Neap

Trial Examination 2023

VCE Physics Units 3&4

Written Examination
Question and Answer Booklet
Reading time: 15 minutes
Writing time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Student’s Name: ___________________________

Teacher’s Name: ___________________________

Structure of booklet
Number of Number of questions Number of
Section
questions to be answered marks
A 20 20 20
B 18 18 110
Total 130

Students are permitted to bring into the examination room: pens, pencils, highlighters, erasers,
sharpeners, rulers, pre-written notes (one folded A3 sheet or two A4 sheets bound together by tape) and
one scientific calculator.
Students are NOT permitted to bring into the examination room: blank sheets of paper and/or
correction fluid/tape.
Materials supplied
Question and answer booklet of 40 pages
Formula sheet
Answer sheet for multiple-choice questions
Instructions
Write your name and your teacher’s name in the space provided above on this page, and on the answer
sheet for multiple-choice questions.
Unless otherwise indicated, the diagrams in this booklet are not drawn to scale.
All written responses must be in English.
At the end of the examination
Place the answer sheet for multiple-choice questions inside the front cover of this booklet.
You may keep the formula sheet.

Students are NOT permitted to bring mobile phones and/or any other unauthorised electronic
devices into the examination room.
Students are advised that this is a trial examination only and cannot in any way guarantee the content or the format of the 2023 VCE Physics Units 3&4 Written Examination.
®
Neap Education (Neap) Trial Exams are licensed to be photocopied or placed on the school intranet and used only within the confines of the school purchasing them, for the
purpose of examining that school’s students only for a period of 12 months from the date of receiving them. They may not be otherwise reproduced or distributed. The copyright
of Neap Trial Exams remains with Neap. No Neap Trial Exam or any part thereof is to be issued or passed on by any person to any party inclusive of other schools, non-practising
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Copyright © 2023 Neap Education Pty Ltd ABN 43 634 499 791 Level 1 223 Hawthorn Rd Caulfield North VIC 3161 Tel: (03) 9639 4318 VCE_Phys34_QB_2023
VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

SECTION A – MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

Instructions for Section A
Answer all questions in pencil on the answer sheet provided for multiple-choice questions.
Choose the response that is correct or that best answers the question.
A correct answer scores 1; an incorrect answer scores 0.
Marks will not be deducted for incorrect answers.
No marks will be given if more than one answer is completed for any question.
Unless otherwise indicated, the diagrams in this booklet are not drawn to scale.
–2
Take the value of g to be 9.8 m s .

Question 1
Two identical point charges, Q1 and Q2, of charge 1.0 mC are shown in the diagram below. Q1, Q2 and
point A are equidistant from each other at 1.0 m.

Q1 Q2

A
What is the magnitude of the electric field at point A?
–1
A. 15.6 N C
–1
B. 18.0 N C
4 –1
C. 1.56 × 10 N C
4 –1
D. 1.80 × 10 N C

Question 2
Two positive charges, Q1 and Q2, are separated by a distance of d, as shown in the diagram below. A negative
1
test charge is placed at a distance of d from Q1. Q1 has a value of Q and Q2 has a value of 4Q.
4
Q1 test charge Q2
1
d
4
d
What is the direction of the resulting force acting on the test charge?
A. downwards
B. upwards
C. to the right
D. to the left

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 VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

Question 3
The following diagram shows an electric field between two charged plates that are 20 cm apart. Points X
and Y are located in the electric field. Point X is 5 cm from the 0 V plate and point Y is midway between
the plates.
12 V 0V

5 cm
X

20 cm
Which of the following identifies the potential and electric field strength at points X and Y?
Potential Electric field strength Potential Electric field strength
at point X at point X at point Y at point Y
–1 –1
A. 12 V 60 N C 12 V 60 N C
–1 –1
B. 3.0 V 60 N C 6.0 V 60 N C
–1 –1
C. 3.0 V 15 N C 6.0 V 30 N C
–1 –1
D. 12 V 60 N C 12 V 30 N C

Question 4
Which of the following matches the type of radiation with its use?
Radiation Use
A. gamma rays telecommunications
B. radio waves fiber-optic communications
C. infrared heating and night-vision cameras
D. ultraviolet medical imaging

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VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

Question 5
Two identical coils of wire are connected to batteries and oriented as shown in the diagram below.
The left coil uses a 12 V battery and the right coil uses a 6.0 V battery. Point X is equidistant from the ends
of each coil.

