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ZIMSEC O Level · 5055/2 · N2015

Physics Paper 2 November 2015

Questions
32
Total marks
91
Time allowed
120 min
Syllabus code
5055/2

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Questions
32
Pass mark
20
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Answer every question in the printed order, get marked at the end, then see the answers.

The questions

Question 101

[1 marks]Basic quantities and units; vector addition
State the SI base unit of mass, including its symbol.

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Question 102

[1 marks]Basic quantities and units; vector addition
Name the laboratory instrument commonly used to measure the mass of an object.

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Question 103

[1 marks]Basic quantities and units; vector addition
Two forces, 5 N and 12 N, act at right angles to each other on an object (tail to tail). What is the magnitude of the resultant vector?
  1. A17 N
  2. B7 N
  3. C12.5 N
  4. D13 N

Question 201

[1 marks]Orbital period calculation; ticker-tape motion sketch
A spacecraft orbits the Earth at a steady speed of 8 km/s, completing one orbit of 40 000 km in time t. What is t, in seconds?
  1. A50 000 s
  2. B320 000 s
  3. C5000 s
  4. D500 s

Question 202

[1 marks]Orbital period calculation; ticker-tape motion sketch
A trolley moves at a steady speed for a time t, then travels an equal distance while slowing down uniformly to rest. On a ticker tape recording this motion, what happens to the spacing between the dots during the slowing-down part?
  1. AThe spacing decreases steadily.
  2. BThe dots stop appearing altogether.
  3. CThe spacing stays constant throughout.
  4. DThe spacing increases steadily.

Question 301

[1 marks]Density calculation
A bottle has a mass of 0.050 kg when empty. Its mass is 0.085 kg when filled with 25 cm³ of a liquid. What is the density of the liquid, in g/cm³?
  1. A35 g/cm³
  2. B1.4 g/cm³
  3. C3.4 g/cm³
  4. D0.035 g/cm³

Question 401

[1 marks]Equilibrium of forces on an irregular object
Four forces act through the centre of an irregular object: 12 N upward, 12 N downward, 15 N to the left, and 6 N to the right, with the vertical and horizontal pairs at right angles to each other. What happens to the object?
  1. AIt remains in equilibrium, since all the forces are balanced.
  2. BIt moves to the left, with a resultant force of 21 N.
  3. CIt moves to the left, with a resultant force of 9 N.
  4. DIt moves to the right, with a resultant force of 9 N.

Question 501

[1 marks]Total internal reflection in glass blocks
A ray of light travels inside a block of glass whose critical angle is 40°. The ray strikes the inner surface of the glass at an angle of incidence of 50°. What happens to the ray at that surface?
  1. AIt refracts and exits the surface, bending towards the normal.
  2. BIt undergoes total internal reflection, reflecting at 50° to the normal.
  3. CIt refracts and exits the surface, bending away from the normal.
  4. DIt is absorbed by the glass at the surface.

Question 502

[1 marks]Total internal reflection in glass blocks
A ray of light travels inside a block of glass whose critical angle is 40°. The ray strikes the inner surface of the glass at an angle of incidence of 30°. What happens to the ray at that surface?
  1. AIt travels straight through the surface, undeviated.
  2. BIt undergoes total internal reflection, reflecting at 30° to the normal.
  3. CIt refracts and exits the surface, bending towards the normal.
  4. DIt refracts and exits the surface, bending away from the normal.

Question 503

[1 marks]Total internal reflection in glass blocks
State the term for the angle of incidence in a denser medium above which a light ray is totally internally reflected instead of refracting out.

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Question 601

[1 marks]Forces on a pushed case: resultant force, friction, work done
A boy pushes a 40 kg case across a horizontal floor at a constant (steady) speed of 0.5 m/s. What is the resultant force acting on the case?

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Question 602

[1 marks]Forces on a pushed case: resultant force, friction, work done
A boy pushes a 40 kg case across a horizontal floor at a constant speed of 0.5 m/s by exerting a horizontal force of 200 N. What is the frictional force acting on the case?
  1. A100 N, half of the applied force.
  2. B400 N, twice the applied force.
  3. C200 N, equal and opposite to the applied force.
  4. D0 N, since the case is moving at constant speed.

Question 603

[1 marks]Forces on a pushed case: resultant force, friction, work done
A boy pushes a 40 kg case across a horizontal floor at a constant speed of 0.5 m/s by exerting a horizontal force of 200 N. How much work is done in 4 seconds?
  1. A400 J
  2. B800 J
  3. C100 J
  4. D40 J

Question 701

[1 marks]Current-carrying rod in a magnetic field (motor effect)
A copper rod rests across two rails inside a horseshoe magnet's field (North pole above, South pole below). When an electric current is switched on through the rod, what happens to it?
  1. AIt rolls further into the magnetic field.
  2. BIt rolls out of the magnetic field.
  3. CIt remains stationary.
  4. DIt vibrates rapidly but does not roll.

Question 702

[1 marks]Current-carrying rod in a magnetic field (motor effect)
A copper rod rests across two rails inside a horseshoe magnet's field. With the current switched on, the rod rolls out of the field. If the connections to the power supply are then reversed, what happens to the rod?
  1. AIt rolls upward, out of the rails entirely.
  2. BIt continues to roll outward, in the same direction as before.
  3. CIt stops moving completely.
  4. DIt rolls inwards, into the magnetic field.

