DOYEN ACADEMY, SCHOOL OF PRELIMININARY STUDIES CAMBRIDGE ADVANCED LEVEL

3RD PERIODIC EXAM (DEC, 2016) LEVEL: PRECAMBRIDGE

Subject: Physics TIME: 1 HOUR 30 MINS
PAPER 4 A2 STRUCTURED QUESTIONS
1 (a) State three characteristics of an ideal operational amplifier (op-amp).
(b) An op-amp may be used as a comparator. State the function of a comparator.

(c) The variation with temperature θ of the resistance R of a thermistor is shown in Fig. 1.1.

The thermistor is connected into the circuit of Fig. 1.2.

(i) The temperature of the thermistor is 10 °C. Determine the resistance of the variable resistor X such that the
output potential Vout is zero.

(ii) The resistance of the resistor X is now held constant at the value calculated in (i). Describe the change in the
output voltage Vout as the temperature of the thermistor is changed from 5 °C to 20 °C.

2 (a) By reference to an amplifier, explain what is meant by negative feedback.

(b) An amplifier circuit incorporating an ideal operational amplifier (op-amp) is shown in Fig. 2.1.

The supply for the op-amp is ± 9.0 V. The amplifier circuit is to have a gain of 25.
Calculate the resistance of resistor R.

(c) State the value of the output voltage Vout of the amplifier in (b) for input voltages Vin of
(i) – 0.08 V,
(ii) +0.4 V.

3(a) A circuit incorporating an ideal op-amp is to be used to indicate whether a switch is open or closed, as
shown in Fig. 3.1.

(i) Explain why the polarity of the output of the op-amp changes when the switch closes.
(b) A red light-emitting diode (LED) is to be used to indicate when the switch is open. A green LED is to
indicate when the switch is closed.
On Fig. 3.1, draw symbols for the LEDs to show how they are connected to the output of the op-amp, identify
the LEDs with the letters.

(4a) A comparator circuit incorporating an ideal op-amp is shown in Fig. 4.1.

The variation with time t of the input potential Vin is shown in Fig. 4.2.

On the axes of Fig. 4.2, draw a graph to show the variation with time t of the output potential Vout .

(b) A relay is sometimes used as the output of a sensing circuit. The output of a particular sensing circuit is
either + 2 V or – 2 V. draw symbols for a relay and any other necessary component so that the external circuit is
switched on only when the output from the sensing circuit is + 2 V.

(5) (a) State what is meant by a modulated carrier wave.

(b) State two reasons why modulated carrier waves are used, rather than the direct transmission of
electromagnetic waves having audio frequencies.
(c) State two advantages and two disadvantages of FM transmissions when compared with AM
transmissions.
(d) State two reasons why the cost of FM broadcasting to a particular area is greater than that of AM
broadcasting

(6)(a) Describe what is meant by frequency modulation (FM ).

(b) A sinusoidal carrier wave has a frequency of 600 kHz and an amplitude of 5.0V.The carrier wave
is frequency modulated by a sinusoidal wave of frequency 7.0 kHz and
amplitude 2.0 V. The frequency deviation of the carrier wave is 20 kHzV −1

Determine, for the modulated carrier wave,

(i) The amplitude,
(ii) The maximum frequency,
(iii) The minimum frequency,
(iv) The number of times per second that the frequency changes from maximum to
minimum and then back to maximum.

(7)(a) Wire pairs used for the transmission of telephone signals are subject to cross-linking, noise and
attenuation.
Explain what is meant by
(i) cross-linking
(ii) noise,
(iii) attenuation.
(b) Suggest why cross-linking in coaxial cables is much less than in wire pairs