Cambridge A Level Physics 9702 — 2013 May/June Paper 1 · Variant 2
9702/12/M/J/13 · 40 questions · 40 marks · ≈45 min
The question paper and its mark scheme, free to read here and free to download. This is Cambridge’s own paper, exactly as it was sat.
Question paper24 pages
Mark scheme2 pages
Answers below. Sit the paper first if you are practising.
Questions as text
Q1 · Which pair includes a vector quantity and a scalar quantity?
1 Which pair includes a vector quantity and a scalar quantity? A displacement; acceleration B force; kinetic energy C power; speed D work; potential energy
Mark scheme: B
Q2 · The unit of resistivity, expressed in terms of base units, is given by kg x3 y–2 z–3
2 The unit of resistivity, expressed in terms of base units, is given by kg x3 y–2 z–3 . Which base units are x, y and z? x y z A ampere metre second B metre ampere second C metre second ampere D second ampere metre
Mark scheme: B
Q3 · Two forces act on a circular disc as shown
3 Two forces act on a circular disc as shown. 3 N 4 N Which diagram shows the line of action of the resultant force? A B C D 5 N 5 N 5 N 5 N Space for working
Mark scheme: A
Q4 · A student carried out an experiment in which an electric current was known to decrease…
4 A student carried out an experiment in which an electric current was known to decrease with time. The readings he found, from first to last, were 3.62 mA, 2.81 mA, 1.13 mA, 1.76 mA and 0.90 mA. Which statement could not explain the anomalous 1.13 mA reading? A He has reversed the third and fourth readings in the results table. B He read the ammeter incorrectly; the reading should have been 2.13 mA. C He took the current reading at the wrong time. D There was a systematic error in the readings from the ammeter.
Mark scheme: D
Q5 · The diagram shows a calibration curve for a thermistor, drawn with an unusual scale on…
5 The diagram shows a calibration curve for a thermistor, drawn with an unusual scale on the vertical axis. 100 000 resistance / Ω 10 000 1000 100 0 10 20 30 40 50 temperature / °C What is the thermistor resistance corresponding to a temperature of 40 °C? A 130 Ω B 150 Ω C 400 Ω D 940 Ω Space for working
Mark scheme: C
Q6 · A sky diver falls vertically from a stationary balloon
6 A sky diver falls vertically from a stationary balloon. She leaves the balloon at time t = 0. At time t = T, she reaches terminal velocity. Beyond the time shown in the graphs, she opens her parachute. Which graph shows the variation with time t of the force F due to air resistance? A B C D F F F F 00 00 00 00 T t T t T t T t
Mark scheme: B
Q7 · The diagram shows an arrangement to stop trains that are travelling too fast
7 The diagram shows an arrangement to stop trains that are travelling too fast. speed 50 m s–1 direction maximum speed of travel 10 m s–1 train marker 1 marker 2 Trains coming from the left travel at a speed of 50 m s–1. At marker 1, the driver must apply the brakes so that the train decelerates uniformly in order to pass marker 2 at no more than 10 m s –1. The train carries a detector that notes the times when the train passes each marker and will apply an emergency brake if the time between passing marker 1 and marker 2 is less than 20 s. How far from marker 2 should marker 1 be placed? A 200 m B 400 m C 500 m D 600 m Space for working
Mark scheme: D
Q8 · A ball is released from rest above a horizontal surface and bounces several times
8 A ball is released from rest above a horizontal surface and bounces several times. The graph shows how, for this ball, a quantity y varies with time. y 0 0 time What is the quantity y ? A acceleration B displacement C kinetic energy D velocity
Mark scheme: B
Q9 · A strong wind of speed 33 m s–1 blows against a wall
9 A strong wind of speed 33 m s–1 blows against a wall. The density of the air is 1.2 kg m–3. The wall has an area of 12 m2 at right angles to the wind velocity. The air has its speed reduced to zero when it hits the wall. What is the approximate force exerted by the air on the wall? A 330 N B 400 N C 480 N D 16 000 N Space for working
Mark scheme: D
Q10 · Two bodies travelling in a straight line collide in a perfectly elastic collision
10 Two bodies travelling in a straight line collide in a perfectly elastic collision. Which of the following statements must be correct? A The initial speed of one body will be the same as the final speed of the other body. B The relative speed of approach between the two bodies equals their relative speed of separation. C The total momentum is conserved but the total kinetic energy will be reduced. D One of the bodies will be stationary at one instant.
