Binder 2

Topic 1 – Measurement and uncertainties Formative Assessment
PROBLEM SET NAME: ________________________________ TEAM:__

THIS IS A PRACTICE ASSESSMENT. Show formulas, substitutions, answers (in spaces provided) and units!
Topic 1.1 – Measurements in physics
1. Find the difference in order of magnitude for the following comparison: The size of the atom to the
size of the quark.
2. Find the order of magnitude for the following calculation: The time it takes light to transverse a
nucleus.
3. Which row lists from left to right a derived unit and a fundamental unit?
a. Newton, Coulomb c. Candela, Mole
b. Ampere, Newton d. Kelvin, Joule
4. Which equation must be wrong? Note that t is in s, v is in m s-1, a is in m s-2, x is in m, F is in kg m s-2

and m is in kg.
a. v2 = 2ax c. v = x/t
2
b. x = vt + (1/2)at d. F = m/a
5. Convert 54 mi s h-1 to feet. Be sure to show each well-chosen one.
6. Estimate how many kilograms are in a 150-pound man.
7. Using the technique of the well-chosen one, convert the quantity 125 mJ into its equivalent in kJ.
8. Recall that normalized scientific notation requires the expression of a number as a power of 10
multiplied by a factor between 1 and 10. Thus 1.2103 is 1200, and 12102 is also 1200, but 1.2103
is in normalized scientific notation whereas 12102 is not. Express 61200 in normalized scientific
notation.
9. Express .00004203 in normalized scientific notation.
10. Estimate the amount of time it takes light to travel from your television set to your eye.
11. Estimate how many paper clips you would need to equal the weight of a 16-pound bowling ball.
12. Find the line’s length to the maximum number of significant figures allowed by the centimeter ruler.
13. Determine the number of significant figures in each of the following.

(a) 0.23 (b) 1.23 (c) 1.203 (d) 1.230
(e) 0.002 (f) 1.002 (g) 1.0020 (h) 1210-2
(i)  (j) 0.00010000 (k) 5.981024 (l) 1.6010-19
14. Compute the following quantities to the correct number of significant figures.
(a) 2.3  2.55 (b) 2.30  2.55 (c) 1.210-2 + 7.8 (d) 1.210-2 + 7.80
(e) 1.210-2 + 7.800 (f) 2.3  2.55 (g) 1.210-2 +  (h) 1.2010-2  7.80
Topic 1.2 – Uncertainties and errors

15. What is the measured length of this line in mm? Use the amount of significant figures a wooden
meter stick is capable of supplying.
0 cm 1 cm
16. What is the precision of this measurement?
17. If the above line is one side of a perfect square, what is the area of that square, taking into account
the correct number of significant figures and the correct units? Note that area is length times width,
and the length equals the width in a square.
18. What is the raw uncertainty in your answer from problem (15)?
19. A student measures a line to be 4.5 cm  0.1 cm. Find the absolute uncertainty in the measurement.
20. Find the raw uncertainty in the measurement.
21. Find the fractional uncertainty in her measurement.
22. Find the percentage uncertainty in her measurement.
23. A flagpole is placed on the roof of a house. A student measures a flagpole to be 2.75 m  0.15 m.
The same student measures the height from the ground to the base of the flagpole to be 3.8 m  0.4
m. If the flagpole is mounted vertically upward (straight up), how far is the tip of the flagpole above
the ground. Be sure to use significant figures and include a raw uncertainty with your answer.
24. A car travels 350 m  25 m in 16.5 s  0.4 s. Calculate its speed. Be sure to use significant figures and
include a raw uncertainty with your answer.
25. Complete the table that Height Fall Time Average Fall
shows data gathered by H/m Ti / s Time
an IB student during an H = 0.1 m Ti = 0.3 s T/s
experiment in which a Ti = ______
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
parachute was dropped
1.4 1.5 1.8 1.6
from different heights.
1.7 1.9 2.1 2.3
26. Does it appear that the 2.0 2.4 2.9 2.8
student has done the 2.5 3.5 3.7 3.6
right number of trials and variations to satisfy the internal assessment requirements of the IBO? Be
sure to explain very clearly your reasoning.
27. On a graph of your own making, plot Height vs. Average Fall Time. Be sure to label the graph
properly.
28. On the same graph sketch the correctly-sized vertical error bars on each point.
29. On the same graph sketch in your line of best fit. Calculate its slope.
30. On the same graph sketch in the maximum and minimum slopes, using the first and last error bars
as your guide. Calculate their slopes.
31. Calculate the uncertainty of the slope.
32. What are the x-intercepts of the lines representing the minimum and maximum slopes?
33. Calculate the uncertainty of the x-intercept.
Topic 1.3 – Vectors and scalars
34. Explain clearly the difference between a scalar and a vector.
35. Give three examples of scalars.
36. Give three examples of vectors.

37. Two vectors A and B are drawn to scale below. In each box below make a precise sketch of the
required sum or difference. Be sure to label each of your vectors.
A
B
A+B A-B
38. A vector A is shown drawn to scale below. In each box below make a precise sketch of the required
product or quotient.
A 2A A/2
39. A car travels at 50. km h-1 up a ramp making an angle of 30 with the
horizontal. Find its horizontal component. Include a sketch.
40. A car travels at 50. km h-1 up a ramp making an angle of 30 with the
horizontal. Find its vertical component. Include a sketch.
41. A velocity vector has a horizontal component of 45 m s-1 and a vertical

component of 75 m s-1. Find the magnitude of the velocity vector. Include a
sketch.
42. A velocity vector has a horizontal component of 45 m s-1 and a vertical

component of 75 m s-1. Find the direction of the velocity vector. Include a
sketch.
43. The vertical component of a velocity vector points up and has a magnitude
of 20. ms-1. The velocity vector itself makes an angle of 25° with the
horizontal. Find the magnitude of the velocity vector. Include a sketch.
44. The vertical component of a velocity vector points up and has a magnitude
of 20. ms-1. The velocity vector itself makes an angle of 25° with the
horizontal. Find the magnitude of the horizontal component of the velocity
vector. Include a sketch.
IB Standard and Higher Level Physics
Error Analysis Rules and Methods
Significant Figures
Reporting significant digits is important for conveying the precision of measured quantities and maintaining consistency with
precision when carrying out mathematical operations. Remember: Your calculated answers cannot indicate higher precision than any
of the measurements that were used in the calculation. The following questions indicate how digits, when part of a physical
measurement, are either certain or uncertain. Every measurement has digits that the observer can state without a doubt is certain.
There will always be ONE single digit that has to be estimated. This is based on the precision of the measuring tool. The picture
below illustrates this.
The blue pencil is 42.23 cm. The nail is 41.00 cm. This measuring tool can estimate to the tenth of a millimeter, ALWAYS!
During the recording of measured values, how do you know how many digits to write down?
For example, I measure the length of a table to be 100.52 cm. In this measurement, I can be CERTAIN that the 1, 0, 0 and 5 digits are
correct. The last digit, 2, I had to estimate because it was in between the smallest marks (mm or 0.1 cm) on the meter stick.
Therefore, the last digit is UNCERTAIN.
RULE 0: For all measurements, make sure your last digit is the one that is UNCERTAIN.
The number 100.52 is said to have five significant figures. All digits that are non-zero are counted as significant. The zeroes are
special in that sometimes they are counted as significant, sometimes they are not.
RULE 1: Any zero that is IN BETWEEN two non-zero digits are counted as significant.
E.g. 100.25 12.5006 302.109
RULE 2: Any zero that is used for establishing the PRECISION OF A MEASUREMENT is counted as significant.
E.g. 13.500 125.30 365.03000
RULE 3: Any zero that is only used as a DECIMAL PLACEHOLDER is not counted as significant.
E.g. 520 135,000,000 0.00057
(Scientific notation fixes these ambiguities.)
How many significant figures are in each of the following numbers?

253 105.20 366.002 5730 0.000025
1.035006 23.5000 1002 905.3870 6400
How do you determine the number of digits to round your answers to when you add/subtract or multiply/divide?
RULE 4: When adding (or subtracting) numbers, your answer cannot be more precise than the least precise measurement.
e.g., 34212.5 + 3.256 = 34215.8
RULE 5: When multiplying (or dividing) numbers, your answer need only retain the same number of digits as the number that has the
least number of significant digits.
e.g., 25.36 * 2.2 = 56
How many significant figures are in each answer to the following problems?
36.25 + 3 9 – 0.653 32 x 2.35 56.75 / 253.65 65.897 + 3.25
89.36 - 5.2 1.035 x 3.6 12.48 / 3.2 1.9871 + 45.88 5.63 x 3.8925
Determining Uncertainty in Measurements
Random errors – Errors that arise out of measurement that cannot be controlled.
Systematic errors – Errors that arise due to imperfections in equipment or procedure. Sometimes called “calibration errors”
Precision – Shows us how good we are at repeating our measurements and getting consistent value, regardless of our accuracy. It is
an indicator of the number of significant figures your measurements can be reliably stated.
Absolute Uncertainty – Also known as Absolute error, it is the range of precision that your measurement exhibits, as an absolute
number.
Relative Uncertainty – Also known as Relative Error, it is the range of precision exhibited by your measurement, stated as a
percentage of your absolute uncertainty out of the absolute measurement.
Accuracy – Shows us how close our measurement gets to the accepted value, regardless of our precision.
Percent Error – The percent by which your experimentally measured results differs from the theoretically accepted value.
With these two concepts in mind, it is important that every measurement you take has a stated UNCERTAINTY that indicates the
most likely range of possible values that your measurement was rounded from.
E.G. My weight = 201 ± 1 lbs. This means that when reading the scale, I am confident that my true weight is somewhere in
between 200 and 202 lbs. This would be an ACCURATE measurement of my weight. However, if I stated my weight as
201 ± 15 lbs, this would not be as accurate. Likewise, if I had stated my weight as 200.35 ± 0.05 lbs, then I am confident that
my weight is both ACCURATE and PRECISE. How might I state my weight as a precise measurement but NOT accurate?
Note that the precision in the uncertainty must match the precision in the measured value.
RULE 6: Uncertainties in Single Measurements

An uncertainty can be established in a single measurement by estimation alone, such as measuring using a meter stick. Measurements
such as these are easily repeatable. This method is not always the best choice if there is a high degree of random error, such as using a
stopwatch for recording the time of an event that is difficult to repeat.
RULE 7: Repeatable Measurements Uncertainty Estimates

An uncertainty can be established for a single measureable quantity by repeating it several times and then estimating it by looking at
the range of high and low values. The average of the trials can be taken as the measurement of the quantity and the uncertainty is
based on the range of values in the trials.
E.g. The fall times for dropping an object are recorded as 5 trials. Their times are 2.56 s, 2.58 s, 2.55 s, 2.59 s and 2.53 s.
Determine the average time of the falling object along with its uncertainty. Remember to use the correct number of
significant digits.
An important note: Estimating the uncertainty in this way usually OVERESTIMATES it because you are basing it on only a
limited number of trials. A better method (though not required of you) would be to use the SAMPLE STANDARD
DEVIATION as the best estimate of uncertainty. This is explained on the following pages.
RULE 8: Standard Deviation as the Uncertainty in Repeated Measurements
 Sometimes the confidence of a measurement cannot be reliable using one data point. A time measurement might be an
example, especially if one is using a stopwatch. Repeated measurements can be used to account for random errors due to
uncertainties in human reaction time by taking an average value. The standard deviation is a statistical quantity that tells us
how the repeated measurements are spread out. In general, data that is subject to random errors tends to fall under a
distribution curve known as a Gaussian or Normal.
If a large number of single measurements were taken and they followed the above patterns (e.g. the weight of 5 year old baby African
elephants for the bottom one and average human IQ on the Simon-Binet Scale for the top one, then a standard deviation above and
below the average value would indicate that 68% of the test subjects occupy this region of the graph. For uncertainties, if we said that
the a 5 year old baby African elephant weighs 500 lbs, we could say that it weighs 500 ± 100 lbs, telling us that we are 68% sure that
if we picked a random 5 year old baby African elephant, it would weigh between 400 and 700 pounds.
We use an uncertainty to estimate our confidence in our measured value, especially if we are comparing it to a theoretical value, such
as gravity.
The standard deviation formula is (the N-1 factor calculates a “Sample Standard Deviation” which assumes that you are sampling a
smaller portion of a larger pool of potential data. This is more than likely the case in statistical science.)
s = standard deviation N = number of measurements

x bar = average of N measurements xi = the ith measurement
Standard Deviation Practice

