Physics Paper 2 November 2023

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1. Atotal force acting on an object, whatever its direction.
2. Bforce acting per unit volume.
3. Cenergy transferred per unit area.
4. Dforce acting normally per unit area.

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1. Atotal amount of work the machine is able to do before it eventually wears out.
2. Bratio of useful work output to work input, usually expressed as a percentage.
3. Cforce needed to operate the machine continuously at its full rated capacity.
4. Dratio of the machine's own weight to the maximum load it is able to lift.

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1. Alower fuel consumption whenever the engine is idling.
2. Ba smaller and noticeably lighter engine for the same power output.
3. Ca much simpler engine that is cheaper to manufacture and repair.
4. Dsmoother running, with more even power distribution.

1. AThe compression stroke.
2. BThe induction (intake) stroke.
3. CThe power (ignition) stroke.
4. DThe exhaust stroke.

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1. Anumber of complete waves that pass one fixed point in the medium every single second.
2. Bthe biggest possible displacement of a wave's oscillating particles from their normal rest position.
3. Cdistance between two successive points on a wave that are in phase (e.g. crest to crest).
4. Dtime taken for exactly one complete wave to pass a single fixed point in the medium.

1. Anumber of complete waves passing a fixed point per second.
2. Bmaximum displacement of a wave's particles from their rest position.
3. Cspeed at which a wave travels through a given medium.
4. Ddistance between two successive crests of a moving wave.

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1. AA=1 and B=0.
2. BA=0 and B=1.
3. CA=1 and B=1.
4. DA=0 and B=0.

1. AAn automated safety interlock/alarm system that only activates when several sensor conditions are met.
2. BA household torch that is switched on and off by hand, with a single battery.
3. CA simple potential-divider circuit a technician adjusts by hand to dim a light.
4. DA single fixed resistor placed in a circuit just to limit the current.

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1. AIts direction reverses, but its pattern (concentric circles) and strength stay the same.
2. BIt disappears completely, since reversing the cell's polarity stops any current from flowing at all.
3. CIts strength doubles, since reversing the cell somehow adds to the original field strength.
4. DIts pattern changes entirely from concentric circles into straight parallel lines.

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1. AOrange.
2. BRed.
3. CViolet.
4. DGreen.

1. ARed.
2. BYellow.
3. CViolet.
4. DBlue.

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1. ASound travels too slowly in air to be timed by any stop watch, however carefully and precisely the observer starts and stops it.
2. BA hand-held stop watch is mechanically unable to measure any time interval shorter than a full minute, no matter the design.
3. CSound waves simply cannot be detected by an unaided human observer without dedicated electronic timing apparatus.
4. DThe distances available are short, so the travel time is very small and comparable to human reaction time, giving a large percentage error.

1. ALike poles repel each other, and unlike poles attract each other.
2. BLike poles attract each other, and unlike poles repel each other.
3. CA freely suspended magnet comes to rest pointing east-west.
4. DMagnets attract all metals equally, regardless of type.

1. ASteel magnetises and demagnetises easily but does not retain magnetism well; iron is harder to magnetise but retains magnetism longer.
2. BIron magnetises and demagnetises easily but does not retain magnetism well; steel is harder to magnetise but retains magnetism longer.
3. CBoth iron and steel magnetise and demagnetise equally easily.
4. DNeither iron nor steel can be magnetised at all.

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1. AThe heating element itself gradually melts as it heats up and simply stops conducting current.
2. BThe plug automatically disconnects itself from the wall socket once the iron gets hot enough.
3. CThe heated bimetallic strip bends and breaks contact with the fixed contact point, opening the circuit.
4. DThe iron's thermostat is really just decorative and has no genuine effect on the heating circuit at all.

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1. AThe colour of a strip of blue litmus paper.
2. BThe electrical resistance of a conductor.
3. CThe chemical formula of a substance.
4. DThe atomic number of an element.

1. AA liquid crystal thermometer.
2. BA thermocouple thermometer.
3. CA mercury-in-glass thermometer.
4. DAn alcohol-in-glass thermometer.

1. AA thermocouple thermometer, designed for very high temperatures.
2. BAn ordinary clinical thermometer used for body temperature.
3. CA mercury-in-glass thermometer, since mercury is the standard choice.
4. DAn alcohol (ethanol)-in-glass thermometer.

1. Aindependent of the volume.
2. Bdirectly proportional to the volume.
3. Cdirectly proportional to the square of the volume.
4. Dinversely proportional to the volume.

1. AThe dissolved sodium carbonate raises the boiling point of the water above 100°C, so the meat cooks in hotter water.
2. BThe sodium carbonate lowers the boiling point of the water, so the water boils much sooner than it otherwise would.
3. CThe sodium carbonate directly breaks down the meat's fibres through an electrical reaction with the water.
4. DThe sodium carbonate increases the water's specific heat capacity, so it stores and delivers noticeably more heat energy into the meat as it cooks.