12 V 6V
What is the direction of the resulting magnetic field at point X?
A. to the right
B. to the left
C. out of the page
D. into the page

Question 6
The graph below shows the output from a generator.
voltage (V)

600
400
200
0 time (ms)
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
–200
–400
–600
Which of the following represents the output in the graph?
RMS voltage Frequency
A. 354 V 20 Hz
B. 500 V 50 Hz
C. 707 V 20 Hz
D. 1000 V 50 Hz

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 VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

Question 7
The diagram below shows Earth and its Moon.

The force and gravitational field of Earth and the Moon are represented by the following variables.

FE on M force of Earth on the Moon

FM on E force of the Moon on Earth
gE gravitational field of Earth at the position of the Moon
gM gravitational field of the Moon at the position of Earth
Which of the following correctly compares the forces and gravitational fields between Earth and the Moon?
Force comparisons Gravitational field comparisons
A. FE on M > FM on E gE = gM
B. FE on M = FM on E gE > gM
C. FE on M = FM on E gE = gM
D. FE on M > FM on E gE > gM

Question 8
Which two variables are explored in Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle?
A. momentum and position in the same plane
B. velocity and momentum in the same plane
C. momentum and position in two perpendicular planes
D. velocity and position in the same plane

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VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

Question 9
Two toy cars have an identical mass m and are undergoing a loop-the-loop motion, as shown in the diagram
below. Both cars remain on the track at positions A and B, but each car experiences a different speed.
B

A
normal reaction on toy car at A
Which one of the following represents the ratio ?
normal reaction on toy car at B
Fcentripetal at A + mg
A.
Fcentripetal at B − mg

B. 1

Fcentripetal at A − mg
C.
mg
Fcentripetal at A
D.
mg

Question 10
A car is towing a trailer up an incline with an angle of 30°, as shown in the diagram below. The mass
of the car is 1250 kg and the mass of the trailer is 750 kg. The car-trailer system travels at a constant speed.
Friction is negligible.

30°
The engine force is closest to
A. 2000 N.
B. 6125 N.
C. 9800 N.
D. 12 250 N.

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 VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

Question 11
The force versus compression graph for a spring is shown below.
force (N)

60
50
40
30
20
10
0 compression (cm)
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
The spring is compressed by 10 cm and a 100 g ball is placed on the spring in a vertical position. The
spring is then released and the ball rises vertically to a maximum height. Air resistance is negligible.
Which one of the following is closest to the maximum height of the ball?
A. 0.03 m
B. 0.26 m
C. 0.39 m
D. 2.55 m

Question 12
The diagram below shows a stationary frame.

Which one of the following best represents the frame if it is travelling to the right at 0.95c?
A. B.

C. D.

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VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

Question 13
The diagram below shows two waves, X and Y.

–1
Both waves have a speed of 12 m s . Wave X has a wavelength of 3.0 m.
Which one of the following is closest to the frequency of wave Y?
A. 1.3 Hz
B. 3.0 Hz
C. 4.0 Hz
D. 12 Hz

Question 14
Justin and Margaret are standing on a footpath. An ambulance passes Justin and approaches Margaret with
its siren playing, as shown in the diagram below. The driver of the ambulance hears the siren at a frequency
of 800 Hz.

Which of the following describes the frequency of the siren as heard by Margaret and Justin?
Siren as heard by Margaret Siren as heard by Justin
A. 800 Hz 800 Hz
B. < 800 Hz < 800 Hz
C. > 800 Hz < 800 Hz
D. < 800 Hz > 800 Hz

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 VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

Question 15
An experiment is conducted in which a ray of violet light travels through medium 1 towards the boundary
of medium 2. The ray of violet light strikes the boundary and travels along it, as shown in the diagram below.

medium 2 normal to
boundary

boundary

medium 1

The experiment is conducted again using the same conditions, except that the violet light is replaced with
a ray of red light.
The passage of the ray of red light
A. reflects at the boundary and remains in medium 1.
B. travels the same path as the ray of violet light along the boundary.
C. just passes into medium 2 and travels above the path of the violet light.
D. passes into medium 2, travelling close to the normal to the boundary.