Find the uncertainty in the following set of numbers assuming that they are measurements of a single variable taken as a sample set.
45, 67, 54, 34, 26, 59, 23, 69, 53, 39
Determining Uncertainties in Calculations
Since individual measurements have a degree of error/uncertainty, it stands to reason that any operations that involve making
calculations with these measurements would act on the errors as well, making them compound the error in your calculated result.
Mathematical operations, such as basic equations in physics, will produce answers that have larger errors/uncertainties than the
original measurements. There are specific rules for PROPAGATING these errors and are outlined below.
1. Propagating uncertainties in a sum of numbers.
If we know that A = B + C, then the uncertainty in A, which we call δA, is given by the formula below, where δB and δC are the
uncertainties in the measured values B and C. Note the Greek symbol  . This is the lowercase symbol for “delta”, which is
customarily used to represent “uncertainty”. These represent Absolute Uncertainty.
A  B  C
2. Propagating uncertainties in an equation with a coefficient.
If we know that A = cB, then the uncertainty in A, which we call δA, is given by the formula below, where δB is the uncertainty
in the measured value of B.
A  cB
3. Propagating uncertainties in a product or quotient of numbers.
If we know that A = BC/D, then the percent (or fractional) uncertainty in A, which we call δA/A, is given by the formula below,
where δB/B, δC/C and δD/D are the percent uncertainties in the measured quantities B, C and D. These represent Relative
Uncertainty.
A B C D
  
A B C D
Equivalently: Sometimes it is easier to propagate uncertainties in products or quotients by explicitly finding the percent error.
With sums and differences, we state that the uncertainty of the sum or difference of two or more numbers is the sum of the
uncertainties of the numbers that are being added or subtracted, as discussed in (1) above. For products and/or quotients, we can
state that the PERCENT UNCERTAINTY of the product/quotient of two or more numbers is the SUM of the PERCENT
UNCERTAINTIES of all the numbers that you are multiplying or dividing. From percent uncertainties we can determine
absolute uncertainties. These represent Relative Uncertainty.
% A  % B  % C  % D
4. Propagating uncertainties in a power.

If A = Bc, then the uncertainty in A is given by the formula below.
A B
 c
A B
5. Any function of one variable.

If a variable x, is measured to have an uncertainty δx and it is used to evaluate a function q(x), then the uncertainty in the
calculated value of q(x), δq is given by the following formula: You should not worry about this possibility if you have not
explored differential calculus yet. The physics that you will explore will only deal with the possibilities listed above. The
equation below could prove useful if you choose to do an IB Extended Essay in Physics as part of your Diploma Program.
dq
q  x
dx
Practice with Uncertainties
Propagating uncertainties in a sum of numbers. Solve the following using the correct number of significant digits and determine
the uncertainty in the following sums:
1. (1.05 ± 0.02) + (3.27 ± 0.03) = _______________________
2. (35.0 ± 5.0) + (4.8 ± 0.1) = _______________________
3. (0.045 ± 0.013) - (0.029 ± 0.090) = _______________________
4. (4.1 ± 1.0) - (2.19 ± 0.14) = _______________________
5. (101.050 ± 0.017) + (53.3 ± 0.1) = _______________________
Propagating uncertainties in a product of numbers. Solve the following using the correct number of significant digits and
determine the uncertainty in the following products: (Yes the numbers are the same, only the operation has changed!)
6. (1.05 ± 0.02) x (3.27 ± 0.03) = _______________________
7. (35.0 ± 5.0) x (4.8 ± 0.1) = _______________________
8. (0.045 ± 0.013) / (0.029 ± 0.09) = _______________________
9. (4.1 ± 1.0) / (2.19 ± 0.14) = _______________________
10. (101.050 ± 0.017) x (53.3 ± 0.1) = _______________________
Propagating uncertainties in an equation with coefficients. Take the following equation:
y = 3x
For the following values of x, determine the value of y along with its uncertainty:
11. x = 54 ± 4
12. x = 45.7 ± 0.5
Propagating uncertainties with power equations. Take the following equation:
y = x3
For the following values of x, determine the value of y along
13. x = 8 ± 3
14. x = 0.036 ± 0.010

Uncertainty and Error Analysis in Graphing:
Suppose you have a graph of data points and all the uncertainties in your measurements are depicted on the graph using error bars.
There is an implication that uncertainties in measurements that are plotted on a graph will lead to uncertainties in all calculations
involving the graph. As an example, a line of best fit on a graph of plotted points, say for velocity vs. time, should have calculable
uncertainties in its slope and uncertainties. How would you go about doing this using a strictly graphical technique and not via
statistical methods? IB requires that you know how to do this graphically. At a later date, we can discuss the possibility of analyzing
graphs using statistical methods but it is not a requirement.
Here is a sample graph of velocity vs. time data with error bars.
m = 2.404 ± 0.677 ms-2

Y-Int = -0.334 ± 2.721 ms-1
The slope of this line is 2.404 ms-2 and the y-intercept is -0.334 ms-1. These are calculated from the original line of best fit. Work
should be shown. How would you determine the uncertainties in the slope and the y-intercept?
The error bars tell all you need to know. Above and below the central line of best fit are grayed lines that pass through the ends of the
error bars on select points near the beginning and end of the plotted data points. The slopes of the grayed lines indicate lines of best fit
for maximum and minimum slope possibilities, based on uncertainties in measuring the data. The process below shows how to
calculate the uncertainty in the slope.
Slope Uncertainty:
 The slope of the steeper gray line is 3.095 ms-2 which is 0.691 ms-2 greater than the actual slope.
 The slope of the less steep line is 1.741 ms-2 which is 0.663 ms-2 less than the actual slope.
 The average value of these differences is 0.677 ms-2.
The slope is then stated as 2.404 ± 0.677 ms-2.

Y-Intercept Uncertainty:
 Similar arguments are presented for the y-intercept and its published uncertainty.
 From the graph the y-intercept for the steeper sloped line is 2.094 ms-1.
 For the less steep line it is -3.347 ms-1.
 The larger y-intercept is 2.428 ms-1 greater than the actual y-intercept.
 For the less steep line it is 3.013 ms-1 less than the actual y-intercept.
 The average of these differences is 2.721 ms-1.
The y-intercept is then stated as -0.334 ± 2.721 ms-1.
You would need to show these calculations and write in your results on the graph, as indicated.
This method is standard for extracting information from graphs of plotted experimental data. For example, the graph shown above is
for velocity vs. time. The slope of this graph is a representation of ACCELERATION. By measuring the slope and determining its
uncertainty we have calculated the acceleration of an object rolling down an incline plane along with a statement of the uncertainty in
our calculation, merely using graphical techniques.
Graphical Analysis Practice
Plot the following data on the graph below, Mass on the vertical axis and Volume on the horizontal axis. Determine both the slope
and y-intercepts along with their uncertainties as described previously in this packet. Include units for the slope and uncertainties.
Mass
2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0
(± 1.0 g)
Volume
8.7 21.2 29.8 43.1 49.9
(± 0.5 cm3)
Comments on Precision, Accuracy and Percent Error
The information obtained from a graph, as shown above, is often used for subsequent calculations. For
example, given the experimental value for the acceleration, suppose you wanted to calculate an experimental
value for gravity and you knew that the acceleration of an object on an incline plane is related to gravity by the
2𝑠
following equation 𝑔 = . In order to determine the acceleration of gravity, you would need to know the
𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
distance the rolling object traveled down the incline plane, s and the angle of the incline plane, θ. The
acceleration, a, is the slope you just calculated. The distance and angle are easily measured from experiment
but they also have associated uncertainties. Doing the multiplication will give you an answer for the
acceleration of gravity but you must also state the uncertainty in this calculation. You will be provided ample
practice in propagating uncertainties and graphical analysis at the end of this packet.
A good experiment, based on accuracy and precision, will have the true value of gravity’s acceleration fall
within the limits of uncertainty of your experimental value.
Accurate and Precise Scenario

For example, suppose your experiment revealed that g = 9.89 ± 0.20 ms-2. Since the true value of 9.80 ms-2
falls within these boundaries, you can confidently say that your measurement techniques were both
ACCURATE and PRECISE.
Accurate but Not Precise Scenario

Alternatively, suppose your experiment showed that g = 9.85 ± 1.50 ms-2. Although the true value of 9.80 ms-2
still falls with these boundaries, the uncertainties are abnormally large. In this case we have an experiment that
proved to be ACCURATE but NOT PRECISE.
Not Accurate but Precise Scenario

Finally, there is the case where we might have an experimental value of gravity, g = 10.85 ± 0.03 ms-2. In this
case the measurement is extraordinarily precise, but the true value falls outside these boundaries. This is an
experiment that is NOT ACCURATE but PRECISE.
Bizarre but Possible Scenario
There is another remote scenario that needs to be discussed. Consider a situation where you had extraordinary
precision and accuracy. As an example, you calculated gravity’s acceleration to be 9.83 ± 0.01 ms-2. Even
though the value 9.83 is very close to 9.80, we would have to say the experiment was both ACCURATE and
PRECISE, but the true value still lies outside the boundaries of the uncertainties. What does this mean?
Ironically, our measuring tools do show good accuracy and precision but with an uncertainty of only 0.01 ms-2.
It means we could have done better than experimentally arriving at a value of 9.83 ms-2. This is a possible
indication of a calibration error in our equipment.
Percent Error Calculations

The percent error of an experimentally determined value compared to a theoretical variable gives you a gauge
for determining the accuracy of your measurements. The formula for percent error is given below.
|𝑬𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 − 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍|
%𝑬𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓 = 𝒙𝟏𝟎𝟎%
𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍
A negative percent error merely means that our experimental error was less than the theoretical value.
For the four scenarios described above, determine the %Error of the experimental values of gravity compared to
the theoretical. For a high school physics lab, I consider less than 5% an indicator of an accurate lab. In
university, I was told to shoot for less than 3%. Ha Ha! LOL!!
2 Mechanics
2.2 Forces
Name: ………………………………. Date: ……………………………….
Forces worksheet
1 A stationary 16 kg mass moves a distance of 84 metres in 14 seconds when a horizontal force is applied. If the
level surface is frictionless, determine the applied force.
..................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................
2 A 15 kg box is pushed with a constant horizontal force of 85 N along a level surface. If the box moves with a
uniform velocity of 6.0 ms–1, how much net force is required to accelerate it uniformly to 12 ms–1 in 2.0 s?
..................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................
3 The following system is in equilibrium. What is the mass of the object?
..................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................
4 A constant force of 245 N is applied at a 48.2° angle to a mass of 62.1 kg as shown below. If the mass moves at
a constant speed of 3.28 ms–1, determine its coefficient of dynamic friction.
..................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................
1
2.2 Forces
5 A mass of 6.3 kg is held on an inclined plane that has an angle of 2.4o with the horizontal. If the coefficient of
static friction is 0.032, will the mass slide down the plane when released?
..............................................................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................................................
6 Forces of 4.0 N and 6.5 N act on the 25 kg mass shown below. Find its acceleration.
..............................................................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................................................
2
5 E LE CTRIC IT Y AN D MAGN E TISM
Questions
1 (IB) Four point charges of equal magnitude, are The electric force between them is + F (i.e.
held at the corners of a square as shown below. attractive). The spheres are touched together and
are then returned to their original separation.
2a
+Q a) Calculate the charge on X and the charge on Y.
+Q
b) Calculate the value of the electric force
between them after being returned to their
original separation. (7 marks)
P 2a
4 (IB) Two charged plastic spheres are separated by a
distance d in a vertical insulating tube, as shown.
−Q
−Q tube
The length of each side of the square is 2a and spheres

the sign of the charges is as shown. The point P
is at the centre of the square.
d
a) (i) Determine the magnitude of the electric
field strength at point P due to one of
the point charges.
(ii) On a copy of the diagram above, draw
an arrow to represent the direction of
the resultant electric field at point P.
(iii) Determine, in terms of Q, a and k, the The charge on each sphere is doubled. Friction
magnitude of the electric field strength with the walls of the tube is negligible.
at point P. (7 marks) Deduce the new separation of the spheres.
(5 marks)
2 (IB) Two point charges of magnitude +2Q and −Q
are fixed at the positions shown below. Discuss
the direction of the electric field due to the two 5 (IB)
charges between A and B. Suggest at which
a) Electric fields may be represented by lines
point the electric field is most likely to be zero.
of force. The diagram below shows some
(3 marks)
lines of force.
−Q +2Q
A + + B
3 (IB) Two identical spherical conductors X and Y are

