CSEC Physics Paper 1 May/June 2012 - Free CXC Past Paper with Answers

When used in front of a unit the prefix 'mega' means

3.1415926 expressed as TWO significant figures is

If force = mass × acceleration, the unit of force could be written

The unit of electrical resistance is expressed as

$1 \Omega = 1 \text{ VA}^{-1}$

$1 \Omega = 1 \text{ AV}$

$1 \Omega = 1 \text{ AV}^{-1}$

$1 \Omega = 1 \text{ WA}^{-1}$

The time period of a simple pendulum oscillating with a small amplitude depends on the

mass of the pendulum bob

amplitude of the oscillation

length of the pendulum

force with which the pendulum is set into motion

Item 6 refers to the following diagram.

When x = 0, the value of y is

Which of the following will be constant, if a constant net force is applied to a body?

The newton-metre is the unit used to measure

Which of the following expressions is used to calculate the efficiency of a machine?

$\frac{\text{Load} \times \text{Distance moved by Effort}}{\text{Effort} \times \text{Distance moved by Load}} \times \frac{100}{1}$

$\frac{\text{Load} \times \text{Distance moved by Load}}{\text{Effort} \times \text{Distance moved by Effort}} \times \frac{100}{1}$

$\frac{\text{Effort} \times \text{Distance moved by Effort}}{\text{Load} \times \text{Distance moved by Load}} \times \frac{100}{1}$

$\frac{\text{Effort} \times \text{Distance moved by Load}}{\text{Load} \times \text{Distance moved by Effort}} \times \frac{100}{1}$

Items 10-11 refer to the following velocity- time graph which shows a ball being thrown vertically upwards from the ground.

The point, X, on the graph shows when the ball is

at its highest point above the ground

at rest on the ground

just about to be thrown upwards

on its way downwards

The gradient of the line, PQ, represents the

distance the ball has covered

displacement of the ball from the ground

acceleration of the ball

velocity of the ball for its entire flight

A falling raindrop reaches a constant speed when

there is no net force acting on it

the pull of the earth on the raindrop is equal to the weight of the raindrop

the upthrust due to the air is at a mininum

the air surrounding the raindrop becomes saturated with water vapour

If an object is moving along a surface with a constant acceleration, the net force acting on the object is

A glass marble, X, moving with a speed of 6 m s¹, collides 'head on' with an identical stationary glass marble, Y. What is the velocity of Y after collision assuming that X is brought to rest?

The rate of which of the following will determine the power of a machine?

I. Doing work II. Converting energy III. Changing temperature

Which of the following implements are designed to take advantage of a large moment provided by a relatively small force?

I. Claw hammer II. Crowbar III. Pair of tweezers IV. Pair of wire cutters

The diagram above shows a dam. The pressure on the dam at the bottom of the reservoir depends on the

volume of water held by the dam

mass of water held back by the dam

length of the reservoir

A piece of string is tied onto a small stone and the stone is then suspended, totally immersed, in water. The tension in the string will be

equal to the weight of the stone

less than the weight of the stone

more than the weight of the stone

A bubble of gas rises to the surface of a soft drink. This is because the

upthrust on the bubble is greater than the weight of the bubble

upthrust on the bubble is greater than the weight of water it displaces

weight of water displaced by the bubble is less than the weight of the bubble

density of the gas is greater than the density of the drink

Which of the following is the MOST suitable range for a clinical thermometer?

$0 \ ^{\circ}C$ to $44 \ ^{\circ}C$

$-10 \ ^{\circ}C$ to $110 \ ^{\circ}C$

$35 \ ^{\circ}C$ to $100 \ ^{\circ}C$

$35 \ ^{\circ}C$ to $44 \ ^{\circ}C$

In which of the following is conduction the main method of energy transfer?

Food heated in a microwave oven

Energy transferred from the sun to earth

Food being cooked on a barbecue

Food being cooked in a pot on an electric stove

Which of the following are characteristic features of a clinical thermometer? I. Narrow constriction in the tube just above the bulb II. Limited range of temperatures III. Large bore to make the mercury more visible

Which of the following are reasons why a hot liquid, placed in a double-walled vacuum flask, retains its heat for a long time? I. Evacuated space between the double walls reduces the loss of heat by conduction. II. Silver inner walls reduce the loss of heat by radiation. III. The silvered outer wall helps to absorb heat from the surroundings.

The specific heat capacity of a substance is defined as the quantity of thermal energy

the substance can hold

1 kg of the substance can hold

required to raise the temperature of the substance by 1 degree Celsius

required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of the substance by 1 degree Celsius

An electric kettle full of water is plugged into the electrical mains. The process by which heat travels through the water is

When heating a substance a point is reached where no further change in temperature is observed. The most likely reason for this would be that the

heater is supplying less heat

substance is losing heat to the atmosphere

substance needs to be stirred less frequently

substance is changing state

Which of the following phenomena are exhibited by light waves? I. Refraction II. Diffraction III. Interference

Whenever there is complete destructive interference between two coherent wave trains, the waves must be

out of phase by half of a wavelength

out of phase by one wavelength

out of phase by a quarter of a wavelength

Which of the following is the correct relation between the wavelength, λ, speed, v, and frequency, f, of a wave?