Mark scheme: B
Q11 · A submarine is in equilibrium in a fully submerged position
11 A submarine is in equilibrium in a fully submerged position. sea steel water air What causes the upthrust on the submarine? A The air in the submarine is less dense than sea water. B The sea water exerts a greater upward force on the submarine than the weight of the steel. C The submarine displaces its own volume of sea water. D There is a difference in water pressure acting on the top and on the bottom of the submarine. Space for working
Mark scheme: D
Q12 · A vehicle is at rest on a slope
12 A vehicle is at rest on a slope. It is considered to have three forces acting on it to keep it in equilibrium. They are its weight W, a normal reaction force R and a frictional force F. Which triangle of forces is correct? A B C D F F R R W W W W R R F F
Mark scheme: A
Q13 · All external forces on a body cancel out
13 All external forces on a body cancel out. Which statement must be correct? A The body does not move. B The momentum of the body remains unchanged. C The speed of the body remains unchanged. D The total energy (kinetic and potential) of the body remains unchanged. Space for working
Mark scheme: B
Q14 · A uniform beam of mass 1.4 kg is pivoted at P as shown
14 A uniform beam of mass 1.4 kg is pivoted at P as shown. The beam has a length of 0.60 m and P is 0.20 m from one end. Loads of 3.0 kg and 6.0 kg are suspended 0.35 m and 0.15 m from the pivot as shown. 0.40 m 0.20 m 0.35 m 0.15 m 3.0 kg P 6.0 kg centre of beam of mass 1.4 kg What torque must be applied to the beam in order to maintain it in equilibrium? A 0.010 N m B 0.10 N m C 0.29 N m D 2.8 N m
Mark scheme: D
Q15 · A ball is thrown vertically upwards
15 A ball is thrown vertically upwards. Neglecting air resistance, which statement is correct? A The kinetic energy of the ball is greatest at the greatest height attained. B By the principle of conservation of energy, the total energy of the ball is constant throughout its motion. C By the principle of conservation of momentum, the momentum of the ball is constant throughout its motion. D The potential energy of the ball increases uniformly with time during its ascent.
Mark scheme: B
Q16 · A bow of mass 400 g shoots an arrow of mass 120 g vertically upwards
16 A bow of mass 400 g shoots an arrow of mass 120 g vertically upwards. The potential energy stored in the bow just before release is 80 J. The system has an efficiency of 28%. What is the height reached by the arrow when air resistance is neglected? A 4 m B 19 m C 187 m D 243 m Space for working
Mark scheme: B
Q17 · A train on a mountain railway is carrying 200 people of average mass 70 kg up a slope at…
17 A train on a mountain railway is carrying 200 people of average mass 70 kg up a slope at an angle of 30° to the horizontal and at a speed of 6.0 m s–1. The train itself has a mass of 80 000 kg. The percentage of the power from the engine which is used to raise the passengers and the train is 40 %. What is the power of the engine? A 1.1 MW B 2.8 MW C 6.9 MW D 14 MW
Mark scheme: C
Q18 · A gas is enclosed inside a cylinder which is fitted with a frictionless piston
18 A gas is enclosed inside a cylinder which is fitted with a frictionless piston. V1 p p heat gas V2 Initially, the gas has a volume V1 and is in equilibrium with an external pressure p. The gas is then heated slowly so that it expands, pushing the piston back until the volume of the gas has increased to V2. How much work is done by the gas during this expansion? 1 p(V2 – V1) 1 p(V2 + V1) A p(V2 – V1) B C p(V2 + V1) D 2 2 Space for working
Mark scheme: A
Q19 · The diagram shows an ice cube floating in water
19 The diagram shows an ice cube floating in water. ice Both the ice cube and the water are at 0 °C. Which statement correctly compares the molecular properties of the ice and those of the water? A The mean inter-molecular potential energies are the same for both the ice molecules and the water molecules. B The mean inter-molecular separations are the same for both the ice and the water. C The mean kinetic energies are the same for both the ice molecules and the water molecules. D The mean total energies are the same for both the ice molecules and the water molecules. Space for working
Mark scheme: C
Q20 · Two bulbs X and Y containing air at different pressures are connected by a tube P which…
20 Two bulbs X and Y containing air at different pressures are connected by a tube P which contains two mercury threads. air pressure air pressure 16 000 Pa 8000 Pa P X Y h1 and h2 are h1 h2 not to scale mercury threads The density of mercury is 13 600 kg m–3. Which pair of values of h1 and h2 is possible? h1 / cm h2 / cm A 4.0 2.0 B 6.0 6.0 C 12.0 18.0 D 18.0 12.0
Mark scheme: D
Q21 · What is the unit of the Young modulus?
