PHYSICS: Solutions: 2013 Australian Science Olympiad Exam

PHYSICS: Solutions
2013 Australian Science Olympiad Exam
Time Allowed:
Reading Time: 10 minutes
Examination Time: 120 minutes
INSTRUCTIONS
Attempt ALL questions in both sections of this paper.
Permitted materials: a non-programmable, non-graphical calculator, blue and
black pens, lead pencils, an eraser, and a ruler. A lead pencil is essential. Ask
for one if you do not have one.
Answer SECTION A on the MULTIPLE CHOICE ANSWER SHEET pro-
vided.
Answer SECTION B in the answer booklet provided. Write in pen and use
pencil only for diagrams, graphs and experimental work.
You may attempt the questions in Section B in any order. Make sure that you
label which parts are for which questions.
Do not write on this question paper. It will not be marked.
Do not staple the multiple choice answer sheet or the writing booklet to any-
thing. They must be returned as they are.
Ensure that your diagrams are clear and labelled.
All numerical answers must have correct units.
Marks will not be deducted for incorrect answers.
MARKS
Section A 10 multiple choice questions 10 marks

Section B 4 written answer questions 55 marks
65 marks
Page 1 of 23
2013 Australian Science Olympiad Exam Physics Solutions
c Australian Science Innovations 2013 ABN 81731558309
SECTION A: MULTIPLE CHOICE
USE THE ANSWER SHEET PROVIDED
Throughout, take the acceleration due to gravity to be 9.8 m s2 .
Question 1
When an incandescent light bulb has a current passing through its filament the filament heats and its
resistance increases. If the light bulb is connected to a constant voltage source:
a. the resistance increases at a roughly constant rate and the current through the light bulb decreases
correspondingly.
b. the resistance increases at a roughly constant rate and the current through the light bulb increases
correspondingly.
c. the resistance increases but the current remains the same.
d. the resistance increases at a decreasing rate and the current increases at a decreasing rate until they
are both roughly constant.
e. the resistance increases at a decreasing rate and the current decreases at a decreasing rate until
they are both roughly constant.
Solution: e. the filament will heat most rapidly at first and then at a decreasing rate until it reaches a
steady state. Hence the resistance will do the same. The current must decrease as the resistance increases
as V = IR and V is constant.
Question 2
Which of the following is the best estimate of the speed of a parrot flying?
a. 3 103 m s1
b. 1 101 m s1
c. 3 100 m s1
d. 1 102 m s1
e. 3 103 m s1
Solution: c. parrots fly much faster than people walk, which rules out a. and b. which are both less than
1 m s1 . However, they do not fly as fast as 100 m, which is a typical length of an oval, in 1 s, which
rules out d. and e.
Page 2 of 23
Question 3
When a screw is very tight the most effective way to loosen it is by:
a. using a screwdriver with a fat handle and pushing down hard while turning to increase the grip.
b. using a screwdriver with a fat handle and not pushing down too hard in case you deform the screw
head.
c. using a long screwdriver so that you are applying the force a long way from the point of contact.
d. using a short screwdriver with a thin handle so that you are applying the force as close as possible
to the point of contact.
e. None of the above. A spanner is a more appropriate tool.
Solution: a. pushing down increases the magnitude of the contact forces (both normal forces and
frictional forces) and having a fatter handle means that the same force results in a greater torque about
the central axis of the screw.
Question 4
Kate has a bucket of ice cream and wants to take it on a long car trip into the desert, so she wraps it in a
jumper. Is this a good idea? Choose the best answer.
a. No. The jumper will make the ice cream hotter.

b. Yes. The jumper will hold the cold in the ice cream.
c. No. The jumper always moves the cold to outside it.
d. Yes. The jumper will prevent the heat getting to the ice cream.
e. No. The jumper wont make any difference to what happens to the ice cream.
Solution: d. the jumper is an insulator and prevents the flow of heat from the warm surroundings into
the cold ice cream.
Question 5
Which of the following is the best estimate of the mass of a 3D model aeroplane which is 20cm long and
made of formed sheet aluminium?
a. 0.5 g
b. 5 g
c. 50 g
d. 500 g
e. 5 kg
Solution: c. the answer can be arrived at by comparing with known masses, e.g. it would be much
lighter than a 500ml bottle of water, so its mass would be much less than 500 g. Also it would be much
heavier than a sheet of A4 printer paper which has a mass of 5 g.
Page 3 of 23
Question 6
Two blocks are connected as shown. Block 1 has mass 5 kg and is on a frictionless, horizontal surface.
Block 2 has mass 8 kg and is attached to block 1 by a rope with negligible mass, passing over a
frictionless pulley. What is the acceleration of block 2?
a. 15.9 m s2
b. 9.8 m s2
c. 6.0 m s2
d. 3.8 m s2
e. 0 m s2
Solution: c. the total force on the system is m1 g which results in an acceleration of