mounted on insulated stands. X carries a charge of
+6.0 nC and Y carries a charge of –2.0 nC. A B
+6.0 nC −2.0 nC
conductor X insulated stands conductor Y (i) State whether the field strength at
A and at B is constant, increasing or
decreasing, when measured in the
direction from A towards B.
240
12
QUESTIONS
(ii) Explain why field lines can never touch d) An alternative circuit for measuring the V–I
or cross. characteristic uses a potential divider.
b) The diagram below shows two insulated (i) Draw a circuit that uses a potential
metal spheres. Each sphere has the same divider to enable the V–I characteristics
positive charge. of the filament to be found.
(ii) Explain why this circuit enables the
potential difference across the lamp to
be reduced to 0 V. (13 marks)
+ + 7 (IB) The graph below shows the V–I

characteristic for two 12 V filament lamps A
and B.
lamp B
12
lamp A
potential difference/V
Copy the diagram and in the shaded area

between the spheres, draw the electric field
pattern due to the two spheres. (8 marks)
6 (IB) A lamp is at normal brightness when

there is a potential difference of 12 V across its
filament and a current in the filament of 0.50 A. 0
0 0.5 1.0
a) For the lamp at normal brightness, current/A
calculate:
a) (i) Explain why the graphs indicate that
(i) the power dissipated in the filament
these lamps do not obey Ohm’s law.
(ii) the resistance of the filament.
(ii) State and explain which lamp has the
b) In order to measure the voltage–current greater power dissipation for a potential
(V–I) characteristics of the lamp, a student difference of 12 V.
sets up the following electrical circuit.
The two lamps are now connected in series
12 V battery
with a 12 V battery as shown below.
12 V battery
State the correct positions of an ideal

ammeter and an ideal voltmeter for the lamp A lamp B
characteristics of the lamp to be measured.
b) (i) State how the current in lamp A
c) The voltmeter and the ammeter are compares with that in lamp B.
connected correctly in the previous circuit. (ii) Use the V–I characteristics of the lamps
Explain why the potential difference across to deduce the total current from the
the lamp battery.
(i) cannot be increased to 12 V (iii) Compare the power dissipated
(ii) cannot be reduced to zero. by the two lamps. (11 marks)
241
13
8 (IB) X R
a) Explain how the resistance of the filament
2.0 Ω
in a filament lamp can be determined from
the V–I characteristic of the lamp.
b) A filament lamp operates at maximum E
brightness when connected to a 6.0 V
supply. At maximum brightness, the current (i) Copy the graph in (a), and draw the I–V
in the filament is 120 mA. characteristics for the resistor R.
(i) Calculate the resistance of the filament (ii) Determine the total potential
when it is operating at maximum difference E that must be applied across
brightness. component X and across resistor R
(ii) You have available a 24 V supply and such that the current through X and
a collection of resistors of a suitable R is 3.0 A. (7 marks)
power rating and with different values
of resistance. Calculate the resistance
of the resistor that is required to be 10 (IB) A student is to measure the current–voltage
connected in series with the supply (I–V) characteristics of a filament lamp. The
such that the voltage across the following equipment and information are
filament lamp will be 6.0 V. (4 marks) available.
Information
9 (IB) The graph below shows the I–V characteristics emf = 3.0 V, negligible internal
for component X. Battery
resistance
I/A6 Filament lamp marked “3 V, 0.2 A”
4 resistance = 30 kΩ, reads
Voltmeter
values between 0.0 and 3.0 V
2 resistance = 0.1 Ω, reads values
Ammeter
between 0.0 and 0.5 A
0
-8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 Potentiometer resistance = 100 Ω
V/V
-2
a) For the filament lamp operating at normal
-4 brightness, calculate:
(i) its resistance
-6
(ii) its power dissipation.
The student sets up the following incorrect circuit.
The component X is now connected across
the terminals of a battery of emf 6.0 V and
negligible internal resistance.
a) Use the graph to determine: V
(i) the current in component X
(ii) the resistance of component X.
b) A resistor R of constant resistance 2.0 Ω is
now connected in series with component X
A
as shown below.
b) (i) Explain why the lamp will not light.

(ii) State the approximate reading on the
voltmeter. Explain your answer.
(6 marks)
242
14
QUESTIONS
11 (IB) A particular filament lamp is rated at 12 V, a) (i) State the value of the current for which
6.0 mA. It just lights when the potential the resistance of X is the same as the
difference across the filament is 6.0 V. resistance of Y and determine the value
A student sets up an electric circuit to measure of this resistance.
the I–V characteristics of the filament lamp. (ii) Describe and suggest an explanation for
A the I–V characteristic of conductor Y.
b) The two conductors X and Y are connected
in series with a cell of negligible internal
resistance. The current in the conductors
100 kΩ is 0.20 A.
12 V V
S Use the graph to determine:
(i) the resistance of Y for this value of
current
(ii) the emf of the cell. (8 marks)
In the circuit, shown below, the student has 13 (IB) A cell of electromotive force (emf) E and
connected the voltmeter and the ammeter into internal resistance r is connected in series with
the circuit incorrectly. a resistor R, as shown below.
The battery has emf 12 V and negligible

internal resistance. The ammeter has negligible r
E
resistance and the resistance of the voltmeter
is 100 kΩ.
The maximum resistance of the variable resistor
is 15 Ω. R
a) Explain, without doing any calculations,
whether there is a position of the slider S at The cell supplies 8.1 × 103 J of energy when
which the lamp will be lit. 5.8 × 103 C of charge moves completely round
the circuit. The current in the circuit
b) Estimate the maximum reading of the
is constant.
ammeter. (5 marks)
a) Calculate the emf E of the cell.
b) The resistor R has resistance 6.0 Ω. The
12 (IB) The graph below shows the current–voltage potential difference between its terminals is
(I–V) characteristics of two different conductors 1.2 V. Determine the internal resistance r of
X and Y. the cell.
0.50 c) Calculate the total energy transfer in R.
0.45 d) Describe, in terms of a simple model of
0.40 electrical conduction, the mechanism by
0.35 which the energy transfer in R
0.30 takes place. (12 marks)
Y X
I/A 0.25
0.20
0.15 14 (IB) A battery is connected in series with a
0.10
resistor R. The battery transfers 2000 C of
0.05
charge completely round the circuit. During
0.00
0.0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 this process, 2500 J of energy is dissipated
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
V/V
R and 1500 J is expended in the battery.
Calculate the emf of the battery. (3 marks)
243
15
15 (IB) A student connects a cell in series with The electric field strength is 3.8 × 105 V m–1
a variable resistor and measures the terminal and the magnetic field strength is 2.5 × 10–2
pd V of the cell for a series of currents I in the T. Calculate the speed of the electron if the
circuit. The data are shown in the table. net force acting on it due to the fields is zero.
V/V I/mA (3 marks)
1.50 120
1.10 280 18 (IB) A straight wire lies in a uniform magnetic
0.85 380 field as shown.
0.75 420
0.60 480 current I
0.50 520
magnetic field
Use the data to determine the emf and internal
resistance of the cell. (5 marks)
θ
16 (IB) A battery is connected to a resistor as shown.
The current in the wire is I and the wire is at an

angle of θ to the magnetic field. The force per
unit length on the conductor is F. Determine
the magnetic field strength. (2 marks)
6.0 V V 10 Ω
19 (IB) A straight wire of length 0.75 m carries a
current of 35 A. The wire is at right angles to a
magnetic field of strength 0.058 T. Calculate the
force on the wire. (2 marks)
When the switch is open the voltmeter reads

12 V, when the switch is closed it reads 11.6 V. 20 (IB) An ion with a charge of +3.2 × 10–19 C and
a mass of 2.7 × 10–26 kg is moving due south at
a) Explain why the readings differ. a speed of 4.8 × 103 m s–1. It enters a uniform
b) (i) State the emf of the battery. magnetic field of strength 4.6 × 10–4 T directed
(ii) Calculate the internal resistance of the downwards towards the ground. Determine the
battery. force acting on the ion. (4 marks)
c) Calculate the power dissipated in the
battery. (6 marks)
17 (IB) An electron enters a pair of electric and

