IGCSE

1
Physics
Chapter 1
Questions,
Answers
and
Solutions
PHYSICS MYINT THEIN
Y.U. SINCE 1984
PHONE: 09 420 66 8765
. 2

 .
. 3

 .
Metric multipliers
4

 .
Metric multipliers 5

 .
Orders of magnitude and estimates 6

 .
Q 1: How many grams are there in 1 kilogram?
.
7

 Answer: 1000 g 
 (1 kilogram) = (?) grams
 (1 kg) = (?) g

 (1 kg) = (1 kg) x (1g/1g)

 = (1 x 103 g) x (1g/1g)
 / x (1g/1g)
= (1 x 103 g) /
 = 103 g = 1000 g 
Q
. 2: How many millimetres are there in 1 metre?
8
 Answer: 1000 mm 

 1 metre = (?) millimetres

 1m = (?) mm

 1 m = (1 m) x (1mm/1mm)
 / x (1mm/1x 10-3 m)
= (1 m) /
 = (1 ) x (1 mm x 103 )
 = 103 mm = 1000 mm 
Q
.
3: How many microseconds are there in 1 second?
9
 Answer: 106 μ s = 100 000 μ s 

 1 second = (?) microseconds

 1 sec = (?) μ sec
 1s = (?) μ s

 1 s = 1s x (1 μ s /1 μ s )
 1 s = 1s/ x (1 μ s /1 x 10-6 s/ )
 = 1 x (1 μ s x 106 )
 = 1 x 106 μ s = 100 000 μ s 
.
Q 4: This equation is used to work out the area of10
a rectangle: area = length x width.
 If a rectangle measures 3 m by 2 m, calculate its
area, and include the units in your calculation.

 Answer: 6 m2 

 area = length x width

 = 3m x 2m
 = 6 m2 
.
Q 5: Write down the following in km:
 (i) 2 000 m, (ii) 200 m, (iii) 2 x 104 m 11

 Answer:
 (i) 2 000 m = 2 x 1000 m
 = 2 x 103 m
 = 2 km 

 (ii) 200 m = 200 m x (km/km)

 = 200 m x (km/ 103m) = (200/1000)km
 = 2 x 102 x km x 10-3
 = 2 x 10-1 km = 0.2 km 
Q
.
6: Write down the following in s: 12
(i) 5000ms, (ii) 5x107 μs

Answer:
(i) 5 000ms = 5 000 x 10-3 s = (5000/1000) s
= 5 x 103 x 10-3 s = 5 s 

(ii) 5 x 107 μs = 5 x 107 x 10-6 s = 5 x 101 s

= 5 x 10 s = 50 s 
Q
.
7: Using scientific notation, write down the
following to two significant figures: 13

(i) 1500m, (ii) 1 500 000m, (iii) 0.15m, (iv) 0.015m

Significant figures 14

 .
Significant figures 15

 .
Q
.
7: Using scientific notation, write down the
following to two significant figures: 16

(i) 1500m, (ii) 1 500 000m, (iii) 0.15m, (iv) 0.015m

Answer:
(i) 1 500m = 1.5 x 103 m
(ii) 1 500 000m = 1.5 x 106 m
(iii) 0.15m = 1.5 x 10-2 m
(iv) 0.015m = 1.5 x 10-3 m
. 17

 .
. 18

 .
. 19

 .
7 Fundamental Quantities 20

 .
Q 1: What is the SI unit of length? 21

Answer:

The SI unit of length is metre, m.

Q 2: What is the SI unit of mass? 22

Answer:

The SI unit of mass is kilogram, kg.

Q 3: What is the SI unit of times? 23

 Answer:

 The SI unit of times is second, sec or s.

Q 4: What do the following symbols 24

stand for?
(i) g, (ii) mg, (iii) t, (iv) μm, (v) ms.
 Answer:
 (i) g = gram,
 (ii) mg = milligram,
 (iii) t = tonne, (1 t = 1000kg)
 (iv) μm = micrometre,
 (v) ms = millisecond.
Q 5: Write down the value of 25

(a) 1564 mm in m.
Answer:

1564 mm = 1564 x 10-3 m

 = 1.564 x 10 x 10 m
3 -3

 = 1.564 m 
Q 5: Write down the value of 26

(b) 1750 g in kg.

Answer:
Q 5: Write down the value of 27

(c) 26 t in kg.
Answer: 26 000 kg = 2.6 x 104 kg
Q 5: Write down the value of 28

(d) 62 μs in s.
Answer:
 62 μs = 62 x 10-6 s
 = 6.2 x 10-5 s
 = 0.000 062 s 
Q 5: Write down the value of 29

(e) 3.65 x 104 g in kg.

