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IB Physics QB

1. The document contains 20 physics questions with multiple choice answers about topics such as forces, motion, energy, waves, electricity and more. 2. Each question has one correct answer out of 4 options (A, B, C or D) and is worth 1 mark. 3. The questions test conceptual understanding of core physics principles as well as mathematical problem solving abilities.

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100% found this document useful (1 vote)

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IB Physics QB

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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

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1. Which of the following cont ain s one funda m e n t a l and one derive d unit?

A. amp e r e kilogr a m
B. amp e r e coulom b
C. joule newt o n
D. joule coulom b
(Tot al 1 mar k )

2. The cur r e n t , I, throu g h a resis to r is me a s u r e d with a digital am m e t e r to be

0.10 A. The unce r t ai n t y in the calcul a t e d value of I 2 will be

A. 1 %.

B. 2 %.

C. 5 %.

D. 20 %.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

3. A skydive r of mas s 80 kg falls vertic ally with a const a n t spee d of 50 m s –1 .

The upw a r d force acting on the skydive r is appr oxi m a t e ly

A. 0 N.

B. 80 N.

C. 800 N.

D. 4000 N.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 1
4. Joseph runs along a long str aig h t tra ck. The varia tion of his spe e d v with
time t is show n below.

After 25 secon d s Josep h has run 200 m. Which of the following is cor r e c t at
25 secon d s ?

Ins t a n t a n e o u s Aver a g e spe e d / m

sp e e d / m s –1 s –1
A. 8 m s –1 8 m s –1
B. 8 m s –1 10 m s –1
C. 10 m s –1 8 m s –1
D. 10 m s –1 10 m s –1
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 2
5. A car of mas s 1000 kg accel e r a t e s on a str ai g h t , flat, horizon t a l roa d with
an accele r a t i o n
a = 0.3 m s –2 .
The driving force F on the car is oppos e d by a resis tive force of 500 N.

The net (result a n t ) force on the car is

A. 200 N.

B. 300 N.

C. 500 N.

D. 800 N.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 3
6. A tennis ball of mas s m moving horizon t a lly with spe e d u strike s a vertic al
tenni s racke t. The ball bounc e s back with a horizon t al spe e d v .

The mag ni t u d e of the chan g e in mom e n t u m of the ball is

A. m (u + v ).

B. m (u – v ).

C. m (v – u ).

D. zero.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

7. A brot h e r and sister take the sam e time to run up a set of step s. The siste r
has a grea t e r mas s than her brot h e r . Which of the following is corr e c t ?

Has don e the mo s t Has dev e l o p e d the

work gre a t e s t pow e r
A. brot h e r brot h e r
B. brot h e r siste r
C. siste r brot h e r
D. siste r siste r
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 4
8. A nucle a r power station prod u c e s 10 GW of elect ric al powe r . The powe r
gen e r a t e d by the nuclea r reaction s in the core of the rea c t o r is 25 GW. The
efficiency of the powe r station is

A. 15 %.

B. 35 %.

C. 40 %.

D. 60 %.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

9. A cyclist rides arou n d a circul a r tra ck at a unifor m spe e d. Which of the

following corr e c tly gives the net horizont a l force on the cyclist at any given
insta n t of time?

Net horiz o n t a l forc e Ne t horiz o n t a l forc e

alo n g dire c t i o n of nor m a l to dire c t i o n of
mot i o n mo t i o n
A. zero zero
B. zero non zero
C. non zero zero
D. non zero non zero
(Tot al 1 mar k )

10. A solid piece of tungs t e n melts into liquid withou t a cha n g e in tem p e r a t u r e .
Which of the following is corr ec t for the molec ul e s in the liquid pha s e
comp a r e d with the molec ul e s in the solid pha s e ?

Kin e t i c en e r g y Pot e n t i a l en e r g y
A. sam e gre a t e r
B. sam e sa m e
C. grea t e r gre a t e r
D. grea t e r sa m e
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 5
11. What is the mas s of car bo n- 12 tha t cont ai n s the sam e num b e r of atom s as
14 g of silicon- 28?

A. 6 g

B. 12 g

C. 14 g

D. 24 g
(Tot al 1 mar k )

12. A heat e r of const a n t powe r heat s a liquid of mass m and specific hea t
capacity c . The grap h below shows how the tem p e r a t u r e of the liquid varies
with time.

The gra di e n t of the gra p h is k and no ene r gy is lost to the surr o u n d i n g s .

What is the powe r of the heat e r ?

A. km c

k
B. mc

mc
C. k

1
D. km c
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 6
13. A tran sv e r s e wave travels from left to right. The diagr a m below show s how,
at a particul a r insta n t of time, the displa c e m e n t of particle s in the medi u m
varies with position. Which arrow rep r e s e n t s the direc tion of the velocity of
the particle mar k e d P?

(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 7
14. The gra p h shows how the displa c e m e n t varies with time for an objec t
unde r g oi n g simple har m o ni c motion.

Which gra p h shows how the object’s accel e r a ti o n a varies with time t ?

(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 8
15. Light travels from air into glass as show n below.

What is the refr ac tive index of glas s?

s in P
A. s in S

s inQ
B. s in R

s in P
C. s in R

s inQ
D. s in S
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 9
16. Which of the following elect r o m a g n e t i c waves has a freq u e n c y gr e a t e r
than that of visible light?

A. Ultraviolet

B. Radio

C. Microw av e s

D. Infra r e d
(Tot al 1 mar k )

17. One elect r o nv olt is equ al to

A. 1.6 × 10 –19 C.

B. 1.6 × 10 –19 J.

C. 1.6 × 10 –19 V.

D. 1.6 × 10 –19 W.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 10
18. A batt e r y of inter n al resis t a n c e 2 Ω is conn e c t e d to an exte r n a l resist a n c e
of 10 Ω. The cur r e n t is 0.5 A.

What is the emf of the bat t e r y?

A. 1.0 V

B. 5.0 V

C. 6.0 V

D. 24.0 V
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 11
19. In the circuit below, which of the following will caus e the gre a t e s t incr e a s e
in the readi n g of the voltm e t e r ?

A. An incr e a s e in tem p e r a t u r e

B. An incr e a s e in light inten sity

C. A decr e a s e in tem p e r a t u r e

D. A decr e a s e in light intensi ty

(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 12
20. A sphe ric al plan e t of unifor m density has thr e e time s the mas s of the Eart h
and twice the aver a g e radius. The mag nit u d e of the gravit a tio n al field
str e n g t h at the surface of the Eart h is g .
What is the gravit a tion al field stre n g t h at the surfa c e of the plane t ?

A. 6 g

2
g
B. 3

3
g
C. 4

3
g
D. 2
(Tot al 1 mar k )

21. An elect r o n pass e s the nort h pole of a bar mag n e t as show n below.

What is the direction of the ma g n e t i c forc e on the elect r o n ?

A. Into the pag e

B. Out of the page

C. To the left

D. To the right
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 13
22. Which of the following gives the corr e c t num b e r of proton s and neut r o n s in
14
a nucleu s of car bo n- 14 ( 6 C )?

Prot o n s Ne u t r o n s
A. 8 6
B. 6 8
C. 14 6
D. 6 14
(Tot al 1 mar k )

23. A fres hly prep a r e d sam pl e cont ain s 4.0 μg of iodine- 131. After 24 days, 0. 5
μg of iodine- 131 rem ai n. The best estim a t e of the half- life of iodine- 131 is

A. 8 days.

B. 12 days.

C. 24 days.

D. 72 days.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

24. Which of the following caus e s the gre a t e s t num b e r of ioniza tion s as it
pass e s throu g h 1 cm of air?
(The total ener gy of the ionizing radia tio n is the sam e .)

A. An alpha particle

B. A bet a particle

C. A gam m a- ray

D. An X-ray
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 14
25. What is the pheno m e n o n that best explains why gre e n h o u s e gas e s absor b
infrar e d radiation?

A. Reson a n c e

B. Interf e r e n c e

C. Refrac tion

D. Diffractio n
(Tot al 1 mar k )

26. In which of the following places will the albe do be gre a t e s t ?

A. A forest

B. A gras sl a n d

C. An ocea n

D. A polar ice cap

(Tot al 1 mar k )

27. A wind tur bin e produ c e s a powe r P whe n the wind spe e d is v . Assumin g
that the efficiency of the turbi n e is const a n t , the best estim a t e for the
powe r prod u c e d when the wind spe e d beco m e s 2 v is

A. 2 P.

B. 4 P.

C. 6 P.

D. 8 P.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 15
28. A sphe ric al black body has absolut e tem p e r a t u r e T 1 . The sur r o u n di n g s are
kept at a lower absolut e tem p e r a t u r e T 2 . What is the net powe r per unit
are a lost by the body?

A. σT 1 4

B. σT 2 4

C. σ( T 1 4 – T 2 4 )

D. σ( T 1 4 + T 2 4 )
(Tot al 1 mar k )

29. The desig n of a nuclea r powe r station includ e s an elect ric a l gen e r a t o r . The
function of the gene r a t o r is to conve r t

A. nuclea r ener gy to kinetic ene r gy.

B. kinetic ener gy to ther m al ene r gy.

C. ther m al ener gy to elect ric a l ene r gy.

D. kinetic ener gy to elect ric al ene r gy.

(Tot al 1 mar k )

30. What is the unit of surfac e heat capa city?

A. J kg –1 K–1

B. J K –1

C. J m –2 K–1

D. J m –3 K–1
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 16
31. Data analysis ques tion.

The photog r a p h below shows a mag nifie d imag e of a dark cent r a l disc
sur r o u n d e d by conce n t r i c dark rings. These rings wer e prod u c e d as a
res ult of interfe r e n c e of monoc h r o m a t i c light.

The gra p h below shows how the ring diam e t e r D varies with the ring
num b e r n.
The inner m o s t ring corr e s p o n d s to n = 1. The corr e s p o n d i n g dia m e t e r is
labelled in the photo g r a p h . Erro r bars for the diam e t e r D are show n.

IB Questionbank Physics 17
(a) Stat e on e piece of eviden c e tha t shows that D is not propo r tio n a l to n .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(b) On the gra p h above, draw the line of bes t- fit for the data points.
(2)

(c) Theory sugg e s t s that D 2 = kn .

A grap h of D 2 agains t n is show n below. Error bar s are show n for the
first and last data points only.

IB Questionbank Physics 18
(i) Using the first grap h, calcul a t e the perc e n t a g e unc e r t a i n t y in D 2 ,
of the ring n = 7.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) Based on the secon d gra p h, stat e on e piec e of evide nc e that

suppo r t s the relation s hi p D 2 = kn .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(iii) Use the secon d grap h to dete r m i n e the value of the cons t a n t k,
as well as its unce r t a i n t y.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 19
.........................................................................................................
..................

.........................................................................................................
..................
(4)

IB Questionbank Physics 20
(iv) Stat e the unit for the const a n t k .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)
(Tot al 11 mark s )

32. This ques tion is abou t motion in a ma gn e t i c field.

An elect r o n, that has been accele r a t e d from rest by a pote n ti al differ e n c e

of 250 V, ent e r s a region of ma gn e t i c field of stre n g t h 0.12 T that is
direct e d into the plane of the pag e.

(a) The elect r o n’s path while in the region of mag n e ti c field is a qua r t e r
circle. Show that the

(i) spee d of the elect r o n afte r accele r a t i o n is 9.4 × 10 6 m s –1 .

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

IB Questionbank Physics 21
.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 22
(ii) radi us of the pat h is 4.5 × 10 –4 m.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(b) The diagr a m below shows the mom e n t u m of the elect r o n as it ent e r s
and leaves the region of ma gn e t i c field. The mag ni t u d e of the initial
mom e n t u m and of the final mom e n t u m is 8.6 × 10 –24 N s.

(i) On the diagr a m above, draw an arro w to indica t e the vector

repr e s e n t i n g the cha n g e in the mom e n t u m of the elect r o n .
(1)

(ii) Show that the magni t u d e of the cha n g e in the mom e n t u m of the
elect r o n is
1.2 × 10 –23 Ns.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 23
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 24
(iii) The time the elect r o n spe n d s in the region of mag n e ti c field is
7.4 × 10 –11 s.
Estim a t e the magni t u d e of the aver a g e force on the elect r o n .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)
(Tota l 7 mark s )

33. This ques tion is abou t circula r motion.

A ball of mas s 0.25 kg is attac h e d to a string and is ma d e to rota t e with

cons t a n t spee d v along a horizon t al circle of radius r = 0.33 m. The string
is att ac h e d to the ceiling and make s an angle of 30° with the vertical.

(a) (i) On the diagr a m above, draw and label arrow s to

repr e s e n t the forces on the ball in the position show n.
(2)

(ii) Stat e and explain whet h e r the ball is in equilibri u m .

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

IB Questionbank Physics 25
.........................................................................................................
..................

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(b) Deter m i n e the spee d of rota tio n of the ball.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)
(Tota l 7 mark s )

34. This ques tion is abou t a nuclea r rea c t o r .

(a) Uraniu m is used as a fuel in a small res e a r c h nucle a r rea c t o r. The

235
conce n t r a t i o n of 9 2 U in a sam pl e of ura ni u m mus t be incr e a s e d
befor e it can be used as a fuel.

235
Stat e the nam e of the proc e s s by which the conc e n t r a t i o n of 92 U is
incr e a s e d .

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(b) The reac t o r produ c e s 24 MW of powe r. The efficiency of the reac t o r is

32 %. In the fission of one ura ni u m- 235 nucle u s 3.2 × 10 –11 J of ene r gy
is relea s e d .

Deter m i n e the mass of ura ni u m- 235 that unde r g o e s fission in one year
in this react o r .

IB Questionbank Physics 26
.................................................................................................................
.....................

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(4)

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

(d) During its nor m al oper a tio n, the following set of reac tio n s take s plac e
in the reac t o r .

1
0n  29328U  239
9 2U (I)
239 239 0
92U  9 3N p  –1 e v (II)
239 239 0
9 3 N p  9 4P u  –1e v (III)

IB Questionbank Physics 27
(i) Stat e the nam e of the proc e s s repr e s e n t e d by reac tio n (II).

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) Com m e n t on the inte r n a t i o n a l implic atio n s of the prod u c t of

thes e reac tion s .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)
(Tot al 11 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 28
35. This ques tion is abou t simple har m o ni c oscillations .

A longit u di n al wave travels throu g h a mediu m from left to right.

Grap h 1 show s the variation with time t of the displa c e m e n t x of a particle

P in the mediu m .

Grap h 1

(a) For par ticle P,

(i) stat e how gra p h 1 shows that its oscillation s are not dam p e d .

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) calcula t e the mag nit u d e of its maxim u m accele r a ti o n.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 29
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 30
(iii) calcula t e its speed at t = 0.12 s.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(iv) stat e its directio n of motion at t = 0.12 s.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(b) Grap h 2 shows the variatio n with position d of the displa c e m e n t x of

particl es in the mediu m at a partic ul a r insta n t of time.

Grap h 2

Deter m i n e for the longit u di n a l wave, using gra p h 1 and gra p h 2,

IB Questionbank Physics 31
(i) the frequ e n cy.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) the spee d.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

Grap h 2 – repr o d u c e d to assist with answ e ri n g (c)(i).

IB Questionbank Physics 32
(i) On the diagr a m above, draw cros s e s to indic at e the positions of
thes e six particle s at the insta n t of time whe n the displa c e m e n t is
given by grap h 2.
(3)

(ii) On the diagr a m above, label with the lette r C a par ticl e that is at
the cent r e of a com p r e s s i o n.
(1)
(Tot al 14 mark s )

36. This ques tion is abou t mech a ni c s and the r m a l physic s.

The gra p h shows the variation with time t of the spe e d v of a ball of mas s
0.50 kg, that has been relea s e d from rest above the Eart h’s surfa c e .

The force of air resist a n c e is not negligible. Assum e that the accel e r a t io n
of free fall is
g = 9.81 m s –2 .

(a) Stat e, witho u t any calcula tion s , how the gra p h could be use d to
dete r m i n e the dista n c e fallen.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 33
(b) (i) In the spac e below, dra w and label arrow s to rep r e s e n t
the forces on the ball at
2.0 s.

(1)

(ii) Use the grap h opposit e to show that the accel e r a t io n of the ball
at 2.0 s is appr oxi m a t e ly 4 m s –2 .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(iii) Calculat e the magni t u d e of the force of air resis t a n c e on the ball
at 2.0 s.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 34
(iv) Stat e and explain whet h e r the air resist a n c e on the ball at t = 5.0
s is smaller than, equal to or gre a t e r tha n the air resist a n c e at t
= 2.0 s.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(c) After 10 s the ball has fallen 190 m.

(i) Show that the sum of the pot e n ti al and kinetic ene r gi e s of the
ball has decr e a s e d by 780 J.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(3)

(ii) The specific heat capa city of the ball is 480 J kg –1 K–1 . Estim a t e
the incr e a s e in the tem p e r a t u r e of the ball.

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

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

IB Questionbank Physics 35
..................

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 36
(iii) Stat e an assu m p t i o n mad e in the esti m a t e in (c)(ii).

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)
(Tot al 14 mark s )

37. This ques tion is abou t nuclea r physics.

(a) (i) Define bindin g ener g y of a nucle u s.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

239
(ii) The mas s of a nucle u s of plutoniu m ( 9 4 P u ) is 238.99 0 3 9 6 u.
Deduc e that the bindin g ene r gy per nucle on for pluto ni u m is 7.6
MeV.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 37
(b) The grap h shows the variatio n with nucle on num b e r A of the bindin g
ener gy per nucleon.

239
Plutoni u m ( 9 4 P u ) und e r g o e s nucle a r fission accor di n g to the rea c tion
given below.

239 1 91 146 1
9 4P u 0 n  3 8S r  5 6Ba x 0 n

(i) Calculat e the num b e r x of neut r o n s prod u c e d .

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) Use the grap h to estim a t e the ene r gy rele a s e d in this rea c tion.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 38
.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 39
(c) Stable nuclei with a mass num b e r gre a t e r tha n about 20, cont ai n mor e
neut r o n s than proton s . By refe r e n c e to the prope r ti e s of the nucle a r
force and of the elect r o s t a t i c force, sugg e s t an explan a ti o n for this
obse rv a tio n.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(4)
(Tot al 11 mark s )

38. This ques tion is abou t elect ri c circ uit s.

(a) Define

(i) electro m o ti v e force (emf ) of a batt e r y.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) electrical resista n c e of a condu c t o r .

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

IB Questionbank Physics 40
.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 41
(b) A batt e r y of emf ε and negligibl e inter n al resist a n c e is conne c t e d in
series to two resisto r s . The cur r e n t in the circuit is I.

(i) Stat e an equa tio n giving the total powe r delive r e d by the batt e r y.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) The poten ti al differ e n c e acros s resisto r R 1 is V 1 and that acros s

resis to r R 2 is V 2 .
Using the law of the cons e rv a tio n of ene r gy, ded uc e the equ a tio n
below.

ε = V1 + V2

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 42
(c) The grap h shows the I-V cha r a c t e r i s ti c s of two cond uc t o r s , X and Y.

On the axes below, sketc h gra p h s to show the variatio n with pote n ti al
differ e n c e V of the resist a n c e of cond u c t o r X (label this gra p h X) and
cond u c t o r Y (label this gra p h Y).
You do not nee d to put any num b e r s on the vertical axis.

