IFYPH002 Physics

THE NCUK INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION YEAR

IFYPH002 Physics
Examination
2018-19

Examination Session Time Allowed

Semester Two 2 Hours 40 minutes
(including 10 minutes reading time)
INSTRUCTIONS TO STUDENTS
1

SECTION A Answer ALL questions. This section carries 40% of the exam
marks.

SECTION B Answer 3 questions ONLY. This section carries 60% of the

exam marks.

The marks for each question are indicated in square brackets [ ].

• Answers must not be written during the first 10 minutes.

• Formulae are included in the front of the examination booklet.
• Graph paper will be provided.
• An approved calculator may be used in the examination.
• Show ALL workings in your answer booklet.
• Examination materials must not be removed from the examination room.
• State the units where necessary
• Where appropriate, working should be carried out to 4 significant figures and
answers given to 3 significant figures.

DO NOT OPEN THIS QUESTION PAPER UNTIL INSTRUCTED BY THE

INVIGILATOR

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Data, formulae and relationships

Data

Speed of light in a vacuum c = 3.00  10 8 m s – 1

Gravitational constant G = 6.67  10 – 11 N m 2 kg – 2
Acceleration of free fall g = 9.81 m s – 2 (close to the Earth)
Gravitational field strength g = 9.81 N kg – 1 (close to the Earth)

Electronic charge e = – 1.60  10 – 19 C

Electronic mass me = 9.11  10 – 31 kg
Electron-volt 1 eV = 1.60  10 – 19 J
Planck constant h = 6.63  10 – 34 J s

Unified atomic mass unit u = 1.66  10 – 27 kg

Molar gas constant R = 8.31 J K – 1 mol – 1
Boltzmann constant k = 1.38  10 – 23 J K-1
Permittivity of free space o = 8.85  10 – 12 F m – 1
Coulomb Law constant k = 1 / ( 4  o ) = 8.99  10 9 N m 2 C – 2
Permeability of free space  0 = 4   10 – 7 N A – 2
Avogadro Constant NA = 6.02  10 23 mol-1

Rectilinear motion

For uniformly accelerated motion =u+at

s=ut+½at2

2= u2+2as

Forces and moments

Hooke’s law for a spring F = -k x

Moment of F about O = F  (Perpendicular distance from line of action of F to O)

Dynamics

 p
Newton’s Law (for constant mass) F =ma=m =
t t
Impulse F t = p
Power P=F

Radioactive decay and the nuclear atom

Activity A=N (Decay constant )

Half-life  t ½ = ln 2
Radioactive decay A = A0e −  t
N = N 0e −  t

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Electric current and potential difference

Q
Electric current I=
t
V
Resistance R=
I
Work W = QV = IVt

Electric current I=nAQ (number of electrons per m 3 n ;

drift velocity  )
Electric power P=I2R

Electrical circuits

Resistors in series R=R1+R2+R3

1 1 1 1
Resistors in parallel = + +
R R1 R2 R3

Terminal potential difference V=–Ir (E.m.f  ; Internal resistance r)

Heat

Change of state: energy transfer = L m (Specific latent heat or specific

enthalpy change L)

Heating and cooling: E = mc  (Specific heat capacity c ;

temperature change θ )

Change of internal energy: U = Q + W (Energy added thermally Q;

Work done on body W )

Equation of State for ideal gas pV = nRT (n is the number of moles,

R is the molar gas constant)

pV = NkT (N is number of molecules,

k is the Boltzmann constant)

Circular motion and oscillations

 
Angular speed = = (Radius of circular path r)
t r

2
Centripetal acceleration a=
r

1 2
Period T= =
f 

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Simple Harmonic Motion

a = − 2 x
x = A sin( t ) if x = 0 at time t = 0
v = A cos(t ) if x = 0 at time t = 0
l
For a simple pendulum T = 2
g

m
For a mass on a spring T = 2
k
Superposition of waves

For interference of light using two slits of slit separation, s

xs x;
Wavelength = (Fringe width Slits to screen distance D)
D

Gravitational fields
Mm
Universal Law of Gravitation F =G
r2
Gravitational field strength g=F/m

For radial field g = G m / r 2 , numerically

Electric fields
Qq
Coulomb’s law F=
4 0 r 2
Electric field strength E=F/Q
For radial field E=kQ/r2 where k = 1 / ( 4   0 )
(in free space or in air)
For uniform field E=V/d

Capacitance

Energy stored W=½CV2

Capacitors in parallel C=C1+C2+C3

1 1 1 1
Capacitors in series = + +
C C1 C2 C3

Time constant for capacitor to charge or discharge τ = R C

Capacitor discharge Q = Qoe-t/ τ, I = Io e-t/ τ, V = Vo e-t/ τ

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Magnetic fields
Force on moving charge F = Bqv

Force on a wire F = ILB sin 

Field due to a long solenoid B =  0 nI
0 I
Field due to a long wire B=
2 r

Magnetic flux  = BA cos 

N
E.m.f. induced in a coil = − (Number of turns N)
t
E.m.f. induced in conductor moving perpendicularly to magnetic field  = BLv

Light

Snell’s Law n1 sin 1 = n2 sin 2

c
Absolute refractive index n=
v

Modern Physics

Photon energy E = hf
Photoelectric effect hf = Φ + KE

h
De Broglie =
mv

Mathematics
sin (90 o – ) = cos 

ln (x n) = n ln x

ln (e kx) = k x

Equation of a straight line y = mx + c

Surface area of a cylinder = 2  r h + 2  r 2

Surface area of a sphere = 4  r 2

Volume of a cylinder =  r 2 h
Volume of a sphere = 4  r 3 / 3

For small angles sin   tan    (in radians)

cos   1

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Section A
Answer ALL questions. This section carries 40 marks.

