A Level Physics Practice Questions

The base unit for gravitational field strength is

A body travelled in a straight line as shown in the velocity(v) - time(t) graph. Which distance(s)-time(t) graph correctly represents the motion of the body?

A missile is launched at an acute angle to the horizontal. Half-way through its trajectory, it explodes into several fragments due to entirely internal forces. Assuming free fall throughout, which statement is true?

The diagram shows a potential divider which is used to give outputs of 3V and 6V from a 15V source. What are the correct values of resistors?

Two identical cells are connected to a resistor R and an ammeter in two ways as shown in the diagrams. The current flowing through the ammeter in both circuits are equal. What is the internal resistance of each cell?

An alternating current with the wave form and magnitude shown in the diagram passes through a milliameter calibrated for r.m.s. readings of current. What current, in mA, will the meter record?

In the circuit shown below the internal resistance of the cell is 0.2Ω. The electromotive force of the cell is 6V. What is the voltmeter reading when the current flowing through the cell is 2A?

In a perfectly elastic collision, which statement correctly describes momentum and energy conservation?

Three equal forces F acting at a point are in equilibrium. Which diagram correctly represents these forces?

A 2.0m long uniform rod of mass 1.0kg is pivoted at point P and it is in equilibrium under the forces acting on it as shown in the diagram (a force F at 60 degrees to the rod acting 50cm from the left end, the pivot P just right of that, and a 20N weight hanging from the right end). What is the value of force F?

The diagram shows two resistors of resistance 5000Ω and 2500Ω connected in series. A potential difference of 120V is maintained across them. The potential difference across the 5000Ω resistor is measured using a voltmeter of internal resistance 5000Ω. What is the reading of the voltmeter?

The diagram shows a uniform resistance wire MN of length 100.0cm which is connected to a standard cell of e.m.f. 1.5V and of negligible internal resistance. The circuit is completed with a cell of e.m.f. E, a sensitive galvanometer and a slider P, as shown. When no current flows through the galvanometer, what is the value of E?

Which set is made of units that are not identical?

If $x$ and $y$ are related by the equation $y = \exp(-c/x)$, where c is a constant, which graph represents a straight line?

A tennis ball is dropped from a particular height h. The motion of the ball is monitored over three bounces. Which graph shows how the velocity (V) is varying with time (t)?

The unit for $\mu_o$, the permeability of a vacuum is kgms$^{-2}$ and that for $\varepsilon_o$, the permittivity of a vacuum is kg$^{-1}$m$^{-3}$s$^4$. If C is the speed of light in a vacuum, which of the following has units of $\mu_o \varepsilon_o$?

A student used base units to check an equation and found that the left hand side of the equation was equivalent to the right hand side. Which of the following statements about the equation is correct?

A student makes five measurements and the readings are represented by crosses as shown in the diagram. Which set of readings represents measurements which are precise but not accurate?

Which quantity is not a base quantity?

The base units of Planck's constant are

Which is not a base unit?

Which expression has the newton as its unit?

The relationship between $\alpha$, p, q and t is given by $\alpha = q + pt$ where t is time in seconds. If p has units of $ms^{-1}$ what are the units of q?

The relationship between four physical quantities $x$, $p$, $q$ and $t$ is given by $x = p + qt$, where $t$ is the time in seconds. If $q$ has units of $ms^{-1}$, what are the units of $p$?

Which one is the correct unit for electric field strength?

Which one has the greatest in magnitude?

The fundamental frequency f of an open pipe of length L, with the speed of sound v, is given as f = v/(2L). Checking this using base units, which statement is correct?

The pressure p at a point in a fluid of density ρ moving with speed v is given as p = (1/2)ρv. Checking this using base units, which statement is correct?

The banking angle θ of an aeroplane moving with speed v on a path of radius of curvature r is given as tanθ = v²/(rg). Checking this using base units, which statement is correct?

Torque and energy share the same base-unit combination, kg m² s^-2. Why would it be inappropriate to measure torque in joules?

What is meant by the diffraction of waves?

Fig. 4.2 shows two wave patterns, A and B, after passing through gaps of different widths. Which pattern shows the wave fronts emerging from the narrower gap?

Why does pattern A (Fig. 4.2) correspond to the narrower gap?

Why is diffraction of sound waves a common, noticeable phenomenon in everyday life, while diffraction of light waves is not?

Give the expression for E, the energy of a photon, in terms of its frequency f and the Planck constant h.

Using the energy level diagram (Fig. 7.1), where n=1 is at -16.64×10^-19 J and n=4 is at -2.56×10^-19 J, calculate the energy required to raise an electron from n=1 to n=4.

In measuring a physical quantity, which statement correctly distinguishes a systematic error from a random error?

A rectangular piece of paper has length 297±1 mm and width 152±1 mm. Using ΔA/A = ΔL/L + ΔW/W, calculate the fractional uncertainty in its area.

A rectangular piece of paper has length 297 mm and width 152 mm. Calculate its area.

Define radioactive decay.

What is meant by an object's terminal velocity?

State the condition (in terms of the forces acting) under which an object travels at terminal velocity.