(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 43
(d) The condu c t o r s in (c) are conn e c t e d in serie s to a batt e r y of emf ε and
negligible inter n al resis t a n c e .

The powe r dissip a t e d in eac h of the two resisto r s is the sam e .

Using the grap h given in (c),

(i) det e r m i n e the emf of the batt e r y.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) calcula t e the total powe r dissipa t e d in the circ uit.

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

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..................
(2)
(Tot al 12 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 44
39. This ques tion is abou t the ene r gy bala nc e of the Ear t h.

(a) The inten sity of the Sun’s radia tio n at the position of the Eart h is
appr oxi m a t ely
1400 W m –2 .

Sugg e s t why the aver a g e powe r receive d per unit are a of the Eart h is
350 W m –2 .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(b) The diagr a m shows a simplifie d model of the ene r gy bala nc e of the
Eart h’s surfac e.
The diagr a m shows radi ation ent e ri n g or leaving the Eart h’s surfa c e
only.

The aver a g e equilibri u m tem p e r a t u r e of the Ear t h’s surfa c e is T E and

that of the atmo s p h e r e is T A = 242 K.

(i) Using the data from the diagr a m , stat e the emissivity of the
atm os p h e r e .

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

IB Questionbank Physics 45
..................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 46
(ii) Show that the intensity of the radia tio n radia t e d by the
atm os p h e r e towar d s the Eart h’s surfa c e is 136 W m –2 .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(iii) By refer e n c e to the ene r gy bala n c e of the Eart h’s surfa c e ,

calcula t e T E .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(c) (i) Outline a mec h a ni s m by which part of the radia tion

radi at e d by the Eart h’s surfa c e is abso r b e d by gre e n h o u s e gas e s
in the atm os p h e r e .

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

IB Questionbank Physics 47
(3)

(ii) Sugg e s t why the incomi n g solar radia tio n is not affect e d by the
mech a ni s m you outline d in (c)(i).

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(iii) Carbo n dioxide (CO 2 ) is a gre e n h o u s e gas. Stat e on e sour c e and

on e sink (object that re move s CO 2 ) of this gas.

Sourc e: ............................................................................................
..................

Sink: ................................................................................................
..................
(2)
(Tot al 13 mark s )

40. This ques tion is abou t stan di n g (station a r y) wave s.

(a) Descri b e two ways that sta n di n g waves are differ e n t from travelling
waves.

1. .............................................................................................................
.....................

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

2. .............................................................................................................
.....................

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(b) An expe ri m e n t is car ri e d out to mea s u r e the spe e d of sound in air,

IB Questionbank Physics 48
using the appa r a t u s show n below.

A tube that is open at both ends is plac e d vertic ally in a tank of wate r ,
until the top of the tube is just at the surfa c e of the wate r . A tunin g
fork of freq u e n cy 440 Hz is soun d e d above the tube. The tube is
slowly rais e d out of the wat e r until the loudn e s s of the soun d reac h e s
a maxim u m for the first time, due to the form a tio n of a sta n di n g wave.

IB Questionbank Physics 49
(i) Explain the form a tio n of a sta n di n g wave in the tube.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) Stat e the position in the tube tha t is always a node.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(iii) The tube is raise d a little furt h e r . Explain why the loudn e s s of the
soun d is no longe r at a maxim u m .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 50
(c) The tube is rais e d until the loudn e s s of the soun d rea c h e s a maxim u m
for a secon d time.
Betwe e n the two positions of maxim u m loudn e s s , the tube has bee n
raise d by 36.8 cm.
The frequ e n c y of the sound is 440 Hz. Estim a t e the spee d of sound in
air.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)
(Tot al 10 mark s )

41. This ques tion is abou t the Dopple r effect.

The sound emitt e d by a car’s hor n has frequ e n c y f, as me a s u r e d by the

driver. An observ e r moves towa r d s the station a r y car at const a n t spe e d and
meas u r e s the frequ e n c y of the soun d to be f ′.

(a) Explain, using a diagr a m , any differ e n c e betw e e n f ′ and f.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 51
.................................................................................................................
.....................

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 52
(b) The frequ e n c y f is 3.00 × 10 2 Hz. An obse rv e r moves towa r d s the
station a r y car at a const a n t spe e d of 15.0 m s –1 . Calcula t e the
obse rv e d frequ e n cy f ′ of the sound.
The spee d of soun d in air is 3.30 ×1 0 2 m s –1 .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)
(Tota l 5 mark s )

42. This ques tion is abou t optical resolution and accom m o d a t i o n.

A woma n is walking along a straig h t pat h, which is at right angl es to a

telep h o n e line, as show n in the diagr a m below. Two birds are perc h e d on
the line, 0.40 m apar t.

(diagra m not to scale)

The diam e t e r of the pupil of the wom a n’s eye is 2.5 mm and the aver a g e
wavele n g t h of visible light is 550 nm.

(a) Use the Rayleigh criterion to estim a t e the dista n c e D at which the
wom a n will just be able to see two sepa r a t e birds.

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

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

IB Questionbank Physics 53
.....................

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

(b) The wom a n looks down at her watc h and is able to focus on it clea rly.
Explain how her eyes are able to focus on nea r object s as well as far
object s.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)
(Tota l 5 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 54
43. This ques tion is abou t the photo el e c t r i c effect.

In an experi m e n t to inves tig a t e the photoel e c t ri c effect, light of freq u e n c y f

is inciden t on the met al surface A, show n in the diagr a m below. A pote n t i al
differ e n c e is applied betw e e n A and B. The photoel e c t ri c cur r e n t is
meas u r e d by a sensitive am m e t e r . (Note: the comple t e elect ric al circ uit is
not show n.)

When the frequ e n cy of the light is reduc e d to a cert ai n value, the cur r e n t
meas u r e d by the am m e t e r beco m e s zero. Explain how Einst ei n’s
photo el e c t r i c theo ry accou n t s for this obse rv a ti o n.

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

.........................................................................................................................
.......................
(Tota l 4 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 55
44. This ques tion is abou t atomic spec t r a .

Diagr a m 1 shows some of the ene r gy levels of the hydrog e n atom. Diagr a m
2 is a rep r e s e n t a t i o n of part of the emission spec t r u m of atomic hydrog e n .
The lines show n rep r e s e n t tran si tion s involving the –3.40 eV level.

(a) Deduc e that the ene r gy of a photon of wavel e n g t h 658 nm is 1.89 eV.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 56
(b) (i) On dia g r a m 1 , dra w an arrow to show the elect r o n
tran si tion bet w e e n ene r gy levels that gives rise to the emission of
a photon of wavelen g t h 658 nm. Label this arro w with the lette r
A.
(1)

(ii) On dia g r a m 1 , draw arrow s to show the elect r o n tra n si tion s

betw e e n ene r gy levels that give rise to the emis sion of photo n s of
wavele n g t h s 488 nm, 435 nm and 411 nm.
Label thes e arro w s with the lette r s B, C and D.
(1)

(c) Explain why the lines in the emission spe ct r u m of atomic hydro g e n ,
show n in dia g r a m 2 , beco m e close r toge t h e r as the wavele n g t h of the
emitt e d photo n s decr e a s e s .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)
(Tota l 8 mark s )

45. This ques tion is abou t radioa ctive dec ay.

Iodine- 124 (I-124) is an uns t a bl e radioisot o p e with proton num b e r 53. It

unde r g o e s bet a plus decay to form an isotop e of telluriu m (Te).

(a) Stat e the reaction for the dec ay of the I-124 nuclide.

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 57
(b) The grap h below show s how the activity of a sam pl e of iodine- 124
chan g e s with time.

(i) Stat e the half- life of iodine- 124

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) Calculat e the activity of the sam pl e at 21 days.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 58
(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 59
(iii) A sam pl e of an unkno w n radioisoto p e has a half- life twice tha t of
iodine- 124 and the sam e initial activity as the sam pl e of iodine-
124. On the axes opposit e , dra w a gra p h to show how the activity
of the sam pl e would cha n g e with time.
Label this grap h X.
(1)

(iv) A secon d sam pl e of iodine- 124 has half the initial activity as the
origin al sam pl e of iodine- 124. On the axes opposit e, dra w a
grap h to show how the activity of this sam pl e would cha n g e with
time. Label this grap h Y.
(1)
(Tota l 8 mark s )

46. This ques tion is abou t analog u e and digital stor a g e .

As part of a physics lesson, Isobel and Claire eac h make an audio recor di n g
of their teac h e r . They then comp a r e the quality of their recor di n g s . Isobel’s
reco r di n g is in analog u e form a t whe r e a s Claire’s recor di n g is digital and
stor e d on a CD.

(a) Stat e on e possible analog u e met h o d of stor a g e use d by Isobel.

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(b) The first time the reco r di n g s are playe d, their qualitie s are identic al.
Outline whet h e r the quality of eac h recor di n g is expe c t e d to rem a i n
the sam e after many uses.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 60
(c) Use the following infor m a ti o n to dete r m i n e the num b e r of bits use d in
Clair e’s digit al recor di n g.

Total time of recor di n g = 30 minut e s

Sam plin g freq u e n c y = 40 kHz
For m a t of recor di n g = Ste r e o (2 cha n n e l s )
Num b e r of bits per sam pl e = 16

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)
(Tota l 5 mark s )

47. This ques tion is abou t char g e- couple d device s (CCDs).

An imag e of the surfac e of the Eart h is recor d e d by a digital cam e r a from

an aero pl a n e. Each imag e cover s 144 km 2 of the Eart h’s surfa c e and is
reco r d e d by a squa r e CCD of are a 36 cm 2 .

(a) Calcula t e the mag nifica tio n of the syste m .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(b) The CCD cont ai n s 1.0 × 10 8 pixels. Deduc e the minim u m dista n c e
betw e e n two points on Eart h that can be resolve d by this cam e r a .

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

IB Questionbank Physics 61
.................................................................................................................
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.................................................................................................................
.....................

.................................................................................................................
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(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 62
(c) It is propos e d to improve the qua n t u m efficiency of the CCD. Sta t e the
effect, if any, on the resolution of the syst e m .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)
(Tota l 5 mark s )

48. This ques tion is abou t a Schmit t trigg e r .

The diagr a m below show s a Sch mit t trigg e r circ uit bas e d on an oper a t io n a l
amplifie r (op- amp).

The outpu t of this Schmit t trigg e r is positive satu r a ti o n (+13 V) or nega tive
satu r a ti o n (–13 V).

(a) Stat e two prop e r t i e s of an ideal op- amp.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 63
(b) Deter m i n e the input value tha t will caus e the outpu t to switc h from –
13 V to +1 3 V.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)
(Tota l 8 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 64
49. This ques tion is abou t a mobile phon e netwo r k.

Erin is a pass e n g e r on a train making a call to a sta n d a r d fixed telep h o n e

line (“landline”) from her mobile phon e. The train move s Erin betw e e n
adjac e n t com m u ni c a t io n cells. Outline the cha n g e s , if any, tha t take place
in the

(a) cellular excha n g e .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(b) public switch e d telep h o n e netwo r k (PSTN).

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)
(Tota l 2 mark s )

50. This ques tion is abou t lengt h contr a c ti o n and simult a n e i ty.

(a) Define proper lengt h.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(b) A space s hi p is travelling to the right at spe e d 0.75 c, thro u g h a tunn el

which is open at both ends. Obse rv e r A is sta n di n g at the cent r e of
one side of the tunn el. Obse rv e r A, for whom the tunn el is at rest,
mea s u r e s the lengt h of the tunn el to be 240 m and the lengt h of the
space s hi p to be 200 m. The diag r a m below shows this situa tion from
the pers p e c t ive of obse rv e r A.

IB Questionbank Physics 65
Observ e r B, for whom the spac e s hi p is station a r y, is sta n di n g at the
cent r e of the spac e s hi p.

(i) Calculat e the Lorent z factor, γ, for this situa tion.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) Calculat e the lengt h of the tunn el accor di n g to obs e rv e r B.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(iii) Calculat e the lengt h of the spa c e s hi p accor di n g to obse rv e r B.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(iv) Accor din g to obse rv e r A, the spa c e s hi p is compl e t e ly inside the

tunn el for a shor t time. Sta t e and explain whet h e r or not,
accor di n g to obs erv e r B, the spac e s hi p is eve r compl e t ely inside
the tunn el.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 66
.........................................................................................................
..................

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 67
(c) Two sour ce s of light are locat e d at eac h end of the tunn el. The
diagr a m below show s this situa tion from the pers p e c tiv e of obse rv e r
A.

Accordi n g to observ e r A, at the insta n t whe n obse rv e r B pas s e s

obse rv e r A, the two sour c e s of light emit a flash. Obse rv e r A see s the
two flashe s simult a n e o u s ly. Discus s whet h e r or not obse r v e r B sees
the two flashe s simult a n e o u s ly.

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

.................................................................................................................
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(4)
(Tot al 10 mark s )

51. This ques tion is abou t meso n s .

(a) Stat e what is mea n t by an exch a n g e par ticle.

IB Questionbank Physics 68
.................................................................................................................
.....................

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 69
(b) In 1935, the physicist Hide ki Yukawa pre dic t e d that the stron g
inter a c ti o n betw e e n nucleon s was medi a t e d by particle s calle d
meson s . Given that the rang e of the stron g inte r a c t io n is
appr oxi m a t ely 1.5 × 10 –15 m, calcula t e a possible value for the res t
mas s of a meso n.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(c) A meson called the pion was det e c t e d in cosmic ray reac tio n s in 1947
by Powell and Occhialini. The pion com e s in thr e e possible cha r g e
stat e s: π + , π – and π 0 The Feyn m a n diagr a m below rep r e s e n t s a
possible reac tion in which a pion particip a t e s .

Stat e and explain whet h e r the meso n prod u c e d is a π + , π – or a π 0 .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 70
(d) Stat e the possible spin num b e r s of meso n s and explain your answ e r .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

(e) Explain why, accor di n g to the qua r k model, it is not possible for a
particl e to consist of two up qua r k s only.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)
(Tot al 10 mark s )

52. A particle of mas s m is moving with const a n t spee d v in unifor m circul a r

motion. What is the total work done by the cent ri p e t a l force during one
revolutio n?

A. Zero

m v2
B. 2

C. mv 2

D. 2π mv 2
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 71
IB Questionbank Physics 72
53. Which of the following is equivale n t to the principl e of ene r gy
cons e r v a t i o n?

A. Newt o n’s first law

B. The first law of ther m o dy n a m i c s

C. Newt o n’s secon d law

D. The secon d law of ther m o d y n a m i c s

(Tot al 1 mar k )

54. An ideal gas und e r g o e s the the r m o d y n a m i c cha n g e s rep r e s e n t e d in the P –

V diagr a m below
(P → Q → R → P).

Volume / m 3
Which of the following is the net work done by the gas in a cycle?

A. 4.5 × 10 5 J

B. 3.0 × 10 5 J

C. 1.0 × 10 5 J

D. Zero
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 73
55. Light travels from air into glass as show n below.

The refr ac tive index of the glas s is

s in3 0
A. s in8 0

s in8 0
B. s in3 0

s in6 0
C. s in1 0

s in1 0
D. s in6 0
(Tot al 1 mar k )

56. The funda m e n t a l (first har m o nic) frequ e n c y for a partic ul a r orga n pipe is
330 Hz. The pipe is close d at one end but open at the othe r . What is the
frequ e n c y of its secon d har m o ni c ?

A. 110 Hz

B. 165 Hz

C. 660 Hz

D. 990 Hz
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 74
57. Light is diffract e d at a single slit. Which of the following gra p h s best
repr e s e n t s how the inten sity I of the diffrac t e d light varies with the
diffractio n angle θ?

IB Questionbank Physics 75
D.

(Tot al 1 mar k )

58. Light of wavele n g t h λ is emitt e d by two point sour c e s . The light pass e s
thro u g h a circul a r ape r t u r e of diam e t e r b and is rec eive d by an obse rv e r .
The angul a r sep a r a t i o n of the sour c e s from the obse r v e r’ s position is θ. The
sour c e s are not resolve d by the obse rv e r . Which of the following
mat h e m a t i c al relation s hi p s applie s?

λ
A. θ < 1.22 b

λ
B. θ > 1.22 b

λ
C. θ = 1.22 b

λ
D. θ = b
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 76
59. Plane- polarize d light is incide n t nor m ally on a polariz e r which is able to
rota t e in the plane per p e n di c ul a r to the light as show n below.

In diagr a m 1, the intensity of the incide n t light is 8 W m –2 and the

tran s mi t t e d inten si ty of light is 2 W m –2 . Diagr a m 2 show s the polariz e r
rota t e d 90° from the orient a t io n in diagr a m 1. What is the new tra n s m i t t e d
inten si ty?

A. 0 W m –2

B. 2 W m –2

C. 6 W m –2

D. 8 W m –3
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 77
60. A light- dep e n d e n t resis to r (LDR) and a fixed resisto r are conne c t e d in the
poten ti al divider circuit show n below.

The voltm e t e r read s 3.0 V. Which of the following chan g e s would caus e the
readi n g on the voltm et e r to incr e a s e ?

A. Swap pi n g the positions of the LDR and the fixed resisto r

B. Incr e a si n g the resist a n c e of the fixed resis to r

C. Incr e a si n g the amou n t of light shining on the LDR

D. Decr e a s i n g the amou n t of light shining on the LDR

(Tot al 1 mar k )

61. A coil of wire has a large num b e r of turn s. It is move d relative to a fixed
mag n e ti c field. The emf gen e r a t e d will be equal to the

A. rat e of chan g e of magn e t i c flux linka g e .

B. rat e of chan g e of the magn e ti c flux throu g h the coil.

C. chan g e of mag n e t i c flux linka g e .

D. chan g e of the mag n e ti c flux thro u g h the coil.

(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 78
62. A sinus oid al ac powe r supply has rms voltag e V and supplie s rms cur r e n t I.
What is the maxim u m insta n t a n e o u s powe r delive r e d ?

A. 2 VI

B. 2 VI

C. VI

VI
D. 2
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 79
63. A positively char g e d par ticle follows a circul a r path as show n below.

Which of the following elect ric fields could have caus e d the cha r g e d
par ticl e to follow the above pat h?

(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 80
64. A stone is throw n from a cliff and it lands in the sea as show n below. Air
resis t a n c e is negligible.

Which of the following stat e m e n t s is corr e c t whilst the stone is in motion?

A. The vertic al compo n e n t of the stone’s displa c e m e n t is const a n t .

B. The horizont al compo n e n t of the stone’s displa c e m e n t is const a n t .

C. The vertic al compo n e n t of the stone’s velocity is const a n t .

D. The horizont al compo n e n t of the stone’s velocity is cons t a n t .

(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 81
65. Which of the diag r a m s below bes t rep r e s e n t s the equipot e n t i al surfa c e s
arou n d two identical point mas s e s ?

(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 82
66. Which of the following grap h s repr e s e n t s how the total ene r gy E of an
orbitin g sat ellite varies with orbital radius r?

IB Questionbank Physics 83
D.

(Tot al 1 mar k )

67. The diagr a m below show s a circ uit involving a photo el e c t r i c cell. Whe n UV
light is shon e onto the met al catho d e , elect r o n s are emitt e d esta blis hi n g a
photoc u r r e n t .

Which of the following chan g e s could caus e the photoc u r r e n t to stop?

