IGCSE
Cambridge (CIE)
Physics
17 mins
17 questions
Multiple Choice Questions
Electromagnetic
Spectrum
Electromagnetic Waves / Uses of Electromagnetic Waves / Dangers of
Electromagnetic Waves / Communications / Digital & Analogue Signals
Easy (5 questions)
/5
Medium (7 questions)
/7
Hard (5 questions)
/5
Total Marks
/17
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1
Easy Questions
1 The table below shows the entire electromagnetic spectrum. It runs in order of
increasing frequency.
Three parts of the spectrum are missing.
radio waves
X
infrared
visible light
Y
x-rays
Z
What are parts X, Y and Z?
X
Y
Z
A
ultraviolet
microwaves
gamma rays
B
microwaves
gamma rays
microwaves
C
gamma rays
ultraviolet
microwaves
D
microwaves
ultraviolet
gamma rays
(1 mark)
2 The table below shows the entire electromagnetic spectrum. It runs in order of
increasing wavelength.
Which region is microwaves?
γ-rays
A
B
C
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infrared
D
radio waves
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2
(1 mark)
3 The electromagnetic spectrum is shown in the table below.
γ-rays
x-rays
ultraviolet
visible light
infrared
microwaves
radio waves
Which word is missing from the box below the electromagnetic spectrum?
A. Wavelength
B. Speed
C. Frequency
D. Amplitude
(1 mark)
4 Which list shows the parts of the electromagnetic spectrum in order of decreasing
wavelength?
A. γ-rays, X-rays, infrared
B. Radio waves, ultraviolet, microwaves
C. Microwaves, infrared, visible light
D. Ultraviolet, visible light, infrared
(1 mark)
5 Which of the following groups contains only electromagnetic waves?
A. Sound waves, γ-rays, X-rays.
B. γ-rays, microwaves, sound waves.
C. Radio waves, infrared waves, γ-rays.
D. Radio waves, sound waves, microwaves.
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3
(1 mark)
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4
Medium Questions
1 Which of the following sentences about infrared waves is true?
A. They can be used to treat cancerous tumours.
B. They can be used to make images of bones, through the skin.
C. They can be used for cooking.
D. They are used to send communication signals to satellites.
(1 mark)
2 Which type of electromagnetic wave is used in remote controls?
A. Microwaves
B. Visible light
C. Ultraviolet
D. Infrared
(1 mark)
3 A forgery detector is used to check whether bank notes are genuine or counterfeit. A
type of electromagnetic radiation is shone onto the banknote which makes special ink in
the note glow.
Which type of electromagnetic radiation is shone onto the banknote?
A. Ultraviolet
B. Infrared
C. Visible light
D. X-rays
(1 mark)
4 The table gives common uses of electromagnetic radiation.
Which row correctly matches the type of electromagnetic radiation with its use?
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5
Detecting banknote
TV remote
Sterilising medical
forgery
controllers
instruments
A
microwaves
visible light
microwaves
B
infrared
infrared
γ-rays
C
ultraviolet
radio waves
infrared
D
ultraviolet
infrared
γ-rays
(1 mark)
5 Visible, red light has a wavelength of around 700 x 10-7 m.
Two other types of electromagnetic radiation, X and Y, have different wavelengths to the
visible, red light.
Wavelength of X = 400 x 10-7 m Wavelength of Y = 3.0 x 10-2 m
Which types of radiation could X and Y be?
X
Y
A
visible blue light
microwaves
B
x-rays
ultraviolet
C
infrared
radio waves
D
microwaves
ultraviolet
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6
(1 mark)
6 In what way are microwaves different from ultraviolet waves?
A. Ultraviolet waves travel faster than microwaves in a vacuum.
B. Microwaves have a longer wavelength than ultraviolet waves.
C. Microwaves have a higher frequency than ultraviolet waves.
D. Microwaves are longitudinal while ultraviolet waves are transverse.
(1 mark)
7 Extended tier only
Which of the following types of electromagnetic radiation has the highest speed in a
vacuum?
A. Microwaves
B. Radio waves
C. Visible light
D. None of the above
(1 mark)
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7
Hard Questions
1 Extended tier only
Which of the following options shows the correct speed for electromagnetic waves in a
vacuum?
A. 3.0 × 104 cm / s
B. 3.0 × 108 cm / s
C. 3.0 × 1010 cm / s
D. 3.0 × 108 km / s
(1 mark)
2 Extended tier only
Mobile phone networks rely on electromagnetic radiation to transmit signals.
Which of the following statements is correct?
A. Radio waves are used for mobile networks because they travel over long distances
and easily penetrate walls
B. Microwaves are used for mobile networks because they can operate with a short
aerial and easily penetrate walls
C. Infrared waves are used for mobile networks because they travel over long
distances and are not damaging to soft tissue
D. Ultrasound waves are used for mobile networks because they can travel to the
satellites in space
(1 mark)
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3 Extended tier only
Bluetooth devices rely on electromagnetic radiation to transmit signals.
Which of the following statements is correct?
A. Visible light is used by Bluetooth-enabled devices because it undergoes total
internal reflection in optical fibres
B. Gamma waves are used by Bluetooth-enabled devices because they penetrate
easily through walls
C. Microwaves are used by Bluetooth-enabled devices because they can reach
satellites in orbit as they are not absorbed by the ionosphere
D. Radio waves are used by Bluetooth-enabled devices because they transmit very well
over short distances
(1 mark)
4 Which line in the table correctly identifies a use and a danger of the electromagnetic
wave given in the first column?
EM wave
Uses
Dangers
A.
gamma
detection of cancers
internal heating of body cells
B.
x-rays
detecting false bank notes
mutation or damage to body cells
C.
visible
photography
mutation or damage to body cells
D.
infrared
thermal imaging
skin burns
(1 mark)
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9
5 Extended tier only
Communications engineers need to choose whether to send signals as either digital or
analogue.
What is the main benefit of using digital signals?
A. The sound is heard more loudly
B. The signal may not always be clean
C. Signals do not need to be converted, saving time
D. Signals are clearer and travel more quickly
(1 mark)
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10