21 What is the unit of the Young modulus? A N m–1 B N m C N m–2 D N m2 Space for working
Mark scheme: C
Q22 · A rubber cord hangs from a rigid support
22 A rubber cord hangs from a rigid support. A weight attached to its lower end is gradually increased from zero, and then gradually reduced to zero. force stretching rubber cord contraction weight 00 extension The force-extension curve for contraction is below the force-extension curve for stretching. What does the shaded area between the curves represent? A the amount of elastic energy stored in the rubber B the amount of thermal energy dissipated in the rubber C the work done on the rubber cord during stretching D the work done by the rubber cord during contraction Space for working
Mark scheme: B
Q23 · The diagram shows a large crane on a construction site lifting a cube-shaped load
23 The diagram shows a large crane on a construction site lifting a cube-shaped load. cable crane load A model is made of the crane, its load and the cable supporting the load. The material used for each part of the model is the same as that in the full-size crane, cable and load. The model is one tenth full-size in all linear dimensions. stress in the cable on the full - size crane What is the ratio ? stress in the cable on the model crane A 100 B 101 C 102 D 103
Mark scheme: B
Q24 · The order of magnitude of the frequency of the shortest wavelength of visible light waves…
24 The order of magnitude of the frequency of the shortest wavelength of visible light waves can be expressed as 10x Hz. What is the value of x? A 12 B 13 C 14 D 15 Space for working
Mark scheme: D
Q25 · The diagram shows two waves X and Y
25 The diagram shows two waves X and Y. displacement wave X 0 0 0 0 time wave Y Wave X has amplitude 8 cm and frequency 100 Hz. What are the amplitude and the frequency of wave Y? amplitude / cm frequency / Hz A 2 33 B 2 300 C 4 33 D 4 300
Mark scheme: D
Q26 · What is correct for all transverse waves?
26 What is correct for all transverse waves? A They are all electromagnetic. B They can all be polarised. C They can all travel through a vacuum. D They all involve the oscillation of atoms. Space for working
Mark scheme: B
Q27 · A transmitter of electromagnetic waves is placed 45 cm from a reflective surface
27 A transmitter of electromagnetic waves is placed 45 cm from a reflective surface. reflective surface transmitter 45 cm The emitted waves have a frequency of 1.00 GHz. A stationary wave is produced with a node at the transmitter and a node at the surface. How many antinodes are in the space between the transmitter and the surface? A 1 B 2 C 3 D 4
Mark scheme: C
Q28 · A teacher sets up the apparatus shown to demonstrate a two-slit interference pattern on…
28 A teacher sets up the apparatus shown to demonstrate a two-slit interference pattern on the screen. double screen single slit slit source q of light p r Which change to the apparatus will increase the fringe spacing? A decreasing the distance p B decreasing the distance q C decreasing the distance r D decreasing the wavelength of the light Space for working
Mark scheme: B
Q29 · Monochromatic light of wavelength 5.30 × 10–7 m is incident normally on a diffraction…
29 Monochromatic light of wavelength 5.30 × 10–7 m is incident normally on a diffraction grating. The first order maximum is observed at an angle of 15.4° to the direction of the incident light. What is the angle between the first and second order diffraction maxima? A 7.6° B 15.4° C 16.7° D 32.0°
Mark scheme: C
Q30 · Two conducting layers of a liquid crystal display of a calculator are 8 µm apart
30 Two conducting layers of a liquid crystal display of a calculator are 8 µm apart. A 1.5 V cell is connected across the conducting layers when the calculator is switched on. What is the electric field strength between the layers? A 1.2 × 10–5 V m–1 B 0.19 V m–1 C 12 V m–1 D 1.9 × 105 V m–1 Space for working
Mark scheme: D
Q31 · A positively-charged particle is projected into a uniform electric field
31 A positively-charged particle is projected into a uniform electric field. Which diagram represents the path of the particle in the electric field? A B electric field in plane of the paper electric field in plane of the paper + + C D electric field into paper electric field into paper + +