A. Incr e a si n g the poten ti al differe n c e of the powe r supply.

B. Incr e a si n g the frequ e n c y of the UV light.

C. Incr e a si n g the intensity of the UV light.

D. Chan gi n g the met al surfac e to one with a smalle r work function.

(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 84
68. Elect r o n s are accel e r a t e d from rest thro u g h a pote n ti al differ e n c e V . Their
de Broglie wavel en g t h is λ. The accel e r a t i n g pote n ti al differ e n c e is
incr e a s e d to 2 V . Which of the following gives the new de Broglie
wavele n g t h ?

A. 2λ

B. 2λ

λ
C. 2

λ
D. 2
(Tot al 1 mar k )

69. Which of the following ene r gy level diag r a m s bes t rep r e s e n t s the kine tic
ene r gy E K of the “elect r o n in a box” model, whe r e an elect r o n is confine d to
move in one dim en sio n ? The varia bl e n is an inte g e r (1, 2, 3, 4 etc. ).

IB Questionbank Physics 85
C.

(Tot al 1 mar k )

70. A proton is confine d within a nucle u s. What is the orde r of ma gni t u d e of

the unce r t a i n t y in its mom e n t u m ?

A. 10 –30 Ns

B. 10 –20 Ns

C. 10 –10 Ns

D. 1 Ns
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 86
71. Differe n t nuclides spont a n e o u s ly und e r g o radioa c tive dec ay, emittin g
eithe r α, β or γ radi ation.
Which of the following cor r e c tly identifies all the emission s tha t do not
have discr e t e ener gi e s ?

A. α

B. β

C. γ

D. α and γ
(Tot al 1 mar k )

72. The half- life of a radioac tive isotop e is 10 days. What is the perc e n t a g e of
the sam pl e rem ai ni n g after 25 days?

A. 0 %

B. 18 %

C. 25 %

D. 40 %
(Tot al 1 mar k )

73. Which of the following fuels has the highe s t ene r gy density?

A. Coal

B. Gas

C. Oil

D. Uraniu m
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 87
74. The decim al num b e r 18 is rep r e s e n t e d in bina ry by a five bit digital
num b e r . Which of the following cor r e c tly identifies the least- significa n t bit
(LSB) and the most- significan t bit (MSB) of the bina ry num b e r ?

LSB MS B
A. 0 0
B. 0 1
C. 1 0
D. 1 1
(Tot al 1 mar k )

75. A CD stor e s digital inform a t io n with a serie s of bum p s (lands) and pits. The
dept h of each pit is d . Which of the following is the most appr o p ri a t e
wavele n g t h of laser light to recove r the infor m a ti o n?

d
A. 2

B. d

C. 2d

D. 4d
(Tot al 1 mar k )

76. Which of the following digital device s is least likely to use a char g e- couple d
device (CCD) in its const r u c t io n?

A. Fax machin e

B. Cam e r a

C. Watch

D. X-ray machi n e
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 88
77. Data analysis ques tion.

IB Questionbank Physics 89
(a) Stat e on e piece of eviden c e tha t shows that D is not propo r tio n a l to n .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(b) On the gra p h opposit e, dra w the line of best- fit for the data points.
(2)

D = cn p

whe r e c and p are const a n t s .

Explain what grap h you would plot in orde r to det e r m i n e the value of
p.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 90
1
(d) Theory sugg e s t s that p = 2 and so D 2 = kn (whe r e k = c 2 ).

A grap h of D 2 agains t n is show n below. Error bar s are show n for the
first and last data points only.

(i) Using the first grap h, calcul a t e the perc e n t a g e unc e r t a i n t y in D 2 ,

of the ring n = 7.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) Based on the secon d gra p h, stat e on e piec e of evide nc e that

suppo r t s the relation s hi p D 2 = kn .

IB Questionbank Physics 91
.........................................................................................................
..................

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(iii) Use the secon d grap h to dete r m i n e the value of the cons t a n t k,
as well as its unce r t a i n t y.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(4)

(iv) Stat e the unit for the const a n t k .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)
(Tot al 14 mark s )

78. This ques tion is abou t a prob e in orbit.

A prob e of mas s m is in a circul a r orbit of radius r arou n d a sphe ri c al

plane t of mas s M .

IB Questionbank Physics 92
(diagra m not to scale)

IB Questionbank Physics 93
(a) Stat e why the work done by the gravit a tio n a l force durin g one full
revolution of the prob e is zero.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(b) Deduc e for the prob e in orbit that its

GM
(i) spee d is v = r .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

GM m

(ii) total ener gy is E = 2r .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 94
(c) It is now requi r e d to place the prob e in anot h e r circul a r orbit furth e r
away from the plane t.
To do this, the prob e’s engin e s will be fired for a very short time.

Stat e and explain whet h e r the work done on the prob e by the engin e s
is positive, neg ative or zero.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)
(Tota l 7 mark s )

79. This ques tion is abou t polarizatio n.

(a) Stat e what is mea n t by polariz e d light.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 95
(b) Unpola rize d light is incide n t on the surfa c e of a plastic. The angle of
inciden c e is θ.
The reflect e d light is viewe d thro u g h an analys e r whos e tra n s m i s sio n
axis is vertical.

The variatio n with θ of the inte n si ty I of the tra n s m i t t e d light is show n

in the grap h.

(i) Explain why ther e is an angle of incide n c e , for which the

inten si ty of the tran s mi t t e d light is zero.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 96
(ii) Calculat e the refr ac tive index of the plastic.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(c) Unpola rize d light from a sour c e is split, so that the r e is a path
differ e n c e of half a wavel e n g t h betw e e n the two bea m s .

A lens brings the light to focus at point P on a scre e n . The lens does
not introd u c e any addition a l path differ e n c e .

Stat e and explain whet h e r any light would be obse rv e d at P, in the

case in which the polarize r s have their tra n s m i s sio n axes

(i) par allel.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 97
.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 98
(ii) at right angles to each othe r.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)
(Tota l 9 mark s )

80. This ques tion is abou t ther m o dy n a m i c s .

The P–V diagr a m shows the expa n sio n of a fixed mas s of an ideal gas, from
stat e A to stat e B.

The tem p e r a t u r e of the gas in stat e A is 400 K.

(a) Calcula t e the tem p e r a t u r e of the gas in stat e B.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 99
(b) (i) Calculat e the work done by the gas in expa n di n g from
stat e A to stat e B.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) Dete r mi n e the amou n t of the r m a l ene r gy tra n sf e r r e d during the

expa n sio n from stat e A to sta t e B.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(i) Using the P–V diagr a m axes above, dra w the variation of
pres s u r e with volum e for this isoth e r m a l comp r e s s io n.
(1)

(ii) Stat e and explain whet h e r the ma gni t u d e of the the r m a l ene r gy
tran sf e r r e d in this case would be less tha n, equ al to or gre a t e r
than the ther m a l ene r gy tra n sf e r r e d in (b)(ii).

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

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

IB Questionbank Physics 100

..................
(2)
(Tota l 8 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 101

81. This ques tion is abou t circula r motion.

A ball of mas s 0.25 kg is attac h e d to a string and is ma d e to rota t e with

cons t a n t spee d v along a horizon t al circle of radius r = 0.33 m. The string
is att ac h e d to the ceiling and make s an angle of 30° with the vertical.

(a) (i) On the diagr a m above, draw and label arrow s to

repr e s e n t the forces on the ball in the position show n.
(2)

(ii) Stat e and explain whet h e r the ball is in equilibri u m .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 102

(b) Deter m i n e the spee d of rota tio n of the ball.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)
(Tota l 7 mark s )

82. This ques tion is abou t char g e- couple d device s (CCDs) and photon s .

(a) Stat e on e factor that affect s the resolutio n of an imag e obtain e d with
a CCD.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(b) Stat e on e adva n t a g e of a CCD imag e, comp a r e d to an imag e on

ordina ry photo g r a p h i c film.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 103

(c) Light of inten si ty 5.3 × 10 –3 W m –2 and frequ e n c y 3.9 × 10 14 Hz is
inciden t on a pixel of a CCD. The are a of the pixel is 4.2 × 10 –12 m 2
and the quan t u m efficiency is 80 %.
The capacit a n c e of the pixel is 14 pF.

(i) Show that the num b e r of photon s incide n t on the pixel of the
CCD per secon d is 8.6 × 10 4 .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(3)

(ii) Calculat e the char g e that acc u m ul a t e s in the pixel durin g a time
of 25 ms.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(iii) Dete r mi n e the poten ti al differ e n c e at the ends of the pixel.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 104

(iv) Calculat e the mom e n t u m of one of the incide n t photon s .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 105

(v) Using your ans w e r to (c)(iv), estim a t e the pres s u r e exer t e d by
the photon s in (c)(i) on the pixel of the CCD.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)
(Tot al 11 mark s )

83. This ques tion is abou t simple har m o ni c oscillations .

A longit u di n al wave travels throu g h a mediu m from left to right.

Grap h 1 show s the variation with time t of the displa c e m e n t x of a particle

P in the mediu m .

Grap h 1

IB Questionbank Physics 106

(a) For par ticle P,

(i) stat e how gra p h 1 shows that its oscillation s are not dam p e d .

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) calcula t e the mag nit u d e of its maxim u m accele r a ti o n.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(iii) calcula t e its speed at t = 0.12 s.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(iv) stat e its directio n of motion at t = 0.12 s.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 107

(b) Grap h 2 shows the variatio n with position d of the displa c e m e n t x of
particl es in the mediu m at a partic ul a r insta n t of time.

Grap h 2

Deter m i n e for the longit u di n a l wave, using gra p h 1 and gra p h 2,

(i) the frequ e n cy.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) the spee d.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 108

Grap h 2 – repr o d u c e d to assist with answ e ri n g (c)(i).

(i) On the diagr a m above, draw cros s e s to indic at e the positions of

thes e six particle s at the insta n t of time whe n the displa c e m e n t is
given by grap h 2.
(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 109

(ii) On the diagr a m above, label with the lette r C a par ticl e that is at
the cent r e of a com p r e s s i o n.
(1)
(Tot al 14 mark s )

84. This ques tion is abou t mech a ni c s and the r m a l physic s.

The gra p h shows the variation with time t of the spe e d v of a ball of mas s
0.50 kg, that has been relea s e d from rest above the Eart h’s surfa c e .

The force of air resist a n c e is not negligible. Assum e that the accel e r a t io n
of free fall is
g = 9.81 m s –2 .

(a) Stat e, witho u t any calcula tion s , how the gra p h could be use d to
dete r m i n e the dista n c e fallen.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 110

(b) (i) In the spac e below, dra w and label arrow s to rep r e s e n t
the forces on the ball at 2.0 s.

(1)

(ii) Use the grap h opposit e to show that the accel e r a t io n of the ball
at 2.0 s is appr oxi m a t e ly 4 m s –2 .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(iii) Calculat e the magni t u d e of the force of air resis t a n c e on the ball
at 2.0 s.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 111

(iv) Stat e and explain whet h e r the air resist a n c e on the ball at t = 5.0
s is smaller than, equal to or gre a t e r tha n the air resist a n c e at t
= 2.0 s.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(c) After 10 s the ball has fallen 190 m.

(i) Show that the sum of the pot e n ti al and kinetic ene r gi e s of the
ball has decr e a s e d by 780 J.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(3)

(ii) The specific heat capa city of the ball is 480 J kg –1 K–1 . Estim a t e
the incr e a s e in the tem p e r a t u r e of the ball.

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

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

IB Questionbank Physics 112

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 113

(iii) Stat e an assu m p t i o n mad e in the esti m a t e in (c)(ii).

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)
(Tot al 14 mark s )

85. This ques tion is abou t nuclea r physics.

(a) (i) Define bindin g ener g y of a nucle u s.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

239
(ii) The mas s of a nucle u s of plutoniu m ( 9 4 P u ) is 238.99 0 3 9 6 u.
Deduc e that the bindin g ene r gy per nucle on for pluto ni u m is 7.6
MeV.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 114

(b) The grap h shows the variatio n with nucle on num b e r A of the bindin g
ener gy per nucleon.

239
Plutoni u m ( 9 4 P u ) und e r g o e s nucle a r fission accor di n g to the rea c tion
given below.

239 1 91
94Pu  0 n  3 8S r  15466Ba x 01 n

(i) Calculat e the num b e r x of neut r o n s prod u c e d .

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) Use the grap h to estim a t e the ene r gy rele a s e d in this rea c tion.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 115

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 116

(c) Stable nuclei with a mass num b e r gre a t e r tha n about 20, cont ai n mor e
neut r o n s than proton s . By refe r e n c e to the prope r ti e s of the nucle a r
force and of the elect r o s t a t i c force, sugg e s t an explan a ti o n for this
obse rv a tio n.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(4)
(Tot al 11 mark s )

86. This ques tion is abou t qua n t u m aspe c t s of the elect r o n .

The wav efunction ψ for an elect r o n confine d to move within a “box” of

linea r size
L = 1.0 × 10 –10 m, is a stan di n g wave as show n.

IB Questionbank Physics 117

IB Questionbank Physics 118
(a) Stat e what is mea n t by a wavefu n c tio n.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(b) Stat e the position nea r which this elect r o n is most likely to be found.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(c) Calcula t e the mom e n t u m of the elect r o n.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(d) The ene r gy, in joules, of the elect r o n in a hydro g e n atom, is given by
2.1 81 0 1 8

E = n2 whe r e n is a positive inte g e r . Calcula t e the
wavelen g t h of the photo n emitt e d in a tra n si tion from the first excit e d
stat e of hydro g e n to the grou n d stat e.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 119

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 120

(e) The elect r o n stays in the first excite d stat e of hydrog e n for a time of
appr oxi m a t ely
∆t = 1.0 × 10 –10 s.

(i) Dete r mi n e the unce r t a i n t y in the ene r gy of the elect r o n in the

first excit ed stat e.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) Sugg e s t , with refer e n c e to your answ e r to (e)(i), why the photo n s
emitt e d in tran si tion s from the first excite d sta t e of hydro g e n to
the grou n d stat e will, in fact, have a small rang e of wavele n g t h s .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 121

(f) Diagr a m 1 show s the thr e e lowes t ene r gy levels for an elect r o n in the
hydrog e n atom.

Using the ener gy axis on diagr a m 2, dra w the thr e e lowes t ene r gy
levels for the elect r o n in a box model. You do not have to put any
num b e r s on the vertical axis.
(2)
(Tot al 13 mark s )

87. This ques tion is abou t elect ri c circ uit s.

(a) Define

(i) electro m o ti v e force (emf ) of a batt e r y.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) electrical resista n c e of a condu c t o r .

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

IB Questionbank Physics 122

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(b) A batt e r y of emf ε and negligibl e inter n al res ista n c e is conne c t e d in

series to two resisto r s .
The cur r e n t in the circuit is I.

(i) Stat e an equa tio n giving the total powe r delive r e d by the batt e r y.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) The poten ti al differ e n c e acros s resisto r R 1 is V 1 and that acros s

resis to r R 2 is V 2 .
Using the law of the cons e rv a tio n of ene r gy, ded uc e the equ a tio n
below.

ε = V1 + V2

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 123

(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 124

(d) The condu c t o r s in (c) are conn e c t e d in serie s to a bat t e r y of emf ε and
negligible inter n al resis t a n c e .

The powe r dissip a t e d in eac h of the two resisto r s is the sam e .

Using the grap h given in (c),

(i) det e r m i n e the emf of the batt e r y.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) calcula t e the total powe r dissipa t e d in the circ uit.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)
(Tot al 12 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 125

88. This ques tion is abou t the ene r gy bala nc e of the Ear t h.

(a) The inten sity of the Sun’s radia tio n at the position of the Eart h is
appr oxi m a t ely
1400 W m –2 .

Sugg e s t why the aver a g e powe r receive d per unit are a of the Eart h is
350 W m –2 .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(b) The diagr a m shows a simplifie d model of the ene r gy bala nc e of the
Eart h’s surfac e.
The diagr a m shows radi ation ent e ri n g or leaving the Eart h’s surfa c e
only.

The aver a g e equilibri u m tem p e r a t u r e of the Ear t h’s surfa c e is T E and

that of the atmo s p h e r e is T A = 242 K.

(i) Using the data from the diagr a m , stat e the emissivity of the
atm os p h e r e .

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

IB Questionbank Physics 126

..................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 127

(ii) Show that the intensity of the radia tio n radia t e d by the
atm os p h e r e towar d s the Eart h’s surfa c e is 136 W m –2 .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(iii) By refer e n c e to the ene r gy bala n c e of the Eart h’s surfa c e ,

calcula t e T E .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(c) (i) Outline a mec h a ni s m by which part of the radia tion

radi at e d by the Eart h’s surfa c e is abso r b e d by gre e n h o u s e gas e s
in the atm os p h e r e .

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

IB Questionbank Physics 128

(3)

(ii) Sugg e s t why the incomi n g solar radia tio n is not affect e d by the
mech a ni s m you outline d in (c)(i).

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(iii) Carbo n dioxide (CO 2 ) is a gre e n h o u s e gas. Stat e on e sour c e and

on e sink (object that re move s CO 2 ) of this gas.

Sourc e: ............................................................................................
..................

Sink: ................................................................................................
..................
(2)
(Tot al 13 mark s )

89. This ques tion is abou t motion in a ma gn e t i c field and elect r o m a g n e t i c

inductio n

An elect r o n, that has been accele r a t e d from rest by a pote n ti al differ e n c e

of 250 V, ent e r s a region of ma gn e t i c field of stre n g t h 0.12 T that is
direct e d into the plane of the pag e.

IB Questionbank Physics 129

(a) The elect r o n’s path while in the region of mag n e ti c field is a qua r t e r
circle. Show that the

(i) spee d of the elect r o n afte r accele r a t i o n is 9.4 × 10 6 m s –1 .

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

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..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 130

(ii) radi us of the pat h is 4.5 × 10 –4 m.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(iii) time the elect r o n spen d s in the region of ma g n e ti c field is 7.5 ×

10 –11 s.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(i) On the diagr a m above, draw an arro w to indica t e the vector

repr e s e n t i n g the cha n g e in the mom e n t u m of the elect r o n .
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 131

(ii) Show that the magni t u d e of the cha n g e in the mom e n t u m of the
elect r o n is
1.2 × 10 –23 Ns.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(iii) Estim a t e the magni t u d e of the aver a g e force on the elect r o n .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(c) A squa r e loop of condu c ti n g wire is place d nea r a str ai g h t wire

car ryin g a const a n t curr e n t I. The wire is in the sam e plan e as the
loop.

The loop is mad e to move with const a n t spe e d v towa r d s the wire.

IB Questionbank Physics 132

(i) Explain, by refer e n c e to Far a d a y’s and Lenz’s laws of
elect r o m a g n e t i c inductio n, why work must be done on the loop.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(3)

(ii) Sugg e s t what beco m e s of the work done on the loop.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)
(Tot al 12 mark s )

90. This ques tion is abou t som e of the plane t s in the solar syste m .

Four of the plane t s in the solar syste m are Mars, Venus, Jupite r and
Nept u n e .

(a) List thes e plane t s in orde r of incre a si n g dista n c e from the Sun.

(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 133

(b) List thes e plane t s in orde r of decr e a si n g diam e t e r .