Answer:
 3.65 x 104 g = 3.65 x 10 kg = 36.5 kg
Q 5: Write down the value of 30

(f) 6.16 x 10-7 mm in m.

Answer:
 6.16 x 10-7 mm
 = 6.16 x 10-7 x 10-3 m
 = 6.16 x 10-10 m

Q 6: The 500 pages of a book have 31

a mass of 2.50 kg. What is the mass

of each page (a) in kg, (b) in mg.
 Answer:
 (a)the mass of each page = 2.50 kg/500pg
 = 0.005 kg = 5.0 x 10-3 kg
 (b) the mass of each page = 5.0 x 10-3 kg
 = 5.0 x 10-3 x 103 g
 = 5.0 x m x 103 g
 = 5000 mg 
Q 7: km, μg, μm, t, nm, kg, m, ms, s, 32
mg, ns, μs, g, mm.
Arrange the above units in three
columns as below.
The units in each column should be in
order, with the largest at the top.
mass length time
Largest unit → t km s
kg m ms
g mm μs
mg μm ns
μg nm
. 33

 .
. 34

 .
Q 1: A student measures the time 35

taken for 20 swings of a pendulum.

He finds that the time taken is 46
seconds. (a) What time does the
pendulum take for one swing?
Answer: (2.3 s)
(b) How could the student have 36

found the time for one swing more

accurately?
Answer: (Time more swings)
Q 2: A student wants to find the 37

thickness of one page of this book.

Explain how she might do this
accurately.
Answer: (Measure total thickness
of all 336 pages, divide by 336)
Q 3: A micrometer is used to measure the38
diameter of a length of copper wire. The zero
error and scale reading are as shown.
(a) What is the zero error of the micrometer?
(b) What is the correct diameter of the wire?

Answer:
Q 3: A micrometer is used to measure the
 Answer:
diameter of a length of copper wire. The zero 39
error and scale reading are as shown.  Answer:
(a) What is the zero error of the micrometer?  (a) 0.03 mm
(b) What is the correct diameter of the wire?  (b) 6.31 mm
. 40

 .
. 41

 .
. 42

 .
Q 1: How many cm 3 are there in 1 m ? 43
3

Answer: 106 cm3

Q 2: How many cm 3 are there in 1 litre? 44

Answer: 103 cm3

Q 3: How many ml are there in 1 m?
3 45

Answer: 106 ml
Q 4: A tankful of liquid has a volume of 46
0.2 m3. What is the volume in
(a) litres, (b) cm3 (c) ml?

 Answer:
 (a) 200 l,
 (b) 2 x 105 cm3,
 (c) 2 x 105 ml.
Q 5: Aluminium has a density of 2700 kg/m3.
47
(a) What is the density in g/cm ?
3

(b) What is the mass of 20 cm3 of aluminium?

(c) What is the volume of 27 g of aluminium?
 Answer:
 (a) 2.7 g/cm3
 (b) 54 g
 (c) 10 cm3
Use the information in the table of 48
densities at the top of the page to
answer the following:
(6) What material, of mass 39 g, has a
volume of 5 cm3?
Answer: Steel
(stainless)
 Q 7: What is the mass of air in a room 49
measuring (5m x 2m x 3m)?
Answer:
39 kg
 Q 8:What is the volume of a storage 50
tank which will hold 3200 kg of petrol?
Answer:
4 m3
 Q 9: What mass of lead has the same 51
volume as 1600 kg of petrol?
 Answer:
 22.8 x 103 kg
. 52

 .
. 53

 .
. 54

 Answer:
 1. Crowns: (A) silver, (B) gold, (C) mixture
 2. (a) 80 g, 100 cm3. 0.8 g/cm3
 (b) 120 g, 48 cm3, 2.5 g/cm3.
. 55

 .
. 56

 .
. 57

 Answer:
 1. (a) Yes, (b) No.
 2. (a) 2600 kg, (b) 2200 kg, (c) 400 kg.
58
 59

On to problems...
  .

. 60
  .

. 61
  .

. 62
  .

. 63
 64

On to problems...
 65

On to problems...
 66

On to problems...
 67

On to problems...
 68

On to problems...
. 69
. 70
 71

On to problems...
. 72
. 73
. 74
 75

On to problems...
 76

On to problems...
. 77
 78

.
.
. 79
. 80

 .
 81

On to problems...