magnetic fields in a vacuum as shown in
the diagram.
region of magnetic field
E + B
electron
244
16
PROJECTILE MOTION e The ball will strike the ground 1.0 s after it is
PRACTICE QUESTIONS (WITH ANSWERS) struck.
Then vx = 20 m s–1
* challenge questions
and vy = 0 + (9.8 m s–2)(1.0 s) = 9.8 m s–1
The speed of the ball at 1.0 s is given by:
[(20 m s–1)2 + (9.8 m s–1)2] ½ = 22.3 m s–1
Q2.
Q1.
A bowling ball of mass 7.5 kg travelling at 10 m s–1
A golfer practising on a range with an elevated tee
rolls off a horizontal table 1.0 m high. (Assume the
4.9 m above the fairway is able to strike a ball so
acceleration due to gravity is 9.80 m s–2, and the
that it leaves the club with a horizontal velocity of
effects of air resistance may be ignored unless
20 m s–1. (Assume the acceleration due to gravity is
otherwise stated.)
9.80 m s–2, and the effects of air resistance may be
a Calculate the ball’s horizontal velocity just as it
ignored unless otherwise stated.)
strikes the floor.
b What is the vertical velocity of the ball as it
strikes the floor?
c Calculate the velocity of the ball as it reaches
the floor.
d What time interval has elapsed between the
ball leaving the table and striking the floor?
e Calculate the horizontal distance travelled by
the ball as it falls.
a How long after the ball leaves the club will it
land on the fairway? A2.
b What horizontal distance will the ball travel a The horizontal velocity of the ball remains
before striking the fairway? constant and vx = 10 m s–1.
c What is the acceleration of the ball 0.5 s after b v2 = u2 + 2ax
being hit? and vy2 = 02 + 2(9.8 m s–2)(1.0 m)
d Calculate the speed of the ball 0.80 s after it and vy = 4.4 m s–1 down
leaves the club. c v = [(10 m s–1)2 + (4.43 m s–1)2] ½ = 10.9 m s–1 at
e With what speed will the ball strike the 24° to the horizontal,
ground? where the angle is determined from
tan θ = 4.43 m s–1/10 m s–1 = 0.443 and θ = 24°
A1. d x = ut + 0.5at2
a x = ut + 0.5at2 and 1.0 m = 0 + 0.5(9.8 m s–2)t2
then 4.9 m = 0 + 0.5(9.8 m s–2)t2 so t = 0.45 s
and t = 1.0 s e Horizontal distance = (horizontal speed)(time)
b x = (average speed)(time) = (20 m s–1)(1.0 s) = = (10 m s–1)(0.45 s) = 4.5 m
20 m
c The acceleration of the ball is constant at any
time during its flight, and is equal to the
acceleration due to gravity
= 9.8 m s–2 down
d After 0.80 s, the ball has two components of
velocity:
vx = 20 m s–1
and vy = 0 + (9.8 m s–2)(0.80 s) = 7.84 m s–1
The speed of the ball at 0.80 s is given by:
[(20 m s–1)2 + (7.84 m s–1)2]½ = 21.5 m s–1
QUESTIONS 3 - 8
A senior physics class conducting a research A5.
project on projectile motion constructs a device a The time for the ball to reach its maximum
that can launch a cricket ball. The launching device height is determined from v = u + at.
is designed so that the ball can be launched at Then at maximum height, the vertical velocity
ground level with an initial velocity of 28 m s–1 at of the ball = 0
an angle of 30° to the horizontal. and 0 = 14 m s–1 – (9.8 m s–2)t
and t = 1.43 s
b v2 = u2 + 2ax
then 0 = (14 m s–1)2 – (9.8 m s–2)x
and x = 10 m
c The acceleration of the ball is constant at any
Q3.
time during its flight, and is equal to the
Calculate the horizontal component of the velocity
acceleration due to gravity = 9.8 m s–2 down.
of the ball:
a initially
Q6.
b after 1.0 s
a At which point in its flight will the ball
c after 2.0 s.
experience its minimum speed?
b What is the minimum speed of the ball during
A3.
its flight?
a vx = (28 m s–1) cos 30° = 24.2 m s–1 north and
c At what time does this minimum speed occur?
remains constant throughout the flight.
b 24.2 m s–1 north
A6.
c 24.2 m s–1 north
a The minimum speed will occur when the
vertical components of the ball’s velocity = 0,
Q4.
i.e. at the maximum height.
Calculate the vertical component of the velocity of
b The minimum velocity of the ball during its
the ball:
flight occurs at the maximum height, and is
a initially
equal to the horizontal component of the
b after 1.0 s
ball’s velocity = 24.2 m s–1 horizontally.
c after 2.0 s.
c The minimum speed of the ball during its flight
occurs at the maximum height at t = 1.43 s.
A4.
a vy = (28 m s–1) sin 30° = 14 m s–1 up
Q7.
b vy = 14 m s–1 – (9.8 m s–2)(1.0 s) = 4.2 m s–1 up
a At what time after being launched will the ball
c The time for the ball to reach its maximum
return to the ground?
height is determined from v = u + at.
b What is the velocity of the ball as it strikes the
Then at maximum height, the vertical velocity
ground?
of the ball = 0
c Calculate the horizontal range of the ball.
and 0 = 14 m s–1 – (9.8 m s–2)t
and t = 1.43 s
A7.
Therefore at t = 2.0 s the ball is 0.57 s into its
a The flight of the ball is symmetrical. Therefore
downward flight.
the time for it to reach the ground after
vy = 0 + (9.8 m s–2)(0.57 s) = 5.6 m s–1 down
launching = 2(1.43 s) = 2.86 s.
b The flight of the ball is symmetrical. Therefore
Q5.
the ball will strike the ground at the same
a At what time will the ball reach its maximum
velocity as that when it was launched: 28 m s–1
height?
at an angle of 30° to the horizontal.
b What is the maximum height that is achieved
c Horizontal range = (horizontal speed)(time)
by the ball?
= (24.2 m s–1)(2.86 s) = 69.2 m
c What is the acceleration of the ball at its
maximum height?
Q8*. and vx = 11.31 m s–1 = (16 m s–1) cos θ
If the effects of air resistance were taken into then cos θ = 0.70625 and θ = 45°
account, which one of the following statements d vx = (16 m s–1) cos 45° = 11.31 m s–1
would be correct? vy = 11.31 – (9.8 m s–2)(1.0 s) = 1.51 m s–1
A The ball would have travelled a greater then the speed of the ball at t = 1.0 s
horizontal distance before striking the ground. = [(11.31 m s–1)2 + (1.51 m s–1)2]½ = 11.4 m s–1
B The ball would have reached a greater e The horizontal displacement of the ball at t =
maximum height. 1.0 s
C The ball’s horizontal velocity would have been = (11.31 m s–1)(1.0 s) = 11.31 m,
continually decreasing. while the vertical displacement at t = 1.0 s
= (11.31 m s–1)(1.0 s) – 0.5(9.8 m s–2)(1.0 s)2 =
A8. 6.41 m
C is the correct answer. Air resistance is a force The resultant displacement after 1.0 s =
that would be acting in the opposite direction to [(11.31 m)2 + (6.41 m)2] ½ = 13.0 m
the horizontal velocity of the ball, thereby The angle θ of the displacement from the
producing a horizontal deceleration of the ball horizontal is given by:
during its flight. tan θ = 6.41 m/11.31 m = 0.5668
and θ = 30°
f v = u + at
then at maximum vertical height vy = 0
Q9. therefore 0 = 11.31 m s–1 – (9.8 m s–2)t
A softball of mass 250 g is thrown with an initial and t = 1.154 s
velocity of 16 m s–1 at an angle θ to the horizontal. Since flight is symmetrical, time of flight T =
When the ball reaches its maximum height, its 2(1.154 s) = 2.31 s.
kinetic energy is 16 J. g Horizontal distance = (horizontal speed)(time)
a What is the maximum height achieved by the = (11.31 m s–1)(2.31 s) = 2.61 m
ball from its point of release?
b Calculate the initial vertical velocity of the ball. Q10*.
c What is the value of θ? During training, an aerial skier takes off from a
d What is the speed of the ball after 1.0 s? ramp that is inclined at 40.0° to the horizontal and
e What is the displacement of the ball after 1.0 lands in a pool that is 10.0 m below the end of the
s? ramp. If she takes 1.50 s to reach the highest point
f How long after the ball is thrown will it return of her trajectory, calculate:
to the ground? a the speed at which she leaves the ramp
g Calculate the horizontal distance that the ball b the maximum height above the end of the
will travel during its flight. ramp that she reaches
c the time for which she is in mid-air.
A9.
a The initial EK of the ball = 0.5(0.250 kg)(16 m s– A10.
1 2
) = 32 J a Taking down as positive and the top of the
At its maximum height EK = 16 J, ramp as the zero position. Using the vertical
then loss in EK = 32 J – 16 J = 16 J = (0.250 component and finding initial velocity by
kg)(9.8 m s–2)h analysing motion to maximum height:
and maximum height h = 6.53 m a = 9.80 m s–2, t = 1.5 s, v = 0, u = ?
b v2 = u2 + 2ax v = u + at
and 0 = u2 – 2(9.8 m s–2)(6.5306 m) 0 = u + 9.80 × 1.50
then the initial vertical velocity u = 11.3 m s–1 uv = –14.7 m s–1; i.e. 1.47 m s–1 up
up Trigonometry can be used to determine initial
c At its maximum height the velocity of the ball speed: v = uv/sin 40° = 14.7/0.643
is equal to its horizontal component vx and EK = = 22.9 m s–1
16 J = 0.5(0.250 kg)vx2
b Using vertical component: a = 9.80 m s–2, t = c After the projectile is launched the only
1.50 s, u = –14.7 m s–1, v = 0, x = ? acceleration it will experience is that due to
x = ½(u + v)t = 0.5 × –14.7 × 1.50 = 11.0 m gravity: a = 9.8 m s–2 ↓
c Using vertical component: u = –14.7 m s–1, a =
9.8 m s–2, x = 10 m, t = ? Q12.
First find final vertical velocity (to avoid a Determine the maximum vertical height that
quadratic equation): v = ? the projectile will reach.
v2 = u2 + 2ax = (–14.7)2 + 2 × 9.80 × 10 = 412 b Calculate the horizontal range of the
v = 20.3 m s–1 projectile.
Now find total flight time: t = ? c What is the minimum speed of the projectile
v = u + at during its flight?
20.3 = –14.7 + 9.80 × t
t = 3.57 s A12.
a v2 = u2 + 2ax ⇒ 0 = [(1000 m s–1)(sin 30°] –
2(9.8 m s–2) x ⇒ x = 13 km
b x = [(1000 m s–1)(cos 30°)](102.04 s) = 88 km
c The minimum speed of the projectile occurs at
its maximum vertical height because the
projectile only has a horizontal component at
QUESTIONS 11 - 13 this height ⇒ v = 870 m s–1.
Q13.
a Calculate the vertical component of the
projectile’s velocity 1.0 s after it is launched.
b What is the horizontal component of the
projectile’s velocity 1.0 s after it is launched?
The diagram shows a projectile being launched at a c Determine the speed of the projectile 1.0 s
velocity of 1.0 km s–1 at an angle of 30° to the after it is launched.
horizontal. Assume that g = 9.8 m s–2 and that air
resistance is negligible. A13.
a v = u + at = [(1000 m s–1)(sin 30°)] – (9.8 ms–
2
Q11. )(1.0 s) = 490 m s–1
a What is the time of flight of the projectile? b (1000 m s–1)(cos 30°) = 870 m s–1
b What is the speed of the projectile at its c Speed = [(490 m s–1)2 + (870 m s–1)2]½ = 9.9
maximum height? × 102 m s–1
c Determine the acceleration of the projectile
1.0 s after it is launched.
A11.
a v = u + at ⇒ 0 = [(1000 m s–1)(sin 30°)] – (9.8 Q14.
ms–2)t ⇒ t = 51.02 s A projectile is launched with an initial velocity of
The time of flight T (from launch until it strikes 1.5 km s–1 at an angle θ. The target is located at a
the ground) is given by: distance of 3000 m and on the same level. The
T = 2t = 2(51.02 s) = 102 s projectile strikes the target after 4.0 s.
b At maximum height the projectile only has the a Determine the horizontal velocity of the
horizontal component of velocity. projectile.
Then speed = the initial horizontal component b Calculate the value of θ.
= (1000 m s–1)(cos 30°) = 870 m s–1
A14.
a vx = x/t = (3000 m)/4.0 s = 750 m s–1
b (1500 m s–1)(cos θ) = 750 m s–1 ⇒ θ = 60°
Q15. A The vertical component of the projectile’s
Consider a projectile launched with initial velocity v velocity remains constant.
at an angle θ to the horizontal. Discuss the B The vertical component of the projectile’s
difference between the horizontal and vertical velocity is never zero.
components of the projectile’s velocity during the C The horizontal component of the projectile’s
flight. Ignore air resistance. velocity remains constant.
D The horizontal component of the projectile’s
A15. velocity is never zero.
Note that these components act independently of
each other. Since we assume that the only force A17.
acting on the projectile is gravity, then the C and D are correct. Since there are no horizontal
horizontal component of the projectile’s velocity forces acting on the projectile, the horizontal
will remain constant during its flight. The vertical component of the projectile’s velocity will not
component of the projectile’s velocity will change. Since the projectile does not actually stop
decrease at a constant rate until it reaches its during its flight, the horizontal component of the
maximum vertical height. It will then begin to projectile’s velocity is never zero.
descend. During its descent, the vertical
component of the projectile’s velocity will increase Q18.
at a constant rate. Which one or more of the following statements are
correct?
A The minimum speed of the projectile during its
flight is zero.
B The minimum speed of the projectile during its
flight is equal to its initial vertical component
of velocity.
QUESTIONS 16 – 19 C The minimum speed of the projectile during its
Consider a projectile launched with an initial flight is equal to its initial horizontal
velocity v at an angle θ to the horizontal. component of velocity.
Assume that g = 9.8 m s–2 and that air resistance is D The minimum speed of the projectile during its
negligible. flight is never zero.
Q16. Which one or more of the following A18.

statements are correct? C and D are correct. The minimum speed of the
A The acceleration of the projectile remains projectile during its flight occurs when it has
constant during its upward flight. reached its maximum vertical height when the
B The acceleration of the projectile remains vertical component of its velocity is equal to zero
constant during its downward flight. and it is travelling with its initial horizontal
C The acceleration of the projectile increases component of velocity.
during its downward flight.
D The acceleration of the projectile decreases Q19.
during its upward flight. Which one or more of the following statements are
correct concerning the upward motion of the
A16. projectile?
A and B are correct since the acceleration of the A The vertical component of the projectile’s
projectile at any time during its flight is equal to g velocity decreases at a constant rate.
= 9.8 m s–2. B The vertical component of the projectile’s
velocity decreases at a non-constant rate.
Q17. C The horizontal acceleration of the projectile is
Which one or more of the following statements are zero.
correct? D The vertical acceleration of the projectile is
zero.
How far away is the Vortex when it reaches point
A19. R?
A and C are correct. The only vertical force acting is
gravity, which will produce a constant deceleration A23.
of 9.8 m s–2. There are no horizontal forces acting Horizontal distance X = (4.6 m s–1)T,
on the projectile. where T = time of flight
From v = u + at,
0 = 8.854 m s–1 – (9.8 m s–2)t
and t = 0.903 s
QUESTIONS 20 - 23 and T = 2(0.903 s) = 1.806 s
The diagram shows the trajectory of a Vortex after Then X = (4.65 m s–1)(1.806 s) = 8.4 m
it has been thrown with an initial speed of 10.0 m
s–1. The Vortex reaches its maximum height at
point Q; 4.00 m higher than its starting height.
Q24.
Two identical tennis balls X and Y are hit
horizontally from a point 2.0 m above the ground
with different initial speeds: ball X has an initial
speed of 5.0 m s–1 while ball Y has an initial speed
of 7.5 m s–1.
a Calculate the time it takes for each ball to
strike the ground.
Q20. What is the value of the angle θ that the b Calculate the speed of ball X just before it
initial velocity vector makes with the horizontal? strikes the ground.
c What is the speed of ball Y just before it strikes
A20. the ground?
At point Q the vertical velocity = 0 d How much further than ball X does ball Y
Then if u = initial vertical velocity of Vortex, travel in the horizontal direction before
0 = u2 – 2(9.8 m s–2)(4.0 m) bouncing?
and u = 8.854 m s–1
Since u = (10 m s–1) sin θ, A24.
then θ = 62.3° a Using the formula x = ut + 0.5at2,
then 2.0 m = 0 + 0.5(9.8 m s–2)t2
Q21. and t = 0.64 s
What is the speed of the Vortex at point Q? b For ball X: horizontal velocity = 7.5 m s–1,
vertical velocity on striking ground
A21. = 0 + (9.8 m s–2)(0.639 s) = 6.26 m s–1
At point Q the speed of the Vortex is equal to the then the speed of ball X just before it strikes
horizontal component of velocity the ground
= (10 m s–1) cos 62.3° = 4.6 m s–1 = [(5.0 m s–1)2 + (6.26 m s–1)2]½ = 8.0 m s–1
c For ball Y: horizontal velocity = 7.5 m s–1,
Q22. vertical velocity on striking ground
What is the acceleration of the Vortex at point Q? = 0 + (9.8 m s–2)(0.639 s) = 6.26 m s–1
then the speed of ball Y just before it strikes
A22. the ground
The acceleration of the Vortex at point Q = = [(7.5 m s–1)2 + (6.26 m s–1)2] ½ = 9.8 m s–1
acceleration due to gravity = 9.8 m s–2 down d Distance = (7.5 m s–1 – 5.0 m s–1)(0.639 s) = 1.6
m
Q23.
Topic 6 Checkpoint 1 – Circular Motion Formative Assessment
NAME: _________________________________
A 7.25-kg bowling ball is being swung horizontally in a clockwise direction (as viewed from
above) at a constant speed in a circle of radius 1.85 m.
1. Suppose the time it takes the ball to make one complete revolution is 2.75 s. What is the
centripetal acceleration of the ball? 1. _________________
2. What is the tension in the cable that is used to swing the ball? 2. _________________
3. What is the work done by the tension in one revolution? 3. _________________
4. What is the angular velocity of the ball? 4. _________________
A 7.25-kg bowling ball is being swung horizontally in a counterclockwise direction (as viewed
from above) at a constant speed in a circle of radius 1.85 m.
5. Suppose the speed of the ball is 6.50 ms-1. What is the centripetal acceleration of the
ball? 5. _________________
6. What is the period of the ball? 6. _________________
7. What is the frequency of the ball? 7. _________________
8. What is the angular velocity of the ball? 8. _________________
A 765-kg car is traveling north and makes a gradual turn to the east at a constant
speed of 15.0 ms-1. The radius of the turn is 112 m.
9. What is the angular velocity of the car during the turn? 9. _________________
10. What friction force is needed for this turn? 10. ________________
11. What is the smallest radius for which the turn could be designed so that the car does not slip at this
speed. Assume the coefficient of static friction is 0.650 and that the road is level (unbanked).
11. ________________
12. What is the purpose of banking roads?