(2)
(Tota l 4 mark s )

91. This ques tion is abou t the Hert zs p r u n g–R u s s e ll (HR) diagr a m and using it
to det e r m i n e some prop e r t i e s of sta r s.

The diagr a m below show s the grid of an HR diagr a m , on which the

position s of select e d star s are show n. (L S = luminosity of the Sun.)

(a) (i) Draw a circle arou n d the sta r s that are red giant s.
Label this circle R.
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 134

(ii) Draw a circle arou n d the sta r s that are white dwarfs. Label this
circle W.
(1)

(iii) Draw a line throu g h the sta r s tha t are main sequ e n c e sta r s.
(1)

(b) Explain, witho u t doing any calcul a tion, how astro n o m e r s can dedu c e
that star B has a large r diam e t e r tha n sta r A.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

(c) Using the following dat a and inform a ti o n from the HR diagr a m , show
that star A is at a dista n c e of abou t 800 pc from Eart h.

Appa r e n t brigh t n e s s of the Sun =

3 –2
1.4 × 10 W m
Appa r e n t brigh t n e s s of sta r A = 4.9 ×
–9 –2
10 Wm
Mea n dista n c e of Sun from Eart h =
1.0 AU
1 pc = 2.1 × 10 5 AU

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

IB Questionbank Physics 135

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(4)

IB Questionbank Physics 136

(d) Explain why the dista n c e of sta r A from Eart h canno t be det e r m i n e d
by the met ho d of stellar par allax.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)
(Tot al 11 mark s )

92. This ques tion is abou t cosmology.

(a) Stat e how the obser v e d red- shift of many galaxies is explaine d.

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(b) Explain how the cos mic micro w a v e backg r o u n d (CMB) radia tio n is
consis t e n t with the Big Bang model.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(c) Calcula t e the tem p e r a t u r e of the unive r s e whe n the peak wavel e n g t h
of the CMB was equal to the wavel e n g t h of red light (7.0 × 10 –7 m).

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 137

(Tota l 5 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 138

93. This ques tion is abou t the main sequ e n c e sta r Khad (Phi Orionis).

The luminosity of Khad is 2.0 × 10 4 L S , whe r e L S is the luminosity of the

Sun.

(a) Assumin g that the expon e n t n in the mas s–lumi no si ty relation is 3.5,
show that the mass of Khad is about 17 solar mas s e s .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(b) Outline the likely evolution of the sta r Khad afte r it leave s the main
sequ e n c e .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)
(Tota l 5 mark s )

94. This ques tion is abou t Hubbl e’s law and the age of the unive r s e .

IB Questionbank Physics 139

(a) (i) Stat e Hubbl e’s law.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 140

(ii) Stat e why Hubbl e’s law cannot be use d to det e r m i n e the dista n c e
from Eart h to near by galaxie s, suc h as Andro m e d a .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

1
(b) (i) Show that H 0 is an esti m a t e of the age of the
univer s e, wher e H 0 is the Hubbl e const a n t .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) Assumi n g H 0 = 80 km s –1 M pc –1 , estim a t e the age of the

univer s e in secon d s .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)
(Tota l 5 mark s )

95. This ques tion is abou t modula tio n.

In orde r to test a tem po r a r y radio com m u ni c a ti o n link, an audio signal is

broa d c a s t using amplit u d e modul a tio n (AM). The powe r spect r u m of the
res ulti ng carri e r wave is show n below.

IB Questionbank Physics 141

IB Questionbank Physics 142
(a) Use the inform a t io n in the powe r spec t r u m to det e r m i n e the

(i) frequ e n c y of the carri e r wave.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) frequ e n c y of the audio signal.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(iii) ban d wi d t h of this signal.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(b) (i) Disting ui s h betw e e n AM and frequ e n c y modul a tio n

(FM).

AM: .................................................................................................
..................

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

FM: ..................................................................................................
.................

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) Outline on e advan t a g e and on e disa dv a n t a g e of using FM as

oppos e d to AM for the tra n s m i s sio n.

Advant a g e : ......................................................................................
..................

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

Disadva n t a g e : .................................................................................
..................

IB Questionbank Physics 143

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)
(Tota l 7 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 144

96. This ques tion is abou t data tran s m i s sio n syste m s .

The block diagr a m below rep r e s e n t s an elect r o nic syste m , S 1 , which

conver t s an analog u e input signal into a serial digital outpu t signal rea dy
for tran s m i s sio n. It involves thre e sepa r a t e syste m blocks labelle d A, B and
C.

(a) Stat e whet h e r the signal betw e e n block A and block B is analog u e ,
digital or multiplex e d.

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(b) Stat e the function of syste m block A.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(c) A similar syste m , S 2 , is bas e d on the sam e syste m blocks as S 1 , but

has fewer signal lines betw e e n block B and block C, as show n below.

Explain what differ e n c e s , if any, the r e are betw e e n S 1 and S 2 with

res p e c t to the maxim u m quality of the rep r o d u c t io n of the analog u e
signal after tran s m i s sio n.

.................................................................................................................
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IB Questionbank Physics 145

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(d) The serial digit al outp u t signal is tra n s m i t t e d using an optic al fibre
link. The atte n u a t i o n per unit lengt h of the optic al fibre is –4 dB km –1 .

(i) Define atten u a tio n .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) The input powe r to the fibre optic cable is 100 mW and the
outp u t powe r at the end of the cable is 1 mW. Dete r m i n e the
lengt h of the cable.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(iii) Stat e two proce s s e s that mus t take place in orde r for this digital
signal to be tran s m i t t e d over a very long dist a n c e .

1. .....................................................................................................
..................

2. .....................................................................................................
..................
(2)
(Tota l 9 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 146

97. This ques tion is abou t satellit es .

A geos t a t io n a r y satellite is used by one count r y to broa d c a s t infor m a ti o n to

a differ e n t count r y.

(a) Stat e which part of the elect r o m a g n e t i c spe ct r u m is use d for this type
of com m u ni c a t i o n.

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 147

(b) Explain two disadv a n t a g e s of using a polar satellite for this type of
com m u ni c a t io n, when comp a r e d with using a geost a tio n a r y satellite.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(c) Outline on e possible ethic al issue associa t e d with this broa d c a s t .

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.................................................................................................................
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(1)
(Tota l 4 mark s )

98. This ques tion is abou t a Schmit t trigg e r .

The diagr a m below show s a Sch mit t trigg e r circ uit bas e d on an oper a t io n a l
amplifie r (op- amp).

IB Questionbank Physics 148

The outpu t of this Schmit t trigg e r is positive satu r a ti o n (+13 V) or nega tive
satu r a ti o n (–13 V).

IB Questionbank Physics 149

(a) Stat e two prop e r t i e s of an ideal op- amp.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(b) Deter m i n e the input value tha t will caus e the outpu t to switc h from –
13 V to +1 3 V.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

.................................................................................................................
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.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 150

(Tota l 8 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 151

99. This ques tion is abou t a mobile phon e netwo r k.

Erin is a pass e n g e r on a train making a call to a sta n d a r d fixed telep h o n e

line (“landline”) from her mobile phon e. The train move s Erin betw e e n
adjac e n t com m u ni c a t io n cells. Outline the cha n g e s , if any, tha t take place
in the

(a) cellular excha n g e .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(b) public switch e d telep h o n e netwo r k (PSTN).

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)
(Tota l 2 mark s )

10 0 . This ques tion is abou t dispe r sio n.

(a) Stat e an appr oxi m a t e value for the wavele n g t h of visible light.

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(b) Descri b e what is mean t by dispe r si o n.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 152

(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 153

(c) A nar r o w bea m , consisti n g of a mixtu r e of red and blue light, is
inciden t upon a rect a n g u l a r glass block. The nor m al to the incide n t
surfac e is show n.

On the diag r a m above, dra w labelle d lines to show the pat h s of the
red and blue bea m s , as they pass thro u g h the glass block and out to
the air on the othe r side.
(2)
(Tota l 5 mark s )

10 1 . This ques tion is abou t a convex lens.

The diagr a m below, draw n to scale, shows a small object O plac e d in front
of a thin convex (conver gi n g) lens. The focal points of the lens are show n,
labelled F. The lens is repr e s e n t e d by the straig h t line XY.

IB Questionbank Physics 154

(a) (i) Define the ter m focal point .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) On the diagr a m above, cons t r u c t the pat hs of two rays in orde r to
locat e the position of the imag e form e d by the lens. Label the
imag e I.
(3)

(iii) Explain whet h e r the imag e is real or virtual.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(b) A conver gi n g lens, of focal lengt h 5.0 cm, is use d as a simple

magnifying glass to view an object of lengt h 0.80 cm. The obse rv e r’s
eye is very close to the lens. The image is form e d at the nea r point (25
cm).

(i) Dete r mi n e the dista n c e of the objec t from the lens.

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.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 155

(ii) Dete r mi n e the lengt h of the imag e.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)
(Tot al 10 mark s )

10 2 . This ques tion is abou t using a diffra c tio n gra tin g to view the emission
spect r u m of sodiu m.

Light from a sodiu m disch a r g e tube is incide n t nor m a lly upon a diffra ctio n
gratin g having 8.00 × 10 5 lines per met r e . The spec t r u m cont ai n s a doubl e
yellow line of wavelen g t h s 589 nm and 590 nm.

(a) Deter m i n e the angul a r sepa r a t i o n of the two lines whe n viewe d in the
secon d order spect r u m .

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.................................................................................................................
.....................
(4)

IB Questionbank Physics 156

(b) Stat e why it is mor e difficult to obse rv e the doubl e yellow line whe n
viewe d in the first orde r spect r u m .

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.................................................................................................................
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(1)
(Tota l 5 mark s )

10 3 . This ques tion is abou t X-rays.

Elect r o n s are accel e r a t e d thro u g h a pote n ti al differ e n c e of 25 kV and strike

a molybd e n u m targ e t .
The res ulti n g X-ray spect r u m is show n below.

The accel e r a t i n g pot en ti al differ e n c e is cha n g e d to 15 kV.

(a) Calcula t e the minim u m wavele n g t h of the X-rays produ c e d .

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

IB Questionbank Physics 157

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(b) On the gra p h above, sketc h the X-ray spect r u m that would be
prod u c e d .
(3)
(Tota l 5 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 158

10 4 . This ques tion is abou t wedg e film inte rfe r e n c e .

One flat, glass slide is place d at an angle on top of a secon d identic al slide.
The slides are in cont a c t along one short edge and are sepa r a t e d at the
othe r edge by a thin piece of pape r, as show n below.

(diagra m not to scale)

A thin wedg e of air of variabl e thickn e s s , t , is tra p p e d betw e e n the two

slides. The arr a n g e m e n t is viewe d nor m a lly from above, using light of
wavele n g t h 590 nm. The glass plate s are coat e d, so that reflection only
takes place at the botto m surfa c e of the top plat e and the top surfa c e of the
botto m plate.

A series of str aig h t bright and dark fringe s , equally sepa r a t e d and par allel
to the shor t edge of the slides, is see n.

(a) Deduc e that the thickn e s s of the air wedg e t that gives rise to a brigh t
1
fringe, is given by 2 t = (m + 2 )λ.

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.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 159

(b) The lengt h of the air wedg e , L , is 8.2 cm. The bright fringe s are each
sepa r a t e d by a dista n c e of 1.2 mm. Calcula t e the thickn e s s of the
pape r.

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.................................................................................................................
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(3)
(Tota l 5 mark s )

10 5 . This ques tion is abou t lengt h contr a c ti o n and simult a n e i ty.

(a) Define proper lengt h.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(b) A space s hi p is travelling to the right at spe e d 0.75 c, thro u g h a tunn el

IB Questionbank Physics 160

Observ e r B, for whom the spac e s hi p is station a r y, is sta n di n g at the
cent r e of the spac e s hi p.

IB Questionbank Physics 161

(i) Calculat e the Lorent z factor, γ, for this situa tio n.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) Calculat e the lengt h of the tunn el accor di n g to obs e rv e r B.

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.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(iii) Calculat e the lengt h of the spa c e s hi p accor di n g to obse rv e r B.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(iv) Accor din g to obse rv e r A, the spa c e s hi p is compl e t e ly inside the

tunn el for a shor t time. Sta t e and explain whet h e r or not,
accor di n g to obs erv e r B, the spac e s hi p is eve r compl e t ely inside
the tunn el.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 162

(c) Two sour ce s of light are locat e d at eac h end of the tunn el. The
diagr a m below show s this situa tion from the pers p e c tiv e of obse rv e r
A.

Accordi n g to observ e r A, at the insta n t whe n obse rv e r B pas s e s

.................................................................................................................
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.................................................................................................................
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(4)
(Tot al 10 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 163

10 6 . This ques tion is abou t relative velocitie s and ene r gy at rela tivistic spe e d s .

Two identic al rocket s are moving along the sam e str ai g h t line as viewe d
from Eart h.
Rocket 1 is moving away from the Eart h at spe e d 0.80 c rela tiv e to the
Eart h and rocket 2 is moving away from rocke t 1 at spe e d 0.60 c relat iv e
to rock e t 1 .

(a) Calcula t e the velocity of rocke t 2 rela tive to the Eart h, using the

(i) Galilean tran sfo r m a t i o n equ a tio n.

.........................................................................................................
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.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) relativistic tran sfo r m a t i o n equ a tio n.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(b) Comm e n t on your ans w e r s in (a).

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

IB Questionbank Physics 164

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

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.................................................................................................................
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(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 165

(c) The rest mas s of rocke t 1 is 1.0 × 10 3 kg. Dete r mi n e the relat ivi s t i c
kinetic ener gy of rocke t 1, as me a s u r e d by an obs e rv e r on Eart h.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)
(Tota l 8 mark s )

10 7 . This ques tion is abou t the Michels o n–Mo rl ey expe ri m e n t .

The diagr a m below show s the ess e n ti al feat u r e s of the app a r a t u s used in
the Michelso n–Mo rl ey experi m e n t .

IB Questionbank Physics 166

(a) Stat e and explain how this appa r a t u s was use d to try to mea s u r e the
spee d of the Eart h relative to the ethe r .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(4)

(b) Stat e the res ult of this expe ri m e n t and explain how this res ult
suppo r t s the special theo ry of relativity.

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.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)
(Tota l 6 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 167

10 8 . This ques tion is abou t gravit a tio n a l red- shift.

Two identic al laser s are situa t e d on the surfa c e of the Eart h. One is
direct e d horizon t ally towa r d s obse rv e r A, who me a s u r e s the frequ e n c y to
be 4.62 × 10 14 Hz. The othe r is dire c t e d vertic ally upw a r d s towa r d s
obse rv e r B, who is at a height of 1.00 × 10 2 m

(a) (i) Stat e how the freq u e n c y as mea s u r e d by obs e rv e r B

comp a r e s with the freq u e n c y as mea s u r e d by obse rv e r A.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) Calculat e the differ e n c e in freq u e n c y bet w e e n the lase r light as

meas u r e d by obse rv e r s A and B.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(iii) Stat e on e assu m p ti o n tha t you ma d e in (a)(ii).

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

IB Questionbank Physics 168

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 169

(b) The laser s are now place d on a spa c e s hi p, which is acc el e r a t i n g
upw a r d s at a const a n t rate of 9.81 m s –2 , far away from any othe r
mas s e s as shown below. The dista n c e of obse rv e r D from the lase r is
1.00 × 10 2 m. Obse rv e r C is at the botto m of the spa c e s hi p.

Explain, with refer e n c e to the equivale n c e principle, the frequ e n ci e s

mea s u r e d by observ e r s C and D, as comp a r e d to obse rv e r s A and B.

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

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)
(Tota l 6 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 170

10 9 . This ques tion is abou t soun d inte nsi ty levels.

As part of a safety inspec tion of a new factory, a data logge r mea s u r e s the
inten si ty of the soun d s gen e r a t e d by the mac hi n e s . The soun d inten sity
levels nee d to be within acce p t a bl e limits.

(a) Define intensit y and intensit y level .

Inten sit y: .................................................................................................

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

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

Inten sit y
level: ...............................................................................................
..............

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(b) The data logge r is moved betw e e n five differ e n t location s in the
factory (A → E).
The readi n g s are show n below.

Rea di n g on dat a log g e r /

Loca t i o n
mW m –2
A 302
B 158
C 891
D 413
E 524

(i) Dete r mi n e the intensi ty level at the noisies t location.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 171

.........................................................................................................
..................
(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 172

(ii) Using your ans w e r to (b)(i), discus s whe t h e r or not it is
nece s s a r y for the mac hin e ope r a t o r s to use ear prot e c t o r s whe n
workin g in this factory.

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(2)

(iii) One possibl e effect on hea ri n g of long- ter m expos u r e to noise is

tinnitu s . Outline what is me a n t by tinnitu s .

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(1)
(Tota l 8 mark s )

11 0 . This ques tion is abou t medic al imagin g.

A patie n t is susp e c t e d of having a parti al blocka g e in his intes ti n e as it

leads away from his stom a c h . Possible me dic al imagi n g tech ni q u e s includ e
X-ray photo g r a p h y, ultr a s o u n d and the use of an endos c o p e .

(a) When prod u ci n g the X-ray photo g r a p h , the dose is kept to a minim u m
by a tech ni q u e called enh a n c e m e n t .

(i) Outline why the dos e nee d s to be kept to a minim u m .

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IB Questionbank Physics 173

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(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 174

(ii) Describ e on e possible enha n c e m e n t tech ni q u e .

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

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(2)

(iii) Discus s any extr a proc e d u r e s that are nee d e d to get an

app r o p r i a t e imag e of the inte s tin e in this situa tion.

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(2)

(b) A succe s sf ul ultr a s o u n d scan relies on cha n g e s of acous tic impe d a n c e

arou n d the struc t u r e being imag e d .

(i) Define acous tic impe d a n c e .

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.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) Stat e the SI unit in which it is me a s u r e d .

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(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 175

(iii) Explain, in ter m s of acous tic impe d a n c e , why gel nee d s to be
applied on the surfac e of the skin befor e the ultra s o u n d scan.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(i) Outline how it is possible to use a lase r as a scalpel (knife).

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(2)

(ii) By refer r i n g to the role playe d by optic fibre s, disc us s how an

endos co p e is used in this situa tion.

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(2)
(Tot al 14 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 176

IB Questionbank Physics 177
11 1 . This ques tion is abou t radiation in me dicin e.

A nucle a r stres s test is used to inves tig a t e the blood flow within a patie n t’s
hea r t durin g exer cis e.

The radioisot o p e thalliu m- 201 is inject e d into the patie n t’s blood and a
gam m a- ray det ec t o r is then use d to recor d its distrib u tio n within the hea r t
muscle.

The following infor m a t io n about this proc e d u r e is availabl e.

Mass of patien t = 75 kg
Dose equivale n t for a nucle a r stre s s test = 25 mSv

(a) The quality factor of the ga m m a- rays is 1. Dete r m i n e the ene r gy

absor b e d by the patien t as a res ult of the thallium injection.

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(3)

(b) Sugg e s t whet h e r you would expe c t the ene r gy calcula t e d in (a) to
res ult in a significan t incre a s e in the patie n t’s tem p e r a t u r e .

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(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 178

(c) On aver a g e , 1 in every 1000 patie n t s who und e r t a k e a nucle a r str e s s
test go on to develop canc e r as a result of the radioa c tive dos e that
they received durin g the test.