m1 g/(m1 + m2 ) = 6.0 m s2 .
Question 7
A shark, with a sucker-fish attached, is swimming at constant speed looking for prey. Under these
conditions:
a. there is zero nett force on both the shark and the sucker-fish.
b. the nett force on the shark is greater than the nett force on the sucker-fish because the shark has a
larger mass.
c. the swimming shark experiences a nett force but the sucker-fish does not because it is holding on.
d. the nett force on the shark is always the same as that on the sucker-fish because they always have
the same speed.
e. the drag from the sucker-fish on the shark means that the nett force on the shark is less than on the
sucker-fish.
Solution: a. as the velocity of each is constant the force on each must be zero.
Page 4 of 23
Question 8
The shark, with a sucker-fish still attached, spots a possible meal and accelerates suddenly towards it.
Under these conditions:
a. there is zero nett force on both the shark and the sucker-fish.
b. the nett force on the shark is greater than the nett force on the sucker-fish because the shark has a
larger mass.
c. the swimming shark experiences a nett force but the sucker-fish does not because it is holding on.
d. the nett force on the shark is always the same as that on the sucker-fish because they always have
the same speed.
e. the drag from the sucker-fish on the shark means that the nett force on the shark is less than on the
sucker-fish.
Solution: b. as the sucker-fish is attached to the shark they have the same acceleration. Since F = ma
the force on each is proportional to its mass.
The blocks shown in the figure below are on a table. What is the nett force acting on the 5 kg block when
the stack is:
Question 9 Question 10
at rest? being pushed to the right with constant velocity?
a. 29.4 N downwards a. 29.4 N downwards

