TEMASEK JUNIOR COLLEGE

2008 Preliminary Examination

Higher 2

PHYSICS 9745/01
Paper 1 Multiple Choice 19 September 2008

1 hour 15 minutes
Additional Materials: Multiple Choice Answer Sheet

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

Write in soft pencil.

Do not use staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid
Write your name, Centre number, Index number and C.G. on the Answer Sheet in the
spaces provided.

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 the instructions on the Answer Sheet very carefully.

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 document consists of 17 printed pages.

[Turn over
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Data

speed of light in free space, c = 3.00 x 108 m s-1

permeability of free space, o = 4 x 10-7 H m-1

permittivity of free space, o = 8.85 x 10-12 Fm-1

(1 / (36 )) x 10-9 Fm-1

elementary charge, e = 1.60 x 10-19 C

the Planck constant, h = 6.63 x 10-34 J s

unified atomic mass constant, u = 1.66 x 10-27 kg

rest mass of electron, me = 9.11 x 10-31 kg

rest mass of proton, mp = 1.67 x 10-27 kg

molar gas constant, R = 8.31 J K-1 mol-1

the Avogadro constant, NA = 6.02 x 1023 mol-1

the Boltzmann constant, k = 1.38 x 10-23 J K-1

gravitational constant, G = 6.67 x 10-11 N m2 kg-2

acceleration of free fall, g = 9.81 m s-2

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Formulae

uniformly accelerated motion, s = ut + at2

v2 = u2 + 2as

work done on/by a gas, W = pV

hydrostatic pressure, p = gh

gravitational potential, Gm
= -
r

displacement of particle in s.h.m. x = xo sin t

velocity of particle in s.h.m. v = vo cos t

=
xo - x 2
2

resistors in series, R = R1 + R2 +

resistors in parallel, 1/R = 1/R1 + 1/R2 +

electric potential, V = Q / 4or

alternating current/voltage, x = xo sin t

transmission coefficient, T = exp(-2kd)

8p 2 m U - E
where k =
h2

radioactive decay, x = xo exp (-t)

decay constant 0.693

=
t1
2
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1 The drag force F is related to the velocity v by the expression

F = KAv2

where K is a constant, is the density of air, A is the cross-sectional

area of the raindrop and v is the velocity of the raindrop.

What is the unit of K?

A dimensionless B m s-1
C kg m s-1 D m-2 s-4

2 Given that the quantities a, b and c are related by a = bc4.

What is the maximum percentage uncertainty in b if the maximum percentage
uncertainties in a and c are 1 % and 2 % respectively?
A 1% B 3% C 7% D 9%

3 Ball A is dropped from the top of a building. One second later, ball B is dropped from the
same building. Neglecting air resistance, as time progresses, the difference in their
speeds

A remains constant.
B increases.
C decreases.
D Increases and then decreases.

4 The gondola of a cable-car system lifts skiers to the top of a mountain. Normally, the
gondola hangs vertically, but on a windy day, the gondola is blown through an angle by
the force of the wind as shown in the figure.

cable

support

gondola force of the wind

The weight of the gondola is 1900 N and the tension in the support is 2100 N when the
gondola is in equilibrium.
The magnitude of the horizontal force acting on the gondola is
A 890 N B 1900 N
C 1000 N D 2800 N
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5 A small container which is open to the atmosphere contains a layer of liquid L, floating
on liquid M. Liquid M has a density which is twice as great as that of liquid L.
x

Liquid L

Liquid M

Which graph shows how the pressure, p, at a point varies with its height, x above the
base of the container?

