COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE ANIMAL

SCIENCES AND VETERINARY MEDICINE

FIRST SEMESTER EXAMINATIONS – ACADEMIC YEAR 2016-2017

DEPARTMENT: ALL
LEVEL OF STUDY: Level 1
MODULE CODE: PHY1121
MODULE NAME: GENERAL PHYSICS
MODULE WEIGHTING: 10 credits
DATE: 06/02/2017
DURATION: 2 HOURS
MAXIMUM MARKS = 50

INSTRUCTIONS

1. This paper contains 3 Sections: Section A, Section B and Section C.

2. Section A allows a choice; select any 4 questions from the 5 questions given and answer to them.
3. For Sections B and C, select any 3 questions from the 4 questions given, for each section, and
answer to them.
4. Write both your Registration and your Examination Numbers on the Examination Booklets
provided.
5. Write all your answers only in the examination booklet provided.
6. Do not write on this question paper.
7. Use 1 booklet for each Section.
8. No unauthorized material is allowed in the examination room.
9. Where appropriate draw large clearly labeled diagrams in your answers.
10. Use this information if necessary:
 0  8.85  1012 C 2 / N .m 2 0  4 10 7 Wb / A.m
1
k  9  109 N .m 2 / C 2 g  9.8 m / s 2
4 0

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SECTION A: MECHANICS CHOOSE ONLY FOUR (4) QUESTIONS /20 marks
Question 1 /5 marks
a) State the three laws of mechanics (Newton’s laws). (3 marks)
b) Can kinetic energy be negative? Explain your answer. (1 mark)
c) Give two fundamental physical quantities and their units. (1 mark)

Question 2 /5 marks
         
Three vectors a and b are defined as follows: a  i  2 j  2k ; b  2i  4 j  2k . Find:
 
a) a  b ; (1 mark)
 
b) The angle between a and b ; (3 marks)
 
c) a  b (1 mark)
Question 3 /5 marks
In the Figure 1, the two boxes have identical masses of 40 kg. Both experience a sliding friction force
with µk=0.2. (a) On the two blocks, show all the forces in the free-body diagram. (2.5 marks)
(b) Find the acceleration of the boxes and the tension in the tie cord. (2.5 marks)

Figure 1
Question 4 /5 marks

A student throws a ball up in the air with an initial velocity of 20 m s and then catches it, as it comes
back down to him.
a) How high does the ball travel? (1 mark)
b) How long does it take to reach its highest point? (1 mark)
c) What are the ball’s velocity and acceleration at the top? (1 mark)
d) How long does it take to comes back down to him? (1 mark)
e) What is the ball’s velocity when he catches it? (1 mark)

Question 5 /5 marks
a) A truck's speed increases uniformly from 15 km/h to 60 km/h in 20 s. Determine:
(i) the acceleration, and (ii) the distance traveled, all in units of meters and seconds. (3 marks)
b) The following question refers to a car that travels from point A to point B in four hours, and
then from point B back to point A in six hours. The road between point A and point B is
perfectly straight, and the distance between the two points is 200 km.
(i) What is the displacement? (ii) What is the total distance traveled? (iii) What is the car’s
average speed? (iv) What is the car’s average velocity? (2 marks)
Page 2 of 4
SECTION B: ELECTRICITY CHOOSE ONLY THREE (3) QUESTIONS /15 marks
Question 1 /5 marks
Two identical light bulbs are connected to a source with   8V and negligible internal resistance. Each
light bulb has a resistance R  2  . Find (i) the current through each bulb, (ii) the potential difference
across each bulb, and (iii) the power delivered to the entire network if the bulbs are connected:
a) In series. (2.5 marks)
b) In parallel. (2.5 marks)

Question 2 /5 marks
Suppose the parallel plates capacitor each have an area of 2000 cm2 and are 1.00 cm apart. The
capacitor is connected to a power supply and charged to a potential difference V0 = 3000V. It is then
disconnected from the power supply and a sheet of insulating plastic material is inserted between the
plates, completely filling the space between them. We find that the potential difference decreases to
1000V while the charge on each capacitor remains constant. Compute:
a) The original capacitance C0; (1 mark)
b) The magnitude of charge (Q) on each plate; (1 mark)
c) The capacitance C after the dielectric is inserted; (1 mark)
d) The dielectric constant K of the dielectric; (1 mark)
e) The electric field E after the dielectric is inserted. (1 mark)

Question 3 /5 marks
Three point charges = 1 , = −2 , =3 are located at the points indicated in the
following rectangular Figure 2. Calculate the total electric force on the charge q2 due to the other two.
(5 marks)

Figure 2
Question 4 /5 marks
Using Kirchhoff’s laws, find the currents I1, I2, and I3 in the circuit represented in Figure 3. (5 marks)

Figure 3
Page 3 of 4
SECTION C: GEOMETRICAL OPTICS CHOOSE ONLY THREE (3) QUESTIONS /15 marks

Question 1 /5 marks
a) Using a schematic representation, give the laws of refraction of light. (3 marks)
b) Suppose an object such as a book page is held 7.50 cm from a diverging lens of focal length
10 cm . Such a lens could be used in eyeglasses to correct pronounced nearsightedness. What
magnification is produced? (2 marks)

Question 2 /5 marks
a) A light ray strikes a reflective plane surface at an angle of 56° with the surface.
(i) Find the angle of incidence.
(ii) Find the angle of reflection.
(iii) Find the angle made by the reflected ray and the surface.
(iv) Find the angle made by the incident and reflected rays. (2 marks)
b) Casey stands in front of a convex mirror, with a radius of curvature of 6.6 m. She sees
her image reflected 2.1 m behind the convex mirror. Her image is 0.3 m tall. (i) Where is she
standing? (ii) How tall is she? (3 marks)

Question 3 /5 marks
a) Two positive lenses, having focal lengths of +2.0 cm and +5.0 cm, are 14 cm apart. An object
AB is placed 3.0 cm in front of the +2.0 cm lens. Determine the position and magnification of
the final image A”B” formed by this combination of lenses. (3 marks)
b) Assume that a certain spherical mirror has a focal length of f  10 cm . Locate and describe
the image for object distance of 5.0 cm from the mirror. (2 marks)

Question 4 /5 marks
a) A double convex (biconvex) lens has faces of radii 18 cm and 20 cm. When an object is 24 cm
from the lens, a real image is formed 32 cm from the lens. Determine: (i) The focal length of
the lens; and (ii) The refractive index of the lens material. (3 marks)

b) What is the critical angle for light traveling in a polystyrene (a type of plastic) pipe (n=1.49)
surrounded by air? (2 marks)

END OF QUESTIONS.
Good Luck !!!

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