b. 49 N downwards b. 49 N downwards
c. 78.4 N downwards c. 78.4 N downwards
d. 0 N d. 0 N
e. 19.6 N upwards e. 49 N to the right
Solution: d. the block is not accelerating. Solution: d. the block is still not accelerating.
Page 5 of 23
SECTION B: WRITTEN ANSWER QUESTIONS
USE THE ANSWER BOOKLET PROVIDED
Note: Suggested times are given for section B as a general guide only. You may take more or less time on any
question everyone is different.
Question 11
Suggested Time: 20 min
This question explores the characteristics of shadows formed by a variety of light sources.
Throughout this question you will be asked to draw diagrams as part of your answer. Where instructed
please use the boxes on pages 23 of the answer booklet to draw these diagrams. Label all diagrams.
a) Point light sources emit light in all directions from a single point. They have no measurable size.
(i) In the answer box on page 2 of the answer booklet, an object is drawn in front of a point
light source. In this box draw a diagram of how the shadow forms, and what the shadow
looks like on the screen.
(ii) If the object were at a distance from the light source of 1/3 the distance from the light
source to the screen, how large would the shadow be compared to the object? Explain your
answer using diagrams drawn in the box on page 2 of the answer booklet. Put any words
needed in or near this box.
b) All real light sources, including the Sun and artificial sources, are extended sources rather than
point sources. For example, at sunrise and sunset is it possible to see that the Sun is an extended
source of light, circular in shape. Light is emitted in all directions from each part of an extended
source.
(i) Draw a diagram of how the shadows form and what the shadows of the object look like on
the screen in front of an extended light source for the two set ups drawn in the answer box
on page 2 of the answer booklet.
(ii) Explain why shadows can be fuzzy-looking in the box on page 2 of the answer booklet.
(iii) Given the setup below, draw the shadow of the pen on the diagram in the box on page 3 of
the answer booklet.
Lamp
Pen Paper
Page 6 of 23
c) Compact fluorescent light bulbs come in a range of slightly different colours. Some are described
as cool white and emit light which is more blue in colour, while others, described as warm
white, emit light of a more orange colour.
A room is lit by one or more lamps fitted with compact fluorescent bulbs. A shadow pattern forms
on the ceiling near a ceiling lamp which is not turned on, as shown in the diagram below.
(i) Mark on the floor plan on page 3 of the answer booklet the positions of any operating lamps
and the colours of their bulbs.
(ii) In the box on page 3 of the answer booklet, draw a diagram showing how the ceiling would
appear from the door of the room. Indicate the colours of all regions of shadow.
d) A sheet of black cardboard with a very small round hole in its centre is held 10 cm above a white
paved area outside at noon under a clear sky, and the image below is observed.
(i) Draw diagrams to explain how this image is formed in the box on page 3 of the answer
booklet.
(ii) Would you expect to see the same thing on most other clear days? Explain why or why not
in the box on page 3 of the answer booklet.
Page 7 of 23
Solution:
Markers comments:
a) Most students were able to draw the first diagram correctly but many had difficulty with the logic
in part (ii).
b) Many students had difficulties in identifying the regions where the partial shadow began and
ended. Especially in part (i) it was clear that many students were not drawing accurate diagrams.
While most students were able to give at least a partial explanation for (ii) they were not able to
use their understanding to draw a reasonable diagram for (iii). A range of answers were accepted
for (iii) as long as they were consistent with the diagram in the question and self-consistent full
marks were awarded.
c) Students had difficulty with the idea that a blue shadow meant that there must be a source of blue
light illuminating that region. In part (ii) many students did not realise that there would be a
region of overlap between the two shadows.
d) Many students focussed their answers on why the image had a crescent shape rather than how the
image was formed. All the explanation required was that the image was an image of the Sun and a
statement that the sun is usually a circular source of light.
Page 10 of 23
Question 12
Some elements have radioactive isotopes (radioisotopes) which can be used for medical imaging. A
radioisotope is injected into the bloodstream, whence it is taken up by organs in the body. Areas of
extremely high cell growth or repair such as tumours take up and retain this isotope much more
efficiently than any other tissue. Thus imaging using radioisotopes can be used to indicate malignant
tissue growth. Technetium-99m (99m Tc) is one such radioisotope, which is used for imaging organs such
as the thyroid, liver, kidneys, and brain. The half-life, the interval during which the number of atoms left
of a radioisotope halves, of 99m Tc is 1/2 = 6.01 hours.
Rates of radioactivity can be measured in Curies (Ci), equivalent to 3.7 1010 decays per second. For
any radioisotope, the number of atoms, half-life and radioactivity are related by the formula
1
(number of atoms) = (half-life in seconds) (activity in decays per second).
ln 2
In this question, we examine a model of the process of 99m Tc uptake in a patients cancerous thyroid
glands. The patient is an otherwise healthy adult. In this model, A = 10.0 mCi of 99m Tc is injected into a
vein in the patients arm of radius ra = 1.00 mm, enters the bloodstream, then enters each thyroid gland
through an artery in the patients neck of radius rn = 1.70 mm.
Let the velocities of blood flow in the patients arm and neck be va = 3.00 mm/s and vn = 40.0 cm/s. Let
the total blood volume of the patient be V = 5 L = 5 103 m3 , and let each thyroid gland (there are
two) have volume Vt = 9 mL. The 99m Tc emits gamma rays of energy E = 2.24 1014 J .
Give your answers both as formulae and numerically where applicable.
a) What is the concentration (in number of atoms per litre) of 99m Tc in the bloodstream after the
injection?
Solution: The concentration is N/V = a1/2 /(V ln 2) = 2.31 1012 atoms/L
b) Qualitatively, sketch the amount of 99m Tc in the thyroid as a function of time, starting from the
time of injection.
Solution:
amount
of 99m Tc
time
c) The continuity equation in fluid mechanics states that the volume flow rate of fluid flowing
through a pipe is constant. Consider the blood flow in the arm and neck of the patient - does the
continuity equation hold in this model? Justify your answer with calculations, and use your
knowledge of the body to explain why you would expect this result.
Solution: The flow rate through a circular pipe is r2 v. The flow rate in the neck,
1.2 106 m3 /s, is much greater than the flow rate in the arm, 3.0 109 m3 /s so the
continuity equation does not hold. As the systems of blood vessels is complex with many different
vessels connected meaning that the vein in the arm and the artery in the neck are not part of the
Page 11 of 23
same continuous pipe this continuity equation would net be expected to hold.
d) What is the initial rate of energy release due to gamma radiation emitted from a thyroid gland? In
this and subsequent parts you may neglect the time taken for the thyroid glands to saturate with
99m Tc.
Solution: The initial rate is E/t = EA = 8.30 106 J s1

e) A scan is taken over ts = 10.0 minutes. If the total energy detected by the scanner exceeds
Emin = 5 104 J, an image appears due to radioactivity in a thyroid gland. Approximately how
much time will elapse before radioactivity is no longer detected in a scan?
Solution: It is reasonable to treat the activity as constant over the 10 minutes required for a scan
as this is much shorter than one half-life. In the first ten minutes the energy released is
5.0 103 J which is 10.0 times the lower limit. In three half-lives, i.e. 18 hours, the level will
reach 1.25 times the minimum, and after a fourth half-life the level will be 0.75 times the
minimum. Hence the time will be around 20-21 hours.
Solving exactly by knowing that the decay is exponential gives
1/2

