PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS

TOPIC-6 Pressure

PAPER-1 Multiple Choice

1- Which of the following does not affect the pressure beneath the surface of a liquid?
A area of the liquid surface B density of the liquid
C depth of the liquid D strength of the gravitational field [Nov-2002] /
[Nov-2005]

2- A manometer is connected to a gas supply.

Pressure can be measured in cm of water.
What is the pressure of the gas?
A 8 cm of water more than atmospheric pressure
B 12 cm of water more than atmospheric pressure
C 8 cm of water less than atmospheric pressure
D 12 cm of water less than atmospheric pressure
[Nov-2002]

3- The diagram shows a simple mercury barometer.

Which height is a measure of the atmospheric pressure?

[May-2003]

4- Bubbles of gas, escaping from the mud at the bottom of a

deep lake, rise to the surface.
As the bubbles rise they get larger.
Why is this?
A Atmospheric pressure on the bubbles decreases.
B Atmospheric pressure on the bubbles increases.
C Water pressure on the bubbles decreases.
D Water pressure on the bubbles increases.

5- The diagrams show, to the same scale, the vertical sections of a set of circular vessels, each
containing the same depth of water.
Which one of the following statements is correct?
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

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. [May-2006] / ?

6- The diagram shows the levels X and Y in a liquid manometer when the gas tap is opened.
What is the pressure of the gas in the
cylinder?
A 18 cm of liquid below atmospheric
pressure
B 9 cm of liquid below atmospheric pressure
C 9 cm of liquid above atmospheric pressure
D 18 cm of liquid above atmospheric
pressure

[May-2004]

7- Which would be the least likely to sink into soft ground?

A a loaded lorry with four wheels
B a loaded lorry with six wheels
C an empty lorry with four wheels
D an empty lorry with six wheels [Nov-2004]

8- Diagram 1 shows some air trapped in a cylinder.

Diagram 2 shows the same air after the piston has been pushed in slowly.
The air in diagram 1 is at atmospheric pressure PA.

What is the pressure of the air in diagram 2?

6 10
A x PA B PA C x PA D 60 x PA [Nov-2004]
10 6

9- A small table weighing 40 N stands on four legs, each having an area of 0.001 m2.
What is the pressure of the table on the floor?
A 400 N/m2 B 1000 N/m2 C 10 000 N/m2 D 40 000 N/m2 [May-2005]
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

10- A brick of weight 80 N stands upright on the ground as

shown.

What is the pressure it exerts on the ground?

80 20 𝑥 10
A N/cm2 B N/cm2
20 𝑥 10 80

80 10 𝑥 5
C 5 𝑥 10 N/cm2 D N/cm2 [Nov-2005]
80

11- A manometer is connected to a gas supply.

Pressure can be measured in cm of water.

What is the pressure of the gas?

A 8 cm of water more than atmospheric pressure

B 12 cm of water more than atmospheric pressure
C 8 cm of water less than atmospheric pressure
D 12 cm of water less than atmospheric pressure

[Nov-2005]

12- The diagrams show a simple mercury barometer.

Which diagram shows the distance to be measured to find atmospheric pressure? B

[Nov-2006]

13-A water manometer is connected to a gas supply. The diagram

shows the water levels. The water is replaced by mercury, which is more
dense than water.
Which diagram shows the mercury levels when the manometer is
connected to the same gas supply? C
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

[Nov-2006]

14- The system shown in the diagram contains a liquid.

A downward force of 80 N is exerted on piston K.

What will be the upward force exerted by the liquid on piston L?
A1N B4N C 80 N D 1600 N [Nov-2006]

15- A gas is trapped inside a cylinder by a movable piston. The length of the gas column is 50 cm and
the pressure inside the cylinder is p.

