UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE LOCAL EXAMINATIONS SYNDICATE

General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level

PHYSICS 5054/1
PAPER 1 Multiple Choice
Tuesday 8 JUNE 1999 Afternoon 1 hour

Additional materials:
Multiple Choice answer sheet
Soft clean eraser
Soft pencil (type B or HB is recommended)

TIME 1 hour

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
Do not open this booklet until you are told to do so.
Write your name, Centre number and candidate number on the answer sheet in the spaces provided
unless this has already been done for you.
There are forty questions in this paper. Answer all questions. For each question, there are four
possible answers, A, B, C and D. Choose the one you consider correct and record your choice in soft
pencil on the separate answer sheet.
Read very carefully the instructions on the answer sheet.

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

Each correct answer will score one mark. A mark will not be deducted for a wrong answer.
Any rough working should be done in this booklet.

This question paper consists of 12 printed pages.

SB (SLC / JB) QF92357/3
© UCLES 1999 [Turn over
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1 The diagram shows part of a micrometer screw gauge.

0 1 2 3 4 5

mm 30

What is the reading shown?

A 5.31 mm B 5.79 mm C 5.81 mm D 6.31 mm

2 Which property of a body is affected by a change in gravitational field?

A mass
B temperature
C volume
D weight

3 Books are placed in four bookcases as shown.

Which bookcase is most likely to fall forward if pulled a little?

A B C D

4 A stone of mass of 12 g and having a density of 3 g/cm3 is carefully lowered into 25 cm3 of water in
a measuring cylinder.

What is the new reading on the measuring cylinder?

A 21 cm3 B 28 cm3 C 29 cm3 D 37 cm3

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5 A spanner is used to loosen a nut. The turning effect depends on the force applied and the
perpendicular distance from the force to the nut.

Which name is given to the turning effect?

A moment
B pivot
C pressure
D resultant

6 Which property of a solid object cannot be changed by the application of a force?

A length
B mass

;;
C shape
D speed

7 The diagram shows part of a hydroelectric power station.

At which point does water have most potential energy?

;
A
reservoir of
water
B

dam

C D
generator

8 The equation E = mc 2 gives the amount of energy released as a result of nuclear fission.

What does m stand for?

A the original mass of the nuclei

B the final total mass of the nuclei
C the increase in total mass of the nuclei
D the decrease in total mass of the nuclei

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9 Equal masses of water are poured into four jars as shown.

In which jar is the pressure exerted by the water on the base the greatest?

A B C D

10 Atmospheric pressure is 100 000 Pa (100 000 N/m2).

What is the total weight of the atmosphere pressing down on a flat horizontal roof of dimensions
4 m x 2 m?

A 1250 N B 12 500 N C 100 000 N D 800 000 N

11 Water left in a beaker evaporates.

What happens during the evaporation?

A High energy molecules escape and the water gains thermal energy from the surroundings.
B High energy molecules escape and the water loses thermal energy to the surroundings.
C Low energy molecules escape and the water loses thermal energy to the surroundings.
D Low energy molecules escape and the water gains thermal energy from the surroundings.

12 How are the forces between the molecules in a gas and the average speed of these molecules
best described?

forces between molecules average speed of molecules

A very strong very slow
B strong fast
C weak slow
D very weak very fast

13 The expansion of a substance as it is heated depends on whether it is solid, liquid or gas.

What is the relative order of expansion?

least most
expansion → expansion
A gas liquid solid
B liquid solid gas
C solid gas liquid
D solid liquid gas
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14 The lengths of mercury thread in the stem of a mercury thermometer are given in three situations.

length in melting ice = 20 mm

length in steam above boiling water = 170 mm
length in liquid X = 50 mm

What is the temperature of liquid X?

A 20 °C B 25 °C C 30 °C D 33.3 °C

15 When you stand in bare feet with one foot on a stone floor and the other on a carpet, the stone
floor feels colder than the carpet.

What is the most likely explanation?

A Air is unable to circulate through the carpet fibres.

B More energy flows from the carpet to your foot than from the stone floor to your foot.
C More energy flows from your foot to the stone floor than from your foot to the carpet.
D The stone floor is at a lower temperature than the carpet.

16 For infra-red radiation, shiny surfaces are

A good absorbers and good emitters.

B good absorbers and poor emitters.
C poor absorbers and good emitters.
D poor absorbers and poor emitters.

17 Which of the following is a correct example of a longitudinal wave and of a transverse wave?

longitudinal wave transverse wave

A light radio
B radio sound
C sound X-ray
D X-ray light

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18 The diagram shows the direction of movement of a wavefront XY in medium 1 and, later, in
medium 2.

X
medium 1
medium 2
Y
X

How do the speed and frequency of the wave change when the wavefront passes into medium 2?

speed frequency
A decreases decreases
B decreases no change
C increases decreases
D increases no change

19 Red light travelling in glass strikes a glass-air boundary. Some light is reflected and some is
refracted.

Which diagram correctly shows the reflection and refraction?