__________________________________________________________________________________
A loaded KC-135 Stratotanker air refueling plane has a loaded mass
of 115000 kg. It is shown traveling north at a speed of 825 km h-1
and banking at an angle of  = 18˚ in level flight.
13. Label the vectors, WEIGHT, LIFT, and CENTRIPETAL FORCE, in
the diagram. 13. ___In diagram____
14. Find the magnitude of the weight vector.

14. ________________
15. Find the magnitude of the vertical component of the lift vector.
15. ________________
16. Find the magnitude of the horizontal component of the lift

vector. 16. ________________
17. What is the centripetal acceleration of the plane? 17. ________________
18. What is the radius of the turn? 18. ________________
The Goliath is a new wooden roller coaster that allows the riders to go upside-down on the loop shown
below. The starting height of the coaster is 135. m. The radius of the loop is 20.0 m. Riders board the cars
at A. The 1500-kg car is drawn by a chain up to the point B and then released from rest. Gravity does
everything from then on through the points C, D and E!
B
C D
A E
19. What is the kinetic energy of the car at D? 19. ________________
20. What is the speed of the car at D? 20. ________________
21. What is the magnitude of the normal force between car and track at D? Include a free-body diagram
of the car at D. 21. ________________
22. What is the maximum radius that the loop could have so that the car does not lose contact with the
track at D? 22. ________________
Topic 6 Checkpoint 2 – Newton’s Law of Universal Gravity Formative Assessment
NAME: _________________________________
1. State Newton’s universal law of gravitation.
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. Explain Newton’s shell theorem and why it is useful for finding the gravitational force between, say,
a planet and a moon.
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. A planet has a mass of M = 3.251024 kg and its moon has a mass of m = 4.501020 kg. The mean
distance between the planet’s center and its moon’s center is 1.41010 m. What is the gravitational
force between them? 3. _________________
4. Define gravitational field strength.

__________________________________________________________________________________
5. Explain why the concept of field replaced the concept of action-

at-a-distance.
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
A planet has a mass of 1.501025 kg and a radius of 6.50106 m. It has an angular

speed of 0.0000545 rad s-1.
6. What is the gravitational field strength 1.30107 m from the center of this
planet? 6. _________________
7. What is the acceleration of a 15.0-kg mass dropped at this point? 7. _________________
8. If we wanted that same mass to be in orbit at this radius, what velocity would this mass have to
have? 8. _________________
9. What would its period be? 9. _________________
10. What is the value of g at the surface of this planet? 10. ________________
11. If a 15.0-kg mass is dropped near the surface of this planet, what would its acceleration be?
11. ________________
12. What would its weight be? 12. ________________

13. What is the length of a day, in hours, for this planet? 13. ________________
14. How many planet radii would a geosynchronous satellite need to be placed?
14. ________________
Two masses of 1.501025 kg each are located along the x-axis. The first mass is at the origin, and the
second mass is at x = -6.50106 m.
15. Find the gravitational field strength at the point on the x-axis directly between the two masses.
15. ________________
16. Find the gravitational field strength at x = +2.50106 m. 16. ________________
17. If a 15.0-kg mass is released at x = +2.50106 m, what will its acceleration be (both magnitude and
direction). 17. ________________
The sun has a mass of 1.9891030 kg. One Earth year is 365.25 d.
18. Given that Venus takes 225 Earth days to orbit the sun, what is its orbital radius?
18. ________________
19. Given that the speed of light is c = 3.00108 ms-1, find out how long it takes light
from the sun to reach Venus. Convert your answer to minutes.
19. ________________
20. Given that the radius of Mercury’s orbit is 57,909,227 km, find the length, in
Earth days, of a Mercury year. 20. ________________
21. How long does it take light from the sun to reach Mercury?
21. ________________
22. Suppose you communicate by radio to an astronaut on the

moon. How long does it take for you to send a question to, and
receive an answer from, that astronaut?
22. ________________
Topic 4. Checkpoint 1 – Oscillations Formative Assessment
NAME: _________________________________
A 2.0-kg mass is attached to a horizontal spring having a spring constant of 0.50 Nm-1. If set in oscillation
the time for a single cycle is 12.6 s.
1. The mass is pulled 4.0 cm in the positive x-direction
before release, as shown. What are the amplitude,
period, and frequency of the oscillation?
1. ______________, _______________, ________________
2. In the picture place a “V” at all the points where the speed of the mass will be at its maximum.
2. ____In picture_____
3. In the picture place an “A” at all the points where the acceleration of the mass will be at its
maximum. 3. ____In picture_____
4. What is the proportionality constant for this particular system that relates a to –x in the proportion
a  -x that defines SHM? 4. _________________
5. What is the acceleration (in cm s-2) of the mass at x = + 2.00 cm? 5. _________________
6. An identical system is started by placing the mass at 0.0

cm as shown, and given a rightward push at the same
instant the mass in problem 1 is released. What is the
phase difference between the two systems? 6. _________________
The displacement vs. time of a 4.00-

kg mass attached to a spring having
a spring constant of 17.55 Nm-1
undergoing SHM is shown in the
graph.
7. What is the total energy of the
system? 7. _________________
8. What is the potential energy stored in the system at t = 1.25 s? 8. _________________
9. What is velocity of the mass at t = 1.25 s? 9. _________________
10. What is acceleration of the mass at t = 1.25 s? 10. ________________
11. In the graph above, sketch in the displacement vs. time for SHM that is exactly T/ 3 out of phase.
11. ____In graph_____
The displacement vs. time of a particle
undergoing SHM is shown in the graph
to the right.
12. In the graph, sketch in the
displacement vs. time for in-phase
SHM with exactly half the amplitude
of the given SHM. 12. _In graph__
13. In the graph above, sketch in the velocity of the mass vs. time, and label it “V(t).” 13. _In graph__
14. In the graph above, sketch in the acceleration of the mass vs. time, and label it “A(t).”
14. _In graph__
The kinetic energy vs. displacement of a 2.50-kg particle undergoing

SHM on a mass-spring system is shown in the graph to the right.
15. What is the maximum speed of the mass? 15. _______________
16. What is the maximum potential energy stored in the mass-

spring system? 16. ________________
17. What is the spring constant of the spring that is driving the
oscillation? 17. ________________
In the graph to the right, the spring force vs. displacement is shown
for the spring in an oscillating mass-spring system. The mass is 0.75
kg and the amplitude of motion is 2.0 m.
18. What is the value of the spring constant? 18. _______________
19. What is the total energy of the system. 19. _______________
20. How can you tell that the oscillation is that of SHM?
21. What is the maximum speed of the mass? 21. ________________
22. What is the speed of the mass when the displacement is x = -0.50 m? 22. ________________
Topic 4.Checkpoint 2 – Traveling Waves Formative Assessment
NAME: _________________________________
1. What is the difference between a transverse and a longitudinal traveling wave? _________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. Explain what compressions and rarefactions are, and what type of traveling wave has these
characteristics. _____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. Explain what crests and troughs are, and what kind of traveling wave has these characteristics.
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. What kind of oscillation are the particles of a medium carrying a traveling wave undergoing?
4. _________________
Twelve identical mass-spring combos are lined up and set to

oscillation. Two pictures of the same system taken at different times
are shown to the right. The crest-to-crest distance is 6.0 cm, and the
maximum displacement of all of the masses is 2.5 cm.
5. Explain how you can tell that a traveling wave is present.
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
6. Which direction is the wave traveling? Be sure to justify your

response with a reasoned explanation. 6. _______________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
7. Make an estimate of the period of the oscillation of each mass. 7. _________________
8. What is the frequency of the traveling wave? 8. _________________
9. What are the amplitude and the wavelength of the traveling wave? 9. _________________
_________________
10. What is the wave speed? 10. ________________
Consider the wave train being transmitted through the spring as

shown. The accompanying graph shoes the motion of a single loop
of the spring as it moves back and forth in SHM.
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 CM
11. In the spring picture place a C at each center of a compression. In the picture place an R at each
center of a rarefaction. 11. __In picture______
12. What is the frequency of the wave train? 12. ________________
13. What is the wavelength (in cm) of the wave train? 13. ________________
14. What is the wave speed (in cm s-1)? 14. ________________
A traveling wave has displacement y vs.

time shown in Graph 1 and
displacement y vs. horizontal position x
in Graph 2.
15. What are the amplitude and the
period of the traveling wave?
15. ____________, ____________
16. What are the wavelength and the wave speed of the traveling wave? 16. ________________
________________
A longitudinal wave has displacement x

vs. time shown for a single particle in
Graph 1 and displacement x vs.
horizontal position d for a particular
instant in Graph 2. Graph 3 shows 5
particles in the longitudinal wave at
their equilibrium position.
17. For each of the 5 particles, in Graph 3 (below) place an  reflecting the particles’ positions at the
instant depicted in Graph 2. 17. __In Graph 3______
d / cm
0.0 10. Graph 3 20. 30.
018. In Graph 3 place an R at the center of a rarefaction. Place a C at the center of a compression.
18. __In Graph 3______
The displacement y vs. time t graph of a light wave is shown.