EAts
t= ln = 20 hours
ln 2 Emin
Markers comments:
a) Many students did not know the meaning of the prefix milli.
Some students used 3.7 1010 decays per second as the activity in decays per second because they
had the same units.
b) Most students sketched either the decreasing part of the curve or the increasing one but not both.
c) Many students did not understand that the product r2 v was required to be constant by the
continuity equation, not both r and v. Also students were incorrectly stating that because the
vessels could change in radius due to contracting, dilating or being blocked with fat the continuity
equation could not hold.
d) Done relatively well.
e) Most students did not realise that the energy detected in the scan was the cumulative energy
released over the duration of the scan. Those who did realise this also realised that the activity is
approximately constant over the duration of a scan.
Page 12 of 23
Question 13
After some time spent pondering the workings of the universe, John says to Mary, Energy is always
conserved. Mary, however, doesnt agree. She says to John that if two identical cars travelling at the
same speed collide head-on, there is kinetic energy before the collision, but no kinetic energy after. The
two continue their disputation over a cup of tea, and await your assistance at the end of this question.
The momentum of an object of mass m moving with velocity v is
p = mv .
The (vector) sum of the momenta of all of the objects in any collision is the same before and after the
collision. In this question, a positive velocity indicates motion to the right.
a) Two hard particles m and M collide head-on. They have initial velocities v and V respectively (so
V is negative). If the collision is elastic, the kinetic energy is conserved, and the velocities of the
particles after colliding are
(m M)v + 2MV
v =
m+M
(M m)V + 2mv
V =
m+M
(i) What do these equations become for m = M? Give an example of such a collision.
Solution:
V = v
v = V
Examples: two bouncy balls of the same mass bouncing off each other, two electrons
colliding, etc.
(ii) Approximate these equations for M m. Give an example of such a collision.
Solution: M m M m + M, so
m
V = V + 2 v
M+m
Note that the last term is small compared to the first unless V v.
v = v + 2V
Examples: a bouncy ball bouncing off the Earth, a proton and a electron colliding, etc.
b) Find the fraction of the kinetic energy which is lost if two gunky blobs of masses m = 0.50 kg and
M = 3.0 kg with velocities v = 0.50 m s1 and V = 0.10 m s1 , collide head-on and the final
velocity of the gunky blob with mass m is v = 0.25 m s1 .
Solution: Here momentum is conserved but energy is not because the blobs are gunky rather than
hard. Hence,
MV + mv = MV + mv
and V = 0.025 m s1 . The kinetic energy is calculated using K = mv2 /2 to be initially
Ki = 0.078 J and finally K f = 0.017 J so 78% of the kinetic energy is lost.
Page 13 of 23
c) In the case where the collision is completely inelastic, the gunky blobs stick together to form a
superblob of total mass M = (M + m). If m = 0.50 kg, M = 2.5 kg, v = 0.50 m s1 and
V = 0.10 m s1 , determine the fraction of kinetic energy lost during the formation of the
superblob.
Solution: The initial total momentum of the system is MV + mv = 0. This means that the final
velocity of the superblob is also zero. The initial kinetic energy is Ki = 0.075 J and 100% is lost in
the collision.
d) Is either John or Mary from above correct, and how can their statements be reconciled?
Solution: John is correct that energy is always conserved but it can be converted to other forms,
such as thermal energy. Mary is correct that kinetic energy is not conserved.
Markers comments:
a) (i) Mostly completed well but some students did not substitute m = M in the denominator.
(ii) Most students found this more difficult, credit was given to the many students who obtained
V = V . Many examples given were of inelastic collisions.
b) Few students realised that the larger mass was still moving after the collision. Some students
calculated the energy retained rather than lost. Many students treated the collision as elastic which
is not the case. Many students made sign errors.
c) Generally better completed than (b), as no final data were given students felt the need to calculate
final velocities. Some students continued to incorrectly apply the equations from (a).
d) Generally correctly answered however students needed to give very clear explanations for full
marks to be awarded.
There was some confusion about the differences between momentum, energy, force and kinetic energy.
Page 14 of 23
Question 14
Friction is the force between surfaces that acts to prevent their relative motion. It acts along the plane of
the surface. The part of the contact force which acts perpendicular to the plane of the surface is the
normal force. Static friction, present when two bodies are at rest relative to each other, takes any value
necessary to balance other forces up to a maximum given by
F = N ,
where is the coefficient of static friction.

