UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL EXAMINATIONS

General Certificate of Education Ordinary Level

PHYSICS 5054/01
Paper 1 Multiple Choice
May/June 2006

1 hour
Additional Materials: Multiple Choice Answer Sheet
Soft clean eraser
Soft pencil (type B or HB is recommended)

READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

Write in soft pencil.

Do not use staples, paper clips, highlighters, glue or correction fluid.
Write your name, Centre number and candidate number on the Answer Sheet in the spaces provided unless
this has been done for you.

There are forty questions on this paper. Answer all questions. For each question there are four possible
answers A, B, C and D.
Choose the one you consider correct and record your choice in soft pencil on the separate Answer Sheet.

Read the instructions on the Answer Sheet very carefully.

Each correct answer will score one mark. A mark will not be deducted for a wrong answer.
Any rough working should be done in this booklet.

This document consists of 17 printed pages and 3 blank pages.

IB06 06_5054_01/3RP
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1 Which graph shows the motion of a heavy, steel ball falling from a height of 2 m?

A B
speed speed

0 0
0 time 0 time

distance C distance D
fallen fallen

0 0
0 time 0 time

2 A force of 20 N pushes an object of mass 5.0 kg along a rough horizontal surface where the
frictional force is 5.0 N.

What is the acceleration of the object?

A 1.0 m / s2 B 2.0 m / s2 C 3.0 m / s2 D 4.0 m / s2

3 The diagram shows a vernier scale.

6 7
cm

What is the reading on the vernier scale?

A 6.50 cm B 6.55 cm C 7.00 cm D 7.05 cm

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4 Forces X and Y act on a block in the directions shown on the scale diagram.

In which direction is the resultant force acting?

A B C D

5 The diagram shows an aeroplane turning in a horizontal circle at constant speed.

In which direction is there a resultant force?

B
A

6 The inertia of a body is its resistance to changes in motion.

Which property is a measure of the body’s inertia?

A its density
B its mass
C the height of its sides
D the size of its base

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7 An object of mass 100 g is immersed in water as shown in the diagram.

cm3 100 cm3 100

90 90
80 80
70 70
60 60
50 50
40 40
30 30
20 20
10 10

What is the density of the material from which the object is made?

A 0.4 g / cm3
B 0.9 g / cm3
C 1.1 g / cm3
D 2.5 g / cm3

8 If a nut and bolt are difficult to undo, it may be easier to turn the nut by using a longer spanner.

This is because the longer spanner gives

A a larger turning moment.

B a smaller turning moment.
C less friction.
D more friction.

9 Some containers are made from thin glass.

Which empty container is the most stable?

A B C D

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10 A metal wire, initially 1.000 m long, extends by 4 mm when a load of 2 N is added to it.

What will the length of the wire be if a further 3 N is added, assuming it does not extend beyond
its limit of proportionality?

A 1.060 m B 1.080 m C 1.010 m D 1.012 m

11 In a hydroelectric power station, water from a reservoir falls down a long pipe before entering the
turbines. The turbines then turn the generator.

What is the overall energy conversion?

A electrical energy into kinetic energy

B electrical energy into potential energy
C kinetic energy into chemical energy
D potential energy into electrical energy

12 Which statement about fission or fusion is correct?

A During fission, hydrogen converts into helium and releases energy.

B During fission, uranium converts into daughter products and releases energy.
C During fusion, helium converts into hydrogen and releases energy.
D During fusion, uranium converts into daughter products and releases energy.

13 The input power to a motor is 300 W. In 20 s it lifts a load of 400 N through a height of 6.0 m.

What is the efficiency of the motor?

A 12 % B 25 % C 40 % D 75 %

14 The diagrams show, to the same scale, the vertical sections of a set of circular vessels. Each
vessel contains the same depth of water.

P Q R S

Which of the following statements is correct?

A The water exerts the greatest pressure on the base of vessel P.

B The water exerts the greatest pressure on the base of vessel S.
C The water exerts the same force on the base of each vessel.
D The water exerts the same pressure on the base of each vessel.

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15 Some of the more energetic molecules in a liquid leave the surface, leaving the rest of the liquid
slightly cooler.

What is the name given to this process?

A boiling
B condensation
C evaporation
D freezing

16 A substance consists of particles that are close together and moving past each other at random.
The average speed of the particles is gradually increasing.

What best describes the substance?

A a gas being heated

B a liquid being heated
C a solid being heated
D a solid being melted

17 Which thermometer is the best for measuring rapidly-changing temperatures?

A a clinical thermometer
B a liquid-in-glass thermometer
C a thermocouple
D all thermometers are equally good

18 Some ice cubes are taken from a deep-freeze and placed in a metal container. The container is
heated at a constant rate and readings of temperature and time are taken. The results are
recorded on a graph.

Which temperature corresponds to 0 °C?

temperature A
B

C
D
0 time

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19 The diagrams show a bimetallic strip when it is at room temperature and after it has been cooled.

brass
invar brass
invar

at room temperature below room temperature

The change in shape occurs because

A brass contracts more than invar.

B brass expands when it cools down.
C invar and brass contract by equal amounts.
D invar contracts more than brass.

20 Density changes are responsible for which method of thermal energy transfer?

A conduction only
B convection only
C radiation only
D conduction, convection and radiation

21 In an experiment using a ripple tank, plane wavefronts arrive at a plane surface.

plane surface

Which of the following correctly describes the waves after they are reflected from the surface?

speed of waves wavelength λ

A faster shorter
B slower longer
C slower shorter
D the same the same

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22 Waves pass from deep water to shallow water and refraction occurs.

deep
1m

2m/s

shallow

0.4 m

What is the speed of the waves in the shallow water?

