Section A
1 What is the number of wavefronts per second that pass a fixed point?
A the amplitude of the wave
B the frequency of the wave
C the speed of the wave
D the wavelength of the wave
2 The diagrams show water waves that move more slowly after passing into shallow water.
Which diagram shows what happens to the waves?
3 The diagram shows a water wave in a ripple tank. Which line represents a wavefront?
2
4 Which list contains only transverse waves?
A infra-red waves, light waves, sound waves
B infra-red waves, light waves, ultraviolet waves
C infra-red waves, sound waves, ultraviolet waves
D light waves, sound waves, ultraviolet waves
5 The diagram shows a wave. Which labelled distance is the wavelength?
6 A water wave in a shallow tank passes through a gap in a barrier
What happens to the speed and what happens to the wavelength of the wave as it passes
through the gap?
3
7 A cotton sheet is ironed with a hot electric iron. How is energy transferred through the
metal base of the iron to the sheet?
A by conduction only
B by convection only
C by radiation only
D by convection and radiation only
8 Two plastic cups are placed one inside the other. A small spacer keeps the two cups
separated. Hot water is poured into the inner cup and a lid is put on top, as shown.
Which statement is correct?
A The bench is heated by convection from the bottom of the outer cup.
B The lid reduces the energy lost by convection.
C There is no thermal conduction through the sides of either cup.
D Thermal radiation is prevented by the small air gap.
9 A solid is heated from room temperature. The graph shows how its temperature changes
with time as it is heated constantly. At which time has it just become completely liquid?
4
10 Thermal energy travels through space from the Sun to the Earth. Space is a vacuum.
How is thermal energy transferred from the Sun to the Earth?
A by conduction only
B by convection only
C by radiation only
D by convection and radiation
11 The diagram shows a block of ice placed in a warm room. At which point is the
temperature the lowest?
12 Which statement about thermal radiation is correct?
A It can only occur in a vacuum.
B It involves movement of electrons through a material
C It involves movement of atoms.
D It is infra-red radiation.
13 A rod is made half of glass and half of copper. Four pins, A, B, C and D are attached to
the rod by wax. The rod is heated in the centre as shown. Which pin falls off first?
5
14 Which row shows the surface that is the better absorber and the surface that is the better
emitter of infra-red radiation?
15 A gas is stored in a sealed container of constant volume. The temperature of the gas
increases. This causes the pressure of the gas to increase. What happens to the gas
molecules during this pressure increase?
A The average kinetic energy of the molecules increases.
B The average separation of the molecules decreases.
C The average separation of the molecules increases.
D The volume of each molecule increases.
16 Air in a sealed syringe is slowly compressed by moving the piston. The temperature of
the air stays the same
Which statement about the air is correct?
A The pressure of the air decreases because its molecules now travel more slowly.
B The pressure of the air decreases because the area of the syringe walls is now smaller.
C The pressure of the air increases because its molecules now hit the syringe walls more
frequently.
D The pressure of the air increases because its molecules now travel more quickly.
6
17 Two states of matter are described as follows. In state 1, the molecules are very far apart.
They move about very quickly at random in straight lines until they hit something. In state 2,
the molecules are quite closely packed together. They move about at random. They do not
have fixed positions. What is state 1 and what is state 2?
18 Which energy source is one that is used to boil water to make steam in power stations?
A energy from tides
B energy from waves
C hydroelectric energy
D nuclear energy
19
7
20
21
22 A measuring cylinder is used to measure the volume of a quantity of water. Which
measuring technique would not improve the accuracy of the measurement?
A making sure that the measuring cylinder is vertical
B making sure that the water surface is at eye level
C reading the top of the water meniscus
D using the smallest measuring cylinder available that will contain all the water
8
23 Which option contains only apparatus that could be used to determine the volume of a
small block of unknown material?
A measuring cylinder, metre rule
B measuring cylinder, stopwatch
C metre rule, balance
D metre rule, stopwatch
24 A train begins a journey from a station and travels 60km in a time of 20 minutes. What is
the average speed of the train?
A 3.0 m/s
B 5.0 m/s
C 50 m/s
D 60 m/s
25 A large stone is dropped from a bridge into a river. Air resistance can be ignored. Which
row describes the acceleration and the speed of the stone as it falls?
