Candidate

Centre Number Number

Candidate Name

UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE LOCAL EXAMINATIONS SYNDICATE

Joint Examination for the School Certificate
and General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level
PHYSICS 5054/2
PAPER 2 Theory
Thursday 9 NOVEMBER 2000 1 hour 45 minutes
Candidates answer on the question paper.
Additional materials:
Answer paper
Electronic calculator and/or Mathematical tables
Protractor
Ruler 300 mm

TIME 1 hour 45 minutes

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
Write your name, Centre number and candidate number in the spaces at the top of this page and on
any separate answer paper used.
Section A
Answer all questions.
Write your answers in the spaces provided on the question paper.
Section B
Answer any two questions.
Write your answers on the lined pages provided and, if necessary, continue on the separate answer
paper provided.
At the end of the examination,
1. fasten any separate answer paper used securely to the question paper,
2. enter the numbers of the Section B questions you have answered in the grid below.

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or
part question.
Candidates are reminded that all quantitative answers should include FOR EXAMINER’S USE
appropriate units.
Section A
Candidates are advised to show all their working in a clear and orderly
manner, as more marks are awarded for sound use of physics than for Section B
correct answers.

TOTAL

This question paper consists of 12 printed pages and 4 lined pages.

SJF1378 QK07960/7
© UCLES 2000 [Turn over
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Section A

Answer all the questions in this section.

1 Fig. 1.1 shows the path of a ball thrown into the air.

A
D

Fig. 1.1

(a) (i) State at which point A, B, C or D the ball travels the slowest. …………………

(ii) Explain your choice in (i). You should write about the kinetic energy and the
potential energy of the ball.

..................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................. [3]

(b) The mass of the ball is 0.20 kg. At point A, the ball has kinetic energy 2.5 J.
Taking the gravitational force on a mass of 1.0 kg to be 10 N, calculate
(i) the weight of the ball,

weight = …………………………

(ii) the speed of the ball at point A.

speed = …………………………
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2 Fig. 2.1 shows a catapult used to project an object. Force F pulls back the object, creating
tension in the rubber cords.

rubber cord

object

F
direction direction
rubber of of
cord tension tension
force 60° force

Fig. 2.1 Fig. 2.2

(a) The tension force in each rubber cord is 20 N and the two cords are at 60° to each
other. Fig. 2.2 shows the direction of the two tension forces acting on the object.

By making a scale drawing on Fig. 2.2, or otherwise, find the resultant of these two
tension forces acting on the object. If you draw a scale drawing, state the scale that you
use.

resultant force = ………………………… [3]

(b) When the object is pulled back, the average value of the force F is 16 N and the object
moves a distance 0.20 m in the direction of F. Calculate the work done. State clearly the
equation that you use.

work done = ………………………… [2]

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3 This question is about the diffusion of gases.

colourless gas

glass plate

brown gas

Fig. 3.1

Fig. 3.1 shows two cylinders. One cylinder contains a colourless gas and the other a brown
gas. The glass plate is removed and the cylinders brought together. After several hours, the
gases are found to be mixed together.

(a) By writing about molecules, explain why the gases mix together.

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..................................................................................................................................... [2]

(b) Explain why the mixing takes several hours.

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4 Fig. 4.1 shows an object AB near a thin converging lens. The principal foci of the lens are at

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F and F'.

F' F
B

Fig. 4.1

(a) On Fig. 4.1, draw rays to find the positions of the images of the points A and B. [3]

(b) (i) When white light passes through a prism, dispersion of the light occurs and a
spectrum is formed. Explain what is meant by the dispersion of light.

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(ii) Fig. 4.2 shows a ray of white light incident at 90° to side A of a glass prism.

side side
white A B
light

Fig. 4.2

Draw rays to show the passage of the light through the prism and out of the prism
at side B.
[4]

5 Fig. 5.1 shows steam passing into a jug to warm up some cold water. In this question, you

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may ignore any heating of the atmosphere.

steam

cold water

Fig. 5.1

Pure steam enters at 100 °C and the jug initially contains 500 g of water at 20 °C. Eventually,
the water in the jug reaches a temperature of 100 °C. The specific heat capacity of water is
4.20 J/(g °C) and the specific latent heat of vaporisation of water is 2250 J/g.

(a) State what is meant by the specific latent heat of vaporisation of water.

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..................................................................................................................................... [2]

(b) Explain why the mass of water in the jug increases.

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..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(c) Calculate the energy needed to warm 500 g of water from 20 °C to 100 °C.

energy = ………………………… [2]

(d) Calculate the final mass of water in the jug, when its temperature has reached 100 °C.

mass = ………………………… [2]

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6 Plotting compasses may be used to plot magnetic fields.

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plotting
compass current

Fig. 6.1 Fig. 6.2

In Fig. 6.1, four plotting compasses are shown near a wire. There is no current in the wire
and the arrow in each compass points towards the North.