(i) By refer r i n g to the conc e p t of bala n c e d risk, outline why the test
may still be of benefit to the patie n t .

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

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(2)

(ii) The hospit al tech nicia n who admini st e r s the test could also
receive an incr e a s e d dos e.
Outline how film badg e s are use d to prot e c t tec hni ci a n s from
receiving exces sive dos es of radia tio n.

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(2)
(Tota l 8 mark s )

11 2 . This ques tion is abou t meso n s .

(a) Stat e what is mea n t by an exch a n g e par ticle.

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(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 179

(b) In 1935, the physicist Hide ki Yukawa pre dic t e d that the stron g
inter a c ti o n betw e e n nucleon s was medi a t e d by particle s calle d
meson s . Given that the rang e of the stron g inte r a c t io n is
appr oxi m a t ely 1.5 × 10 –15 m, calcula t e a possible value for the res t
mas s of a meso n.

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(2)

(c) A meson called the pion was det e c t e d in cosmic ray reac tio n s in 1947
by Powell and Occhialini. The pion com e s in thre e possibl e cha r g e
stat e s: π + , π – and π 0 The Feyn m a n diagr a m below rep r e s e n t s a
possible reac tion in which a pion particip a t e s .

Stat e and explain whet h e r the meso n prod u c e d is a π + , π – or π 0 .

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(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 180

(d) Stat e the possible spin num b e r s of meso n s and explain your answ e r .

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

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(3)

(e) Explain why, accor di n g to the qua r k model, it is not possible for a
particl e to consist of two up qua r k s only.

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(2)
(Tot al 10 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 181

11 3 . This ques tion is abou t accel er a ti n g par ticle s.

The diagr a m below show s the basic struc t u r e of a cyclotr o n.

Char g e d particle s are emitt e d from a sour c e at the cent r e . They move in a
vacuu m throu g h two D-shap e d cavitie s or “dee s”. Ther e is a unifor m
mag n e ti c field direc t e d into the pag e, within the region of the dee s.

(a) Outline why the voltag e applie d acros s the dee s must cha n g e polarity
every half revolutio n.

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(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 182

(b) Show that the frequ e n c y, f, of the applied pote n ti al differ e n c e is given
by the expr e s sio n

qB
f = 2 πm

whe r e

q = char g e of particle
m = mas s of particle
B = mag n e t i c field stre n g t h .

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(3)

(c) Stat e two disadv a n t a g e s of using a cyclotr o n rath e r tha n a

synch r o t r o n to accel e r a t e particle s.

1. .............................................................................................................
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2. .............................................................................................................
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(2)

(d) Explain why it is nece s s a r y to acc ele r a t e particl e s to high spee d s in

orde r to crea t e new par ticl e s of large mass.

IB Questionbank Physics 183

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(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 184

(e) High ene r gy particles are used to prob e the nucle u s. Explain why
alph a particle s would give bett e r resolution tha n proton s moving at
the sam e spee d.

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(3)
(Tot al 12 mark s )

11 4 . This ques tion is abou t ener gy and cons e rv a tio n laws.

Two proton s moving at the sam e spe e d in opposit e direc tio n s, collide with
each othe r produ ci n g thr e e proto n s and an anti- proton, as show n below.

p + p →p + p + p + p

(a) Calcula t e the minim u m possibl e kinetic ene r gy of on e of the colliding

proto n s .

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(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 185

(b) Explain why the following rea c tion is not possible, even if the colliding
particl es have enou g h ene r gy.

p + n →p + p + p

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(2)
(Tota l 4 mark s )

11 5 . This ques tion is abou t cosmology and string s .

(a) The bindin g ener gy of a helium nucle u s is abou t 28 MeV. Calcula t e

the tem p e r a t u r e of the unive r s e above which helium nuclei could not
have exist e d.

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.................................................................................................................
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(2)

(b) Stat e two fund a m e n t a l differ e n c e s betw e e n the sta n d a r d model and
the theo ry of string s.

1. .............................................................................................................
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2. .............................................................................................................

IB Questionbank Physics 186

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(2)
(Tota l 4 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 187

11 6 . Which of the following will red uc e ran do m erro r s in an expe ri m e n t ?

A. Using an instr u m e n t having a gre a t e r precision

B. Checkin g the calibr a ti o n of the inst r u m e n t use d

C. Checkin g for zero erro r on the instr u m e n t use d

D. Repe a ti n g readi n g s
(Tot al 1 mar k )

11 7 . A body accele r a t e s from rest with a unifor m accele r a t i o n a for a time t . The
unce r t ai n t y in a is 8 % and the unc e r t a i n t y in t is 4 %. The unc e r t a i n t y in
the spee d is

A. 32 %.

B. 12 %.

C. 8 %.

D. 2 %.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

11 8 . Which of the following lists two scala r qua n ti tie s ?

A. emf, mom e n t u m

B. emf, weigh t

C. impuls e, kinetic ener gy

D. magn e t i c flux, kinetic ener gy

(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 188

11 9 . The gra p h shows the variation with time t of the acc el e r a t io n a of an objec t.

Which of the following is the cha n g e in velocity of the object in the time
interv al 0 to 4 s?

A. –8 m s –1

B. –4 m s –1

C. +4 m s –1

D. +8 m s –1
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 189

12 0 . A car accele r a t e s from rest. The accele r a t i o n incr e a s e s with time. Which
grap h shows the variatio n with time t of the spe e d v of the car?

(Tot al 1 mar k )

12 1 . Which of the following is the condition for a body to be in tra n sl a tio n a l

equilibriu m ?

A. The result a n t force on the body in any direc tio n is zero.

B. The velocity of the body in any direc tion is zero.

C. No exte r n al force is acting on the body.

D. No work is done on the body.

(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 190

12 2 . A stone attac h e d to a string is moving in a horizon t a l circle. The const a n t
spee d of the stone is v .
The diagr a m below show s the ston e in two differ e n t positions , X and Y.

Which of the following shows the direc tio n of the cha n g e of velocity of the
ston e when moving from position X to position Y?

(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 191

12 3 . The gra p h shows the variation with force F of the exte nsio n s of a sprin g.

The work done in chan gi n g the exte n sion of the sprin g from 3.0 cm to 6.0
cm is

A. 15 N cm.

B. 30 N cm.

C. 45 N cm.

D. 60 N cm.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

12 4 . The ener gy of the molec ul e s of an ideal gas is

A. ther m al only.

B. ther m al and pote n ti al.

C. poten ti al and kinetic.

D. kinetic only.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 192

12 5 . Oil with volum e V has specific heat capa city c at tem p e r a t u r e T . The
density of oil is ρ.
Which of the following is the the r m a l capa ci ty of the oil?

A. ρcV

cV
B. ρ

C. ρcVT

cV
D. ρT
(Tot al 1 mar k )

12 6 . The volum e of an ideal gas in a cont ai n e r is incre a s e d at const a n t

tem p e r a t u r e . Which of the following sta t e m e n t s is/ar e cor r e c t abou t the
molecul e s of the gas?

I. Their spee d rem ai n s const a n t .

II. The frequ e n cy of collisions of molec ul e s with unit are a of the

cont ai n e r wall decr e a s e s .

III. The force betw e e n the m dec r e a s e s .

A. I only

B. I and II only

C. I and III only

D. II and III only

(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 193

12 7 . A particle oscillat es with simple har m o ni c motion with period T .

At time t = 0, the particl e has its maxim u m displ ac e m e n t . Which gra p h

shows the variation with time t of the kinetic ene r gy E k of the par ticle?

(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 194

12 8 . An object is und e r g oi n g simple har m o nic motion with light dam pi n g. The
natu r al frequ e n c y of oscillation of the objec t is f 0 . A periodic force of
frequ e n c y f is applied to the object. Which of the following gra p h s best
shows how the amplit u d e a of oscillation of the object varie s with f?

(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 195

12 9 . The gra p h shows meas u r e m e n t s of the heigh t h of sea level at differe n t
times t in the Bay of Fundy.

Which of the following gives the app r oxi m a t e am plit u d e and period of the
tides?

Amplit u d e Peri o d
A. 6.5 m 6 hour s
B. 13 m 12 hour s
C. 6.5 m 12 hour s
D. 13 m 6 hour s
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 196

λ
13 0 . Two waves meet at a point. The waves have a path differ e n c e of 4 . The
phas e differe n c e betw e e n the waves is

π
A. 8 rad.

π
B. 4 rad.

π
C. 2 rad.

D. π rad.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

13 1 . Two elect r o d e s , sepa r a t e d by a dista n c e d , in a vacuu m are maint ai n e d at a

cons t a n t pote n ti al differ e n c e . An elect r o n, accel e r a t e d from one elect r o d e
to the other , gains kinetic ener gy E k . The dist a n c e betw e e n the elect r o d e s
1
is now chan g e d to 3 d .

What is the gain in kinetic ener gy of an elect r o n that is accele r a t e d from

one elect r o d e to the other ?

Ek
A. 3

B. Ek

C. 3 Ek

D. 9 Ek
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 197

13 2 . The gra p h shows the I–V char a c t e r i s ti c s of two resisto r s .

When resisto r s X and Y are conn e c t e d in serie s, the cur r e n t in the resisto r s
is 2.0 A. What is the resist a n c e of the serie s com bin a tio n of X and Y?

A. 7.0 Ω

B. 1.3 Ω

C. 1.1 Ω

D. 0.14 Ω
(Tot al 1 mar k )

13 3 . The definition of the amp e r e refe r s to the

A. num b e r of elect r o n s passin g a given point per secon d.

B. force betw e e n par allel cur r e n t- car ryin g condu c t o r s .

C. powe r dissip at e d per unit resist a n c e .

D. amou n t of char g e tran sf e r r e d per secon d.

(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 198

13 4 . A space c r af t travels away from Eart h in a strai g h t line with its motor s shut
down. At one insta n t the spee d of the spac e c r a f t is 5.4 km s –1 . After a time
of 600 s, the spee d is 5.1 km s –1 . The aver a g e gravit a tio n a l field stre n g t h
acting on the spac e c r af t during this time inte rv al is

A. 5.0 × 10 –4 N kg –1

B. 3.0 × 10 –2 N kg –1

C. 5.0 × 10 –1 N kg –1

D. 30 N kg –1
(Tot al 1 mar k )

13 5 . Two isol ated point char g e s , –7 μC and +2 μC, are at a fixed dist a n c e apa r t .
At which point is it possible for the elect ric field str e n g t h to be zero?

(not to scale)
(Tot al 1 mar k )

13 6 . A long str ai g h t wire carri es an elect ric cur r e n t per p e n di c ul a r ly out of the
pap e r . Which of the following repr e s e n t s the ma gn e t i c field patt e r n due to
the curr e n t ?

(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 199

13 7 . Which nucleon s in a nucleu s are involve d in the Coulom b inte r a c ti o n and
the stron g short- ran g e nuclea r inte r a c ti o n?

Coul o m b int er a c t i o n Str o n g sh or t- ran g e

int e r a c t i o n
A. proton s proto n s , neut r o n s
B. proton s neut r o n s
C. proton s proto n s
D. proton s , neut r o n s neut r o n s
(Tot al 1 mar k )

13 8 . Two sam pl e s of radioa ctiv e subs t a n c e s X and Y have the sam e initial
activity. The half- life of X is T and the half- life of Y is 3 T . After a time of 3 T
the ratio

a c t ivit of
y s u b s t a n cX
e
a c t ivit of
y s u b s t a n cY
e is

A. 8.

B. 4.

1
C. 4.

1
D. 8.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 200

13 9 . The nuclea r equ atio n below is an exa m pl e of the tra ns m u t a t i o n of mer c u r y
into gold.

2
1H  18909H g  197
7 9 Au + X

The particle X is a

A. gam m a- ray photon.

B. heliu m nucleu s .

C. proto n.

D. neut r o n.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

14 0 . The Sank ey diag r a m of a fossil- fuelled powe r station is show n below.

Which of the following bes t identifies the the r m a l ene r gy rem ov e d by wat e r
and the useful elect ric al ener gy outpu t of the station?

Ther m a l en er g y Us e f u l el e c t r i c a l en e r g y
re m o v e d out p u t
A. 2 1
B. 2 3
C. 3 1
D. 1 2
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 201

14 1 . World ener gy resou r c e s include coal, nucle a r fuel and geot h e r m a l ene r gy.
Which of the following lists thes e resou r c e s in orde r of pri m a r y ene r gy use
in the world?

A. nuclea r , geot h e r m a l , coal

B. nuclea r , coal, geot h e r m a l

C. coal, geot h e r m a l , nuclea r

D. coal, nucle a r , geot h e r m a l

(Tot al 1 mar k )

14 2 . Which of the following proce s s e s leads to the produ c tio n of a nucle u s of

plutoni u m- 239 from a nucleu s of ura ni u m- 238?

A. Neut r o n capt u r e by uraniu m nucle u s

B. Radioa ctive decay of uraniu m nucle u s

C. Elect r o n capt u r e by uraniu m nucle u s

D. Nucle a r fission of urani u m nucle u s

(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 202

14 3 . Wate r is cont ai n e d in a tidal basin behin d a dam. The wat e r has a dept h h
at high tide and zero at low tide, as show n in the diagr a m .

The gravit a tion al pote n ti al ene r gy of the wate r stor e d in the basin betw e e n
a high tide and a low tide is propo r tio n a l to

A. h.

B. h.

C. h 2.

D. h 3.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 203

14 4 . Surfac e X has a tem p e r a t u r e T X and emissivity ε x . Surfa c e Y has a
tem p e r a t u r e T Y and emis sivity ε y . The two surfa c e s emit radi a tion at the
sam e rat e.

TX
What is the ratio TY ?

1
εy 4
 
ε 
A.  x 

1
εx 4
 
εy 
B.  

4
εy 
 
ε 
C.  x 

4
εX 
 
 εy 
D.  
(Tot al 1 mar k )

14 5 . Large area s of rainfor e s t s are cut down and bur n e d every year. The result
of thes e actions is

A. red uc e d albed o.

B. red uc e d car bo n fixation.

C. incr e a s e d evapo r a t io n rat e.

D. incr e a s e d mas s of atmos p h e r i c met h a n e .

(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 204

14 6 . Data analysis ques tion.

The spee d v of waves on the surfa c e of dee p wate r dep e n d s only on the
wavele n g t h λ of the waves. The dat a gath e r e d from a par tic ul a r region of
the Atlantic Ocea n are plott e d below.

The unce r t a i n t y in the speed v is ±0. 3 0 m s –1 and the unc e r t a i n t y in λ is too

small to be show n on the diagr a m .

(a) Stat e, with refer e n c e to the gra p h,

(i) why v is not directly propo r tio n a l to λ.

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(1)

(ii) the value of v for λ = 39 m.

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IB Questionbank Physics 205

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(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 206

(b) It is sugg e s t e d that the rela tion s hi p betw e e n v and λ is of the form

v = a λ

whe r e a is a const a n t . To test the validity of this hypot h e s i s, values of

v 2 agains t λ are plott e d below.

(i) Use your answ e r to (a)(ii) to show that the absolut e unce r t a i n t y
in v 2 for a wavele n g t h of 39 m is ±5 m 2 s –2 .

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(3)

(ii) The absolut e uncer t a i n t y in v 2 for a wavele n g t h of 2.5 m is ±1 m 2

s –2 . Using this value and the value in (b)(i), const r u c t error bars
for v 2 at the dat a points for

IB Questionbank Physics 207

λ = 2.5 m and 39 m.
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 208

(iii) Stat e why the plott e d dat a in (b)(ii) sugg e s t that it is likely that v
is propo r tio n al to λ.

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(1)

(iv) Use the grap h above to det e r m i n e the cons t a n t a .

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(3)

k
(v) Theory shows that a = 2 π . Dete r mi n e a value for k .

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(1)
(Tot al 11 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 209

14 7 . This ques tion is abou t kine m a t i c s.

Lucy stan d s on the edg e of a vertic al cliff and throw s a ston e vertic ally
upwa r d s .

The stone leaves her han d with a spe e d of 15 m s –1 at the insta n t her hand
is 80 m above the surfac e of the sea. Air resist a n c e is negligibl e and the
accele r a ti o n of free fall is 10 m s –2 .

(a) Calcula t e the maxim u m heigh t rea c h e d by the ston e as me a s u r e d from

the point wher e it is throw n.

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(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 210

(b) Deter m i n e the time for the stone to rea c h the surfa c e of the sea afte r
leaving Lucy’s hand.

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.................................................................................................................
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(3)
(Tota l 5 mark s )

14 8 . This ques tion is abou t inter n al ene r gy and the r m a l ene r gy (hea t).

(a) Disting ui s h betw e e n inter n a l ene r gy and the r m a l ene r gy.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

(b) Descri b e, with refer e n c e to the ene r gy of the molec ul e s , the

differ e n c e in inter n al ener gy of a piec e of iron and the inter n al ene r gy
of an ideal gas.

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IB Questionbank Physics 211

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(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 212

(c) A piece of iron is place d in a kiln until it rea c h e s the tem p e r a t u r e θ of
the kiln. The iron is then quickly tra n sf e r r e d to wat e r held in a
ther m ally insulat e d cont ai n e r . The wat e r is stirr e d until it rea c h e s a
ste a dy tem p e r a t u r e . The following data are availa bl e.

Ther m al capa city of the piece of iron = 60 J

K–1
Ther m al capa city of the wate r = 2.0 ×
10 3 J K –1
Initial tem p e r a t u r e of the wat e r = 16 °C
Final tem p e r a t u r e of the wat e r = 45 °C

The ther m al capa ci ty of the cont ai n e r and insula tion is negligible.

(i) Stat e an expr e s s io n, in ter m s of θ and the above dat a, for the
ene r gy tran sf e r of the iron in cooling from the tem p e r a t u r e of the
kiln to the final tem p e r a t u r e of the wat e r .

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) Calculat e the incre a s e in inte r n a l ene r gy of the wat e r as the iron
cools in the wat e r .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(iii) Use your answ e r s to (c)(i) and (c)(ii) to det e r m i n e θ.

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

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(2)
(Tota l 9 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 213

14 9 . This ques tion is abou t simple har m o ni c motion (SHM) and a wave in a
string.

(a) By refer e n c e to simple har m o ni c motion, stat e wha t is mea n t by

amplit u d e.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(b) A liquid is cont ain e d in a U-tube.

Dia g r a m 1 Dia gr a m 2

The pres s u r e on the liquid in one side of the tube is incr e a s e d so tha t
the liquid is displac e d as show n in diag r a m 2. Whe n the pres s u r e is
sudd e nly relea s e d the liquid oscillat e s .
The dam pi n g of the oscillation s is small.

(i) Describ e what is mea n t by da m pi n g.

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(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 214

(ii) The displac e m e n t of the liquid surfa c e from its equilibri u m
position is x . The accele r a ti o n a of the liquid in the tube is given
by the expr e s si o n

2g
 x
a = l

wher e g is the accele r a t io n of free fall and l is the total lengt h of

the liquid colum n.
The total lengt h of the liquid colum n in the tube is 0.32 m.
Dete r mi n e the period of oscillation.

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

.........................................................................................................
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(3)

(c) A wave is travelling along a strin g. The string can be modelle d as a

single line of particles and each particl e execu t e s simple har m o ni c
motion. The period of oscillation of the particle s is 0.80 s.

The grap h shows the displa c e m e n t y of par t of the string at time t = 0.

