic energy of a car travelling along a motorway

(2)

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(d) The momentum of a diving seagull

(2)

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(e) The number of blades of grass on a football pitch

(2)

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(Total for Question 8 = 10 marks)

TOTAL FOR ASSESSMENT = 41 MARKS

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 There are no ‘right answers’ to these questions but there are certainly reasonable
and unreasonable answers! If you get stuck ask your teacher if you can have a hint
but don’t be tempted to do this until you have spent some time struggling with the
problem!

Estimation questions

1 Estimate the number of atoms in your body.

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2 Estimate the number of atoms in a £1 coin.

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3 Estimate the number of molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere.

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4 Estimate the total electrical energy that can be delivered by an AA cell.

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5 Estimate the pressure exerted on the ground when you stand on tiptoe.

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 6 Estimate the drag on a car travelling at 30 ms−1 along a straight road.

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7 Estimate the power output of a cyclist travelling at 15 ms−1.

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8 Estimate the mass of air inside a cathedral.

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9 Estimate the maximum electrical power output from a wind turbine with a radius
of 10 m.

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10 Estimate the delay between seeing a batsman striking a cricket ball and hearing
the impact for a spectator in the crowd.

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11 Estimate the breaking stress for a human hair.

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 12 Estimate the mass of the Earth.

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13 Estimate the time taken for light to cross the diameter of a hydrogen atom.

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14 Estimate the volume of an elephant.

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15 Estimate the terminal velocity of a tennis ball dropped from the top of a tall
building.

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16 Estimate the Young modulus of rubber. Why is this not a fixed value?

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17 Estimate the thickness of a sheet of printer paper.

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 18 Estimate the spring constant for a car’s suspension.

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19 Estimate the minimum wind speed that would blow a man over.

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20 Estimate the drift velocity of electrons through the filament of a torch.

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Fermi questions

1 How many golf balls fit in a suitcase?

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2 Estimate the speed of a bee’s wingtip in flight.

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3 How many garbage trucks would be needed to take away all of the rock in
Mount Everest?

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 4 How many photons are emitted by a camera flashlight when it flashes once?

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5 Estimate the power output of the Sun.

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6 Estimate the number of dimples on a golf ball.

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7 How long would it take a snail to complete a 100 m race?

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8 If all the atoms in a human being were placed end to end how long would the
line be?

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9 How far can a car go before it rubs off one layer of molecules from its tyres?

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 10 What would be the world record for the high jump if the event was held on the
Moon?

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11 What is the minimum diameter of parachute needed to allow a human to land

safely after jumping from an aircraft?

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12 What is the ratio of energy stored in a car battery to energy stored in an AA cell?

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13 How many words are there in an English version of the Bible?

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14 How long would it take to fill a swimming pool from a kitchen tap?

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15 How many petrol stations are there in the UK?

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 16 How many ants live in an ant colony?

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17 What is the speed of the Moon?

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18 Would it be possible for an ant the size of an elephant to evolve on Earth?

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19 How could you measure the mass of an astronaut inside an orbiting space
station?

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20 How many car mechanics are there in Manchester?

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