The piston is pushed in a distance of 30 cm, so that the length of the gas column is now 20 cm.The
temperature of the gas does not change.What is the new pressure of the gas?
A 0.4 p B 0.6 p C 1.5 p D 2.5 p [May-2007]

16- Four different liquids are poured into identical

measuring cylinders. The diagrams show the
depths of the liquids and their densities.
Which liquid causes the largest pressure on the base of
its measuring cylinder? C

[Nov-2007]
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

17- Which statement about the pressure in a column of liquid is correct?

A It acts only vertically downwards. B It increases if the column width increases.
C It increases with depth in the column. D It is uniform throughout the column. [May-2008]

18- An airtight container holds a fixed quantity of gas. Its pressure and volume are measured on four
occasions when the temperature is 20°C. The results are shown in the table. Which set of readings is
incorrect?
pressure/ kPa volume/ cm3
A 120 36
B 100 48
C 80 60
D 60 80
[May-2008]

19- A builder leaves two identical, heavy, stone tiles resting on soft earth. One is vertical and the other is
horizontal.

After a few hours, the vertical tile has started to sink into the soft earth, but the horizontal one has not.
Which row correctly compares the forces and the pressures that the tiles exert on the earth?
forces pressures
A different different
B different same
C same different
D same same
[May-2009]

20-A water manometer is connected to a gas supply. One end of the manometer is open to the atmosphere.

Which statement about the pressure of the gas supply is true?

A The pressure is hcm of water.
B The pressure is hcm of water below atmospheric pressure.
C The pressure is the same as atmospheric pressure.
D The pressure is hcm of water above atmospheric pressure.
[May-2009]
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

21- The diagram shows a simple manometer.

Side X is connected to a gas supply. Side Y is open to the atmosphere. What pressure is the length h used to
measure?
A the atmospheric pressure S
B the difference between the gas pressure R and the atmospheric pressure S
C the gas pressure R
D the sum of the gas pressure R and the atmospheric pressure S [Nov-2008]

22- The diagram shows the principle of an hydraulic system.

The cross-sectional area of the master cylinder is 12.0 cm2 and the cross-sectional area of the
slave cylinder is 8.0 cm2. The force applied to the master piston is 60 N, producing a pressure of
5.0N/cm2. Which line in the table is correct?
pressure at slave cylinder force at slave cylinder
N/ cm2 N
A 3.3 40
B 3.3 90
C 5.0 40
D 5.0 90
[Nov-2008]

23- A long tube full of mercury is inverted in a small dish of mercury.

 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

The mercury level in the tube falls, leaving a vacuum at the top. When the atmospheric pressure
falls, which length decreases?

A PQ B PS C QR D RS [Nov-2009]

24- Some gas is trapped in a large syringe by a piston. The atmospheric pressure is 100 kPa

The pressure gauge indicates that the gas pressure is 200

kPa above atmospheric pressure. The piston moves outwards and the volume of the trapped gas doubles.
The temperature remains constant. What is the new gas pressure?

A 100 kPa B 150 kPa C 200 kPa D 400 kPa [Nov-2009]

25- Five blocks have the same mass but different base areas. They all rest on a horizontal table.

A graph is plotted to show the relationship between the pressure exerted on the table and the base area of
the block. Which graph shows this relationship? D

[May-2010]

26- The diagram shows the levels X and Y in a liquid manometer with the gas tap open.
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

What is the pressure of the gas supply?

A 18cm of liquid below atmospheric pressure B 9cm of liquid below atmospheric pressure
C 9cm of liquid above atmospheric pressure D 18cm of liquid above atmospheric pressure

[May-2010]

27- The base for a statue rests on level ground. It is made from stone and is 2.0m long, 2.5m high and
0.80m wide. It has a weight of 96 000N.

What is the pressure that the base exerts on the ground?

A 19kPa B 24kPa C 48kPa D 60kPa [Nov-2010]

28- An engineer designs a dam wall for a reservoir.

Which factor determines the pressure at X?

A the depth of the water in the reservoir B the surface area of the reservoir
C the length of the reservoir D the thickness of the dam wall [Nov-2010]

PAPER-2 Theory

1- Fig. 10.1 shows a hand-operated hydraulic press.