A B C D
y y

air y air x air

air
glass glass glass glass
xx x x x y x x

20 In the diagram, XY is a converging (convex) lens.

Points labelled F are one focal length from the lens and points labelled 2F are two focal
lengths from the lens.

If an object is placed at O, at which point is the image of its base formed?

O
B C D
2F F A F 2F

Y
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21 The speeds of sound in air, in steel and in water are different.

Which of the following gives the speeds in increasing order?

slowest → fastest

A air water steel
B steel water air
C water air steel
D water steel air

22 A sound wave from a violin has a larger amplitude than that from a flute. The sound wave from the
flute has a higher frequency than that from the violin.

Which instrument produces the louder sound and which produces the sound of higher pitch?

louder sound higher pitch

A flute flute
B flute violin
C violin flute
D violin violin

23 Three bars of metal are known to be brass, iron and steel. A magnet is placed at one end of each
metal bar.

The diagrams show how many tacks are picked up by each metal bar.

N N N

S S S

metal metal metal

1 2 3

tacks

What are metals 1, 2 and 3?

metal 1 metal 2 metal 3

A iron brass steel
B iron steel brass
C steel brass iron
D steel iron brass
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24 Recorded audio tapes should not be left near the back of a working television set.

This is because they could be damaged by

A high-energy electrons.
B high-energy X-rays.
C strong electric fields.
D strong magnetic fields.

25 Which diagram shows the V/ I characteristic graph for a conductor that obeys Ohm’s law?

A B C D

V V V V

0 0 0 0
0 I 0 I 0 I 0 I

26 Why is a positively charged object made neutral (discharged) by someone touching it?

A Electrons flow from the object.

B Electrons flow on to the object.
C Protons flow from the object.
D Protons flow on to the object.

27 When a p.d. of 2 V is applied across a resistor, 10 J of energy are converted.

What charge flows through the resistor?

A 0.20 C B 5.0 C C 12 C D 20 C

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28 Similar cells are used to light similar lamps in the circuits below.

R
P Q

Which lamp is brightest and which is dimmest?

brightest dimmest
A Q P
B Q R
C R P
D R Q

29 Many houses have an electricity meter that is read so that the cost of the electricity used by the
customer may be calculated.

What does the electricity meter record?

A charge
B current
C energy
D power

30 An electrician is asked to add an on/off switch and a fuse to a mains circuit.

In which wire should each of these be placed?

on/off switch fuse

A live earth
B live live
C neutral live
D neutral neutral

31 Why does a transformer have a core made of iron?

A Iron has a high melting point.

B Iron is a conductor of electricity.
C Iron is a conductor of heat.
D Iron is a magnetic material.
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32 A bar magnet is rotated on a shaft near to a coil as shown.

A cathode-ray oscilloscope connected to the coil indicates the induced e.m.f.

S N

cathode-ray
oscilloscope

Which change does not increase the size of the induced e.m.f.?

A moving the magnet closer to the coil

B turning the magnet in the opposite direction at the same speed
C turning the magnet in the same direction at a greater speed
D using a coil with more turns

33 How are the electrons produced in a cathode-ray tube?

A by applying an electric field to the X-plates

B by heating a metal filament
C by ionisation of the air
D by radioactive decay

34 The diagram shows a light-sensitive alarm which uses a light-dependent resistor (LDR), a reed
relay and a buzzer.

buzzer
LDR

reed relay

Which of the following describes the resistance of the LDR, the position of the reed relay switch
and the condition of the buzzer when light is shining?

resistance reed relay

of LDR switch buzzer
A high closed off
B high open on
C low closed on
D low open off
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35 A beam consisting of α-particles, β-particles and γ-rays passes through a magnetic field at right
angles to the direction of the beam.

What happens?

α-particles β-particles γ -rays

A deflected deflected deflected
B deflected deflected not deflected
C deflected not deflected deflected
D not deflected deflected deflected

36 The half-life of isotope X is four days and its initial mass is 32 mg.

What mass of the isotope X will remain after twelve days?

A 4 mg B 8 mg C 12 mg D 16 mg

37 The symbol for one isotope of uranium is 233 U.

92

How many neutrons, protons and electrons are there in a neutral atom of this isotope?

number of number of number of

neutrons protons electrons
A 92 92 141
B 92 141 141
C 141 92 92
D 141 92 141

38 In the Geiger-Marsden experiment, a narrow beam of α-particles was fired at a thin piece of gold
foil in a vacuum. A few of the particles were scattered through large angles.

The result of the experiment provided evidence for the existence of

A a very small nucleus.

B electrons orbiting the nucleus.
C neutrons in the nucleus.
D nuclear reactions.

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39 A sound wave is reflected from a brick wall.

incident
sound wave

brickwall

reflected sound wave

Compared with the incident wave, the reflected wave has

A a greater amplitude.
B a shorter wavelength.
C the same speed.
D the same velocity.

40 Forces exist between two masses, between two charges and between two magnetic poles.

In which line are the forces only of attraction and not of repulsion?

force force
A + electric + N magnetic S
B + electric – m gravitational m
C m gravitational m N magnetic N
D N magnetic N + electric –

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