Question 16
The diagram below shows a particular wave pattern in a string of fixed length. The wave has a wavelength
of 2.0 m.

Which one of the following lists wavelengths of other possible wave patterns in the string?
A. 0.5 m, 1.0 m, 1.33 m
B. 0.5 m, 3.5 m, 5.0 m
C. 1.0 m, 3.0 m, 5.0 m
D. 3.0 m, 3.5 m, 4.0 m

Question 17
Which one of the following phenomena cannot be demonstrated using longitudinal waves?
A. diffraction
B. polarisation
C. interference
D. reflection

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VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

Question 18
The diagrams below show two experiments, X and Y, in which an electron source fires electrons one at a time
towards a double slit arrangement, leading to two different screen patterns from the strikes of the electrons.

front view
electron source
electron of screen

double slit screen

Experiment X

electron source front view

electron of screen

double slit screen

Experiment Y
Which of the following identifies the model that explains the behaviour of the electrons in experiments
X and Y?
Experiment X Experiment Y
A. particle model only wave model only
B. dual wave-particle model wave model only
C. dual wave-particle model dual wave-particle model
D. particle model only dual wave-particle model

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 VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

Question 19
An experiment is conducted to investigate the photoelectric effect. The results of the experiment are shown
in the following maximum kinetic energy versus light frequency graph.
Ek max (Hz)

14
frequency ( 10 Hz)
0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10
Which one of the following is closest to the maximum kinetic energy of electrons when light of frequency
14
6.0 × 10 Hz is used in the experiment?
A. 0.83 eV
B. 1.66 eV
C. 2.49 eV
D. 6.0 eV

Question 20
The true value of a certain distance is 4.5 m.
Which one of the following shows the most precise set of measurements for the distance?
A. 3.9 m, 4.0 m, 3.9 m
B. 4.2 m, 4.5 m, 4.6 m
C. 4.5 m, 5.0 m, 4.0 m
D. 4.6 m, 4.5 m, 4.4 m

END OF SECTION A

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VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

SECTION B
Instructions for Section B
Answer all questions in the spaces provided.
Where an answer box is provided, write your final answer in the box.
If an answer box has a unit printed in it, give your answer in that unit.
In questions where more than one mark is available, appropriate working must be shown.
Unless otherwise indicated, the diagrams in this booklet are not drawn to scale.
–2
Take the value of g to be 9.8 m s .

Question 1 (7 marks)
Figure 1 shows a simple DC motor. The square coil has a side length of 0.030 m and the current flowing
through the coil is 0.050 A. The coil has 10 turns and the magnetic field strength experienced by the coil
is 0.10 T.

S N

+ – split ring commutator

Figure 1

a. Identify the state of the coil’s rotation in the instant shown in Figure 1 by circling the
correct word below. 1 mark

clockwise   stationary   anti-clockwise

b. Determine the magnitude of the force acting on the side of the coil closest to the south
pole magnet. 2 marks

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 VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

c. Explain why the split ring commutator consists of a ring that is split into two halves.
In your answer, make reference to the operation of the commutator. 3 marks

d. State the magnitude of the current in the coil when the coil is at right angles to the
orientation shown in Figure 1. 1 mark

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VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

Question 2 (6 marks)
The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) is an atmospheric research spacecraft that gathers data about the
presence of methane and other trace gases in Mars’s atmosphere, which can be used as evidence of possible
23 3
biological activity. Mars has a mass of 6.39 × 10 kg and a radius of 3.3895 × 10 km. The period of the
TGO’s circular orbit around Mars is 2.0 hours.