A B
p p

x x

C D
p p

x x

6 A mass hangs by a string from the ceiling of a carriage in a train and is just above a
certain mark on the floor when the train is at rest. When the train is moving forward with
constant velocity, the mass

A is behind the mark, so that the string is along the resultant of the forces due to the
motion of the train and gravity.
B is behind the mark in a position in which the horizontal force exerted by the train on
the mass is balanced by the horizontal component of the tension in the string.
C remains over the mark because the force due to the motion of the train is balanced
by the reaction of the string on the support.
D remains over the mark because the motion of the train produces no additional force
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on the mass.
7 A railway trolley starts from rest and is driven along a straight horizontal track by a motor
which exerts a constant force. The effects of friction and air resistance can be
neglected. Which of the graphs below best represents the variation of the momentum p
with distance travelled s?

A B

p p

s s

C D
p p

s s

8 A neutron moving with an initial velocity u has a head-on elastic collision with a
stationary proton. After the collision, the velocity of the neutron is v and that of the
proton is w. Taking the masses of the neutron and proton to be equal, which one of the
following statements is wrong?
A Conservation of momentum shows that u = v + w.
B Conservation of energy shows that u2 = v2 + w2.
C The fact that the collision is elastic implies that the neutron and proton move off in
opposite directions with equal speeds.
D The momentum and energy equations taken together imply that the speed of the
proton after the collision is the same as that of the neutron before the collision.

9 A golfer misjudges a putt and leaves her ball way short, the ball going only one-third of
the way to the hole. If the speed of the ball leaving the putter in the first case is vo and
the force of resistance due to the grass remains the same, what speed should she have
given to the ball to make the original putt?
A 2 vo B 3 vo C 6 vo D 3 vo
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10 A space vehicle of mass m re-enters the Earths atmosphere at an angle of to the

horizontal. Because of air resistance, the vehicle travels at a constant speed v. The
heat shield of the vehicle dissipates heat at a rate P, so that the mean temperature of
the vehicle remains constant.
Taking g as the relevant value of the acceleration of free fall, which expression is equal
to P?
A mgv B mgv sin C mv2 D mv2 sin2

11 50 cm3 of material X is floating on water, and 50 cm3 of material Y is totally submerged.

Which of the following is correct?

Density of material, Upthrust on material, U

A X < Y UX > UY
B X < Y UX < UY
C X > Y UX > UY
D X > Y UX < UY

12 A body of mass 4.0 kg falls vertically through air. When the magnitude of air resistance
is 30 N, what is the acceleration of the body?

A 0.4 m s-2 B 2.3 m s-2

C 6.5 m s-2 D 17.3 m s-2

13 A pilot executes a vertical dive, then follows a circular arc until it is going straight up.
The path taken is shown in the figure below.

Just as the plane is at its lowest point, the force on him is

A less than mg, and pointing up

B less than mg, and pointing down
C more than mg, and pointing up
D more than mg, and pointing down

14 An astronaut goes out for a space-walk at a distance above the earth equal to the
radius of the earth. If the gravitational field strength at the surface of the earth is g, what
is her acceleration due to gravity?

A zero B g
C g /2 D g /4
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15 Figure shows two points X and Y at distances L and 2L from the centre of the earth.
The gravitational potential at X is - 8 kJ kg-1.

Earth

X Y

L
2L

When a 1 kg mass is taken from X to Y the work done on the mass is

A -4 kJ B -2 kJ
C +2 kJ D +4 kJ

16 A particle of mass 4 kg moves with simple harmonic motion and its potential energy U
varies with position x as shown in the diagram.

U /J
1.0

0.5

What is the period of oscillation of the mass? x/m

0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2
A 0.25 s B 1.78 s
C 1.00 s D 2.50 s

17 In microwave ovens, water molecules in food are set into resonance when microwaves
of fixed frequency are incident upon them. This causes the molecules to receive energy
and hence warm up the food. In order to warm up the food faster, one can

A increase the frequency of the incident microwave while keeping its amplitude fixed.
B increase the frequency and amplitude of the incident microwave.
C increase the amplitude of the incident microwave while keeping its frequency fixed.
D keep both frequency and amplitude of the microwave the same as before but
increase the frequency of the water molecules.
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18 The graph shows the variation of temperature T against time t of a certain substance
which was originally a liquid at t = 0 s. Heat was removed from it at a constant rate until
it became a solid.
T /K
400

300

200
0 50 100 150 200 250 t/s

Which one of the following could be correct?