A force is applied downwards at X as shown. Piston Q rises in the slave cylinder. The area of
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

piston P is 20 cm2 and the area of piston Q is 400 cm2.

(a) Explain, in detail, how pushing X downwards causes piston Q to rise. State clearly what
happens to valve A and to valve B.
(b) Piston P exerts a downward force of 300 N on the oil.
(i) Calculate the pressure, in N /cm2, exerted by piston P on the oil.
(ii) State the value of the pressure in the slave cylinder.
(iii) Calculate the force exerted by the oil on piston Q.

(c) Piston P moves down 5 cm.

(i) Calculate the volume of oil that moves out of the master cylinder.
(ii) Calculate the distance that piston Q rises.
(d) After X in Fig. 10.1 is pushed down, it is lifted up again.
State what happens, as X is lifted, to valve A, to valve B and to the piston Q.
(e) State why oil, not air, is used in the hydraulic press. [Nov-2002]

2- Fig. 2.1 shows a water manometer used to measure the pressure inside a gas pipe.

(a) State whether the pressure inside the gas pipe in Fig. 2.1 is larger than or smaller than atmospheric
pressure.
.....................................................................................................................................
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

(b) The manometers shown in Figs. 2.2 and 2.3 are connected to the same gas pipe at the same pressure as
shown in Fig. 2.1.On Figs. 2.2 and 2.3, draw the levels of the liquid in each manometer if
(i) the manometer in Fig. 2.2 contains water and has tubes with twice the diameter of
Fig. 2.1,
(ii) the manometer in Fig. 2.3 contains a liquid with density half that of
water.

(c) The manometer shown in Fig. 2.4 has its top end sealed.

Explain why the water levels are different in Figs. 2.4 and 2.1, even though the
pressure in the gas pipe is the same.
.............................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................
[Nov-2004]

3- Fig. 2.1 shows a stationary piston in a cylinder.

(a) The gas in the cylinder exerts the same pressure on the piston as it does on the sealed end. The sealed
end has a smaller cross-sectional area.Use ideas about molecules to explain why the pressures are the same.
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................
(b) The piston is pushed inwards and the temperature of the gas stays constant.
(i) The piston moves 0.10 m. The average force exerted on the piston to compress the gas is 23 N.
Calculate the work done. State the formula that you use.
work done = ........................
(ii) The gas in the cylinder starts at a pressure of 1.0 × 105 Pa and has a volume of 100 cm3. The volume
of the gas decreases to 80 cm3.Calculate the final pressure of the gas. State the formula that you use.
pressure = ..........................
[Nov-2005]

4- Fig.10.1 shows a section through a very old bicycle tyre that is made of solid rubber.

(a) The solid rubber tyre exerts a pressure on the ground.

 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

The unit of pressure is the pascal (Pa).

(i) Define the pascal.
(ii) The mass of the bicycle and rider is 60 kg and the total area of the tyres in contact with the road is 2.4
× 10–3m2. The gravitational field strength is 10 N/kg.
Calculate the pressure exerted on the road.
(iii) One of the solid rubber tyres goes over a small stone, as shown in Fig. 10.2. Describe and explain
how the pressure exerted on the ground changes.
(b) Fig. 10.3 shows a modern tyre that contains air. A heavy person sits on the bicycle and the shape of the
tyre changes, as shown in Fig. 10.4.

The table contains information about the tyre in Fig. 10.3 and Fig. 10.4.

tyre in Fig. 10.3 tyre in Fig. 10.4

air pressure in tyre /Pa 1.9 × 105 2.1 × 105
volume of air /m3 0.016 V

(i) Calculate the volume V of the air in the tyre in Fig. 10.4. State one assumption that you make in your
calculation.
(ii) Another way to change the pressure in the tyre is to raise the temperature.
State what happens to the pressure in the tyre when the temperature rises and explain
your answer using ideas about molecules.