In Fig. 6.2, the same plotting compasses are shown near a wire in which there is a current
downwards. The current creates a strong magnetic field near the compasses.

(a) (i) On Fig. 6.2, draw the direction shown by the arrow in each compass.

(ii) State where the magnetic field due to the current has its greatest strength.

............................................................................................................................. [3]

(b) Describe how you would use one compass to plot the lines of the magnetic field around
the wire in Fig. 6.2.

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......................................................................................................................................[3]

7 A smoke detector contains a radioactive source that emits α-particles.

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radioactive source

α-particle plate
paths

Fig. 7.1

Fig. 7.1 shows the structure of a simple smoke detector. The α-particles ionise the air
between the plates. Positive ions and negative ions are created in the air and, as a result, a
current is produced in the circuit. When smoke is present, the current decreases.

(a) State the nature of an α-particle.

..........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(b) Explain why a source that emits β-particles is not used in this detector.

..........................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................... [1]

(c) The radioactive source that emits α-particles contains Americium-241.

241
A nucleus of Americium-241 is represented as 95 Am.

Describe the structure of an atom of Americium-241.

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8 Fig. 8.1 shows how the current in the filament of a lamp depends on the potential difference
across it.

0.35

0.30

0.25

0.20
current/A
0.15

0.10

0.05

0
0 1 2 3 4 5
potential difference / V

Fig. 8.1

(a) Calculate the resistance of the filament when the current is 0.25 A. Give your answer to
an appropriate number of significant figures.

resistance = ………………………… [3]

(b) Explain how Fig. 8.1 shows that the resistance of the filament increases with
temperature rise.

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Section B

Answer two questions from this section.

Use the lined pages provided and, if necessary, continue

on the separate sheets available from the Supervisor.

9 A lamp marked 6.0 V, 36 W is to be run from a power supply. The power supply can provide either
direct current or alternating current.

(a) To operate at normal brightness, the lamp needs an effective potential difference across it
of 6.0 V.
(i) Explain what is meant by potential difference.
(ii) Calculate the current through the lamp when it is operating normally.
(iii) Explain why the lamp should not be connected directly across a 10 V power supply. [6]

(b) Two students, A and B, suggest different ways to run the lamp at normal brightness using a
10 V power supply.
(i) Student A suggests that the lamp is used with a series resistor R, as shown in Fig. 9.1.

power R
supply
10 V
lamp
6.0 V, 36 W

Fig. 9.1

State values for the potential difference across resistor R and the current through it,
when the lamp is at normal brightness.

(ii) Student B suggests that a transformer is used to transform the power supply voltage
down to 6 V.
1. Draw a labelled diagram of a transformer that could be used with a 10 V a.c. supply
to operate the lamp normally. Suggest suitable values for the number of turns in
each coil.
2. Explain how the transformer produces an output voltage.
(iii) Suggest and explain which student, A or B, has the better solution. [9]

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10 (a) Sound is a longitudinal wave. Explain, with the aid of a diagram, what is meant by this
statement. [4]

(b) Sounds can be used to produce waveforms on the screen of a cathode-ray oscilloscope.
Sound from a simple whistle produces the waveform shown in Fig. 10.1.

Fig. 10.1

Describe how you would use a cathode-ray oscilloscope and other apparatus
(i) to produce such a display from a whistle,
(ii) to measure the time of one oscillation of the sound emitted by the whistle.
In your account, you should
• state the audible frequency of the whistle to be used,
• draw a diagram of the apparatus,
• explain how to adjust the cathode-ray oscilloscope to display the waveform,
• state the readings to be taken,
• explain how the time for one oscillation is found from these readings. [7]

(c) (i) Fig. 10.2 shows the waveform produced on an oscilloscope screen by a sound.

Fig. 10.2
State how you can tell from the waveform that
1. the loudness of the sound is decreasing,
2. the frequency of the sound is constant.
(ii) The separate waveforms of two whistles of different frequencies are obtained on the
oscilloscope screen at the same time. Draw the two waveforms you would expect to see.
Label the waveform that has the higher frequency.
[4]
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11 (a) Ripple tanks may be used to produce plane water waves. Draw a labelled diagram of a ripple
tank used to produce plane water waves. Your diagram should show how the waves are made
and how they are observed. [4]

(b) Water waves may be refracted at a boundary.

boundary
D

Fig. 11.1 (full scale)

Fig. 11.1 shows four wavefronts of a water wave incident on a boundary. As the wave crosses
the boundary, the wave is refracted.

(i) Copy Fig. 11.1 and draw the wavefronts after refraction, to the right of the boundary.
(ii) Describe how the ripple tank in (a) could be used to produce this refraction.
(iii) State why the water waves are refracted.
[5]

(c) The wavefronts shown in Fig. 11.1 are drawn full-scale. It takes 0.75 s for a wavefront to travel
from A to D.

Using measurements taken from Fig. 11.1, determine, for this wave,

(i) the speed,

(ii) the wavelength,
(iii) the frequency.
[6]

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