An object is projected vertically upward from the ground. Its velocity-time graph is a straight line from (0 s, 10 m/s) through (3 s, 0 m/s), continuing with the same slope to about (5 s, -6.7 m/s). Deduce from the graph the time at which the object reaches maximum height.

What term describes an error that affects every reading in a set of measurements by the same amount and in the same direction?

What term describes an error that causes repeated measurements of the same quantity to have different, unpredictable values?

In an experiment to measure the acceleration of free fall g, a steel ball took 807 ms to fall a distance of 3.20 m from rest. Using s = (1/2)gt^2, calculate the value of g.

State the definition of linear momentum.

State the SI unit of linear momentum.

Which of the following is a plausible order-of-magnitude estimate for the wavelength of a gamma-ray photon?

Fig. 7.1 shows a ray AB in one medium striking boundary PQ at 55° to the normal and refracting into ray BC in the other medium at 35° to the normal. Using the figure, state whether the glass lies above or below the line PQ.

In an experiment to find the resistance of an ohmic conductor, current I is plotted against potential difference V. The plotted points lie on both sides of the best fit straight line. Which feature of the graph is evidence that random errors are present?

Current I is plotted against potential difference V for an ohmic conductor. The best fit line is straight, but it cuts the I axis at a positive current when V is zero. Which feature of the graph shows that a systematic error is present?

The total linear momentum of a system of particles stays constant provided that

A car travelling at 20 m/s hits a large rock and stops instantly. A passenger of mass 65 kg wearing a seat belt is brought to rest in 0.5 s. Calculate the magnitude of the constant force the belt exerts on the passenger.

Two forces acting on an object form a couple. Which statement gives the conditions the two forces must satisfy?

Two forces of 12 N and 10 N act at the same point on an object, with an angle of 60 degrees between their lines of action. Calculate the magnitude of their resultant force.

What is meant by linear momentum?

State the principle of conservation of linear momentum, assuming no external force acts on a system of colliding bodies.

How is the principle of conservation of momentum linked to Newton's third law?

Sphere A (mass m) moving at speed 4u collides elastically with sphere B (mass 2m) moving at speed u in the same direction. What is meant by an elastic collision?

Fig. 2.1 shows a snapshot of a water wave's waveform, with particle A at 0.60 m from the origin O. Using the graph, determine the wavelength.

In terms of nuclear constituents, what is meant by atomic number?

In terms of nuclear constituents, what is meant by mass number?

In terms of nuclear constituents, what is meant by isotopes?

A body moves in a circle at constant speed. Which statement correctly explains why it is still accelerating?

A pendulum bob of mass 72.0 g is rotated at a constant speed of 4.5 m/s in a vertical circle of radius 50.0 cm. Calculate the centripetal force on the bob.

For the bob of mass 72.0 g moving at 4.5 m/s in a vertical circle of radius 50.0 cm, the centripetal force is 2.92 N. Calculate the tension in the string when the bob is at the lowest point of the circle (directly below the centre).

The north pole of a magnet is pulled out of a solenoid connected to a galvanometer. Points A, B, C and D lie on the wire, with the induced current flowing from B to A through the external circuit. Which points does the current flow between in the external circuit?

State the law relating the angle of incidence i and angle of refraction r for light passing between two given media.

What is meant by the critical angle, for light travelling from a denser medium towards a less dense one?

Which statement correctly distinguishes distance from displacement?

A ball is projected from a cliff 96 m high and lands 7.0 s later, a net 96 m below the launch point (air resistance negligible, $g = 9.81$ m s$^{-2}$). Using $s = ut - \frac{1}{2}gt^2$ with $s = -96$ m and $t = 7.0$ s (taking upward as positive), calculate the initial vertical velocity $u$ of the ball.

The ball's initial vertical velocity is $u \approx 20.6$ m s$^{-1}$ upward and $g = 9.81$ m s$^{-2}$. Calculate the time taken to reach the greatest height, where the vertical velocity is momentarily zero.

Which is a correct SI base quantity-unit pairing?

Which factor can make a dimensionally correct equation physically wrong?

Poiseuille's law for fluid flux Φ through a pipe is $\Phi = \frac{\pi}{8}\frac{\rho}{\eta}(P_1-P_2)\frac{R^4}{L}$, where ρ is density, η is viscosity (units Pa s), $P_1-P_2$ is a pressure difference, R is the pipe's internal radius and L is its length. Determine the base SI units of Φ.

Define work done by a force.

Starting from W = Fx, with F = ma and v^2 = u^2 + 2ax for a body accelerated from rest (u = 0), what equation for kinetic energy Ek does this derivation give, in terms of mass m and speed v?

A cyclist and bicycle of total mass 69.0 kg move at 5.5 m/s at the top of a rise. Calculate the cyclist's kinetic energy at the top of the rise.

The same cyclist and bicycle (total mass 69.0 kg, kinetic energy 1.04x10^3 J at the top) roll down without pedalling to level ground 4.6 m below the top. Taking g = 9.81 m/s^2, calculate the kinetic energy at the bottom of the rise.

A student repeats a measurement many times using an instrument that has not been checked for a zero error. Which statement correctly describes how random and systematic errors affect the set of readings obtained?

A ball has a diameter of about 2.15 mm. Name the laboratory instrument that should be used to measure this diameter to the nearest 0.01 mm.