26 A car travels along a straight road. The speed-time graph for this journey is shown.
During which labelled part of the journey is the resultant force on the car zero?
9
27 Two distance-time graphs and two speed-time graphs are shown. Which graph
represents an object that is at rest?
28 Four objects are each acted on by only two forces, as shown. Which object is in
equilibrium?
29 A car travels 100km. The journey takes two hours. The highest speed of the car is 80km/
h, and the lowest speed is 40km/ h. What is the average speed for the journey?
A 40 km/h
B 50 km/h
C 60 km/h
D 120 km/h
10
30 Weight is an example of which quantity?
A acceleration
B force
C mass
D pressure
SECTION B
1
A driving instructor gives a student a sudden order to stop the car in the shortest
possible time. Fig. 1.1 shows the speed-time graph of the motion of the car from the
moment the order is given.
(a) The order to stop is given at time t = 0 s.
(i) State the speed of the car at t = 0 s. speed = ...........................................................[1]
(ii) Suggest why the car continues to travel at this speed for 0.9 s
. ...........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................[1].
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(b) Calculate (i) the deceleration of the car between t = 0.9 s and t = 4.0 s,
deceleration = ...........................................................[2]
(ii) the total distance travelled by the car from t = 0 s.
distance = ...........................................................[3]
(c) Describe and explain a danger to a driver of not wearing a safety belt during a sudden
stop.
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................[2]
[Total: 9]
2 A surveyor measures the dimensions of a room of constant height. Fig. 2.1 is a top view of
the room and shows the measurements taken.
12
(a) State an instrument that would be suitable to take these measurements
.................................................................................................................................. [1]
(b) The volume of air in the room is 76.4 m3. The density of the air is 1.2 kg/m3. Calculate
the mass of air in the room.
mass = ........................................................ [2]
(c) A window in the room is open. The next day, the temperature of the room has
increased, but the pressure of the air has stayed the same.
State and explain what has happened to the mass of air in the room.
.......................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................
................................................................................................................................. [3]
[Total: 6]
3
A water tank has a rectangular base of dimensions 1.5 m by 1.2 m and contains
1440 kg of water.
Calculate
(i) the weight of the water,
weight = ............................................... [1]
(ii) the pressure exerted by the water on the base of the tank.
pressure = ............................................... [2]
[Total: 3]
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4.
[Total: 4]
5 (a) Fig. 5.1 represents the path taken in air by a smoke particle, as seen in a Brownian
motion experiment. The smoke particles can be seen through a microscope, but the air
molecules cannot.
Fig. 5.1
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(i)
State what causes the smoke particles to move like this.
...........................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................(1)
(ii)
What conclusions about air molecules can be drawn from this observation of
the smoke particles?
...........................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
...........................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................... [2]
(b) A can, containing only air, has its lid tightly screwed on and is left in strong sunlight.
(i)
State what happens to the pressure of the air in the can when it gets hot.
............................................................................................................................ [1]
(ii)
In terms of molecules, explain your answer to (b)(i).
..................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................(3)
Total (7)
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6. (a) Explain, in terms of molecules, why it is possible to compress a gas, but not a liquid.
...................................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................... .......................
...................................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................. [2]
(b) Two containers made of insulating material contain the same volume of water at room
temperature. The containers do not have lids. The volume of liquid in each container
gradually decreases.
(i) After a certain time, the temperature of the water has decreased to below room
temperature. Explain, in terms of molecules, why the temperature has decreased.
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................. [2]
(ii) One of the containers is wide and shallow. The other container is narrow and deep.
Predict which container has the greater rate of cooling. Explain your answer.
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
............. ................................................................................................................................ [2]
[Total: 6]
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7. Fig. 7.1 shows a scale drawing of plane wavefronts approaching a gap in a barrier.
Fig. 7.1
(a) On Fig. 7.1, draw the pattern of the wavefronts after the wave has passed through the
gap.
[2]
(b) The wave approaching the barrier has a wavelength of 2.5cm and a speed of 20cm/s.
Calculate the frequency of the wave.
frequency = ..................................................[2]
(c) State what happens, if anything, to the frequency of the wave as it passes through the
gap.
...................................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
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(d) Explain, in terms of diffraction, why a car radio may pick up low frequency radio signals
but not pick up high frequency radio signals when the car is travelling behind a hill.
