Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education

End year EXAMINATIONS 2023

PHYSICS Paper 1 & 2
Form 1
OCTOBER 2023 – TIME 2 Hours
Name: ……………………………………………….…… Adm No: …….…….……
Class: ………………Candidate’s Signature: …….……..Date: ..…/10/2023

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
1. Write your name, admission number in the spaces provided above. This paper consists of TWO
sections.
2. Answer ALL the questions in sections A and B in the spaces provided.
3. ALL working MUST be clearly shown.
4. Non-programmable silent electronic calculators and KNEC mathematical tables may be used.
5. Candidates should check the question paper to ascertain that all the 9 pages are printed
as indicated and that no questions are missing.

For Examiner’s Use Only

question Maximum Candidate’s
TARGET score score
(PERCENTAGE) 1-11 25 PERCENTAGE SCORE
12 9

13 8

14 14

15 9

16 12

17 3

total 80

DATE REVISED .......................................................................

DATE RETURNED .....................................................................

PHYSICS DEPARTMENT Physics is not easy as you think! NO ! It is easier than that. @JEI Page 1
 SECTION A: 25 marks

1.Define volume and give its SI units. (2 mks)

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2. Fig shows a measuring cylinder into which an irregular stone of mass 60grams has been immersed.

cm3 45
40
35
30
25
20

If the initial reading before immersing was 27cm3. Find the density of the stone. (2mk)

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3. 1600 cm3 of fresh water of density 1 g/cm3 are mixed with 1400cm3 of seawater of density 1.25g/cm3. Determine the
density of the mixture. ( 3 mks)
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4. Name the type of force that: (2 mk)
i. Opposes motion between two surfaces in contact.
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ii. Makes an object appear lighter when being lifted out of water. (1 mks)
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5. Name two types of forces which can act between objects without contact. (2 mks)

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PHYSICS DEPARTMENT Physics is not easy as you think! NO ! It is easier than that. @JEI Page 2
6. The Figure below shows a toy boat. A piece of soap is attached to end A and then the toy placed on a surface of clean
water.

A B

Explain the observation that would be made immediately. (2mks)

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7. The diagram below shows a capillary tube immersed in water.

Water

(a) (b)

Using figure (b) sketch to show the appearance of the capillary tube if it was inserted in mercury. (2mk)

8. a) State pascal’s principle of transmission of pressure. (1 mark)

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b) Name two factors that affect pressure in fluids. (2mks)

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9. A submarine is 40m below sea water of density 1020 kg/m3. If the atmospheric pressure at the place is 103,000Pa,
calculate the total pressure acting on the submarine. (3mks)

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10. A current of 2 A passes through bulb Q for 2 minutes 30 seconds.Determine the quantity of charge through Q.(2 mks)

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11. State two factors that determine the kind of image formed by a pinhole camera. (2 mks)

PHYSICS DEPARTMENT Physics is not easy as you think! NO ! It is easier than that. @JEI Page 3
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SECTION B: (55 MARKS) Answer ALL questions in the spaces provided

12. i. State the law of electrostatic charge. (1 mk)

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(ii) A negatively charged rod is brought near the cap of a lightly charged electroscope. The leaf divergence first reduces
but as the rod comes nearer, it diverges more.
(i) State the charge of the electroscope. (1 MK)

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(ii) Explain the behaviour of the leaf above. (2mk)

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(b). State two uses of a gold leaf electroscope (2 marks)

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(c). Two metallic spheres A, B stand in contact as shown. A positively charged rod is held near sphere A.

After separation.
A B A B
+
+
+
+ Insulating
rods

(i) Show the charge on each sphere when the metallic balls are separated and the rod is removed.
(2 mk)
(ii) Why are the balls supported on insulated stands? (1mk)

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13. (a) Define the term “e.m.f” of a cell. (1mk)

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(b) The figure below shows a simple cell made of copper and zinc electrodes dipped in dilute sulphuric acid.

Bulb

Zinc plate Copper plate

DilH2SO4

a) Identify the cathode and the anode. (2 mks)

Cathode……………………………………………

Anode …………………………………………....

b). State the two common defects in a simple cell. (2 mks)

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c) Explain how the defects in b) are minimized. (2mk)

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d). Give a reason why it is not advisable to smoke a cigarette near a charging battery. (1mk)

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14. (a) State the two laws of reflection . (2 mk)

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(b). A pinhole camera forms an image of size 10cm. The object is 5m tall and 20m away from the pinhole. Find the
length of the pinhole camera. (3mks)
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(c).State any two characteristics of images formed by plane mirrors. (2 mk)

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(d). Figure below shows a ray of light incident on a mirror at an angle of 45o. Another mirror is placed at an angle of 60o to
the first one as shown.

Incident ray
0
45

M1

600

M2
i) Sketch the path of the ray until it emerges, indicating all the angles. (2mk)
ii) Calculate the number of images formed when an object is placed between the two mirrors. (2 mks)
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(iii).What is the name of the apparatus shown in the diagram below?

Object

Mirrors at 450

Obstacle

Observer

(i).Name of instrument…………………………………………………… (1mk)

(ii) State ONE application of the instrument shown above. (1mk)

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(iii)Complete the ray diagram to show to the final image position. (1mk)

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15.a) Define the term heat and state the its SI unit. (1 mks)
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(b) . Stating the specific parts in the flask explain how heat loss is reduced through: (3 mks)
(i).Conduction

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(ii).Convection

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(iii).Radiation

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(c). The figure below shows a smoke box with a candle inside below chimney G and a smoking rug on top of chimney F.
Smoking rug

F G

Candle

State and explain the observation made. (2mk)

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(d). Two similar cans are partly filled with equal quantities of water. Each holds athermometer and are placed at equal
distances from a radiant heater as shown in the figure below.

Thermometers

Silvered Can painted

can black

State with reason, the container in which the thermometer is likely to be higher after a few minutes. (2mks)

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(d) Give a reason why fuel tanks of Kenya Pipeline Company are silvery painted. (1mk)

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16.(a) Convert -40.3oC to Kelvin (1mk)

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b) Figure below shows a bimetallic strip at room temperature.

Brass

Iron

Draw the shape of the strip when it is heated to 800C. (1mk)

(c). State two applications of expansion and contraction of solids. (2 mks)

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(d) (i) Sketch the graph of volume against temperature of water between 0 0c to 100c (1mk)
Volume (cm3)

0 2 4 6 8 10
Temperature (0C)

(e). The Figure below shows a clinical thermometer which is not graduated.

X Y
(i) Name the parts indicated with letters: X. (1 mk)

A.............................................................................

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(ii) What is the function of the part labelled Y. (1mk)

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(iii). State the appropriate scale range in degrees Celsius of the thermometer. (1 mk)

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f). Give any evidence of the unusual expansion of water. (1 mk)

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g). State three properties of a good thermometric liquid (3mk)

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17. Brownian motion of smoke particles can be studied by using the apparatus shown below. To observe the motion, some
smoke is enclosed in the smoke cell and then observed through the microscope.

Microscope
Lens
Source of
light Smoke particles
Smoke cell

(a). State and explain the observation made. (2mk)

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(b). State what will be observed if the temperature surrounding the smoke cell is increased. (1mk)
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END
SUCCESS

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