a. Show that the TGO’s altitude above Mars is approximately 436 km. Show your working. 4 marks

b. Determine the speed of the TGO around Mars. Show your working. 2 marks

–1
ms

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 VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

Question 3 (8 marks)
5 –1
An ion travels from rest through a potential difference, V, and is accelerated to a speed of 2.4 × 10 m s .
The ion travels at this speed into a magnetic field. The displacement, d, of the ion as it enters the field and
travels through a half-circle is shown in Figure 2.
magnetic field
ion

V
Figure 2
–25 –19
The ion has a mass of 1.06 × 10 kg and a charge of 3.2 × 10 C. The magnetic field strength is 1.60 T.

a. Determine the potential difference, V. Show your working. 3 marks

b. Determine the displacement of the ion, d. Show your working. 2 marks

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VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

c. The motion of the Moon around Earth and the motion of the ion in the magnetic field have
one similarity and one difference in their circular motion and the cause of their motion.
Compare and contrast the circular motion of the Moon around Earth and its cause to that
of the ion in the magnetic field. 3 marks

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Question 4 (6 marks)
–1
A square loop with a side length of 10 cm travels at a constant speed of 0.10 m s through two different
regions of a magnetic field. Each region has the same field strength, as shown in Figure 3.
Region X Region Y
B  0.20 T B  0.20 T

square loop

10 cm

20 cm 20 cm
Figure 3

a. On the axes below, sketch the magnetic flux versus time graph for the period of the
right side of the loop just entering region X to the left side of the loop just exiting
region Y. The positive direction is represented as out of the page. (A scale on the
y-axis is not required.) 3 marks
magnetic flux (Wb)

0 time (s)
1 2 3 4 5

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VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

b. Using the graph from part a., sketch the EMF versus time graph for the period of the
right side of the loop just entering region X to the left side of the loop just exiting
region Y. (A scale on the y-axis is not required.) 3 marks
EMF (V)

0 time (s)
1 2 3 4 5

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 VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

Question 5 (5 marks)
An electrical power station produces 200 MW of power at 20 kVRMS AC. The transmission line from the
power station to the substation has two transformers, T1 and T2, as shown in Figure 4.
T1 transmission line T2
power
station RT  4.0  substation

500 kVRMS 50 kVRMS

200 MW
20 kVRMS
Figure 4
T1 steps up the voltage to 500 kVRMS and T2 steps down the voltage to 50 kVRMS. The current in the
transmission line is 400 ARMS. The transmission line has a total resistance of 4.0 W.

a. Calculate the power loss in the transmission line. Show your working. 2 marks

substation peak current

b. Determine the ratio . Give your answer correct to three
transmission line peak current
significant figures. 3 marks

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VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

Question 6 (4 marks)
Figure 5 shows a circular coil of 10 turns that is positioned close to the north pole of a magnet such that
it experiences maximum magnetic flux.

N S

Figure 5
The coil has a diameter of 5.0 cm and it is pulled away in 0.50 seconds. The maximum magnetic field
strength experienced by the coil is 0.10 T.

a. Determine the average EMF induced in the coil. Show your working. 3 marks

b. On Figure 5, draw an arrow to indicate the direction of the induced current in the coil
as the coil is pulled away from the magnet. 1 mark

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Question 7 (8 marks)
A steel ball of mass 50.0 g is connected to an inextensible string of length 1.00 m and released from
a horizontal position. The steel ball then strikes another steel ball of mass 100 g that sits on a golf tee,
as shown in Figure 6.
1.00 m

50.0 g ball

100 g ball

Figure 6
Upon collision, both balls initially move horizontally.
–1
a. Show that the speed of the 50.0 g ball is 4.43 m s when it collides with the 100 g ball.
Show your working. 2 marks

–1
Immediately after the collision, the 50.0 g ball slows to 1.0 m s and continues to the right.

b. Determine the speed of the 100 g ball immediately after the collision. Show your working. 3 marks

–1
ms

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VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

c. Determine whether the collision is elastic or inelastic. Show your working. 3 marks

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Question 8 (3 marks)
A van of mass 1000 kg is approaching a horizontal turn, as shown in Figure 7. The radius of the turn is 80 m.

r  80 m

–1
100 km hr

Figure 7
The maximum sideways friction that the wheels can experience before slipping is 7200 N.
–1
The driver is approaching the turn at 100 km hr while driving on the straight section of the road.
Determine whether the van will remain on the road or slip off the road at this speed. Provide calculations
to justify your answer.

