Interviews in Natural Science and Computer Science

Interview Preparation Paper

In the hour immediately preceding your interview you will be asked to prepare some written answers
to questions from what we call an Interview Preparation Paper. You should take your answers with
you to your interview and be prepared to discuss them. The questions will be of different lengths
and levels of difficulty and some will be deliberately open-ended to leave room for discussion later.
They will cover a range of scientific and mathematical topics but not all candidates will be set the
same questions. The paper you will see will contain about ten questions in areas which match your
school subject background, including any particular subject interests you may have told us about.
Interviewers will prefer to see a few questions attempted more fully rather than sketchy answers to
many questions.

[TURN OVER TO SEE A SAMPLE PAPER]

1
 Trinity College Interview Preparation Paper
Natural Science and Computer Science

One hour

Answer as many questions as you wish.

Start each question on a fresh sheet of paper.

Some questions are longer than others but you are advised to spend no more than 15 minutes on any
one question.

You are not required to write essays. For those questions that seem to be more discursive, we ask you
to write brief notes on each, listing the main points you regard as important.

You are encouraged to go as deeply as possible into those questions you attempt but some questions
are deliberately open-ended to allow for discussion during your interview.
Calculators may be used, but it is expected that they will only be used for arithmetical evaluation.

This paper and all your written answers must be taken with you to your interview.

PHYSICAL CONSTANTS
The following physical constants are given for reference. Their listing does not imply that they will
necessarily be used in any questions. Where information is not given in a question, appropriate
estimates should be made.
Speed of light in a vacuum, c = 3.0 108 m s1 .
Elementary charge, e = 1.60 1019 C.
Mass of electron = 9.1 1031 kg.
Mass of proton = 1.67 1027 kg.
Avogadro constant, NA = 6.0 1023 mol1 .
Planck constant, h = 6.6 1034 J s1 .
Boltzmann constant, k = 1.38 1023 J K1 .
Molar gas constant, R = 8.3 J mol1 K1 .
Stefan-Boltzmann constant, = 5.7 108 W m2 K4 .
Gravitational constant G = 6.7 1011 N kg 2 m2 .
Gravitational acceleration, g = 9.8 m s2 .
Permeability of a vacuum, 0 = 4 107 H m1 .
Permittivity of a vacuum, 0 = 8.8 1012 F m1 .
Specific heat capacity of water, cp = 4200 J kg1 K1 .
Density of water = 1000 kg m3 .

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 1. A golfer driving from the tee swings his club so that the head completes a (virtually) complete
circle in 0.5 s. Make a reasoned estimate of the maximum distance he could hit the ball.

2. A certain medical condition affects one in a thousand of the population. A screening procedure
is developed that is 95% accurate. Discuss the probability that you have the condition if the
screening procedure says that you do.

3. Investigate the integral

Z 3
1
dx
0 (1 x)2
.
4. Discuss the nature of the interation between:
(i) the chlorine atoms in the molecule Cl2 ;
(ii) two chlorine ions in NaCl;
(iii) two chlorine molecules.

5. Explain the relation between the stucture and function of DNA.

6. Sketch the graph of y versus x, where

1
y = arctan(x) + arctan
x
.
7. You are provided with a positively charged ball suspended by an insulating thread, and two
uncharged metal cans. Describe the sequence of operations you would carry out to charge one
can positively and the other can negatively.

8. According to Newtons law of cooling, the temperature of an object decreases at a rate propor-
tional to the difference between its temperature and that of the surroundings. Given a constant
of proportionality equal to 100 s1 , estimate the time taken for a freshly brewed cup of coffee to
become drinkable.

9. What is the average separation of atoms or molecules in a gas at S.T.P. (i.e. 1 atmosphere
pressure and 273.2 K).

10. Seen from the Moon, the Earth has 3.6 times the angular diameter of the Sun. What is the
ratio of densities of the Sun and the Earth?

11. Three isomeric compounds have the molecular formula C3 H4 . Draw possible structures showing
how the atoms are arranged in space, and comment on the bonding in each compound.

12. Discuss why living systems need hormones.

[END OF PAPER]