Question 703

[1 marks]Current-carrying rod in a magnetic field (motor effect)
State the rule that determines the direction of the force on the current-carrying copper rod in this magnetic-field apparatus.

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Question 801

[1 marks]Reflection and refraction of plane waves in a ripple tank
In a ripple tank, plane wave fronts travel from a deep region of water into a shallower region. What happens to the wavelength of the waves as they enter the shallow region?
  1. AThe wavelength decreases.
  2. BThe wavelength increases.
  3. CThe wavelength stays the same but the frequency changes.
  4. DBoth the wavelength and frequency stay exactly the same.

Question 802

[1 marks]Reflection and refraction of plane waves in a ripple tank
State the law that relates the angle of incidence to the angle of reflection when a wave reflects off a plane barrier.

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Question 901

[1 marks]Final temperature of a water mixture
20 kg of water at 90 °C is added to 4 kg of water at 30 °C in a plastic basin. (Specific heat capacity of water = 4200 J/kg/°C.) What is the final temperature of the mixture?
  1. A80 °C
  2. B60 °C
  3. C40 °C
  4. D85 °C

Question 902

[1 marks]Final temperature of a water mixture
State the principle applied when a mass of hot water is mixed with a mass of cooler water to find the final temperature of the mixture.

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Question 1001

[1 marks]Transformer identification
Name the electrical device consisting of two coils wound on either side of a shared iron core, used in a power circuit to change the size of an alternating voltage.

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Question 1002

[1 marks]Transformer identification
In a transformer, what is the name of the coil connected to the input (supply) side?

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Question 1003

[1 marks]Transformer identification
In a transformer, what is the name of the coil connected to the output (load) side?

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Question 1101

[1 marks]Stopping distance vs speed graph; temperature and thermometer calibration
Give one factor, other than a car's speed, that affects its stopping distance.

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Question 1102

[1 marks]Stopping distance vs speed graph; temperature and thermometer calibration
In an experiment to find the specific heat capacity of brine by electrical heating, a 0.1 kg aluminium calorimeter contains 0.05 kg of brine. A heating coil is run at 5.0 V and 1.0 A for 450 s, raising the temperature by 7.5 °C. Given the specific heat capacity of aluminium is 900 J/kg/K, what is the specific heat capacity of the brine?
  1. A1400 J/kg/K
  2. B2000 J/kg/K
  3. C6000 J/kg/K
  4. D4200 J/kg/K

Question 1103

[1 marks]Stopping distance vs speed graph; temperature and thermometer calibration
What is the typical temperature range, in °C, of a clinical thermometer?
  1. A-10 °C to 110 °C
  2. B35 °C to 42 °C
  3. C37 °C to 100 °C
  4. D0 °C to 100 °C

Question 1201

[1 marks]Converging lens ray diagram; plotting magnetic field lines
When determining the focal length of a converging lens experimentally, a beam of rays parallel to the lens axis (e.g. from a distant object) is passed through the lens. Where do these rays converge after passing through the lens?
  1. AAt the focal point of the lens.
  2. BAt the optical centre of the lens.
  3. CAt a point twice the focal length from the lens.
  4. DThey remain parallel and never converge.

Question 1202

[1 marks]Converging lens ray diagram; plotting magnetic field lines
A small object is placed on the axis of a converging lens of focal length 2 cm, at a distance of 5 cm from the lens. What is the nature of the image formed?
  1. AVirtual, upright, and magnified.
  2. BReal, inverted, and magnified.
  3. CReal, upright, and the same size as the object.
  4. DReal, inverted, and diminished (smaller than the object).

Question 1203

[1 marks]Converging lens ray diagram; plotting magnetic field lines
Two bar magnets are placed with their North poles facing each other, a short distance apart. Where does the neutral point form?
  1. AOutside the two magnets, beyond one of the poles.
  2. BAt the surface of one of the magnets.
  3. CMidway between the two North poles, on the line joining them.
  4. DThere is no neutral point in this arrangement.

Question 1301

[1 marks]Electromagnetic induction between coils; thermionic emission and the cathode-ray tube
An outer coil is connected to a DC source via a switch H; an inner coil, wound inside the outer coil, is connected to a sensitive galvanometer. What is observed on the galvanometer at the instant switch H is closed?
  1. AThe galvanometer shows a steady, constant reading for as long as the switch stays closed.
  2. BThe galvanometer needle deflects.
  3. CThe galvanometer needle deflects only when the switch is later opened, not when it is closed.
  4. DThe galvanometer needle does not move at all.

Question 1302

[1 marks]Electromagnetic induction between coils; thermionic emission and the cathode-ray tube
In this induction set-up (an outer coil connected to a DC source via a switch, and an inner coil connected to a galvanometer), what is the effect of increasing the number of turns of the inner coil, with everything else unchanged?
  1. AThe induced current/voltage increases.
  2. BThe induced current/voltage decreases.
  3. CThe induced current/voltage stays exactly the same.
  4. DNo current is induced at all.

Question 1303

[1 marks]Electromagnetic induction between coils; thermionic emission and the cathode-ray tube
In a device demonstrating thermionic emission, electrons from a heated filament are accelerated and pass through a narrow slit before striking a fluorescent screen. What happens if the slit width is increased?
  1. AThe electrons are deflected more strongly by the magnetic field.
  2. BThe electrons travel faster and hit the screen with more energy.
  3. CMore electrons pass through, giving a brighter but less sharply focused spot.
  4. DFewer electrons pass through, giving a dimmer but sharper spot.

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