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VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

Question 9 (4 marks)
Banked turns on high-speed roads are used to assist vehicles to safely turn corners. A cross-section of a car on
a banked turn is shown in Figure 8. The angle that the surface of the road subtends with the horizontal is θ.

Figure 8
Explain how banked turns assist vehicles to make safe turns at high speeds when compared with
road-tyre friction. Draw the relevant forces on Figure 8 to support your answer.

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Question 10 (3 marks)
In the core of the Sun, four hydrogen atoms fuse to become a helium atom. The mass of one hydrogen atom
–27 –27
is 1.674 × 10 kg and the mass of one helium atom is 6.646 × 10 kg.
Determine the amount of energy released by the fusion of four hydrogen atoms in the Sun. Show
your working.

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VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

Question 11 (12 marks)

A student is investigating the maximum height reached by a steel ball that is launched from a launching
mechanism. The launching mechanism can launch the steel ball at different speeds. The student sets the
launching mechanism to project at 45° for each trial. A video camera is used to capture the maximum
height of the ball against a tape measure, as shown in Figure 9.

maximum height
launching
mechanism 45° tape measure
Figure 9
The student makes the following hypothesis.
‘The maximum height of the ball will increase in a linear manner as the launch speed increases.’
The student conducts three trials at each speed and records the greatest maximum height for each speed.
The results are shown in the table below.
–1
Launch speed (m s ) Maximum height (m)
5.0 0.61
5.5 0.79
6.0 0.90
6.5 l.10
7.0 1.23
7.5 1.45
8.0 1.61
8.5 1.86
9.0 2.10
9.5 2.28
10.0 2.55
The student determines that the uncertainty in the maximum height is ±5 cm.

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 VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

a. On the axes provided below:

• plot the data from the table
• use an appropriate scale for each axis
• include uncertainty bars for the maximum height for at least three data points
• draw a line of best fit. 5 marks
maximum height (m)

–1
launch speed (m s )

b. Using the graph drawn in part a., discuss whether the student’s hypothesis is supported
or rejected. 2 marks

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VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

The student undertakes some research and finds the following equation for the maximum height reached
by a projectile.
launch speed 2 × sin 2 (θ )
maximum height = ,
2g
–2
where θ is the launch angle to the horizontal and g = 9.8 m s .
The student realises that the data from their experiment can be used to determine the experimental value
of the acceleration due to gravity. The student plots a graph of the maximum height versus the square of the
launch speed, as shown in Figure 10.
maximum height (m)

3.00

2.50

2.00

1.50

1.00

0.50

2 2 –2
0.00 launch speed (m s )
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Figure 10

c. Evaluate whether the effect of external forces or inconsistencies in the use of any apparatus
may have affected the integrity of the results. Justify your answer. 2 marks

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d. Using the equation and the graph in Figure 10, determine the acceleration due to gravity
in the student’s experiment. Show your working. 3 marks

–2
ms

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VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

Question 12 (5 marks)
Muons are created in the upper atmosphere where they travel at 0.9999c (g = 70.7). Muons have a mean
lifetime of 2.2 ms in their frame of reference before they decay into other particles.

a. Show that the muons travel 660 m over their lifetime in their frame of reference. 2 marks

b. Explain how muons can be observed at ground level when they are created at 10 km above
the ground. Provide calculations to justify your answer. 3 marks

