A pen cap floats in a plastic lemonade bottle three-quarters full of water.

If you squeeze the bottle the pen cap sinks to the bottom.
If you then let go of the bottle, the pen cap floats to the surface.

(a) When the bottle is squeezed what, if anything, happens to:

(i) the distance between the air molecules inside the bottle?

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1 mark

(ii) the distance between the water molecules inside the bottle?

............................................................................................................
1 mark

(iii) the pressure of the air trapped inside the pen cap?

............................................................................................................
1 mark

(iv) the volume of the air trapped inside the pen cap?

............................................................................................................
1 mark

(b) Explain why the pen cap sinks when you squeeze the bottle.

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2 marks
Maximum 6 marks
Sue pumps up a bicycle tyre. As she does so, she notices that the pump
becomes hot.

(a) Explain how the gas molecules inside the tyre exert pressure on the
walls of the tyre.

......................................................................................................................

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1 mark

(b) The air going into the tyre was warmed up by the pumping. What
effect will this have on the motion of gas molecules in the air in the
tyre?

......................................................................................................................

......................................................................................................................
1 mark

(c) When the air in the tyre becomes hotter, the pressure rises.
Give one reason, in terms of the motion of gas molecules in air, why the
pressure rises.

......................................................................................................................

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1 mark

(d) The pressure in the tyre increases as Sue forces more air into the tyre.
Explain why a larger number of gas molecules increases the pressure in
the tyre.

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1 mark
Maximum 4 marks
a) (i) they get closer or it gets less
1

(ii) nothing or same distance

1

(iii) it increases
1

(iv) it decreases
1

(b) water flows into the cap

accept ‘water flows or is pushed or got into the
cap’
or ‘the air in the cap takes up less space’
accept ‘the air in the cap is under pressure’
1

any one from

• increasing the density

• less upthrust

• pen cap now less buoyant

accept ‘increasing the weight’
do not accept ‘the pen cap gets heavier’
1
[6]

(a) the molecules collide with the walls of the tyre

accept ‘they hit the walls or the tyre’
or ‘they bounce off the walls’
1 (L7)

(b) they speed up or get faster

1 (L7)

(c) any one from

• they will hit the tyre wall more frequently

• they hit the tyre wall harder or faster

accept ‘more collisions with the tyre’
do not accept ‘more collisions’
do not accept ‘the molecules move faster’
1 (L7)

(d) there will be more frequent collisions with the tyre wall
accept ‘more collisions with the tyre’
do not accept ‘more collisions’
accept ‘the force applied by the molecules
increases’
do not accept ‘less space for the molecules’
do not accept ‘there are more air molecules to hit
the tyre wall’
1 (L7)
[4]