19. Find the frequency of the light. What portion of the
electromagnetic spectrum does this place this light?
19. ______________, ______________
20. Find the wavelength of the light. 20. ________________
21. Explain why you don’t need a displacement vs. distance graph for light, but you do for other
traveling waves. ____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Topic 4 Checkpoint 3 – Wave Characteristics Formative Assessment
NAME: _________________________________
1. Sketch the wavefronts and rays. What type of wave is illustrated?
1. _______________.
2. A 350 watt speaker projects sound in a spherical
wave. Find the intensity of the sound at a
distance of 3.0 m and 9.0 m from the speaker.
2. ________________
At a distance of 45 m from a speaker the sound

intensity is 5.010 -1 W m-2.
3. Find its intensity at a distance of 18 m. 3. ________________
4. Compare the amplitudes of the sound at 45 m and 18 m. 4. ________________
A traveling wave having a wave speed of 65 m s-1 strikes a boundary between

two mediums with an angle of incidence of 20°. Some of the wave’s energy
is reflected at the boundary, and some of it is transmitted through the
boundary and into the second medium, where its speed is increased to 95 m
s-1.
5. Sketch the normal, and the angle of incidence in the diagram. 5. ____In picture_____
6. Find the angle of reflection and sketch the reflected ray. 6. ________________
____In picture_____
7. Sketch the refracted ray. 7. ____In picture_____
A traveling wave whose wavefronts are shown strikes a boundary between

two mediums as shown. The frequency of the incident wave is 15 Hz, and the
wavelength is 0.85 m. The angle of incidence is 30° and the angle of
refraction is 25°.
8. Sketch the wavefronts of the refracted wave.
8. ____In picture_____
9. How does the frequency of the refracted wave compare to that of the
incident wave? 9. ________________
10. How does the wavelength of the refracted wave compare to that of the incident wave?
10. ________________
11. How does the wave speed of the refracted wave compare to that of the incident wave?
11. ________________
12. A wave pulse is approaches a fixed point in a
string. Sketch in the pulse shape after
reflection. 12. ____In picture_____
13. Two wave pulses approach each other from

opposite directions as shown. Sketch the
waveform when the trailing edge of Pulse A
and the leading edge of Pulse B are coincident.
13. ____In picture_____
The following questions are about polarization and polarized light.

14. Describe what is meant by polarized light.
15. Describe polarization by reflection.
16. Unpolarized light in air is reflected from a liquid surface in such a way that it is completely polarized.
The angle of incidence is 43. What is the angle of refraction in the liquid? 16. ________________
Two disks of Polaroid are aligned so that they polarize light in the same plane.
17. Calculate the angle through which one sheet needs to be turned in order to reduce the amplitude of
the observed E-field to one-fifth of its original value. 17. ________________
18. If the initial intensity was I0, what will the new intensity be (at the angle you just calculated)?
18. ________________
19. If we want the intensity to be one-fifth of its original value, what must be the angle through which
one of the sheets is turned. 19. ________________
Polarized light of intensity I0 is incident on an analyzer. The transmission axis of the analyzer makes an
angle  with the direction of the electric field of the light waves entering it.
20. Explain the terms polarizer and analyzer.
21. Sketch a graph to show the variation of the

intensity of the light transmitted through the
analyzer as  changes from 0 to 270.
21. ____In graph_____
22. A ray of plane-polarized light of intensity 25 Wm-2 is normally incident on a polarizing filter. The
intensity of the transmitted light is 20 Wm-2. Calculate the angle between the plane of the polarized
light and the preferred plane of the filter. 22. ________________
Topic 4.4 – Wave behaviour Formative Assessment
NAME: _________________________________
A light wave traveling in air strikes a piece of glass as shown. The frequency of
the incident wave is 4.751014 Hz. The angle of incidence is 25° and the angle of
refraction is 21°.
1. Find the speed of light in the glass. 1. _________________
2. Find the index of refraction of the glass. 2. _________________
3. Find the wavelength of the incident light wave. 3. _________________
4. Find the frequency and wavelength of the refracted light wave. 4. _________________
_________________
5. What is the critical angle of the light once it is inside the glass? 5. _________________
6. What is the critical angle of the light once it is inside the glass if the glass is submerged in water?
6. _________________
The incident wave train pictured in the lower half of the photograph has an
amplitude of 3.7 cm. Assume the wave energy is not lost in passing through
the two gaps in the barrier wall. The lightest-colored portions in the upper
half of the photograph are the highest regions of water. The darkest-
colored portions are the lowest regions of water. For the following
questions, heights are to be referenced to equilibrium, which is 0 cm.
7. State Huygens’ principle. ______________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
8. What will be the height of the lightest-colored portions of the waves in the upper half of the
photograph? 8. _________________
9. What will be the height of the darkest-colored portions of the waves in the upper half of the
photograph? 9. _________________
10. What is the height of the highest crest in the bottom portion of the photograph?
10. ________________
11. Place a small circle at a single point of your choosing that shows constructive interference.
11. ____In picture____
The following questions concern path difference and waves.
12. Two sources S1 and S2 each produce coherent
vibrations in water having a wavelength of 5 m and an
amplitude of 5 cm. Three surrounding points are
shown. The lines connecting the sources to the points
show the distance the points
are from the sources.
Complete the table:
13. What does the term coherent mean in the context of

these waves?
______________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.
The interference patterns caused by two

coherent wave sources are shown to the right.
14. Label the regions in the medium
representing path differences of PD = 3.0,
PD = 2.5, PD = 2.0, and PD = 1.5 from the
two sources. 14. ____In picture____
The following questions are about Young’s double-slit diffraction.

15. Coherent light having a wavelength of 675 nm is incident on an opaque card having two vertical slits
separated by 0.275 mm. A screen is located 3.25 m away from the card. What is the distance
between the central maximum and the first maximum? 15. ________________
16. Coherent light of an unknown frequency is projected onto a double-slit with slit separation 0.350
mm onto a screen that is 10.5 meters away. The separation between the central maximum and the
nearest maximum is 1.50 cm. What is the wavelength of the incident light? 16. ________________
The following questions are about wave behavior.

17. What behavior of waves causes the straight waves to become curved waves when they pass through
the gaps in the barrier? 17. ________________
18. What behavior of waves causes the curved waves to produce the highs and lows previously
calculated? 18. ________________
Topic 4.5 – Standing waves Formative Assessment
NAME: _________________________________
The following questions are about the creation of standing waves.
1. What does it mean for two waves to be coherent?
_________________________________________________________________________________.
2. How are standing waves created? Why are they called standing waves?
_________________________________________________________________________________.
_________________________________________________________________________________.
The following questions are about a string fixed at both ends.

3. Sketch the 2nd harmonic standing wave in the string.
3. ___in diagram____
4. If the speed of sound in the string is 1700 m s-1 and length of the string is 12.5 m, what is the
frequency of the second harmonic of the string? 4. _________________
5. What is the fundamental frequency of this string? 5. _________________
The following questions are about a pipe closed at one end.
6. Sketch the 2nd harmonic standing wave in this pipe:

7. If the speed of sound in air is 350 m s-1 and the length of the pipe is 12.5 m, what is the fundamental
frequency of the pipe? 7. _________________
The following questions are about a pipe open at both ends.
8. Sketch the 2nd harmonic standing wave in this pipe:

9. If the speed of sound in air is 350 m s-1 and the length of the pipe is 12.5 m, what is the fundamental
frequency of the pipe? 9. _________________
The following questions are about a telephone pole having standing waves generated
in its length by the prevailing winds.
10. If the length of the pole exposed above the ground is 18.5 m, what is its
fundamental frequency? The seed of sound through the pole is 1500 ms-1.
10. _________________
11. What is its second harmonic? 11. _________________
12. Explain how an oscillating telephone pole is similar to an oscillating tuning fork.
____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________.
Text section 28.3
Kirchhoff’s circuit rules
Practice:
Chapter 28, problems 17, 19, 25, 26, 43
Junction Rule: total current in = total current out

at each junction (from conservation
of charge).
Loop Rule: Sum of emfs and potential differences

around any closed loop is zero (from
conservation of energy).
1
10 Ω b c Find the current
6V I2 20 Ω 40 Ω through each battery.
I1 3V I3 = - (I1 + I2)
a d
10 Ω b c Find the current

6V I2 20 Ω 40 Ω through each battery.
I1 3V I3 = - (I1 + I2)
a d
Answers: I1 = 171 mA, I2 = -64.3 mA
7
10 Ω b c
6V I2 20 Ω 40 Ω Junction b:
I 1 + I2 + I3 = 0
I1 3V I3 = - (I1 + I2)
so I3 = -(I1 + I2)
a d
Solution:
Loop abcda:
..... 1
Loop dbcd:
..... 2
4x 1 - 5x 2 : -140 I2 = 9  I2 = -64 mA
3x 1 - 2x 2 : 70 I1 = 12  I1 = 171 mA
200 Ω 200Ω
12 V a b
600 Ω 300Ω
What is Vab (i.e., Va - Vb ) when the switch is open?
Exercise for fun: Find the current through the

switch when it is closed.
8
c
I1 I2
The loop rule requires 200 Ω 200Ω
that Vab (i.e., Va - Vb )
a b
obeys:
600 Ω 300Ω
A) Vab = (200Ω)I1 + (200Ω)I2 d

B) Vab = (200Ω)I1 - (200Ω)I2
C) Vab = -(200Ω)I1 + (200Ω)I2
D) Vab = -(200Ω)I1 - (200Ω)I2
1Ω 2Ω
1Ω
Reff = ? a b
2Ω 1Ω
“Series and parallel“ rules don’t help in this case. You

have to go back to the fundamentals—Kirchhoff’s
Circuit Rules.
(Answer: Reff = 1.4Ω )
9
Reff = VTOTAL/ITOTAL
ITOTAL c Show that:

I2
I1
I1 = I 5 = 3I 3
1Ω 2Ω
I3 1Ω
VTOTAL a b I 2 = I 4 = 2I 3
I4
2Ω I5 ITOTAL= 5I3
1Ω
d
VTOTAL= (7Ω) I3
1) Use Kirchhoff’s rules to write everything in terms

of, one variable, e.g., I3.
2) Divide VTOTAL/ITOTAL .
Reff = VTOTAL/ITOTAL
ITOTAL c Show that:

I2
I1
I1 = I 5 = 3I 3
1Ω 2Ω
I3 1Ω
VTOTAL a b I 2 = I 4 = 2I 3
I4
2Ω I5 ITOTAL= 5I3
1Ω
d
VTOTAL= (7Ω) I3
1) Use Kirchhoff’s rules to write everything in terms

of, e.g., I3. (Results: I1 = I5 = 3I3, I2 = I4 = 2I3; ITOTAL= 5I3;
VTOTAL= (7Ω) I3.)
2) Divide VTOTAL/ITOTAL .
10
Solution to part A:
c
I2 Solution to part b:
250
100
12 V a
I1 I3 Loop adba:
b
I1 + I 3
400
250
I1 - I3
d 1
Loop abca:
Then:
 Solve…
11
R1 V1
V
R2 V2
and
(from ; and etc)
1Ω 3Ω
5Ω
Reff = ? a b
2Ω 4Ω
Notice that “series and parallel“ don’t help in this