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Question 13 (9 marks)
A class of Physics students are investigating the effect of shining a beam of white light through two narrow
slits, S1 and S2, and onto a screen, as shown in Figure 11.
The students observe the following on the screen.
• a white band
• dark bands symmetrically on both sides of the white band
• thin bands of seven colours of white light on either side of the dark bands
The slits are 0.10 mm apart and the plane of the slits is 4.00 m from the screen.
white band
dark band dark band

thin bands of seven

colours of white light

4.00 m
S1 S2

beam of white light shining

through slits at 0.10 mm apart
Figure 11
Figure 12 shows a section of the screen. The distance between the centre of the white and green bands
is 2.2 cm.
centre of centre of
white band green band
2.2 cm

coloured bands

dark band
Figure 12

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VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

a. Explain why the white band exists. 2 marks

b. Explain why the bands to the right or left of the dark bands are coloured instead of being
one white band. 4 marks

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 VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

c. Determine the frequency of the green light. Show your working. 3 marks

Hz

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VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

Question 14 (3 marks)
A tourist is standing at the edge of a jetty and looking at a fish below the surface of a still body of water,
as shown in Figure 13. Point A is the point at which a ray of light from the fish’s eyes passes through the
water into the air and to the tourist’s eyes. The refractive index of air is 1.00.

49° A
62°

Figure 13
Determine the refractive index of the water. Show your working.

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Question 15 (9 marks)
A Physics student is investigating the photoelectric effect. The student uses a photocell circuit and shines
light onto the photocathode, as shown in Figure 14.
light

photocathode

Figure 14
Figure 15 shows a graph of the photocurrent versus the applied voltage across the photocell for a particular
trial of the investigation. X is the voltage intercept.
photocurrent (A)

voltage (V)
X
Figure 15

a. In the trial shown in Figure 15, the student uses light of wavelength 480 nm and the
photocathode metal has a work function of 2.30 eV.
Determine the value of X. Show your working. 3 marks

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VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

14
b. In a second trial, the student uses light of frequency 4.0 × 10 Hz and the work function of the
photocathode metal remains the same.

i. Describe the graph result for this trial. Provide a justification for your answer. 2 marks

ii. Explain the physics principle that supports your answer to part b.i. In your answer,
make reference to the particular model of light that underpins the explanation. 4 marks

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Question 16 (7 marks)
The absorption spectrum for hydrogen is shown in Figure 16.

410 434 486 656

wavelength (nm)
Figure 16

a. There is no absorption line at 550 nm in this spectrum.

With reference to the energy levels within the hydrogen atom, explain why this absorption
line is not present. 2 marks

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VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

The energy levels for a hydrogen atom are shown in Figure 17.
n E0 eV
n7 E7 –0.28 eV
n6 E6 –0.38 eV
n5 E5 –0.54 eV
n4 E4 –0.85 eV

n3 E3 –1.51 eV

n2 E2 –3.40 eV

n1 E1 –13.60 eV
Figure 17

b. Explain why the energy levels represent evidence for the dual nature of matter. 3 marks

c. The band at 486 nm on the absorption spectrum represents an energy of 2.55 eV.
Draw an arrow on Figure 17 to show the initial and final energy levels for a transition
of 2.55 eV. Justify your answer. 2 marks

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 VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

Question 17 (5 marks)
Electrons are accelerated from rest by specific voltages and strike a crystal with a regular atomic structure.
The electrons interact with the crystal, which results in a diffraction pattern. Figure 18a shows the diffraction
pattern formed by using a low voltage to accelerate the electrons and Figure 18b shows the diffraction pattern
formed by using a high voltage to accelerate the electrons. The concentric rings represent positions of
constructive interference.

low voltage high voltage

Figure 18a      Figure 18b

a. Explain how the diffraction patterns occur and state what the patterns suggest about the
behaviour of the electrons. 2 marks

b. Explain why the pattern alters when the voltage is changed from low to high. 3 marks

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VCE Physics Units 3&4 Trial Examination Question and Answer Booklet

Question 18 (6 marks)
Electrons of energy 30 eV irradiate at a nickel foil with atoms that are 0.215 nm apart.
–10
a. Show that the de Broglie wavelength for the electrons is 2.24 × 10 m. 3 marks

b. Determine whether the electrons will diffract as they interact with the nickel foil.
Support your answer with calculations. 3 marks

END OF QUESTION AND ANSWER BOOKLET

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