Specific heat capacity of liquid/ Specific heat capacity of solid/

J kg-1 K-1 J kg-1 K-1
A 1500 3000
B 1800 900
C 2500 2500
D 4500 3000

19 The temperature of 1 kg of oxygen gas is the same as that of 1 kg of nitrogen gas if

A the gases have the same internal energy.

B the gas molecules have the same root mean square speed.
C the gas molecules have the same mean translational kinetic energy.
D the gas molecules occupy equal volumes.
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20 A student draws a linear graph on the axes in order to convert

temperatures in degrees Celsius to temperatures in Kelvin.

Temperature/K

0
0
Temperature/oC

What is the intercept on the vertical axis and the gradient of the line?

intercept gradient
A +273.15 1
B -273.15 1
C 0 1/273.15
D 0 273.15

21 The figure shows a sound wave traveling to the right in air. Air particles P and Q are the
centres of a rarefaction and a compression respectively. Which of the following gives
correctly the directions of motion of P and Q at the moment shown?

Direction of wave
propagation

P Q

Particle P Particle Q
A to the right to the left
B to the right at rest
C to the left to the right
D to the left at rest

22 Two identical loudspeakers are connected to the same signal source. At a point
equidistant from the two loudspeakers, a maximum intensity of Io is detected. If one
loudspeaker is now turned off, the intensity at that point will be
 11

A Io B Io C Io D Io
4 2 2

23 The figure shows an enlarged view of a beam of electromagnetic radiation of a fixed

wavelength incident on a diffraction grating.

21

28o

Diffraction
grating

What is the order of diffraction for the beam shown?

A 2 B 4 C 6 D 8

24 The figure shows an electron inside the space between two vertical metal plates P and
Q. P is negatively charged and Q is earthed.
P Q
d
- electron
x

Which one of the following graphs best represents how the electric potential energy U of
the electron varies with the distance x from P?

A B

U /J
U /J

d x
d x
C D
U /J U /J

x d x
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25 The figure shows two small charged conducting spheres X and Y, each of small mass
and hung by a non conducting thread from a fixed support. It is found that when the
spheres are hung in equilibrium, the angle a is larger than b.

a
b

X Y

Which one of the following statements must be true?

A The mass of X is less than that of Y.
B The mass of X is more than that of Y.
C The charge on X is numerically smaller than that on Y.
D The charge on X is numerically larger than that on Y.

26 A mains circuit contains six similar bulbs connected in series. One of the bulbs has a
broken filament. Voltmeters X and Y of infinite resistance are placed in the circuit shown
below.

Which of the following voltmeter readings are correct?

Voltmeter X Voltmeter Y
A 0 0
B 0 240
C 240 240
D 240 0
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27 A d.c. circuit is set up below.

12

The potential at point X in the circuit is

A 3V B 5V C 11 V D 13 V

28 Two cells of e.m.f.s E1 and E2 and of negligible internal resistances are connected with one
fixed resistor R and two variable resistors as shown in the diagram below. When the
galvanometer shows no deflection, the values of the variable resistors are P and Q.
E1 R

P Q

E2

E1
What is the ratio ?
E2

P +Q +R P P +Q P
A B C D
P P +Q + R P P +Q
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29 Two parallel, straight conductors, placed at right angles to a ruler, carry currents of 2I and
I flowing in opposite directions.

2I I

0 10 20 40 50 70 80 90 100

At which point on the ruler is the resultant magnetic field zero? You may assume that the
Earths magnetic field is negligible.
(Magnetic flux density B at a distance a from a long, straight conductor is given by
o I
B= where o is the permeability of free space and I is the current in the
2p a
conductor.)
A 0 cm mark B 30 cm mark
C 50 cm mark D 90 cm mark

30 A long conductor carrying a current is placed in a rectangular region of magnetic field B of

flux density 0.65 T.