case. You have to go back to Kirchhoff’s Rules.
(Answer: Reff = ( 155/74 ) Ω )
12
Internal Resistance
Q1. A battery of emf 9.0 V and internal resistance, r, is connected in the circuit shown in the
figure below.
(a) The current in the battery is 1.0 A.
(i) Calculate the pd between points A and B in the circuit.
answer = ..................................... V
(2)
(ii) Calculate the internal resistance, r.
answer = ..................................... Ω
(2)
(iii) Calculate the total energy transformed by the battery in 5.0 minutes.
answer = ..................................... J
(2)
PhysicsAndMathsTutor.com 1
Page 2 of 25
(iv) Calculate the percentage of the energy calculated in part (iii) that is dissipated in the
battery in 5.0 minutes.
answer = .....................................
(2)
(b) State and explain one reason why it is an advantage for a rechargeable battery to have a
low internal resistance.
........................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................
(2)
(Total 10 marks)
Q2. In the circuit shown the battery has emf and internal resistance r.
(a) (i) State what is meant by the emf of a battery.
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
(ii) When the switch S is open, the voltmeter, which has infinite resistance, reads 8.0 V.
When the switch is closed, the voltmeter reads 6.0 V.
Determine the current in the circuit when the switch is closed.
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
Page 3 of 25
(iii) Show that r = 0.80 Ω.
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
(4)
(b) The switch S remains closed. Calculate
(i) the power dissipated in the 2.4 Ω resistor,
.............................................................................................................
(ii) the total power dissipated in the circuit,
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
(iii) the energy wasted in the battery in 2 minutes.
.............................................................................................................
(4)
(Total 8 marks)
Q3. In the circuit shown, the battery has an emf of 12 V and an internal resistance of 2.0 Ω. The
resistors A and B each have resistance of 30 Ω.
Calculate
(i) the total current in the circuit,
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
(ii) the voltage between the points P and Q,
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
Page 4 of 25
(iii) the power dissipated in resistor A,
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
(iv) the energy dissipated by resistor A in 20 s.
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
(Total 8 marks)
Q4. A battery is connected to a 10 Ω resistor as shown in the diagram below. The emf
(electromotive force) of the battery is 6.0 V.
(a) (i) Define the emf of a battery.
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
(1)
(ii) When the switch is open the voltmeter reads 6.0 V and when it is closed it reads
5.8 V.
Explain why the readings are different.
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
(2)
Page 5 of 25
(b) Calculate the internal resistance of the battery.
answer = ..................................... Ω
(3)
(c) State and explain why it is important for car batteries to have a very low internal resistance.
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
(2)
(Total 8 marks)
Q5. A car battery has an emf of 12 V and an internal resistance of 9.5 × 10–3 Ω. When the battery
is used to start a car the current through the battery is 420 A.
(a) Calculate the voltage across the terminals of the battery, when the current through the
battery is 420 A.
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
answer ........................................... V
(2)
Page 6 of 25
(b) The copper cable connecting the starter motor to the battery has a length of 0.75 m and
cross-sectional area of 7.9 × 10–5 m 2. The resistance of the cable is 1.6 × 10–3 Ω.
Calculate the resistivity of the copper giving an appropriate unit.
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
answer .................................................
(3)
(Total 5 marks)
Q6. A car battery has an emf of 12 V and an internal resistance of 5.0 × 10–3 Ω.
(a) (i) Explain what is meant by the emf of the battery.
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
(1)
(ii) Explain what is meant by the internal resistance of the battery.
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
(1)
(b) The battery is used to provide the starting motor of a car with a current of 800 A.
(i) Calculate the potential difference across the terminals of the battery.
answer = ................................................... V
(2)
Page 7 of 25
(ii) Calculate the rate of dissipation of energy due to its internal resistance stating an
appropriate unit.
answer = ......................................................
(3)
(c) State and explain the effect of attempting to use a battery with a much higher internal
resistance to start the car.
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
(2)
(Total 9 marks)
Q7. A cell of emf, ε, and internal resistance, r, is connected to a variable resistor R. The current
through the cell and the terminal pd of the cell are measured as R is decreased. The circuit is
shown in the figure below.
Page 8 of 25
The graph below shows the results from the experiment.
(a) Explain why the terminal pd decreases as the current increases.
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
(2)
(b) (i) Use the graph to find the emf, ε, of the cell.
answer = ..................................... V
(1)
Page 9 of 25
(ii) Use the graph above to find the internal resistance, r, of the cell.
answer = ..................................... Ω
(3)
(c) Draw a line on the graph above that shows the results obtained from a cell with
(i) the same emf but double the internal resistance of the first cell labelling your graph A.
(2)
(ii) the same emf but negligible internal resistance labelling your graph B.
(1)
(d) In the original circuit shown in part (a), the variable resistor is set at a value such that the
current through the cell is 0.89 A.
(i) Calculate the charge flowing through the cell in 15 s, stating an appropriate unit.
answer = ......................................
(2)
Page 10 of 25
(ii) Calculate the energy dissipated in the internal resistance of the cell per second.
answer = ..................................... W
(2)
(Total 13 marks)
Q8. (a) In the circuit shown in Figure 1, the battery has an emf of 6.0 V. With the switch
closed and the lamp lit, the reading on the voltmeter is 5.4 V.
Figure 1
Explain without calculation, why the voltmeter reading is less than the emf of the battery.
You may be awarded marks for the quality of written communication in your answer.
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
(3)
(b) A torch is powered by two identical cells each having an emf of 1.5 V and an internal
resistance r. The cells are connected in series. The torch bulb is rated at 1.6 W and the
voltage across it is 2.5 V.
(i) Draw the circuit described.
Page 11 of 25
(ii) Calculate the internal resistance of each cell.
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
(5)
(c) In the circuit in Figure 2 the cell has emf and internal resistance r. The voltage V across
the cell is read on the voltmeter which has infinite resistance, and the current I through the
variable resistor R is read on the ammeter.
Figure 2
Page 12 of 25
By altering the value of the variable resistor R, a set of values of V and I is obtained. These
values, when plotted, give the graph shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3
Show how the values of and r may be obtained from this graph. Explain your method.
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
(3)
(Total 11 marks)
Q9. In the circuit shown, a battery of emf and internal resistance r is connected to a variable
resistor R. The current I and the voltage V are read by the ammeter and voltmeter respectively.
(a) The emf is related to V, I and r by the equation
= V + Ir
Rearrange the equation to give V in terms of , I and r.
......................................................................................................................
(1)
Page 13 of 25
(b) In an experiment, the value of R is altered so that a series of values of V and the
corresponding values of I are obtained. Using the axes, sketch the graph you would expect
to obtain as R is changed.
(2)
(c) State how the values of and r may be obtained from the graph.
..................................................................................................................
r ....................................................................................................................
(2)
(Total 5 marks)
Q10. The circuit in the diagram below contains four identical new cells, A, B, C and D, each of
emf 1.5V and negligible internal resistance.
(a) The resistance of each resistor is 4.0 Ω.
(i) Calculate the total resistance of the circuit.
answer = ...................................... Ω
(1)
Page 14 of 25
(ii) Calculate the total emf of the combination of cells.
answer = ....................................... V
(1)
(iii) Calculate the current passing through cell A.
answer = ....................................... A
(2)
(iv) Calculate the charge passing through cell A in five minutes, stating an appropriate
unit.
answer = ......................................
(2)
(b) Each of the cells can provide the same amount of electrical energy before going flat.
State and explain which two cells in this circuit you would expect to go flat first.
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
......................................................................................................................
(3)
(Total 9 marks)
Page 15 of 25
Q11. A battery of emf and internal resistance r is connected in series to a variable resistor R
and an ammeter of negligible resistance. A voltmeter is connected across R, as shown in the
figure below.
(a) (i) State what is meant by the emf of the battery.
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
(ii) The reading on the voltmeter is less than the emf. Explain why this is so.
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
(2)
(b) A student wishes to measure and r. Using the circuit shown in the figure above the
value of R is decreased in steps and at each step the readings V and I on the voltmeter
and ammeter respectively are recorded. These are shown in the table.
reading on voltmeter/V reading on ammeter/A
8.3 0.07
6.8 0.17
4.6 0.33
2.9 0.44
0.3 0.63
(i) Give an expression relating V, I, and r.
.............................................................................................................
(ii) Draw a graph of V (on the y-axis) against I (on the x-axis) on graph paper.
(Allow one sheet of graph paper)
Page 16 of 25
(iii) Determine the values of and r from the graph, explaining your method.
: ………...........................................................................................
............................................................................................................
r: .........................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
(8)
(Total 10 marks)
Page 17 of 25
Episode 104: Drift velocity
In this episode, you can show that charge carriers in good conductors usually move very slowly.
You can also derive and use the equation I = nAqv.
If this episode is not required by your specification, the demonstration could be added to those of
episode 103
Lesson Summary
 Demonstration: Ions moving (15 minutes)
 Discussion: Deriving I = nAqv (15 minutes)
 Worked example: Using I = nAqv (10 minutes)
 Discussion: Interpreting I = nAqv (5 minutes)
 Student questions: Practice with the equation (30 minutes)
Demonstration: Ions moving

Show the movement of ions when a current flows through a solution. The permanganate ions
(negative) carry the distinctive purple colour toward the positive electrode. An estimate of drift
velocity (of the order of mm/minute) shows the extremely slow progress of the ions.
Ask whether electrons might move faster in a metal wire. (Students may point out that, for
example, a light comes on as soon as the switch is closed. Leave this in the air for now; they will
be able to see whether this is a correct interpretation shortly – see the Discussion at the end of
this episode.)
Episode 104-1: Conduction by coloured ions (Word, 63 KB) – see end of document
1
Discussion: Deriving I = nAqv
You can now derive the equation I = nAqv.
It is worth exploring the meaning of this equation before trying numerical examples.
If a material has a large density of charge carriers, (large n), then v will be relatively low (for a
given current).
The thinner the wire (for the same current) the faster the charge carriers must move.
If current is increased the only term that can increase is v.
Episode 104-2: Derivation of nAvq (Word, 25 KB) – see end of document
Worked examples: Using I = nAqv

Now make an estimate of drift velocity in a metal by estimating the value of n.
Consider a current of 1 A in a copper wire of cross-sectional area 1 mm2.
Assume one free electron per atom. (This is a good estimate.) So we need to find the number of
atoms present.
For copper (density 8900 kg m-3 and atomic mass number 63.5):
In 1 m3 there are 8900/0.0635 moles of Cu atoms , so 8.4 × 1028 atoms m-3.
This gives a value of n of order 10 29m -3.
Rearrange the equation to give:
v = I/nAq
and substitute values to get;
v = 1 A/(1029 m3 x 1 x 10-6 m x 1.6 x 10-19C)
v = 6 × 10-5 m s-1
(i.e. less than 0.1 mm s-1.)
This is consistent with the observed drift of ions in the experiment.
2
Discussion: Interpreting I = nAqv
They should be surprised by this result. Remind them that this is the drift velocity of the electrons
inside the metal and is much lower than the actual individual velocities of electrons. This is
because of the random motion of the electrons. It is useful to think of a gas of electrons with large
random velocities whose nominal centre of mass drifts slowly along the metal tube.
Drift velocities in semiconductors are much larger because they have much smaller values of n
(by a factor of at least 106).
Student questions: Practice with the equation

Episode 104-3: Electrons in copper (Word, 22 KB) – see end of document
3
Episode 104- 1: Conduction by 'coloured' ions
Do charges really move?

When in the early 1800s people first studied currents from batteries (they called them 'Voltaic
piles'), few thought that anything 'went round' a circuit. It was Faraday who invented the word 'ion'
now used to describe charged particles, from a Greek word meaning 'traveller', to help insist that,
yes, something does travel. In this demonstration you can see ions travelling as current flows.
You should be struck by how slowly they go.
Requirements
power supply, 0–30 V dc e.g. 0 – 24 V supply with large smoothing capacitor (high ripple type)
across the output
2 demonstration digital multimeters
1 M ammonium hydroxide solution and teat pipette
microscope slide covered with filter paper soaked in ammonium hydroxide solution (1 M)
small crystals of copper sulphate and potassium manganate VII (permanganate)
2 pins (large ones are easier to handle)
4 mm leads
2 Bulldog clips with wire soldered on (and 4mm plugs on other ends)
stop-watch
tweezers (plastic ones are best)
Wear safety spectacles

Ensure you wear safety spectacles throughout this experiment.
Take care with hazardous chemicals
The chemicals in use here should not be brought into contact with the skin or ingested.
For the high voltage extension:

special electrophoresis call with interlocking lid
HT power supply giving at least 150 V dc
leads with 4mm shrouded plugs
4
Wire carefully, no bare conductors, including filter paper, above 40 V
Applicable if a high pd is used to increase the average speed of the ions.
lead
soldered
microscope slide blob
filter paper
soaked
Note that the tank is not necessary for work at 30 V.
Charges are made to flow in a strip of filter paper dampened with ammonia solution, using a
potential difference connected across two metal electrodes (pins) pressed onto the paper. To see
movement of charged ions, put tiny crystals of copper sulphate and potassium permanganate on
the wet paper. A blob of dark blue colour slowly spreads from the copper sulphate crystal away
from the positive electrode and towards the negative electrode. A blob of purple colour from the
potassium permanganate crystal gradually spreads the other way.
There is colour from the copper sulphate because, with the ammonia, it forms positive
+2
cuprammonium ions (Cu complexed with ammonia) which colour the solution deep blue. There
is colour from the potassium permanganate because it forms negative permanganate ions
–
(MnO4 ), which colour the solution purple. The positive ions move one way and the negative ions
move the other way.
The speed of movement is remarkably slow. It is perhaps only one millimetre a minute or less.
Using a larger potential difference can increase the speed, but then much more stringent safety
precautions have to be taken. Even so, the speed is never great. Compared with the speed of
moving charged particles, the speed with which a signal goes round a circuit to set the current
going everywhere is enormous – it is near the speed of light.
5
The speed of movement of the ions may be slow, but the current need not be small. In this
demonstration it might be about 30 mA for a pd of 30 V. You can calculate the resistance of the
damp filter paper:
V 30 V
R   1k
I 30 mA
resistance = potential difference / current:
Outcomes
1. Electric currents are made of moving charged particles.
2. Ions in a current may move very slowly.
Practical advice
Here we demonstrate that electric currents involve the slow but perceptible movement of coloured
ions carrying a current linking current to flow of charge.
The drift velocity of less than a millimetre per minute (about 0.01 mm s–1) is surprisingly slow. It
should be contrasted with the rapid propagation of the electrical signal that travels around the
circuit, telling the charges to get moving, when the circuit is switched on.
The filter paper is held onto the glass slide by the surface tension of the ammonia solution, which
should be added by pipette just prior to the demonstration, and by the bulldog clips, which press
the pins onto the paper only a couple of centimetres apart to increase the electric field and the
drift velocity. Small single crystals of blue copper sulphate and purple potassium permanganate
should be placed using tweezers, midway between the pins. Very slow symmetrical diffusion of
the coloured ions can be observed.
The dc supply should be set at 30 V and the stop-watch started. The current measured will
typically be in the range 10–100 mA. If the coloured patches are carefully observed over several
minutes, the slow asymmetrical drift of the deep blue positively charged cuprammonium ions
(Cu+2 complexed with ammonia) towards the negative electrode, and of the purple negatively
charged permanganate ions (MnO4 -) towards the positive electrode, can be observed. The
invisible ammonium and hydroxide ions also contribute to the current. After several minutes of
observation the distance and time can be measured and the drift velocity calculated (a control
with no electric field could be run to estimate the diffused distance in the same time, and subtract
it).
The drift velocity will be around 0.01 mm s–1. The different mobilities of the two ions may be
apparent if the experiment is run for many minutes. If the terminals are reversed, then the motion
of the coloured ions can also be reversed. The permanganate may become oxidised in the air
leaving a brown stain of manganese dioxide on the paper.
It is worth finding the conductance of the medium, mostly the ammonium and hydroxide ions on
the paper, from the values of current and potential difference.
A carefully constructed cell for use with the power supply, 0–150 V, may be used in an extension
to provide rapid movement and a safe demonstration. If no such cell is available then pds above
40 V should not be used.
Technician's note
The filter papers should be cut into rectangular strips to fit the standard microscope slides and
held in place with the pins and crocodile clips. The ammonia solution needs to be strong enough
6
to form the deep blue cuprammonium complex. 1 M should suffice, but it should only be pipetted
onto the paper immediately prior to the demonstration. Only a very small quantity is required.
Spare slides should be prepared to repeat the demonstration or to act as a control without the
applied potential difference.
Alternative approaches
If you have access to higher pd power supplies then somewhat more rapid ion movements can
be seen. But be aware that you should not have bare wires above 30 V on the bench. A carefully
constructed cell for use with the power supply, 0–150 V can provide rapid movement and a safe
demonstration. The cell must have interlocks to prevent access when a voltage is applied.
Conduction by ions in a neon indicator lamp can be demonstrated, above the striking voltage.
This is a nice example of a non-ohmic conductor and the V / I characteristic can be plotted with a
data logger, if a 10 :1 potential divider is used to reduce the voltage logged. Again, full
precautions must be taken with HT power supplies.
Social and human context

Electrophoresis moves charged molecules with an applied voltage and is crucial in many kinds of
analysis of drugs, DNA and genetic tests, mapping the human genome and in forensic science.
Be safe
The design of the apparatus must be such that there can be no bare conductors above 30 V.
The chemicals in use here must not get into the eyes and should not be brought into contact with
the skin or ingested
External references
This activity is taken from Advancing Physics Chapter 2, 50D, which was an adaptation of
Revised Nuffield Advanced Physics experiment B1.
7
Episode 104- 2: Derivation of I = nAvq
The diagram shows conventional current carried by positive charge carriers (electrons would flow
the other way). Each charge carrier has charge q and there are n per unit volume. Their average
drift velocity is v. A section of the wire has been magnified. Its cross-sectional area is A.
q v
I A I
In a short time t a total charge Q = I t passes each point in the wire.
In this time a single charge carrier moves a distance of vt along the wire, so all charge carriers
within a ‘tube’ of this length will pass any given point in this time (this is equal to Q above).
Q = (volume of tube of length vt)  number of charge carriers per unit volume  q
= A v t n q
so It = A v t n q
giving: I = n A v q
8
Episode 104- 3: Electrons in copper
These problems are intended to help you practice calculations with large numbers of conducting
particles and small amounts of charge found in a variety of examples of electrical conduction.
Copper conducting
2
As a rough guide, copper wires can conduct about 10 A mm before overheating and there are
20 3
approximately 10 free electrons per mm in copper.
Find:
1. The number of electrons per second required to carry a current of 10 A.
2
2. The length of wire with cross section 1 mm containing this number of electrons.
3. The average drift velocity of electrons in the wire.
4. If the same wire carried a current of only 10 mA what would the drift velocity be, and how
long would it take a typical electron to drift through 1 mm?
9
Answers
1. 6.25 × 1019 electrons s–1
2. 0.625 mm
3. 0.625 mm s–1
4. 6.25 mm s–1; 160 s
External references
This activity is taken from Advancing Physics Chapter 2, 60S
10
Name
Date Pd
Unit I - Worksheet 3: Coulomb's Law

q1q2
1. Given the mathematical representation of Coulomb’s Law, F = k , where
r2
2
k = 9.0 × 109 Nm , describe in words the relationship among electric force, charge, and
C2
distance.
2. By how much does the electric force between a pair of charged bodies diminish when their
separation is doubled? tripled?
3. The most common isotope of hydrogen contains a proton and an electron separated by about
5.0 x 10-11 m. The mass of a proton is approximately 1.7 x 10-27 kg. The mass of the electron is
approximately 9.0 x 10-31 kg.
a) Use Newton's law of universal gravitation to calculate the gravitational force between the
electron and proton in the hydrogen atom.
b) Use 1.6 x 10-19 C as the elementary unit of charge to determine the force of attraction
between the two particles.
c) How many orders of magnitude greater is the electric force between the two particles than
the gravitational force between the two particles? How important are gravitational force
effects in this case?
© Modeling Instruction - AMTA 2013 1 E1-Charge&Field ws3 v4.0

4. Two charged spheres are on a friction-less horizontal surface. One has a charge of +3.0 x 10-6 C,
the other a +6.0 x 10-6 C charge. Sketch the two spheres, showing all forces on them. Make the
length of your force arrows proportional to the strength of the forces.
5. Two positive charges of 6.0 x 10-6 C are separated by 0.50 m. Draw a force diagram for each of
the charges, considering only electrostatic forces. What is the magnitude of the force between
the charges? Is this force repulsive or attractive?
6. A negative charge of 2.0 x 10-4 C and a positive charge of 8.0 x 10-4 C are separated by 0.30 m.
What is the magnitude of the force between the charges? Is this force repulsive or attractive?
7. A young man accumulates a charge q1 of +2.0 x 10-5 C while sliding out of the front seat of a
car. His girlfriend, who had been waiting in the wind, has picked up some extra electrons and
now has a charge q2 of -8.0 x 10-5 C.
Draw a sketch of the situation. Estimate the magnitude of the electrical force that each person
exerts on the other when separated by a distance of 6.0 m. Is the force attractive or repulsive?

8. Suppose the two people in the previous problem move toward each other. Calculate the
magnitude of the electrical force of one on the other when their separation is reduced by a factor
of 10.
9. Two pith balls shown in the diagram below have a mass of 1.0 g each and have equal charges.
One pith ball is suspended by an insulating thread. The other charge is brought to within 3.0 cm.
of the suspended ball (r = 0.03 m). The suspended pith ball is deflected from its rest position
until the thread forms an angle of 30˚ with the vertical. At this angle, the ball is in equilibrium.
a) Draw a force diagram depicting the forces acting on the suspended ball.
Calculate (b) mg (c) Fe (d) the charge on the pith balls

10. The figure below shows three point charges that lie along the x axis. Determine the magnitude
and direction of the net electrostatic force on charge q1.
-4.0 x 10-6 C +6.0 x 10-6 C -7.0 x 10-6 C
q2 q1 q3
0.20m 0.15m
11. Three charges are placed as shown below. Determine the magnitude and direction of the net
electrostatic force on charge q1. As part of the solution, include a force diagram.
+1.8 x 10-5 C
q3
3.0 m
-1.2 x 10-5 C +4.5 x 10-5 C

q2 q1
3.0 m

Current and resistance
1. The image shows electrons flowing in a conductor with cross sectional area 1mm2.
• Add an arrow showing the direction of current.

• Which end has the highest potential?
• Calculate the current when 1019 electrons flow through the wire in 10 s.
• If there are 1026 electrons per unit volume what is the drift velocity of the electrons?
2. A thin Nichrome wire is used in an experiment to test Ohm’s

law using a power supply ranging from 0 to 12 V in steps of 2 V.
• Why isn’t the graph of I vs V linear?
• Nichrome wire does obey Ohm’s law. Explain how that can that be true given the
results above
I = nAve
e = 1.6 x 10 -19 C
©Chris Hamper
thinkib.net/physics
Electric Fields
1. Use Coulomb’s Law and the definition of Electric Field to derive an equation for the electric
field around a point charge.
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
2. a) What is the relationship between the electric field strength and the distance from the point
source?
b) If you move three times farther away, what will happen to the field strength?
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
3. a) What is the relationship between the electric field strength and the charge of the point
source?
b) If the charge of the point source is increased by a factor of three, what happens to the
electric field strength?
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
4. What is the magnitude and direction of the electric field 0.25 meters away from a point charge
with -5.0μC. Draw a diagram. Use proportional reasoning to find the field strength at
positions 0.125 meters away and 0.75 meters away.
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................

Binder 2

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Binder 2

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Binder 2

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Topic 1 – Measurement and uncertainties Formative Assessment

PROBLEM SET NAME: ________________________________ TEAM:__

4. Which equation must be wrong? Note that t is in s, v is in m s-1, a is in m s-2, x is in m, F is in kg m s-2

5. Convert 54 mi s h-1 to feet. Be sure to show each well-chosen one.

6. Estimate how many kilograms are in a 150-pound man.

9. Express .00004203 in normalized scientific notation.

13. Determine the number of significant figures in each of the following.

Topic 1.2 – Uncertainties and errors

20. Find the raw uncertainty in the measurement.

21. Find the fractional uncertainty in her measurement.

22. Find the percentage uncertainty in her measurement.

31. Calculate the uncertainty of the slope.

33. Calculate the uncertainty of the x-intercept.

Topic 1.3 – Vectors and scalars

34. Explain clearly the difference between a scalar and a vector.

35. Give three examples of scalars.

36. Give three examples of vectors.

41. A velocity vector has a horizontal component of 45 m s-1 and a vertical

42. A velocity vector has a horizontal component of 45 m s-1 and a vertical

How many significant figures are in each of the following numbers?

RULE 6: Uncertainties in Single Measurements

RULE 7: Repeatable Measurements Uncertainty Estimates

s = standard deviation N = number of measurements

Standard Deviation Practice

1. Propagating uncertainties in a sum of numbers.

4. Propagating uncertainties in a power.

5. Any function of one variable.

1. (1.05 ± 0.02) + (3.27 ± 0.03) = _______________________

2. (35.0 ± 5.0) + (4.8 ± 0.1) = _______________________

3. (0.045 ± 0.013) - (0.029 ± 0.090) = _______________________

4. (4.1 ± 1.0) - (2.19 ± 0.14) = _______________________

5. (101.050 ± 0.017) + (53.3 ± 0.1) = _______________________

6. (1.05 ± 0.02) x (3.27 ± 0.03) = _______________________

7. (35.0 ± 5.0) x (4.8 ± 0.1) = _______________________

8. (0.045 ± 0.013) / (0.029 ± 0.09) = _______________________

9. (4.1 ± 1.0) / (2.19 ± 0.14) = _______________________

10. (101.050 ± 0.017) x (53.3 ± 0.1) = _______________________

Propagating uncertainties in an equation with coefficients. Take the following equation:

12. x = 45.7 ± 0.5

Propagating uncertainties with power equations. Take the following equation:

14. x = 0.036 ± 0.010

m = 2.404 ± 0.677 ms-2

The slope is then stated as 2.404 ± 0.677 ms-2.

The y-intercept is then stated as -0.334 ± 2.721 ms-1.

Accurate and Precise Scenario

Accurate but Not Precise Scenario

Not Accurate but Precise Scenario

Percent Error Calculations

The length of each side of the square is 2a and spheres

3 (IB) Two identical spherical conductors X and Y are

+ + 7 (IB) The graph below shows the V–I

Copy the diagram and in the shaded area

6 (IB) A lamp is at normal brightness when

State the correct positions of an ideal

b) (i) Explain why the lamp will not light.

The battery has emf 12 V and negligible

16 (IB) A battery is connected to a resistor as shown.

The current in the wire is I and the wire is at an

When the switch is open the voltmeter reads

PROBLEM SET NAME: ______________________________ TEAM:

7. Sketch the refracted ray. 7. In picture_