The dist an c e along the string is d.

IB Questionbank Physics 215

(i) On the grap h, draw an arro w to show the dire c tion of motion of
par ticl e P at the point mark e d on the string.
(1)

(ii) Dete r mi n e the mag nit u d e of the velocity of particle P.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(4)

(iii) Show that the spee d of the wave is 5.0 m s –1 .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(3)

(iv) On the grap h above, label with the lette r X the position of

IB Questionbank Physics 216

par ticl e P at t = 0.40 s.
(1)
(Tot al 15 mark s )

15 0 . This ques tion is abou t unified atomic mass unit and a nucle a r rea c tio n.

(a) Define the ter m unified atomic mas s unit .

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.................................................................................................................
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(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 217

(b) The mas s of a nucleu s of rut h e rf o r di u m- 254 is 254.1 0 0 1 u. Calcula t e
the mas s in GeV c –2 .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(c) In 1919, Ruthe r fo r d produ c e d the first artificial nucle a r tra n s m u t a t i o n

by bomb a r di n g nitrog e n with α-par ticle s. The rea c tion is repr e s e n t e d
by the following equ atio n.

14
α+ 7N  187 O + X

(i) Identify X.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) The following dat a are availa bl e for the rea c tio n.

Rest mass of α = 3.742 8 GeV c –2

14
Rest mass of 7N = 13.09 4 2 GeV c –2
17
Rest mass of 8O + X = 16.83 8 3 GeV c –2

The initial kinetic ene r gy of the α-par ticle is 7.68 MeV.

Dete r mi n e the sum of the kinetic ene r gi e s of the oxyge n nucle u s
and X. (Assu m e that the nitrog e n nucle u s is station a r y.)

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 218

(d) The reac tion in (c) prod u c e s oxyge n (O-17). Othe r isotop e s of oxyge n
includ e O-19 which is radioa c tive with a half- life of 30 s.

(i) Stat e what is mean t by the ter m isotop e s .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) Define the ter m radioactiv e half- life .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(e) A nucleu s of the isotop e O-19 dec ays to a stable nucle u s of fluorin e.
The half- life of O-19 is 30 s. At time t = 0, a sam pl e of O-19 cont ai n s a
larg e num b e r N 0 nuclei of O-19.

On the grid below, draw a gra p h to show the variation with time t of
the num b e r N of O-19 nuclei rem ai ni n g in the sam pl e . You should
conside r a time of t = 0 to t = 120 s.

IB Questionbank Physics 219

(2)
(Tot al 10 mark s )

15 1 . This ques tion is abou t power prod u c tio n and global war mi n g.

(a) In any cyclical proc es s design e d to continu o u s ly conve r t the r m a l

ener gy to work, some ene r gy is always deg r a d e d . Explain what is
mea n t by degr a d e d ener gy.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(b) A nuclea r powe r station uses ura ni u m- 235 (U- 235) as fuel. Outline the

(i) proce s s e s and ener gy chan g e s that occur thro u g h which the r m a l
ene r gy is produ c e d .

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

IB Questionbank Physics 220

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

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(4)

IB Questionbank Physics 221

(ii) role of the heat exch a n g e r of the rea c t o r and the tur bi n e in the
gen e r a t io n of elect ric al ene r gy.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(3)

(c) Identify on e proce s s in the powe r station whe r e ene r gy is degr a d e d .

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(d) The maxim u m powe r outp u t of the Drax coal- fired powe r station in the
UK is 4.0 GW. Dete r mi n e the minim u m mas s of pur e U-235 that would
be requir e d by a nuclea r powe r sta tion to provide the sam e maxim u m
annu al ener gy outpu t as the Drax powe r station.

Ener gy density of U-235 = 82 TJ kg –1

1 year = 3.2 × 10 7 s

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IB Questionbank Physics 222

(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 223

(e) The Drax powe r station produ c e s an enor m o u s amou n t of carbo n
dioxide, a gas classified as a gre e n h o u s e gas. Outline, with refe r e n c e
to the vibratio n al beh aviou r of molec ul e s of car bo n dioxide, wha t is
mea n t by a gre e n h o u s e gas.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

(f) It has bee n sugg e s t e d that the prod u c tio n of gre e n h o u s e gas e s by
coal- fired powe r station s has incre a s e d global war mi n g . One piec e of
eviden c e to suppo r t this sugg e s ti o n is the incre a s e in sea- level due to
an incr e a s e in tem p e r a t u r e of the ocea n s . Over the past 100 yea rs it is
sugg e s t e d that sea- levels have rise n by 6.4 × 10 –2 m due to volum e
expan si o n.

Using the following dat a, det e r m i n e the aver a g e rise in tem p e r a t u r e

in the top levels of the ocea n s in the last 100 years.

Mean dept h of ocea n s that is affect e d by global war mi n g =

4.0 × 10 2 m
Coefficien t of volum e expa n sio n of sea wat e r =
5.1 × 10 –5 K–1

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IB Questionbank Physics 224

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(3)
(Tot al 18 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 225

15 2 . This ques tion is abou t elect ri c cha r g e .

(a) A plastic rod XY is held at end X. The end Y is rubb e d with a piec e of
cloth and, as a res ult, the end Y beco m e s elect ric ally cha r g e d .

The proce d u r e is now rep e a t e d using a coppe r rod and it is found tha t
the copp e r rod rem ai n s elect ric ally neut r a l. Explain thes e
obse rv a tio n s in ter m s of the prop e r ti e s of cond u c t o r s and insulat o r s .

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

.................................................................................................................
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(5)

IB Questionbank Physics 226

(b) Two plastic rods each have a positive char g e + q situa t e d at one end.
The rods are arr a n g e d as show n.

Assum e that the char g e at the end of eac h rod beha v e s as a point
char g e . Draw, in the shad e d are a on the diagr a m , the elect ric field
patt e r n due to the two cha r g e s .
(2)
(Tota l 7 mark s )

15 3 . This ques tion is abou t power and efficie ncy.

A bus is travelling at a const a n t spe e d of 6.2 m s –1 along a section of road

that is incline d at an angle of 6.0° to the horizont al.

IB Questionbank Physics 227

(a) (i) The bus is rep r e s e n t e d by the black dot show n below.
Draw a labelled sketc h to rep r e s e n t the force s acting on the bus.

(4)

(ii) Stat e the value of the rat e of cha n g e of mom e n t u m of the bus.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(b) The total outp u t powe r of the engin e of the bus is 70 kW and the
efficiency of the engin e is 35 %. Calcula t e the input powe r to the
engin e.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(c) The mas s of the bus is 8.5 × 10 3 kg. Dete r mi n e the rat e of incr e a s e of
gravit atio n al poten ti al ene r gy of the bus.

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IB Questionbank Physics 228

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.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

(d) Using your ans w e r to (c) and the dat a in (b), estim a t e the magni t u d e
of the resistive forces acting on the bus.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

(e) The engin e of the bus sudd e nly stops workin g.

(i) Dete r mi n e the mag nit u d e of the net force opposin g the motion of
the bus at the inst an t at which the engin e stops.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) Discus s, with refer e n c e to the air resis t a n c e , the cha n g e in the
net force as the bus slows down.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 229

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.........................................................................................................
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(2)
(Tot al 17 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 230

15 4 . This ques tion is abou t elect ri ca l resist a n c e .

(a) A resis to r of resist a n c e 1.5 Ω is mad e from copp e r wire of radi us 0 .18
mm. The resistivity of coppe r is 1.7 × 10 –8 Ω m. Dete r m i n e the lengt h
of copp e r wire used to make the resisto r .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(b) The man uf a c t u r e r of the resisto r in (a) gua r a n t e e s tha t the resist a n c e
is within 10 % of 1.5 Ω , provide d tha t the powe r dissipa tio n in the
resisto r does not exce e d 1.0 W.

(i) Sugg e s t why the resist a n c e of the resis to r mi ght be gre a t e r tha n
1.65 Ω if the powe r dissipa tion in the resisto r is gre a t e r tha n 1.0
W.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) Show that, for a powe r dissipa tio n of 1.0 W, the curr e n t in a
resis to r of resist a n c e 1.5 Ω is 0.82 A.

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.........................................................................................................
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IB Questionbank Physics 231
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 232

(iii) The 1.5 Ω resisto r is conne c t e d in series with a varia bl e resis to r
and batt e r y of emf 6.0 V and inte rnal resist a n c e 1.8 Ω.

Estim a t e the resist a n c e R of the variabl e resisto r that will limit

the curr e n t to 0.82 A.

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.........................................................................................................
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(3)
(Tota l 8 mark s )

15 5 . This ques tion is abou t stan di n g (station a r y) wave s.

The diagr a m repr e s e n t s a stan di n g wave of wavele n g t h λ set up on a string

of lengt h L .

The string is fixed at both ends.

(a) For this stan di n g wave

IB Questionbank Physics 233

(i) stat e the relation s hi p betw e e n λ and L.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) label, on the diag r a m , two antino d e s wher e the string is

vibratin g in phas e. Label the antinod e s with the lette r A.
(2)

(b) The stan di n g wave has wavele n g t h λ and frequ e n c y f. Sta t e and
explain, with res p e c t to a sta n di n g wave, what is rep r e s e n t e d by the
prod u c t f λ.

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.................................................................................................................
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(3)
(Tota l 6 mark s )

15 6 . This ques tion is abou t the eye and resolution.

A stud e n t meas u r e s the aper t u r e of the iris of one of her eyes as 2.0 mm in
sunligh t and 7.0 mm in moonligh t. The inten sity at her eye of sunlight is
106 times grea t e r than the inte n si ty of moonlig h t.

(a) (i) Dete r mi n e the following ratio.

p ow e ro f lig h te n t e r in tgh ee yein s u n lig h t

p o w e rof lig h te n t e r in tgh ee yein m o o n lig h t

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

IB Questionbank Physics 234

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(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 235

(ii) Sugg e s t why your answ e r in (a)(i) indica t e s that the cha n g e in
diam e t e r of the iris is not the princip al mec h a ni s m by which the
eye is able to adjus t to differ e n t light inte n sitie s.

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.........................................................................................................
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(1)

(b) (i) Stat e the Rayleigh crite rion.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) Sugg e s t , with refer e n c e to the Rayleig h crite rio n, whe t h e r the
ability of the eye to resolve the imag e of two object s is gre a t e r in
sunligh t or in moonligh t.

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(4)

IB Questionbank Physics 236

(c) Outline the differ e n t functions of the rods and the cones on the retin a
of the eye in their res po n s e to sunligh t and to moonligh t.

Rods: .......................................................................................................
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Cones: .....................................................................................................
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(4)
(Tot al 14 mark s )

15 7 . This ques tion is abou t the photo el e c t r i c effect.

(a) Stat e what is mea n t by the photo el e c t r i c effect.

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.................................................................................................................
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(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 237

(b) Light of frequ e n cy 8.7 × 10 14 Hz is incide n t on the surfa c e of a met al
in a photocell.
The surf ac e area of the met al is 9.0 × 10 –6 m 2 and the inte n sity of the
light is
1.1 × 10 –3 W m –2 .

(i) Deduc e that the maxim u m possible photo el e c t r i c cur r e n t in the

photoc ell is 2.7 nA.

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.........................................................................................................
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(3)

(ii) The maxim u m kinetic ene r gy of photo el e c t r o n s rele a s e d from the

met al surfac e is 1.2 eV. Calcula t e the value of the work function
of the met al.

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.........................................................................................................
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(1)
(Tota l 5 mark s )

15 8 . This ques tion is abou t the de Broglie hypot h e si s .

(a) Stat e the de Broglie hypot h e si s.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 238

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

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.................................................................................................................
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(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 239

(b) Deter m i n e the de Broglie wavele n g t h of a proto n tha t has bee n
accel e r a t e d from rest thro u g h a pote n ti al differe n c e of 1.2 kV.

.................................................................................................................
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.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(c) Explain why a precis e knowle d g e of the de Broglie wavele n g t h of the

proto n implies that its position cannot be obs e rv e d.

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.................................................................................................................
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(2)
(Tota l 6 mark s )

15 9 . This ques tion is abou t radioa ctive dec ay.

13
Nitrog e n- 13 ( 7 N ) is an isotop e that is use d in medic al diagn osi s. The dec ay
cons t a n t of nitrog e n- 13 is 1.2 × 10 –3 s –1 .

(a) (i) Define decay cons ta n t .

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IB Questionbank Physics 240

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(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 241

(ii) A sam pl e of nitrog e n- 13 has an initial activity of 800 Bq. The
sam pl e canno t be use d for diagno s ti c pur po s e s if its activity
beco m e s less than 150 Bq. Dete r m i n e the time it take s for the
activity of the sam pl e to fall to 150 Bq.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(b) (i) Calculat e the half- life of nitrog e n- 13

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(1)

(ii) Outline how the half- life of a sam pl e of nitrog e n- 13 can be

meas u r e d in a labor a t o r y.

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IB Questionbank Physics 242

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(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 243

(c) Nitro g e n- 13 und e r g o e s β + dec ay. Outline the expe ri m e n t a l evide nc e
that sugg e s t s anot h e r particle, the neut ri n o, is also emitt e d in the
decay.

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.................................................................................................................
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(2)
(Tota l 9 mark s )

16 0 . This ques tion is abou t digital sam plin g.

(a) A comp a c t disc stor e s music in digit al form. The music is sam pl e d at a
frequ e n c y of 44.1 kHz. Each sa m pl e consis t s of two 16- bit wor ds.

(i) Stat e what is mean t by digital form.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) The disc stor e s music that takes one hour for playba c k.
Dete r mi n e the minim u m num b e r of bits that are stor e d on the
disc.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 244

..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 245

(b) A pag e from a book has 45 lines of writing. Eac h line of the book has,
on aver a g e , 65 lett e r s and spa c e s . The text of the book is to be stor e d
on comp a c t disc whe r e eac h lette r or spac e on a line is rep r e s e n t e d by
an eight- bit num b e r . Deter m i n e the num b e r of pag e s of text tha t can
be stor e d on a comp a c t disc simila r to that in (a).

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.................................................................................................................
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(2)
(Tota l 5 mark s )

16 1 . This ques tion is abou t a digital cam e r a .

(a) By refer e n c e to what is mea n t by a pixel, desc ri b e the struc t u r e of a

char g e- couple d device (CCD).

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

(b) The CCD in a cam e r a has an are a of 16 cm 2 and is divide d into 5.6
meg a pix els.
The cam e r a is used to take a photog r a p h with a linea r ma gnific a tion
of 0.030.

(i) Calculat e the sepa r a t i o n of pixels on the CCD.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 246

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

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(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 247

(ii) Dete r mi n e the minim u m sepa r a ti o n of two point s on an object
such that they may be see n sepa r a t e ly on the imag e. Diffrac tio n
effect s at the lens may be ignor e d .

.........................................................................................................
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.........................................................................................................
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(2)
(Tota l 7 mark s )

16 2 . This ques tion is abou t an oper a tio n a l amplifier (op- amp) circuit.

The circuit diagr a m is for a non- inver tin g amplifie r.

The oper a ti o n al amplifier is ideal.

Calculat e the

(a) gain of the amplifier circuit.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 248

.................................................................................................................
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(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 249

(b) input pote n ti al V IN at which the amplifier satu r a t e s .

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.................................................................................................................
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(2)
(Tota l 4 mark s )

16 3 . This ques tion is abou t a mobile phon e netwo r k.

Describ e the role of the cellula r exch a n g e durin g the making of a call from
a mobile phon e.

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

.........................................................................................................................
.......................
(Tota l 4 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 250

16 4 . This ques tion is abou t relativity.

Carri e is in a spac es hi p that is travelling towa r d s a sta r in a str ai g h t- line at

cons t a n t velocity as obse rv e d by Pete r . Pete r is at rest relative to the sta r.

(a) Car ri e meas u r e s her spac e s hi p to have a lengt h of 100 m. Pete r

mea s u r e s Carrie’s spac es hi p to have a lengt h of 91 m.

(i) Explain why Carrie mea s u r e s the prop e r lengt h of the spa c e s hi p.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) Show that Carri e travels at a spe e d of appr oxi m a t e l y 0.4 c

relative to Pete r .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(b) Accordi n g to Carri e, it take s the sta r ten year s to rea c h her. Using
your ans w e r to (a)(ii), calcula t e the dist a n c e to the sta r as mea s u r e d
by Peter .

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

IB Questionbank Physics 251

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 252

(c) Accordi n g to Pete r, as Carrie pas s e s the sta r she send s a radio signal.
Deter m i n e the time, as mea s u r e d by Carri e, for the mes s a g e to reac h
Pete r .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)
(Tota l 8 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 253

16 5 . This ques tion is abou t a light clock.

Describ e the principle of a light clock.

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

.........................................................................................................................
.......................
(Tota l 2 mark s )

16 6 . This ques tion is abou t qua r k s.

The quar k cont e n t of a π + meso n includ e s an up qua r k.

The Feyn m a n diagr a m repr e s e n t s the decay of a π + meso n.

IB Questionbank Physics 254

(a) Identify the par ticles labelle d A and B.

A: .............................................................................................................
....................

B: .............................................................................................................
....................
(2)

(b) Stat e, with refer e n c e to their prop e r t i e s , two differ e n c e s betw e e n a

photon and a W boson.

1. .............................................................................................................
.....................

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

2. .............................................................................................................
.....................

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(c) The appr oxi m a t e rang e of the weak inte r a c ti o n is 10 –18 m. Dete r mi n e ,
in kg, the likely mass of the W boson.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)
(Tota l 6 mark s )

16 7 . This ques tion is abou t stra n g e n e s s .

(a) Outline two prop e r t i e s of str a n g e n e s s .

1. .............................................................................................................

IB Questionbank Physics 255

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

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

2. .............................................................................................................
.....................

.................................................................................................................
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(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 256

(b) The following particle inte r a c ti o n is propos e d .

p + π – → K– + π +

In this inter a c ti o n, char g e is cons e r v e d .

Stat e, in ter m s of baryo n and stra n g e n e s s cons e rv a t i o n, whet h e r the

inter a c ti o n is possible.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)
(Tota l 4 mark s )

16 8 . This ques tion is abou t the prope r ti e s of a sta r.

(a) Descri b e what is mean t by a

(i) cons t ella tio n.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) stellar clust e r .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 257

(b) Some dat a for the variabl e sta r Betelg e u s e are given below.

Avera g e absolut e ma gni t u d e = –5.1

Avera g e appa r e n t mag nit u d e = + 0.60
Avera g e appa r e n t brigh t n e s s = 1.6 × 10 –7 W m –2
Radius = 790 solar radii

The luminosity of the Sun is 3.8 × 10 26 W and it has a surfa c e

tem p e r a t u r e of 5700 K.

(i) Show that the dista n c e from Eart h to Betelge u s e is about 4.0 ×
10 18 m.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(3)

(ii) Dete r mi n e , in ter m s of the luminosity of the Sun, the luminosity

of Betelg e u s e .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(iii) Calculat e the surfac e tem p e r a t u r e of Betelg e u s e .

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

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

IB Questionbank Physics 258

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

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(c) On the Hertzs p r u n g–R u s s e ll diagr a m above,

(i) label the position of Betelg e u s e with the lette r B.

(1)

(ii) sketc h the position of main sequ e n c e star s.