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................[2]
[Total: 7]
8. A student has 500 identical, rectangular sheets of paper. The mass of 1.0 m2 of the paper
is 0.080 kg.
(a) Using a metre rule, she measures the length of one sheet of paper and its width.
The length is 0.300 m and the width is 0.210 m.
(i) Calculate the mass of one sheet of paper.
mass = ...........................................................[1]
(ii) The student makes a single pile of the 500 sheets of paper. With a metre rule, she
measures the height of the pile. The height of the pile is 0.048 m.
Calculate the density of the paper.
density = ...........................................................[3]
(b) A second student has only 5 sheets of the same type of paper. Suggest how this student
determines the density of the paper to a similar accuracy. Additional apparatus may be used.
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................[4]
[Total: 8]
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Section C
1 The IGCSE students are carrying out measurements in order to determine the density of
water using two methods.
(a) Method 1
Fig. 1.1 shows an empty measuring cylinder on a balance and Fig. 1.2 shows the measuring
cylinder containing water
(i)
Read and record the mass m1 of the empty measuring cylinder.
m1 = ................................................. g
(ii)
Read and record the mass m2 of the measuring cylinder and water.
m2 = ................................................. g
(iii)
Read and record the volume V1 of water, as shown in Fig. 1.2.
V1 = ............................................. cm3
(iv)
Calculate a value ρ1 for the density of water using your readings from (a)(i), (ii) and
(iii) and the equation ρ1 =( m2 – m1)/ V1 . Give an appropriate unit.
ρ1 = .................................................... [3]
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(b) Method 2
In this method, a test-tube is floated in the water left in the measuring cylinder from Method 1
and the change in water level is measured.
(i)
Read and record the mass m3 of the test-tube, as shown in Fig. 1.3.
m3 = ....................................................g
(ii)
The test-tube is carefully lowered, by means of a piece of cotton, into the measuring
cylinder until it floats as shown in Fig. 1.4.
Read and record the new water level V2 in the measuring cylinder
. V2 = .................................................... cm3
(iii)
Using your results from (a)(iii) and (b)(ii), calculate V3, the change in the water level,
where V3 = (V2 – V1).
V3 = .................................................... cm3
(iv)
Calculate and record a value ρ2 for the density of water using the equation
ρ2 = m3/ V3
ρ2 = .................................................... [3]
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(c) Calculate an average value ρAV for the density of water using your results from (a)(iv) and
(b)(iv).
ρAV = ............................................... [2]
(d) Suggest a precaution that should be taken in Method 1 to ensure that the volume reading
is as accurate as possible.
...................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................. [1]
(e) Suggest a possible source of experimental inaccuracy in Method 2, other than with the
volume reading. State and explain the effect that this would have on your value for ρ2.
suggestion .................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
effect and explanation ...............................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................[2]
[Total: 11]
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2. The IGCSE class is investigating the cooling of water.
The apparatus is shown in Figs. 2.1 and 2.2.
(a) Approximately 200 cm3 of hot water is poured into beaker A and, after a short while, the
thermometer reading rises to the value shown in Fig. 2.1.
Read, and record in the top row of Table 2.1, this temperature θ at time t = 0.
[1]
(b) Approximately 100 cm3 of hot water is poured into beaker B.
The thermometer reading rises to the value shown in Fig. 2.2.
Read, and record in the top row of Table 2.1, this temperature θ at time t = 0.
[1]
(c) The temperatures θ of the thermometer in each experiment at times t = 30 s, 60 s, 90 s,
120 s, 150 s and 180 s are shown in Table 2.1.
Complete the column headings and record the values of t in the table.
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[2]
(d) Describe a similarity in the patterns of temperature change of the two volumes of water,
apart from the fact that the temperature of each decreases.
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................[1]
(e) A student suggests that the rate of cooling is less for a larger volume of water than for a
smaller volume of water. State whether the readings support this suggestion. Justify your
answer by referring to the readings.
statement ..................................................................................................................................
justification ................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................................[2]
(f) Another IGCSE student wants to repeat the experiment in order to check the results.
Suggest two factors that should be kept the same in order for the comparison to be fair.
1. ...............................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
2. ...............................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................. [2]
[Total: 9]
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