1. AThe open pot loses heat and water vapour freely to the surroundings by evaporation and convection, slowing the temperature rise.
2. BThe open pot has a smaller surface area exposed for heat to enter through, slowing heating.
3. COpen pots simply conduct heat more slowly through their walls than covered pots do.
4. DAn open pot raises the water's boiling point, so more energy is always needed to reach it.

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1. AThe vibrating source pushes one single air particle all the way across the room until it reaches the listener's ear.
2. BThe vibrating source makes nearby air particles vibrate; these vibrations pass from particle to particle, alternately compressing and rarefying the air, carrying energy outward as a longitudinal wave.
3. CSound is actually produced by fast light waves that the source emits, which the ear then converts into vibration.
4. DThe vibrating source creates one permanent, unmoving change in air pressure that stays fixed and never travels anywhere.

1. ASound is a mechanical wave that needs particles of a medium to vibrate and collide; a vacuum has no particles.
2. BSound waves require the pull of gravity to propagate, and gravity is absent inside a vacuum.
3. CSound waves are actually a form of light, and light itself cannot exist in a vacuum either.
4. DA vacuum instantly absorbs all sound energy the moment the wave enters it.

1. ALiquids have a lower density than air overall, so the sound wave meets less resistance there.
2. BThe particles of a liquid are more closely packed than in air, so vibrations are passed from particle to particle more quickly.
3. CLiquids absorb the sound energy as it enters them, which somehow speeds the wave up.
4. DSound waves change into transverse waves once inside a liquid, and transverse waves always travel faster.

1. AThe stick genuinely, physically bends the moment it touches the surface of the water.
2. BLight travels faster in water than in air, which makes the submerged part appear closer than it actually is.
3. CLight from the submerged part refracts (bends away from the normal) on leaving the water, so the eye traces it back to a position higher than the stick's real position.
4. DThe water's own colour makes the submerged part of the stick look like it sits in a different position than it really does.

1. AOhm's law states that electrical power is always proportional to the square of the current, for any component, at any temperature, in any circuit.
2. BCurrent through a conductor is always directly proportional to potential difference across it, regardless of temperature or which component is being used in the circuit.
3. CCurrent through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across it, provided physical conditions (especially temperature) are constant; it does not apply to non-ohmic components like filament lamps whose resistance changes with current.
4. DResistance is directly proportional to the current flowing, for any conductor at any temperature, ohmic or not, with no exceptions at all.

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1. AResistance decreases continuously and steadily as the voltage across the lamp increases.
2. BResistance is constant at low voltage/current, then increases as voltage/current increase, because the increasing current heats the filament.
3. CResistance is zero throughout the graph, since the lamp behaves as a perfect conductor.
4. DResistance stays exactly constant across every single voltage shown on the whole graph.

1. AA resistor.
2. BA capacitor that has fully discharged.
3. CAn ammeter.
4. DA solar (photovoltaic) cell.

1. AA solid, uniformly dense sphere of matter with no internal structure at all.
2. BA small, dense, positively charged nucleus of protons and neutrons, surrounded by negatively charged electrons moving around it in shells; the atom is mostly empty space.
3. CA uniform positively charged sphere with electrons embedded throughout it like plums in a pudding, with no distinct nucleus.
4. DA dense central nucleus made only of electrons, which protons and neutrons orbit around.

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1. AAlpha particles have a higher penetrating power than gamma radiation, needing thick lead to stop them.
2. BAlpha particles are uncharged electromagnetic radiation with no mass; gamma rays are charged helium nuclei with mass.
3. CAlpha particles are charged helium nuclei with mass and low penetrating power; gamma rays are uncharged, massless electromagnetic radiation with high penetrating power.
4. DAlpha particles and gamma radiation are actually identical in charge, mass and penetrating power.

1. AHandle radioactive sources for as long as needed, with no protective equipment worn at all.
2. BHandle radioactive materials directly with bare hands to feel for any leaks.
3. CKeep radioactive materials as close to the body as possible for the most accurate readings.
4. DUse remote handling tools/tongs, wear protective (lead-lined) clothing, and minimise the time of exposure.

1. AIn an open container on a regular shelf, unlabelled, for easy access.
2. BTogether with food supplies to save storage space.
3. CIn a plastic container with no shielding, since plastic blocks all radiation.
4. DIn thick lead-lined containers, in a secure area away from people, clearly labelled with radioactive warning signs.

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1. ACuring every viral infection instantly, without any other treatment being needed.
2. BServing as the main raw material used to manufacture surgical instruments.
3. CDiagnosing and treating cancer (radiotherapy) and tracing processes in the body.
4. DReplacing blood transfusions entirely, so no donor blood is ever needed at all.

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