(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 259

(d) Some star s, such as Betelg e u s e , are in combi n a tio n with a comp a nio n
sta r formin g a spect r o s c o pi c bina ry syste m . Descri b e and explain the
char a c t e r i s ti c s of a spect r o s c o pi c bina ry syste m .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)
(Tot al 15 mark s )

16 9 . A force F is applied to a body moving along a str ai g h t line. A resis tive force
f acts on the body.
Both forces act along the sam e straig h t line as the motion of the body. The
rat e of chan g e of mom e n t u m of the body is equal to

A. F – f.

B. F.

C. F + f.

D. f.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 260

17 0 . The diagr a m below show s a unifor m elect ri c field of str e n g t h E. The field is
in a vacuu m .

An elect r o n ente r s the field with a velocity v in the dire c tion show n. The
elect r o n is moving in the plan e of the pape r . The path followe d by the
elect r o n will be

A. par a b olic.

B. in the directio n of E.

C. in the directio n of v .

D. circul a r.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

17 1 . A space c r af t moves from point X to point Y in the gravit a tion a l field of

Eart h. At point X, the gravit a tion a l pote n ti al is –14 MJ kg –1 . At point Y, the
gravit a tion al poten t i al is –2 MJ kg –1 . Which of the following desc ri b e s the
direction of the motion of the spac e c r a f t rela tive to Eart h and the cha n g e in
gravit a tion al poten t i al?

Dire c t i o n of Chan g e in gravit a t i o n a l

Moti o n pot e n t i a l
A. towa r d s Eart h +1 2 MJ kg –1
B. towa r d s Eart h –12 MJ kg –1
C. away from Eart h +1 2 MJ kg –1
D. away from Eart h –12 MJ kg –1
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 261

17 2 . A space c r af t is in orbit at a dista n c e r from the cent r e of the Eart h. The
engine of the space c r af t is fired and it moves to a new orbit of radi us 2 r.
Which of the following desc ri b e s the varia tio n s in kine tic ene r gy and total
ene r gy of the space c r af t ?

Kin e t i c Tot al en e r g y
en e r g y
A. decr e a s e incr e a s e
B. decr e a s e decr e a s e
C. incr e a s e incr e a s e
D. incr e a s e decr e a s e
(Tot al 1 mar k )

17 3 . The volum e of an ideal gas in a cont ai n e r is incre a s e d at const a n t

tem p e r a t u r e . Which of the following sta t e m e n t s is/ar e cor r e c t abou t the
molecul e s of the gas?

I. Their spee d rem ai n s const a n t .

II. The frequ e n cy of collisions of molec ul e s with unit are a of the

cont ai n e r wall decr e a s e s .

III. The force betw e e n the m dec r e a s e s .

A. I only

B. I and II only

C. I and III only

D. II and III only

(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 262

17 4 . During an adiab a tic expa n sio n, a gas does 50 J of work agains t the
sur r o u n di n g s . It is then cooled at cons t a n t volum e by removing 20 J of
ene r gy from the gas. The mag nit u d e of the total cha n g e in inte r n a l ene r gy
of the gas is

A. 70 J.

B. 50 J.

C. 30 J.

D. 20 J.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

17 5 . The diagr a m shows the pres s u r e volum e relations hi p for a fixed mas s of an
ideal gas that unde r g o e s a cycle XYZ.

In which part(s) of the cycle is exte r n a l work done on the gas?

A. Y → Z only

B. Y → Z and Z → X only

C. X → Y and Z → X only

D. X → Y only
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 263

17 6 . A string vibrat e s with fund a m e n t a l frequ e n c y f. The wavele n g t h of the
soun d produ c e d in air is λ. Which of the following cor r e c tly gives the
frequ e n c y of vibration of the fourt h har m o ni c of the string and the
wavele n g t h of the sound in air?

Freq u e n c y Wave l e n g t h
f λ
A.
2 4

B. 4 f 4λ

f
C. 4λ
2
λ
D. 4 f
4
(Tot al 1 mar k )

17 7 . A rada r spee d gun is used to me a s u r e the spee d of a car. The car is moving
with spee d v away from the gun.

The rada r emits microw av e s of frequ e n c y f and spe e d c . Which of the

following is the frequ e n cy of the microw a v e s mea s u r e d at the gun afte r
reflection by the car?

 2v 
 f
A. f +  c 

v 
 f
B. f + c 

 2v 
 f
C. f –  c 

v 
 f
D. f – c 
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 264

17 8 . An optically active subs t a n c e

A. compl et ely absor b s polariz e d light.

B. unpol arize s polarized light.

C. polarize s unpola riz e d light.

D. rotat e s the plane of polariz a tion.

(Tot al 1 mar k )

17 9 . The diagr a m below show s two identic al filame n t lamps sepa r a t e d by a

small dista n c e. Light from the lamps is incide n t on a nar r o w slit behin d a
gree n filter. The slit is par allel to the filame n t of eac h lamp.
A photog r a p h is taken of the lamps throu g h the slit. The imag e s of the
filam e n t s on the photog r a p h are just resolve d.

The gre e n filter is replac e d by a red filter and the n by a violet filter. For
each filter a photog r a p h is take n of the lamps throu g h the slit. Which of the
following corr e c tly describ e s the resolution of the imag e s using a red and
using a violet filter?

Red filt er Viol e t filt e r

A. resolve d resolve d
B. resolve d not resolve d
C. not resolve d resolve d
D. not resolve d not resolve d
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 265

18 0 . Two resis to r s , of resis t a n c e R 1 and R 2 , are conn e c t e d in serie s with a cell of
emf ε and negligibl e inter n al resist a n c e .

Which expr e s si o n gives the pote n ti al differe n c e acros s the resis to r of

resis t a n c e R 1 ?

 R1 
 ε
A.  R1 R 2 

 R1 R 2 
 ε
B.  R1 

 R2 
 ε
C.  R1 R 2 

 R1 R 2 
 ε
D.  R2 
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 266

18 1 . The gra p h shows the variation with time t of the mag n e t i c flux φ thro u g h a
coil that is rotati n g in a unifor m magn e t i c field.

The mag ni t u d e of the emf induc e d acros s the ends of the coil is maxim u m
at time(s)

A. t 1 and t 3 .

B. t 2 and t 4 .

C. t 3 only.

D. t 4 only.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

18 2 . The rms cur r e n t ratin g of an elect ric hea t e r is 4 A. What direc t cur r e n t
would produ c e the sam e powe r dissipa tio n in the elect ric hea t e r ?

4
A
A. 2

B. 4 A

C. 4 2A

D. 8 A
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 267

18 3 . Two sam pl e s of radioa ctiv e subs t a n c e s X and Y have the sam e initial
activity. The half- life of X is T and the half- life of Y is 3 T . After a time of 3 T
the ratio

a c t ivit of
y s u b s t a n cX
e
a c t ivit of
y s u b s t a n cY
e is

A. 8.

B. 4.

1
C. 4.

1
D. 8.
(Tot al 1 mar k )

18 4 . In a fission reaction, the total mas s and the total binding ene r gy befor e the
reaction are M i and E i res p e c t ively, whe r e the binding ene r gy is define d as
a positive quan tity. After the rea c tion the total mas s is M f and the total
bindin g ener gy is E f . Which of the following corr e c tly comp a r e s the total
mas s e s and the total binding ene r gi e s ?

Total ma s s Total bindi n g

en e r g y
A. Mf > Mi Ef < Ei
B. Mf > Mi Ef > Ei
C. Mf < Mi Ef < Ei
D. Mf < Mi Ef > Ei
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 268

18 5 . Monoc h r o m a t i c light is incide n t on a met al surf ac e and elect r o n s are
relea s e d . The intensi ty of the incide n t light is incre a s e d . What cha n g e s , if
any, occur in the rat e of emission of elect r o n s and the kinetic ene r gy of the
emitt e d elect r o n s ?

Rat e of emi s s i o n of Kin e t i c en e r g y of th e

el e c t r o n s e m i t t e d el e c t r o n s
A. incr e a s e incr e a s e
B. decr e a s e no cha n g e
C. decr e a s e incr e a s e
D. incr e a s e no cha n g e
(Tot al 1 mar k )

18 6 . An elect r o n is confine d to move in one dim e n sio n in a box of lengt h L .

Which of the following gives the mom e n t u m of the elect r o n in its lowes t
ene r gy stat e?

h
A. 4L

h
B. 2L

h
C. L

2h
D. L
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 269

18 7 . The diagr a m below show s som e of the ene r gy levels availa ble to an
elect r o n in a caesiu m atom.

Photon s of ener gy 0.9 eV pass thro u g h a sa m pl e of low pres s u r e caesiu m

vapou r . Which of the following gives the ene r gy tra n si tion of the elect r o n
when a photon is abso r b e d ?

A. From –3.9 eV to 0

B. From –2.5 eV to –1.6 eV

C. From –1.6 eV to –2.5 eV

D. From 0 to –3.9 eV
(Tot al 1 mar k )

18 8 . The mag ni t u d e of the unce r t a i n t y in the position of a par ticle is equal to the
de Broglie wavel en g t h of the particl e. Which of the following is the
minim u m unce r t a i n t y in the mom e n t u m p of the par ticle?

p
A. 4π

4π
B. p

h
C. p

p
D. h
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 270

18 9 . Which of the following provide s evide n c e for the qua n tiz a tio n of nucle a r
ene r gy levels?

I. Alpha particle s have discr e t e value s of kinetic ene r gi e s

II. Gam m a- ray photo n s have discr e t e ene r gi e s

III. Atomic line emission spec t r a

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and II only

D. I, II and III
(Tot al 1 mar k )

19 0 . A radioac tive subs t a n c e S has a dec ay const a n t λ S , subs t a n c e T has a dec ay

cons t a n t λ T . Initially, a sam pl e of S cont ai n s N S nuclei and a sa m pl e of T
cont ai n s N T nuclei. The initial activity of both sam pl e s is the sam e .

NS
The ratio N T is

A. 1

λS
B. λT

λT
C. λS

D. λSλT
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 271

19 1 . Which of the following desc ri b e s the role of the atmos p h e r e in the
gree n h o u s e effect?

A. The atm os p h e r e is tran s p a r e n t to all solar radia tio n.

B. The atm os p h e r e absor b s infrar e d radia tio n from the grou n d.

C. The atm os p h e r e scat t e r s red light more tha n blue light.

D. Clouds in the atmos p h e r e preve n t abso r p t io n of infra r e d radia tion.

(Tot al 1 mar k )

19 2 . What is the value of the bina ry num b e r 1100 1 in decim al nota tion?

A. 50

B. 38

C. 25

D. 19
(Tot al 1 mar k )

19 3 . A CCD cam e r a is used to capt u r e the image of a paintin g. The are a of the
paintin g is 2.0 m 2 and the are a of the imag e is 50 mm 2 . Which of the
following is the linear mag nific a tion of the imag e ?

A. 2.5 × 10 –5

B. 5.0 × 10 –3

C. 2.0 × 10 2

D. 4.0 × 10 4
(Tot al 1 mar k )

IB Questionbank Physics 272

19 4 . An analog u e signal is sam pl e d at time inte rval s t . Each sam pl e is conve r t e d
to a digital num b e r having n bits. What is the total num b e r of bits produ c e d
in a time T ?

nT
A. t

nt
B. T

C. ntT

n
D. Tt
(Tot al 1 mar k )

19 5 . Data analysis ques tion.

The unce r t a i n t y in the speed v is ±0. 3 0 m s –1 and the unc e r t a i n t y in λ is too

small to be show n on the diagr a m .

IB Questionbank Physics 273

(a) Draw a best- fit line for the data.
(1)

(b) Stat e, with refer e n c e to the line you have dra w n in (a),

(i) why v is not directly propo r tio n a l to λ.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) the value of v for λ = 39 m.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

v = a λ

whe r e a is a const a n t . To test the validity of this hypot h e s i s, values of

v 2 agains t λ are plott e d below.

IB Questionbank Physics 274

(i) Use your answ e r to (b)(ii) to show tha t the absolut e unc e r t a i n t y
in v 2 for a wavele n g t h of 39 m is ±5 m 2 s –2 .

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

.........................................................................................................
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(3)

(ii) The absolut e uncer t a i n t y in v 2 for a wavele n g t h of 2.5 m is ±1 m 2

s –2 . Using this value and the value in (c)(i), const r u c t error bar s
for v 2 at the dat a points for
λ = 2.5 m and 39 m.
(1)

(iii) Stat e why the plott e d dat a in (c)(ii) sugg e s t tha t it is likely tha t v
is propo r tio n al to λ.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(iv) Use the grap h above to det e r m i n e the cons t a n t a .

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

IB Questionbank Physics 275

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

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

.........................................................................................................
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(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 276

k
(v) Theory shows that a = 2 π . Dete r mi n e a value for k .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)
(Tot al 12 mark s )

19 6 . This ques tion is abou t kine m a t i c s.

Lucy stan d s on the edg e of a vertic al cliff and throw s a ston e vertic ally
upwa r d s .

(a) Calcula t e the maxim u m heigh t rea c h e d by the ston e as me a s u r e d from

the point wher e it is throw n.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 277

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 278

(b) Deter m i n e the time for the stone to rea c h the surfa c e of the sea afte r
leaving Lucy’s hand.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)
(Tota l 5 mark s )

19 7 . This ques tion is abou t inter n al ene r gy and the r m a l ene r gy (hea t).

(a) Disting ui s h betw e e n inter n a l ene r gy and the r m a l ene r gy.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

(b) A piece of iron is place d in a kiln until it rea c h e s the tem p e r a t u r e θ of

the kiln. The iron is then quickly tra n sf e r r e d to wat e r held in a
ther m ally insulat e d cont ai n e r . The wat e r is stirr e d until it rea c h e s a
ste a dy tem p e r a t u r e . The following data are availa bl e.

Ther m al capa city of the piece of iron = 60 J

IB Questionbank Physics 279

K–1
Ther m al capa city of the wate r = 2.0 ×
10 3 J K –1
Initial tem p e r a t u r e of the wat e r = 16 °C
Final tem p e r a t u r e of the wat e r = 45 °C

The ther m al capa ci ty of the cont ai n e r and insula tion is negligible.

IB Questionbank Physics 280

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) Calculat e the incre a s e in inte r n a l ene r gy of the wat e r as the iron
cools in the wat e r .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(iii) Use your answ e r s to (b)(i) and (b)(ii) to det e r m i n e θ.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)
(Tota l 7 mark s )

19 8 . This ques tion is abou t the unified atomic mass unit and a nucle a r rea c tio n.

(a) Define the ter m unified atomic mas s unit .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

(b) The mas s of a nucleu s of rut h e rf o r di u m- 254 is 254.1 0 0 1 u. Calcula t e

the mas s in GeV c –2 .

IB Questionbank Physics 281

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 282

(c) In 1919, Ruthe r fo r d produ c e d the first artificial nucle a r tra n s m u t a t i o n
by bomb a r di n g nitrog e n with α-par ticle s. The rea c tion is repr e s e n t e d
by the following equ atio n.

14 17
α+ 7N  8O + X

(i) Identify X.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) The following dat a are availa bl e for the rea c tio n.

Rest mass of α = 3.742 8 GeV c –2

14
Rest mass of 7N = 13.09 4 2 GeV c –2
17
Rest mass of 8O + X = 16.83 8 3 GeV c –2

The initial kinetic ene r gy of the α-par ticle is 7.68 MeV.

Dete r mi n e the sum of the kinetic ene r gi e s of the oxyge n nucle u s
and X. (Assu m e that the nitrog e n nucle u s is station a r y.)

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(3)
(Tota l 6 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 283

19 9 . This ques tion is abou t chan g e s of stat e of a gas.

(a) A cylinde r fitted with a piston cont ai ns 0.23 mol of heliu m gas.

The following data are availa ble for the heliu m with the piston in the
position show n.

Volume = 5.2 × 10 –3 m 3
Press u r e = 1.0 × 10 5 Pa
Temp e r a t u r e = 290 K

(i) Use the dat a to calcula t e a value for the univer s a l gas const a n t .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) Stat e the assu m p t io n mad e in the calcul a tio n in (a)(i).

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(b) The gas is now comp r e s s e d isothe r m a lly by the piston so that the
volum e of the gas is red uc e d . Explain why the comp r e s s i o n must be
car ri e d out slowly.

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

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

IB Questionbank Physics 284

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

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

.................................................................................................................
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(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 285

(c) After the comp r e s s i o n, the gas is now allowe d to expa n d adia b a ti c a lly
to its original volum e. Use the first law of the r m o dy n a m i c s to explain
whet h e r the final tem p e r a t u r e will be less tha n, equal to or gre a t e r
than 290 K.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(4)
(Tota l 9 mark s )

20 0 . This ques tion is abou t the emf induc e d in a coil.

(a) Define magn e t i c flux .

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

IB Questionbank Physics 286

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.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 287

(b) A coil is rotat e d at const a n t spee d in a region of unifor m ma g n e ti c
field.

The grap h shows the variatio n with time t of the emf ε induc e d in the
coil for one cycle of rota tio n.

(i) On the grap h label, with the lette r T, a time at which the flux
linkag e in the coil is a maxim u m .
(1)

(ii) Use the grap h to dete r m i n e the rat e of cha n g e of flux at t = 4.0
ms. Explain your answ e r .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(iii) Calculat e the root me a n squ a r e value of the induc e d emf.

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

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

IB Questionbank Physics 288

..................
(1)
(Tota l 6 mark s )

20 1 . This ques tion is abou t elect ri c cha r g e and resis t a n c e .

(a) A plastic rod XY is held at end X. The end Y is rubb e d with a piec e of
cloth and, as a res ult, the end Y beco m e s elect ric ally cha r g e d .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(5)

IB Questionbank Physics 289

(b) Two plastic rods each have a positive char g e + q situa t e d at one end.
The rods are arr a n g e d as show n.

Assum e that the char g e at the end of eac h rod beha v e s as a point
char g e . Draw, in the shad e d are a on the diagr a m

(i) the elect ric field patt e r n due to the two cha r g e s .
(2)

(ii) a line to repr e s e n t an equipot e n ti a l surfa c e. Label the line with

the lett e r V.
(1)

(c) A resis to r of resist a n c e 1.5 Ω is mad e from copp e r wire of radi us 0 .18
mm. The resistivity of coppe r is 1.7 × 10 –8 Ω m. Dete r m i n e the lengt h
of copp e r wire used to make the resisto r .

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

IB Questionbank Physics 290

(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 291

(d) The man uf a c t u r e r of the resisto r in (c) gua r a n t e e s tha t the resist a n c e
is within 10 % of 1.5 Ω , provide d tha t the powe r dissipa tio n in the
resisto r does not exce e d 1.0 W.

(i) Sugg e s t why the resist a n c e of the resis to r might be gre a t e r tha n
1.65 Ω if the powe r dissipa tion in the resisto r is gre a t e r tha n 1.0
W.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) Show that, for a powe r dissipa tio n of 1.0 W, the curr e n t in a
resis to r of resist a n c e 1.5 Ω is 0.82 A.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 292

(iii) The 1.5 Ω resisto r is conn e c t e d in seri es with a varia bl e resis to r
and batt e r y of emf 6.0 V and inte r n a l resist a n c e 1.8 Ω.

Estim a t e the resist a n c e R of the variabl e resisto r that will limit

the curr e n t to
0.82 A.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(3)
(Tot al 16 mark s )

20 2 . This ques tion is abou t orbit al motion.