A 0.2 m / s B 0.8 m / s C 2.0 m / s D 5.0 m / s

23 A lens forms a blurred image of an object on a screen.

object

lens screen

How can the image be focussed on the screen?

A by moving the object away from the lens and screen

B by moving the screen away from the lens and object
C by using a brighter object at the same position
D by using a lens of longer focal length at the same position

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24 Light rays are deviated by a prism.

The deviation angle d is measured for light rays of different frequency, including blue light and red
light.

Which graph is correct?

A B
d d

blue red blue red

frequency frequency

C D
d d

red blue red blue

frequency frequency

25 Which wave is part of the electromagnetic spectrum?

speed
type
m/ s

A 330 longitudinal
B 330 transverse
C 3 × 108 longitudinal
D 3 × 108 transverse

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26 A boy strikes a rigid metal fence with a stick to create a sound along the fence. A girl listens with
her ear against the fence. One second after the fence is struck, the girl hears a sound through the
air.

boy girl

stick

How long will it take for the sound to reach the girl through the fence?

A 0 second
B less than 1 second
C 1 second
D more than 1 second

27 The diagrams show an iron nail in four different situations.

In which diagram will the nail become an induced magnet?

A B

magnet iron bar

C D

switch open switch open

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28 The diagram shows parts of a loudspeaker.

cone

magnet

S N S
turns on the coil

Which type of current is passed through the coil and why?

current passed through coil reason why

A alternating to keep the magnetic field constant

B alternating to make the coil vibrate
C direct to keep the magnetic field constant
D direct to make the coil vibrate

29 In an electrostatics experiment, a plastic rod is rubbed with a cloth. The cloth becomes negatively
charged.

Which diagram shows the charge on the rod, and describes the movement of charge?

A B

rod rod

cloth cloth

electrons move from the rod onto the cloth protons move from the cloth onto the rod

C D

rod rod

cloth cloth

electrons move from the cloth onto the rod protons move from the rod onto the cloth

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30 An electrical quantity is defined as ‘the energy converted by a source in driving a unit charge
round a complete circuit.’

What is this quantity called?

A current
B electromotive force
C potential difference
D power

31 The diagram shows the current I / voltage V graph for a length of resistance wire.

Z
I
Y

X
0
0 V

Where can Ohm’s law be applied to the wire?

A at Y only
B at Z only
C from X to Y
D from X to Z

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32 Diagram 1 shows a resistor connected to a battery, an ammeter and a voltmeter.

The ammeter reading is 0.5 A and the voltmeter reading is 3.0 V.

A second identical resistor is now connected in parallel with the first resistor, as shown in
diagram 2.

A A

V V

diagram 1

diagram 2

What are the ammeter and voltmeter readings in the circuit shown in diagram 2?

ammeter reading / A voltmeter reading / V

A 1.0 3.0
B 1.0 1.5
C 0.5 6.0
D 0.5 3.0

33 How much energy is converted in a resistor of 5.0 Ω carrying a current of 2.0 A for 10 seconds?

A 4.0 J B 25 J C 100 J D 200 J

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34 Two parallel wires carry currents in the same direction.

Which diagram shows the magnetic field around each wire and the direction of the force on each
wire?

A B

currents currents
magnetic magnetic
fields fields

forces forces

C D

currents currents
magnetic magnetic
fields fields

forces forces

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35 A permanent magnet moving up and down on the end of a spring induces an e.m.f. in a coil.

support
spring

S permanent
movement
magnet
N

coil

Which factor, on its own, would decrease the maximum value of the induced e.m.f.?

A increasing the number of turns in the coil

B increasing the strength of the magnet
C raising the coil
D raising the support of the spring

36 Why is a transformer used to connect a generator in a power station to a long distance

transmission line?

A to decrease the voltage and decrease the current

B to decrease the voltage and increase the current
C to increase the voltage and decrease the current
D to increase the voltage and increase the current

37 The table shows part of the colour code for resistors.

black brown red orange yellow green blue violet

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Which resistor has a value of 4700 Ω?

A B C D

yellow yellow red black

violet violet yellow violet
red black violet yellow

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38 A student investigates the emission from an unknown radioactive source. The source is 10 cm in
front of a detector. A strong magnetic field between the source and the detector is then switched
on.

10 cm

detector

radioactive lead air region of

source shield magnetic field

The results are shown.

average count per

minute

without magnetic field 4500

with magnetic field 2000
background radiation 50

Which radioactive source produced these results?

source emissions from source

A alpha-particles and gamma-rays only

B beta-particles only
C beta-particles and gamma-rays only
D gamma-rays only

39 A detector is used to measure the count-rate near a radioactive source. The reading is 4000
counts per minute. After 30 minutes the count-rate has fallen to 500 counts per minute.

What is the half-life of the radioactive source? You may ignore the effects of background
radiation.

A 3 minutes
B 5 minutes
C 6 minutes
D 10 minutes

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40 Which conclusion can be drawn from the Geiger-Marsden alpha-particle scattering experiment?

A A positive charge is spread throughout the atom.

B Electrons are arranged in orbits.
C Electrons are negatively charged.
D There is a dense nucleus in the atom.

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