0.56 m

B = 0.65 T

0.35 m conductor

0.22 m

What is the magnitude and direction of the current that produces a 1.6 N force on the
wire directed out of the plane of the paper?
Magnitude of current Direction of current
A 4.4 A Right
B 4.4 A Left
C 11 A Right
D 11 A Left
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31 A light and flexible conducting loop is hung freely on a smooth horizontal rail as shown.

A bar magnet is moved away from the loop to the right. Which of the following
statements about the motion and area of the loop is true?
Motion Area
A stationary no change
B to the right no change
C to the right increase
D to the left decrease

32 A direct current Io flowing through a heating coil produces a power output of P. What is
the new power output in the same heating coil by an alternating current with a peak
value of Io?
A 1 B 1 C P D 2P
P P
4 2

33 A generator, with output power P and output voltage V, is connected to a factory by

transmission cables of total resistance R.
What is the power input to the factory?
A P B P
P - R P + R
V V
C P
2
D P
2
P - R P + R
V V

34 A beam of electrons is incident on a crystal lattice. The regularly spaced parallel planes
of ions in the lattice can serve as a diffraction grating. The spacing between each plane
is 1 x 10-8 m. In order for significant diffraction to occur, the kinetic energy of the each
electron should be of the order of

A 10-2 eV B 10-21 eV C 10-26 eV D 10-34 eV

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35 In an experiment on photoelectric effect, monochromatic light is directed onto the

surface of a metal plate and the kinetic energy of the fastest moving emitted electrons is
measured. The graph shows how this kinetic energy changes as the frequency of the
light is changed.
kinetic energy of
electrons

frequency
0

Which one of the following statements about the experiment is true?

A The intercept on the frequency axis would change if a different metal were used.
B The intercept on the frequency axis would change if more intense light were used.
C The gradient of the graph would increase if more intense light is used.
D The gradient of the graph would change if a different metal were used.

36 The diagram is a simplified energy level diagram for atomic hydrogen. A free electron
with kinetic energy 12 eV collides with an atom of hydrogen and causes it to be raised
to its first excited state.

The wavelength of the photon emitted when the atom returns to its ground state is
A 91 nm B 100 nm C 120 nm D 690 nm

37 The spectrum of sunlight is crossed by dark lines at wavelengths associated with

transitions of the sodium atom. Which one of the following statements correctly
accounts for these dark lines?
A There is sodium in the Earths atmosphere.
B Sodium exists in the solar interior.
C There is sodium vapor in the gases around the Sun.
D The Sun is not hot enough to excite emissions from sodium atoms.
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38 The graph shows how the binding energy per nucleon of a nucleus varies with nucleon number
A.

Which one of the following statements is not true?

A Energy is released in nuclear fission reactions from nuclei in region P.

B Nuclei in region Q are more stable than nuclei in region R.
C Nuclear fusion reactions bring nuclei closer to region Q.
D The binding energy per nucleon increases most significantly at lower nucleon numbers.

2
39 The reaction shown below occurs when a proton and a deuterium nucleus 1 H fuse to
3
form a helium nucleus 2 He.

1 2 3
1H + 1 H 2 He + Q

If the energy released Q is 5.49 MeV, what is the mass of the helium nucleus?
[ mass of 21 H nucleus = 2.01355 u
mass of proton = 1.00728 u
1 u = 931.3 MeV ]

A 0.00589 u B 3.01494 u
C 3.02083 u D 3.02323 u

40 A radioactive source contains a nuclide which has a half-life of 24 hours. In the absence
of this source, a constant average count-rate of 10 s-1 is recorded.
Immediately after the source is placed in a fixed position near the counter, the average
count rate rises to 130 s-1.
What average count-rate is expected with the source still in place 48 hours later?

A 30 s-1 B 35 s-1 C 40 s-1 D 50 s-1