(a) A satellite, of mass m , is in orbit about Eart h at a dista n c e r from the

cent r e of Eart h. Deduc e that the kinetic ene r gy E K of the sat ellite is
equal to half the magni t u d e of the pote n ti al ene r gy E P of the satellite.

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

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

IB Questionbank Physics 293

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

.................................................................................................................
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(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 294

(b) The grap h shows the variatio n with dist a n c e r of the Eart h’s
gravit atio n al poten ti al V .
Values of V for r < R , whe r e R is the radius of Eart h, are not show n.

The satellite in (a) has a mas s of 8.2 × 10 2 kg and it is in orbit at a

dista n c e of 1.0 × 10 7 m from the cent r e of Eart h. Using data from the
grap h and your ans w e r to (a), calcula t e for the satellite

(i) its total ene r gy.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) its orbit al spee d.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 295

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 296

(iii) the ener gy it mus t gain to move to an orbit a dista n c e 2.0 × 10 7
m from the cent r e of the Eart h.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)
(Tota l 9 mark s )

20 3 . This ques tion is abou t power prod u c tio n and global war mi n g.

(a) In any cyclical proc es s design e d to continu o u s ly conve r t the r m a l

ener gy to work, some ene r gy is always deg r a d e d . Explain what is
mea n t by degr a d e d ener gy.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(b) A nuclea r powe r station uses ura ni u m- 235 (U- 235) as fuel. Outline the

(i) proce s s e s and ener gy chan g e s that occur thro u g h which the r m a l
ene r gy is produ c e d .

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

IB Questionbank Physics 297

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(4)

(ii) role of the heat exch a n g e r of the rea c t o r and the tur bi n e in the
gen e r a t io n of elect ric al ene r gy.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(3)

(c) Identify on e proce s s in the powe r station whe r e ene r gy is degr a d e d .

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 298

Ener gy density of U-235 = 82 TJ kg –1
1 year = 3.2 × 10 7 s

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

.................................................................................................................
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(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 299

(e) It has bee n sugg e s t e d that the prod u c tio n of gre e n h o u s e gas e s by
coal- fired powe r station s has incre a s e d global war mi n g . One piec e of
eviden c e to suppo r t this sugg e s ti o n is the incre a s e in sea- level due to
an incr e a s e in tem p e r a t u r e of the ocea n s . Over the past 100 yea rs it is
sugg e s t e d that sea- levels have rise n by 6.4 × 10 –2 m due to volum e
expan si o n.

Using the following dat a, det e r m i n e the aver a g e rise in tem p e r a t u r e

in the top levels of the ocea n s in the last 100 years.

Mean dept h of ocea n s that is affect e d by global war mi n g =

4.0 × 10 2 m
Coefficien t of volum e expa n sio n of sea wat e r =
5.1 × 10 –5 K–1

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)
(Tot al 15 mark s )

20 4 . This ques tion is abou t char g e- couple d device (CCD).

(a) Stat e two advan t a g e s of storing infor m a ti o n in a digit al form rat h e r

than an analog u e form.

1. .............................................................................................................
.....................

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

2. .............................................................................................................
.....................

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

IB Questionbank Physics 300

.....................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 301

(b) A CCD is effectively a silicon chip that is divide d into small are a s
called pixels.
Each pixel is provide d with elect r o d e s . Outline how light incide n t on a
pixel prod u c e s a chan g e in pote n t i al differ e n c e acros s the pixel.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

(c) Light of frequ e n cy 7.2 × 10 14 Hz and inte n si ty 1.6 mW m –2 is incide n t

on a pixel for a time of 18 ms. The are a of the pixel is 2.0 × 10 –10 m 2
and its capacit a n c e is 12 pF. The res ultin g cha n g e in pote n ti al
differ e n c e acros s the pixel is 10 μV.

(i) Deduc e that the num b e r of photo n s incide n t on the pixel is 1.2 ×
10 4 .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) Dete r mi n e the quan t u m efficiency of the pixel.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 302

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(3)
(Tot al 10 mark s )

20 5 . This ques tion is abou t power and efficie ncy.

A bus is travelling at a const a n t spe e d of 6.2 m s –1 along a section of road

that is incline d at an angle of 6.0° to the horizont al.

(a) (i) The bus is rep r e s e n t e d by the black dot show n below.
Draw a labelled sketc h to rep r e s e n t the force s acting on the bus.

(4)

(ii) Stat e the value of the rat e of cha n g e of mom e n t u m of the bus.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 303

(b) The total outp u t powe r of the engin e of the bus is 70 kW and the
efficiency of the engin e is 35 %. Calcula t e the input powe r to the
engin e.

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

.................................................................................................................
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(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 304

(c) The mas s of the bus is 8.5 × 10 3 kg. Dete r mi n e the rat e of incr e a s e of
gravit atio n al poten ti al ene r gy of the bus.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

(d) Using your ans w e r to (c) and the dat a in (b), estim a t e the magni t u d e
of the resistive forces acting on the bus.

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

.................................................................................................................
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(3)
(Tot al 13 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 305

20 6 . This ques tion is abou t photo el e c t r i c effect and de Broglie wavele n g t h .

The diagr a m is a rep r e s e n t a t i o n of appa r a t u s use d to study the

photo el e c t r i c effect.

Light from the monoc h r o m a t i c sour c e is incide n t on a catho d e plac e d in an

evacu a t e d tube.
A variable voltag e supply is conn e c t e d betw e e n anod e and catho d e and the
photo el e c t r i c cur r e n t is regis t e r e d by the micro a m m e t e r . The sketc h gra p h
shows how the photoel e c t ri c cur r e n t I varies with the pote n ti al differe n c e
V betw e e n anod e and catho d e for two sour c e s of light, A and B, of differ e n t
frequ e n ci e s and intensi ti es.

IB Questionbank Physics 306

(a) Explain with refer e n c e to the Einst ei n model, which gra p h, A or B,
corr es p o n d s to the light with the gre a t e r frequ e n c y.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(4)

(b) The frequ e n c y of the light that prod u c e s gra p h A is 8.8 × 10 14 Hz. The
magni t u d e of V A is 1.6 V.

(i) Stat e the value of the maxim u m ene r gy, in eV, of the elec t r o n s
emitt e d from the catho d e .

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) Dete r mi n e the work function, in eV, of the surfa c e of the catho d e .

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

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

IB Questionbank Physics 307

..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 308

(c) The frequ e n c y of the incide n t light is incr e a s e d but the inte n sity
rem ai n s const a n t .
Explain why this incr e a s e in frequ e n c y res ult s in a cha n g e to the
maxim u m photo el e c t r i c cur r e n t (satu r a ti o n cur r e n t ) .

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

.................................................................................................................
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(3)

(d) The elect r o n s emitt e d from the photo- catho d e have an associa t e d de
Broglie wavele n g t h .
Descri b e what is mean t by the de Broglie wavele n g t h .

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(2)
(Tot al 12 mark s )

20 7 . This ques tion is abou t simple har m o ni c motion (SHM), wave motion and
polarization.

(a) By refer e n c e to simple har m o ni c motion, stat e wha t is mea n t by

amplit u d e.

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

IB Questionbank Physics 309

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

.................................................................................................................
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(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 310

(b) A liquid is cont ain e d in a U-tube.

Dia g r a m 1 Dia gr a m 2

(i) Describ e what is mea n t by da m pi n g.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) The displac e m e n t of the liquid surfa c e from its equilibri u m

position is x . The accele r a ti o n a of the liquid in the tube is given
by the expr e s si o n

2g
 x
a = l

wher e g is the accele r a t io n of free fall and l is the total lengt h of

the liquid colum n.
Explain, with refer e n c e to the motion of the liquid, the
significan c e of the minus sign.

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IB Questionbank Physics 311

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(iii) The total lengt h of the liquid colum n in the tube is 0.32 m.
Dete r mi n e the period of oscillation.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(3)

(c) A wave is travelling along a strin g. The string can be modelle d as a

single line of particles and each particl e execu t e s simple har m o ni c
motion. The period of oscillation of the particle s is 0.80 s.

The grap h shows the displa c e m e n t y of par t of the string at time t = 0.

The dist an c e along the string is d.

IB Questionbank Physics 312

(i) On the grap h, draw an arro w to show the dire c tion of motion of
par ticl e P at the point mark e d on the string.
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 313

(ii) Dete r mi n e the mag nit u d e of the velocity of particle P.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(4)

(iii) Show that the spee d of the wave is 5.0 m s –1 .

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(3)

(iv) On the grap h above, label with the lette r X the position of
par ticl e P at t = 0.40 s.
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 314

(d) The string in (c) is fixed at both ends and is mad e to vibra t e in a
vertical plane in its first har m o ni c.

(i) Describ e how the stan di n g wave in the string gives rise to the
first har m o ni c.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(3)

(ii) Outline how a travelling wave in a string can be use d to desc rib e
the nat u r e of polarize d light.

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.........................................................................................................
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(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 315

(e) James is weari n g polarize d sungl a s s e s and views the sunlight
reflect e d from the smoot h surf ac e of a lake.

The angle θ is the angle betw e e n the surfa c e of the lake and Jame s’s
line of sight.
Calcula t e the value of θ at which the reflec t e d sunlight from the
surfac e is minimize d.
The refra ctive index of the wate r is 1.3.

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.................................................................................................................
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(2)
(Tot al 25 mark s )

20 8 . This ques tion is abou t the prope r ti e s of a sta r.

(a) Descri b e what is mean t by a

(i) cons t ella tio n.

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.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 316

(ii) stellar clust e r .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 317

(b) Some dat a for the variabl e sta r Betelg e u s e are given below.

Avera g e absolut e ma gni t u d e = –5.1

Avera g e appa r e n t mag nit u d e = + 0.60
Avera g e appa r e n t brigh t n e s s = 1.6 × 10 –7 W m –2
Radius = 790 solar radii

The luminosity of the Sun is 3.8 × 10 26 W and it has a surfa c e

tem p e r a t u r e of 5700 K.

(i) Show that the dista n c e from Eart h to Betelge u s e is about 4.0 ×
10 18 m.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(3)

(ii) Dete r mi n e , in ter m s of the luminosity of the Sun, the luminosity

of Betelg e u s e .

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(iii) Calculat e the surfac e tem p e r a t u r e of Betelg e u s e .

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

IB Questionbank Physics 318

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

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(c) On the Hertzs p r u n g–R u s s e ll diagr a m above,

(i) label the position of Betelg e u s e with the lette r B.

(1)

(ii) sketc h Betelge u s e’s likely evolution a r y path.

(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 319

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.................................................................................................................
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(3)
(Tot al 15 mark s )

20 9 . This ques tion is abou t the density of the unive r s e .

(a) Explain, with refer e n c e to the possible fate of the unive r s e , the
significan c e of the critical density of matt e r in the univer s e .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 320

(b) Sugg e s t on e reas o n why it is difficult to estim a t e the density of mat t e r
in the univer s e.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)
(Tota l 5 mark s )

21 0 . This ques tion is abou t the evolution of sta r s.

(a) Stat e what is mea n t by the

(i) Chan d r a s e k h a r limit.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) Oppe n h ei m e r –Volkoff limit.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 321

(b) Sugg e s t how your ans w e r s in (a) can be use d to pre dic t the fate of a
main sequ e n c e star.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)
(Tota l 5 mark s )

21 1 . This ques tion is abou t the Hubbl e cons t a n t .

(a) Outline the mea s u r e m e n t s that mus t be take n in orde r to dete r m i n e a

value for the Hubbl e const a n t .

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 322

(b) One esti m a t e of the Hubbl e const a n t is 60 km s –1 Mpc –1 . Cygnus A is a
radio galaxy at a dist an c e of 6.0 × 10 8 ly from Eart h. Calcula t e , in km
s –1 , the rece s sio n al spee d of Cygnus A rela tive to the Eart h.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)
(Tota l 5 mark s )

21 2 . This ques tion is abou t modula tio n.

(a) Outline what is mean t by the modula tio n of a wave.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(b) The frequ e n c y spect r u m of the signal from a radio tra n s m i t t e r is

show n below.

IB Questionbank Physics 323

(i) Stat e the nam e of this form of radio tra n s m i s sio n.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) Stat e the frequ e n c y of the car rie r wave.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(iii) Dete r mi n e the band wi d t h of this signal.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)
(Tota l 5 mark s )

21 3 . This ques tion is abou t a mobile phon e netwo r k.

Describ e the role of the cellula r exch a n g e durin g the making of a call from
a mobile phon e.

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

.........................................................................................................................
.......................
(Tota l 4 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 324

IB Questionbank Physics 325
21 4 . This ques tion is abou t the tran s m i s s io n of signals.

The signal from a micro p h o n e is amplified and the n tra ns m i t t e d to a dista n t

receive r.
The variation with time t of the amplified signal befor e tran s m i s si o n is
show n below.

(a) The amplified signal is tran s m i t t e d using a coaxial cable as illust r a t e d .

On the axes below, sketc h the wavefor m of the signal at point X afte r
tran s m i s sio n along the coaxial cable.

(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 326

(b) A secon d tran s m i s sio n syste m , as show n below, uses a cable
cont ai nin g many sepa r a t e fibre s (multi- core optic cable).

(i) Sugg e s t why a multi- core optic cable is requi r e d rath e r tha n a
single- core optic fibre.

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

(ii) Stat e what circuit s should be includ e d in the tra n s m i s sio n syste m
so that a single- core optic fibre may be use d.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 327

Calcula t e the

(i) minim u m num b e r of outp u t bits of the ADC.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) sam plin g frequ e n c y of the ADC.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(d) Stat e on e adva n t a g e and on e disa dva n t a g e of the coaxial cable

tran s m i s sio n as comp a r e d with the fibre optic cable.

Advant a g e : ..............................................................................................
....................

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

Disadv a n t a g e : .........................................................................................
.....................

IB Questionbank Physics 328

.................................................................................................................
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(2)
(Tot al 11 mark s )

21 5 . This ques tion is abou t signal powe r and atte n u a t i o n.

An optic fibre in a telep h o n e syste m has lengt h 48 km. The noise powe r in
the optic fibre is
2.5 × 10 –18 W.

(a) The signal- to- noise ratio is not to fall below 25 dB. Show that the
minim u m signal power in the fibre is 7.9 × 10 –16 W.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)

(b) The att e n u a t i o n per unit lengt h of the signal in the fibre is 2.7 dB km –
1
. Use the data in (a) to dete r m i n e the powe r of the input signal to the
fibre so that the signal- to- noise ratio does not fall below 25 dB.

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

.................................................................................................................
.....................
(2)
(Tota l 4 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 329

21 6 . This ques tion is abou t an oper a tio n a l amplifier (op- amp) circuit.

The diagr a m shows an incom pl e t e circ uit.

The oper a ti o n al amplifier is ideal.

(a) On the incom pl e t e diag r a m above, desig n a circ uit for a non- inver tin g
amplifier.
(2)

(b) Calcula t e the

(i) gain of the amplifier circuit.

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

.........................................................................................................
..................
(2)

(ii) input poten ti al V IN at which the amplifie r satu r a t e s .

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

IB Questionbank Physics 330

(2)
(Tota l 6 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 331

21 7 . This ques tion is abou t prope r ti e s of elect r o m a g n e t i c waves.

(a) Stat e two prop e r t i e s that are com m o n to all elect r o m a g n e t i c waves.

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(2)

(b) A single lens is used to form a mag nifie d real imag e of an objec t.
Explain, with refer e n c e to the dispe r sio n of light, why the imag e has
colour e d edg e s.

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(3)

(c) Outline why a clear sky is blue in colour.

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(2)
(Tota l 7 mark s )

IB Questionbank Physics 332

21 8 . This ques tion is abou t a conve r gi n g lens.

(a) Define angular magnificatio n .

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(2)

(b) A thin conver gi n g lens of focal lengt h 4.5 cm is to be use d as a

magnifying glass.
The obse rv e r places the lens close to her eye. The leas t dista n c e of
distinct vision is 24 cm.

(i) Show that the dista n c e of the object from the lens is 3.8 cm.

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(1)

(ii) Dete r mi n e the ang ul a r ma g nific a tio n prod u c e d by the lens.

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IB Questionbank Physics 333

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(4)

IB Questionbank Physics 334

(c) Sugg e s t two reas o n s why, for high mag nifica tion s , a combin a tio n of
lens e s is used rath e r than a single lens.

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2. .............................................................................................................
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(2)
(Tota l 9 mark s )

21 9 . This ques tion is abou t interf e r e n c e of light.

Two coher e n t nar r o w bea m s of light pass throu g h two identic al evac u a t e d
tubes, as show n below.

The two coher e n t nar r o w beam s are brou g h t to a focus at point P on a

scre e n .

(a) Stat e what is mea n t by cohe r e n c e .

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(1)

(b) Stat e, with refer e n c e to the wavele n g t h , the condition tha t must be
satisfied for a brigh t fringe to be form e d on the scre e n at point P.

IB Questionbank Physics 335

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(1)

IB Questionbank Physics 336

(c) Air is allowe d to ent e r gra d u a lly into one of the evac u a t e d tube s . The
bright n e s s of the light at point P is see n to decr e a s e and the n incr e a s e
again repe a t e d ly.

(i) Stat e the effect on the wavele n g t h of the light in the evac u a t e d
tube as the air is introd u c e d .

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(1)

(ii) Sugg e s t why ther e is a variatio n in the bright n e s s of the light at

point P.

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(1)
(Tota l 4 mark s )

22 0 . This ques tion is abou t X-ray diffrac tion.

An X-ray tube fitted with a coppe r targ e t emits radia tion with a
char a c t e r i s ti c wavele n g t h of 1.54 × 10 –10 m.

(a) Explain why the char a c t e r i s t ic wavele n g t h is dep e n d e n t on the tar g e t

mat e ri al.

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(3)

IB Questionbank Physics 337

(b) The X-ray bea m is inciden t on a sodiu m chloride cryst al. The minim u m
angle θ at which the X-rays of wavele n g t h 1.54 × 10 –10 m reinforc e
const r u c t iv ely when scat t e r e d from a plane of atom s in the cryst al is
15.9°, as show n below.

(i) Calculat e the dista n c e d betw e e n neigh b o u r i n g plan e s of atom s .

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(3)

(ii) Dete r mi n e any othe r values of θ at which maxim u m inten sity

occu r s for the X-ray bea m scatt e r e d from the cryst al.

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(2)

IB Questionbank Physics 338

(c) Stat e why it is pref er a bl e to mea s u r e mor e than one angle θ in orde r
to det e r m i n e the spacin g of the plan e s of atom s.

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(2)
(Tot al 10 mark s )

22 1 . This ques tion is abou t relativity.

Carri e is in a spac es hi p that is travelling towa r d s a sta r in a str ai g h t- line at

cons t a n t velocity as obse rv e d by Pete r . Pete r is at rest relative to the sta r.

(a) Car ri e meas u r e s her spac e s hi p to have a lengt h of 100 m. Pete r

mea s u r e s Carrie’s spac es hi p to have a lengt h of 91 m.

(i) Explain why Carrie mea s u r e s the prop e r lengt h of the spa c e s hi p.

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(1)

(ii) Show that Carri e travels at a spe e d of appr oxi m a t e l y 0.4 c

relative to Pete r .

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IB Questionbank Physics 339