[May-2006]

5- Many cars are fitted with an air-bag, as shown in Fig. 9.1. In a collision, the air-bag inflates and reduces the effect
of the impact between the passenger and the dashboard.

(a) about kinematics!!!

(b) If there was no air-bag, a large pressure would be exerted on the ball at the point where it hits the dashboard.

(i) Define pressure. [1]

 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

(ii) The inflated air-bag reduces the pressure exerted on the ball. State two reasons why the pressure is reduced. [2]

(c) Compressed gas from a small cylinder inflates the air-bag. The cylinder contains a volume of 600 cm3 of gas at a
pressure of 1.4 × 107 Pa. The cylinder and the inflated air-bag have a volume of 30 000 cm3.

(i) Calculate the pressure of the gas in the inflated air-bag, assuming that the temperature is constant. [3]

(ii) The pressure inside the cylinder decreases as the air-bag is inflated. Explain, using ideas about molecules, why
the pressure decreases. [2]

[Nov-2007]

PAPER-4 Alternative to Practical

 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

PAPER-1 Multiple Choice

1- Which of the following does not affect the pressure beneath the surface of a liquid?
A area of the liquid surface B density of the liquid
C depth of the liquid D strength of the gravitational field [Nov-2002] /
[Nov-2005]

2- A manometer is connected to a gas supply.

Pressure can be measured in cm of water.
What is the pressure of the gas?
A 8 cm of water more than atmospheric pressure
B 12 cm of water more than atmospheric pressure
C 8 cm of water less than atmospheric pressure
D 12 cm of water less than atmospheric pressure
[Nov-2002]

3- The diagram shows a simple mercury barometer.

Which height is a measure of the atmospheric pressure?

[May-2003]

4- Bubbles of gas, escaping from the mud at the bottom of a

deep lake, rise to the surface.
As the bubbles rise they get larger.
Why is this?
A Atmospheric pressure on the bubbles decreases.
B Atmospheric pressure on the bubbles increases.
C Water pressure on the bubbles decreases.
D Water pressure on the bubbles increases.

5- The diagrams show, to the same scale, the vertical sections of a set of circular vessels, each
containing the same depth of water.
Which one of the following statements is correct?
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

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. [May-2006] / ?

6- The diagram shows the levels X and Y in a liquid manometer when the gas tap is opened.
What is the pressure of the gas in the
cylinder?
A 18 cm of liquid below atmospheric
pressure
B 9 cm of liquid below atmospheric pressure
C 9 cm of liquid above atmospheric pressure
D 18 cm of liquid above atmospheric
pressure

[May-2004]

7- Which would be the least likely to sink into soft ground?

A a loaded lorry with four wheels
B a loaded lorry with six wheels
C an empty lorry with four wheels
D an empty lorry with six wheels [Nov-2004]

8- Diagram 1 shows some air trapped in a cylinder.

Diagram 2 shows the same air after the piston has been pushed in slowly.
The air in diagram 1 is at atmospheric pressure PA.

What is the pressure of the air in diagram 2?

6 10
A x PA B PA C x PA D 60 x PA [Nov-2004]
10 6

9- A small table weighing 40 N stands on four legs, each having an area of 0.001 m2.
What is the pressure of the table on the floor?
A 400 N/m2 B 1000 N/m2 C 10 000 N/m2 D 40 000 N/m2 [May-2005]
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

10- A brick of weight 80 N stands upright on the ground as

shown.

What is the pressure it exerts on the ground?

80 20 𝑥 10
A N/cm2 B N/cm2
20 𝑥 10 80

80 10 𝑥 5
C 5 𝑥 10 N/cm2 D N/cm2 [Nov-2005]
80

11- A manometer is connected to a gas supply.

Pressure can be measured in cm of water.

What is the pressure of the gas?

A 8 cm of water more than atmospheric pressure

B 12 cm of water more than atmospheric pressure
C 8 cm of water less than atmospheric pressure
D 12 cm of water less than atmospheric pressure

[Nov-2005]

12- The diagrams show a simple mercury barometer.