$f = \frac{\lambda}{v}$

$f = \frac{v}{\lambda}$

Item 30 refers to the following diagram showing a wave front about to reach a reflecting surface XY.. X Y

Which of the following would represent the wave front after reflection?

Which of the following statements about sound is NOT correct?

Sound is transmitted as transverse waves.

Sound may be produced by vibrating systems.

Sound does not travel through a vacuum.

Sound travels more slowly than light.

In which of the following are the electromagnetic waves written in order of increasing frequency, starting with the lowest?

X rays, ultra violet, infra red, radio

X rays, infra red, ultra violet, radio

Radio, X rays, infra red, ultra violet

Radio, infra red, ultra violet, X ray

Which of the following statements provide a reason why the diffraction of light is NOT usually observed?

Its wavelength is too small.

Its frequency is too high.

Its speed is too high.

Its wavelength is too large.

On which of the following would the position of an image formed by a plane mirror depend?

Distance of the observer from the mirror

Distance of the object from the mirror

Angle at which the image is viewed

Angle at which the object is viewed

Which diagram best shows the path taken by the ray of light through the rectangular block?

Which of the following can produce a diminished virtual image of a real object? I. A plane mirror II. A diverging lens III. A converging lens

Item 37 refers to the following diagram which shows an object placed in front of a plane mirror. Object Plane mirror

Which of the following images BEST represents the position of the object produced by the plane mirror?

Item 38 refers to the diagrams below which show the magnetic field lines plotted by a student.

In which of the following diagrams are the magnetic field lines plotted correctly?

Which of the following is NOT one of the ways in which the strength of the magnetic field near a solenoid (long coil) carrying a current can be increased?

Increasing the resistance of the coil

Increasing the current in the coil

Increasing the number of turns per unit length of the coil

Placing a soft iron core inside the coil

Which of the following relationships between electrical quantities is correct?

In which of the circuits below would the Meters give readings which would enable a student to determine the resistance of the filament lamp?

Item 42 refers to the following diagram which shows a cell E, a diode P and a resistor R connected in series. E P R

The current through R is BEST illustrated by which of the following graphs?

Total internal reflection in a medium occurs only when the angle of incidence

equals the angle of refraction

is greater than the critical angle

is less than the critical angle

The refractive index of a transparent medium with a critical angle, c, for light travelling from the medium to air is

$\frac{90°}{\sin c}$

$\frac{\sin 90°}{\sin c}$

Magnetic induction occurs when

a N pole attracts a S pole

iron nails near a magnet become magnetized

a magnet is suspended and points in the N-S direction

an electroscope is charged

Which of the following characteristics concerning ammeters is correct?

When a large current passes through a fuse, which of the following is the correct sequence of events?

Wire gets hot → wire melts → current is cut off

Wire gets hot → current is cut off → wire melts

Wire melts → current is cut off → wire gets hot

Wire melts → wire gets hot → current is cut off

Rectification can BEST be done by using a

Item 49 refers to the diagram below which represents a straight wire carrying a current into the plane of the paper.

Which of the following diagrams BEST represents the magnetic field around the wire?

Item 50 refers to the following diagram showing a typical relay.

The part, labelled P, must be made of

Item 51 refers to the diagram below which shows flexible wire loosely supported in a strong magnetic field.

When the switch, X, is closed the wire moves

towards the north pole

towards the south pole

It is possible to induce a voltage in a wire coil by the use of a

steady magnetic field

positively charged rod

negatively charged rod

changing magnetic field

Which of the following statements about alternating current is true?

It can be changed into direct current by a transformer.

It can be rectified by using a semiconductor diode.

It can be used to recharge a battery.

It is used to transmit electrical energy because of its high frequency.

For a simple a.c. generator, which of the following graphs will be produced by two complete rotations of the armature?

No practical transformer is 100% efficient. Which of the following cause energy losses? I. The resistance of the coils of wire II. Magnetization and demagnetization of the core III. Eddy currents in the core

Radioactivity takes place in an atom as a result of

exposure to excess heat

excess stress on the atom

Which of the following statements about radioactive decay are correct? I. It is dependent on conditions external to the nucleus. II. It is a random process. III. It is due to changes in the nuclei of atoms.

Which of the following would be possible symbols for an isotope of nuclide presented by $\overset{A}{z}X$ ?

I. $\overset{A-2}{z}X$ II. $\overset{A}{z-2}X$ III. $\overset{A+2}{z}X$

Which of the following scientists discovered the relationship $E = mc^2$ ?

N $_o$ radioactive nuclei are present in a sample at time t = 0.

Which of the following graphs BEST represents the variation with time of the number, N, of undecayed nuclei present?

CSEC Physics Paper 1 May/June 2012 - Free CXC Past Paper with Answers

CSEC Physics Paper 1 May/June 2012 Questions