Mark scheme: A
Q32 · A power cable has length 2000 m
32 A power cable has length 2000 m. The cable is made of twelve parallel strands of copper wire, each with diameter 0.51 mm. What is the resistance of the cable? (resistivity of copper = 1.7 × 10–8 Ω m) A 0.014 Ω B 3.5 Ω C 14 Ω D 166 Ω
Mark scheme: C
Q33 · A low-voltage supply with an e.m.f
33 A low-voltage supply with an e.m.f. of 20 V and an internal resistance of 1.5 Ω is used to supply power to a heater of resistance 6.5 Ω in a fish tank. What is the power supplied to the water in the fish tank? A 41 W B 50 W C 53 W D 62 W Space for working
Mark scheme: A
Q34 · A filament lamp has a resistance of 180 Ω when the current in it is 500 mA
34 A filament lamp has a resistance of 180 Ω when the current in it is 500 mA. What is the power transformed in the lamp? A 45 W B 50 W C 90 W D 1400 W
Mark scheme: A
Q35 · Two wires P and Q made of the same material are connected to the same electrical supply
35 Two wires P and Q made of the same material are connected to the same electrical supply. P has twice the length of Q and one-third of the diameter of Q, as shown in the diagram. P d 2l Q 3d l current in P What is the ratio ? current in Q 2 2 1 1 A B C D 3 9 6 18 Space for working
Mark scheme: D
Q36 · A 12 V battery is in series with an ammeter, a 2 Ω fixed resistor and a 0 – 10 Ω variable…
36 A 12 V battery is in series with an ammeter, a 2 Ω fixed resistor and a 0 – 10 Ω variable resistor. High-resistance voltmeters P and Q are connected across the variable resistor and the fixed resistor respectively, as shown. 12 V A 0 – 10 Ω 2 Ω V V P Q The resistance of the variable resistor is changed from its maximum value to zero. Which graph shows the variation with current of the voltmeter readings? A B voltmeter P voltmeter Q reading reading Q P 00 00 current current C D voltmeter voltmeter reading P reading Q Q P 00 00 current current Space for working
Mark scheme: D
Q37 · Five resistors are connected as shown
37 Five resistors are connected as shown. 20 Ω 8.0 Ω 6.0 Ω 8.0 Ω P Q 7.0 Ω What is the total resistance between P and Q? A 0.25 Ω B 0.61 Ω C 4.0 Ω D 16 Ω
Mark scheme: C
Q38 · In the circuit below, the reading VT on the voltmeter changes from high to low as the…
38 In the circuit below, the reading VT on the voltmeter changes from high to low as the temperature of the thermistor changes. The reading VL on the voltmeter changes from high to low as the level of light on the light-dependent resistor (LDR) changes. VT VL V V The readings VT and VL are both high. What are the conditions of temperature and light level? temperature light level A low low B low high C high low D high high Space for working
Mark scheme: C
Q39 · What is the approximate mass of an alpha particle?
39 What is the approximate mass of an alpha particle? A 10–28 kg B 10–26 kg C 10–24 kg D 10–22 kg
Mark scheme: B
Q40 · An actinium nucleus has a nucleon number of 227 and a proton number of 89
40 An actinium nucleus has a nucleon number of 227 and a proton number of 89. It decays to form a radium nucleus, emitting a beta particle and an alpha particle in the process. What are the nucleon number and the proton number of this radium nucleus? nucleon number proton number A 223 87 B 223 88 C 224 87 D 225 86 Space for working
Mark scheme: B
What was in this paper
The subtopics covered by these 40 questions, and how many questions each got. Open one in a new tab to see every Cambridge question on it.
3Density and pressure2Equations of motion2Linear momentum and its conservation2Momentum and Newton’s laws of motion2Potential dividers2Practical circuits2Resistance and resistivity2Scalars and vectors2Stress and strain2Uniform electric fields2Atoms, nuclei and radiation1Elastic and plastic behaviour1Electromagnetic spectrum1Equilibrium of forces1Errors and uncertainties1Interference1Physical quantities1Potential difference and power1Progressive waves1Radioactive decay1SI units1Stationary waves1The diffraction grating1The first law of thermodynamics1Thermal equilibrium1Transverse and longitudinal waves1Turning effects of forces1What you needed in this session
Cambridge’s own grade thresholds for 2013 May/June, Paper 1 · Variant 2. A higher threshold means an easier paper — the bar moves with how the cohort did.