Question A1

A diving board is 10 m above the surface of the water in a swimming pool.

A swimmer steps off the board and falls into the water.

a) i) Calculate the speed at which the diver enters the water. [2]

ii) Calculate the time it takes for the diver to enter the water. [2]

Question A2

The diagram below shows a light ray entering a glass block with a refractive
index of 1.42. The angle of incidence of the light ray is 46o.
The light ray then continues to pass through the block until it is incident on
the boundary between the glass block and another block of glass with a
refractive index of 1.26.

The diagram is not drawn to scale.

a) i) Calculate the angle of refraction (r1) when the light ray enters the
glass block. [2]

ii) Calculate the angle of refraction (r2) when the light enters the
second material. [2]

iii Determine the critical angle between the second block and the
air. [2]

iv State and explain whether the light ray exits the second block
into the air [2]

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Question A3

A student needs to make a resistor with a value of 0.4 Ω.

She has a length of copper wire which has a cross sectional area of
5.0x10-7 m2.

The resistivity of copper is 1.8x10-8 Ωm

Calculate the length of wire required to make the resistor. [2]

Question A4

The table below shows the orbital period and distance from the Sun for the
Earth and Neptune.

Planet Orbital Period Distance from Sun

Earth 365 Earth days 149.6 x 106 km
Neptune 165 Earth years 4.495 x 109 km

Show that the two planets orbit the Sun according to Kepler’s Third Law. [5]

Question A5

A stationary wave is produced by blowing air over the top of a cylinder

which has an open top. The stationary wave is heard as a sound wave.

a) Copy out the diagram of the tube. Inside the tube, draw the pattern of
the wave which represents the air particle displacements along the
tube, when it is vibrating at its fundamental frequency. [1]

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b) The length of the tube is 0.56m. Calculate the wavelength of the wave. [2]

c) The speed of sound in air is 330 m s-1. Calculate the fundamental

frequency of the sound wave. [2]

d) Calculate the fundamental frequency of the tube with this length but
open at both ends. [2]

Question A6

A rectangular object is accelerating down a rough slope at 1.5 m s-2 as

shown in the diagram below.

The object has a mass of 4kg.

a) Copy the diagram and draw arrows to show the forces acting on the
block. [3]

b) Calculate the frictional force on the block. [5]

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Question A7

A circuit with three resistors was set up as in the diagram below.

You can assume that the internal resistance of the battery is zero.

a) Calculate the total resistance of the circuit. [3]

b) Calculate the power dissipated in the 40Ω resistor. [3]

Section B begins on the following page.

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Section B
Answer 3 questions. This section carries 60 marks.

Question B1

a) A magnetic field is applied so that an electron travels in a circular path

with speed v, within an evacuated circular glass chamber.

i) Define magnetic flux density. [2]

ii) State the direction of the magnetic force acting on the moving electron. [1]

iii) State and explain the direction of the magnetic field with reference to
the plane of the paper. [2]

iv) State an expression for the force acting on the electron in terms of the
magnitude of its velocity (v), the magnetic flux density (B) and the
charge (e). [1]

v) The electron is travelling at a speed of 2.7x106 m s-1 around the

chamber.

Determine the magnitude of the magnetic flux density required to keep

the electron orbiting with a radius of 2.5 m. [3]

vi) Electrons with half the speed are introduced in to the chamber.
State and explain what must be changed in order for the electrons to
keep to the same path. [2]

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b) A bar magnet is dropped through a coil of wire which is connected to a

resistor and an oscilloscope as shown in the diagram below.

i. State and explain which magnetic pole will be induced in the

top of the coil. [3]

ii. This effect is the consequence of which law? [1]

The oscilloscope displays the potential difference across the resistor as

a function of time as shown below.

iii. Explain why the magnitude of V1 is less than V2 [2]

iv. State 3 ways in which the magnitude of both V1 and V2 can be

increased when the magnet is falling freely through the coil. [3]

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Question B2

a) A monochromatic light emitted from a HeNe laser with a wavelength of 632.8 nm is

shone normally on to a double slit.
A pattern of light and dark fringes appears on the screen which is situated 8.0 m
away from the double slit.

The distance between the slits is 0.4 mm.

Point X is a position on the screen which is the same distance from S1 and S2
The diagram is not drawn to scale.

The light produces a pattern of light and dark fringes on the screen.

i. State the principle of superposition of waves. [2]

ii. The light passing through the double slit now produces two coherent
sources.