Friction can be used to make eating pineapple an exciting experience. Consider a large cube of pineapple
sitting on a chopping board. One end of the board is on the edge of the bench, and the other end is
raised, so that the board is inclined at an angle to the bench.
a) Draw a free body diagram showing the forces acting on the pineapple.
Solution:
normal = N
y
friction, less than or
x equal to N
mg = force due to gravity
Markers comments:
Students often included things other than forces in their diagrams. They also did not always label
the forces in the diagram or indicate where on the body the force acted.
b) The board is gradually tilted up until the cube of pineapple begins to slide inexorably toward the
waiting mouth at bottom of ramp. Show that = tan .
Solution:
Resolve to the force due to gravity into components along and perpendicular to the ramp, i.e. into
the x and y directions shown in the diagram above. In combination with Newtons second law, the
condition that there is no acceleration perpendicular to the ramp gives
N = mg cos .
In the direction along the ramp at the angle where the pineapple is about to slip the nett force is
still zero but the frictional force takes its maximum value. Hence,
mg sin = N .
Solving for the frictional coefficient gives

sin
= = tan ,
cos
Page 15 of 23
as required.
Markers comments:
Students needed to give more explanation of their reasoning in this part.
Students often incorrectly applied Newtons third law.
Cubes of pineapple are, regrettably, perishable goods, and we apologise that we were unable to ship one
to you for the purposes of this examination. Therefore, the next part of this question will use the
(admittedly poor) substitutes of paper and pencil. When you draw on paper with a lead pencil, you coat
the paper with a graphite mixture.
c) The coefficients of static friction differ between different pairs of surfaces. Using the ideas
presented above and the theory you have derived, devise and perform an experiment to find the
difference between A) the coefficient of static friction between paper and paper and B) the
coefficient of static friction between paper and graphite mixture.
Equipment: You may tear out the next three leaves of this question book to use as equipment. Some
suggested folds are marked to help you create some useful apparatus, but the choice of what to do with
your paper is up to you. Along with the paper of these three pages, you may also use the lead pencil
which you brought into this exam, and a ruler. Remember to be safe when using any equipment make
sure you dont injure yourself or other people (or your pencil or ruler).
What is required: Write out the method that you are going to use in detail and justify why you have
chosen it, along with any modifications you make along the way. State your results, and any processing
you do of them, and evaluate your answers.
Important: the credit in this question is primarily for your method, how you would calculate the results,
and your observations of what works and doesnt as you try your experiment. The numeric answers are a
small part, and you should not be concerned if you are unable to get them we are interested in your
thought processes, designs and observations.
As a final note, although this be in lieu of a pineapple-based experiment, do not attempt to eat any of
your equipment.
Solution: No solution is given as there are many variations with no clear preferred solution. Students
solutions were required to have the elements requested in the question.
Markers comments:
Students who constructed some apparatus and performed an experiment obtained a range of results, with
many discussing quite interesting sources of error and modifications to their methods. Some students
managed to extract quite good values for the coefficients. Common problems with this question were not
attempting an experiment, attempting to find coefficients of friction between various different objects
and paper, and rolling pieces of pencil lead down the paper instead of coating the paper with a layer of
pencil and then using another piece of paper.
Credit was given for the method, discussions, and analysis of results, including an estimate of
uncertainty. As long as the coefficients were remotely plausible the results did not have to be accurate to
score the marks.
Page 16 of 23
This work of ours is done: there are no questions more.
Your work has just begun: enjoy it, we implore!
The remaining pages in this booklet are for use as equipment for Q14.
Page 17 of 23
This page may be torn out and used as equipment.
A4 paper is 297 mm long by 210 mm wide.
fold 1
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fold 2
fold
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Integrity of Competition
If there is evidence of collusion or other academic dishonesty, students will be

disqualified. Markers decisions are final.
Page 23 of 23

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What is the best estimate of the speed of a parrot flying?

When a screw is very tight, what is the most effective way to loosen it?

PHYSICS: Solutions

2013 Australian Science Olympiad Exam

Section A 10 multiple choice questions 10 marks

Throughout, take the acceleration due to gravity to be 9.8 m s2 .

a. No. The jumper will make the ice cream hotter.

Solution: c. the total force on the system is m1 g which results in an acceleration of

a. 29.4 N downwards a. 29.4 N downwards

Solution: The initial rate is E/t = EA = 8.30 106 J s1

where is the coefficient of static friction.

mg = force due to gravity

Solving for the frictional coefficient gives

This page may be torn out and used as equipment. 15

This page may be torn out and used as equipment. 15

This page may be torn out and used as equipment. 15

If there is evidence of collusion or other academic dishonesty, students will be

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