State what is meant by coherent. [2]

iii. A bright fringe is seen at C which is equidistant from S1 and S2.

State the phase difference between the coherent light sources at S1 and S2
to produce this effect. [1]

iv. Calculate the separation of the bright fringes on the screen near to X. [2]

v. State and explain what would happen to the bright fringes on the screen if
the following changes were made independently of each other.

I The light source was changed to one with a smaller wavelength. [2]

II The slits are positioned further apart. [2]

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b) Another example of superposition is when a laser beam is shone through a

diffraction grating.

Below is a diagram of the bright spots that appear on a screen when the
HeNe laser (wavelength 632.8 nm) is incident at 900 onto the surface of the
diffraction grating.

The bright dot at C is the centre spot and there are equal numbers of bright
spots on either side of the centre spot.

i. The diffraction grating states it has 300 lines per mm. [2]
Calculate the grating spacing.

ii. Determine the angle between the direction of the incident laser beam [3]
and the direction of the third order spot

iii. Calculate the maximum number of spots that can be produced in this [4]
example.

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Question B3

a) Electrons and photons can both be described as either wave-like or

particle-like.

i) State two differences between electrons and photons. [2]

ii) Explain what is meant by the de Broglie wavelength of an

electron. [2]

iii) Calculate the de Broglie wavelength of an electron that has been

accelerated by a potential difference of 7 kV. [4]

iv) Explain why electrons of this wavelength can be used to

determine inter-atomic spacing in solids and liquids. [2]

v) Calculate the frequency of a photon of energy 5.4 eV [3]

b) The diagram below shows the three lowest energy levels for the
Hydrogen atom.

i) Describe what is meant when an electron is in an excited state. [1]

ii) Explain how electron transitions, involving the three lowest

energy levels shown in the diagram above, causes light of
different frequencies to be emitted. [3]

iii) Calculate the wavelength of the photon emitted with the lowest
energy. [3]

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Question B4

a) Describe the Rutherford alpha particle scattering experiment and

explain what conclusions can be made about atomic structure that were
deduced from the results.

Your answer should include reference to the following.

▪ The basic experimental setup
▪ The results of the experiment
▪ The conclusions about atomic structure based on this
experimental evidence [6]

b) Nuclear fusion takes place in the core of the Sun. A simple fusion
reaction is shown below in which two isotopes of hydrogen (deuterium)
fuse to form a Helium nucleus.

2
1𝐻 + 21𝐻 → 42𝐻𝑒

The binding energy per nucleon of deuterium is 1.76x10-13J and the

binding energy per nucleon on helium is 1.13x10-13J

i. Explain the term binding energy of a nucleus. [2]

ii. Calculate the energy released in this reaction. [3]

iii. State the two main fundamental forces involved when two nuclei
fuse together. [2]

iv. Explain how two protons are able to remain together when they
have fused. [2]

c) Induced nuclear fission occurs in a nuclear reactor to provide energy.

i) The following equation is an example of induced nuclear fission.

Calculate the missing values a and b. [2]

1 235 𝑎 94
0𝑛 + 92𝑈 → 56𝐵𝑎 + 𝑏𝐾𝑟 + 3 10𝑛
ii) Uranium – 235 is an isotope. Describe what is meant by the
word isotope. [2]

iii) How many neutrons are in the Uranium nucleus shown in the
fission equation in part c) i. [1]

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Question B5

a) i. Suppose an electron is considered to be a uniform charged

sphere. Draw a circle to represent this sphere and draw eight
lines of force on your diagram to represent the electric field
around it. [2]

ii. Calculate the electric field at a point which is 25 mm away from

the electron. [2]

In a simple model of a hydrogen atom, an electron is in orbit around a

proton and their distance apart is 5.2 x 10-11 m.

iii. Draw a circle to represent the proton and another circle to

represent an electron. On your diagram sketch lines of force to
represent the electric field in the region of these charges. [2]

iv. Calculate the electrostatic force on the electron in the hydrogen

atom. [2]

v. Calculate the gravitational force between the electron and the

proton in the hydrogen atom. [2]

vi. How many times greater is the electrostatic force between an

electron and proton than the corresponding gravitational force. [2]

b) The following equation describes the release of electrons from

the surface of a metal when illuminated by an electromagnetic
wave.
ℎ𝑓 = 𝜑 + 𝐾𝐸𝑚𝑎𝑥

i. Explain what is meant by each of the terms which make up this

equation.

I ℎ𝑓 [1]

II 𝜑 [1]

III 𝐾𝐸𝑚𝑎𝑥 [1]

ii. The threshold frequency of a metal is 5.45 x 1014 Hz.

An electromagnetic wave, which has a wavelength of 400 nm is
incident on the metal.

Show that electrons are emitted from the metal. [5]

iii. The wavelength of the electromagnetic wave is now decreased

so that it is within the ultra violet range.

State and explain what would happen to the rate of

photoelectrons emitted from the surface of the metal when
illuminated with this wave. [2]

This is the end of the examination

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