Which diagram shows the distance to be measured to find atmospheric pressure? B

[Nov-2006]

13-A water manometer is connected to a gas supply. The diagram

shows the water levels. The water is replaced by mercury, which is more
dense than water.
Which diagram shows the mercury levels when the manometer is
connected to the same gas supply? C
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

[Nov-2006]

14- The system shown in the diagram contains a liquid.

A downward force of 80 N is exerted on piston K.

What will be the upward force exerted by the liquid on piston L?
A1N B4N C 80 N D 1600 N [Nov-2006]

15- A gas is trapped inside a cylinder by a movable piston. The length of the gas column is 50 cm and
the pressure inside the cylinder is p.

The piston is pushed in a distance of 30 cm, so that the length of the gas column is now 20 cm.The
temperature of the gas does not change.What is the new pressure of the gas?
A 0.4 p B 0.6 p C 1.5 p D 2.5 p [May-2007]

16- Four different liquids are poured into identical

measuring cylinders. The diagrams show the
depths of the liquids and their densities.
Which liquid causes the largest pressure on the base of
its measuring cylinder? C

[Nov-2007]
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

17- Which statement about the pressure in a column of liquid is correct?

A It acts only vertically downwards. B It increases if the column width increases.
C It increases with depth in the column. D It is uniform throughout the column. [May-2008]

18- An airtight container holds a fixed quantity of gas. Its pressure and volume are measured on four
occasions when the temperature is 20°C. The results are shown in the table. Which set of readings is
incorrect?
pressure/ kPa volume/ cm3
A 120 36
B 100 48
C 80 60
D 60 80
[May-2008]

19- A builder leaves two identical, heavy, stone tiles resting on soft earth. One is vertical and the other is
horizontal.

After a few hours, the vertical tile has started to sink into the soft earth, but the horizontal one has not.
Which row correctly compares the forces and the pressures that the tiles exert on the earth?
forces pressures
A different different
B different same
C same different
D same same
[May-2009]

20-A water manometer is connected to a gas supply. One end of the manometer is open to the atmosphere.

Which statement about the pressure of the gas supply is true?

A The pressure is hcm of water.
B The pressure is hcm of water below atmospheric pressure.
C The pressure is the same as atmospheric pressure.
D The pressure is hcm of water above atmospheric pressure.
[May-2009]
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

21- The diagram shows a simple manometer.

Side X is connected to a gas supply. Side Y is open to the atmosphere. What pressure is the length h used to
measure?
A the atmospheric pressure S
B the difference between the gas pressure R and the atmospheric pressure S
C the gas pressure R
D the sum of the gas pressure R and the atmospheric pressure S [Nov-2008]

22- The diagram shows the principle of an hydraulic system.

The cross-sectional area of the master cylinder is 12.0 cm2 and the cross-sectional area of the
slave cylinder is 8.0 cm2. The force applied to the master piston is 60 N, producing a pressure of
5.0N/cm2. Which line in the table is correct?
pressure at slave cylinder force at slave cylinder
N/ cm2 N
A 3.3 40
B 3.3 90
C 5.0 40
D 5.0 90
[Nov-2008]

23- A long tube full of mercury is inverted in a small dish of mercury.

 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

The mercury level in the tube falls, leaving a vacuum at the top. When the atmospheric pressure
falls, which length decreases?

A PQ B PS C QR D RS [Nov-2009]

24- Some gas is trapped in a large syringe by a piston. The atmospheric pressure is 100 kPa

The pressure gauge indicates that the gas pressure is 200

kPa above atmospheric pressure. The piston moves outwards and the volume of the trapped gas doubles.
The temperature remains constant. What is the new gas pressure?

A 100 kPa B 150 kPa C 200 kPa D 400 kPa [Nov-2009]

25- Five blocks have the same mass but different base areas. They all rest on a horizontal table.

A graph is plotted to show the relationship between the pressure exerted on the table and the base area of
the block. Which graph shows this relationship? D

[May-2010]

26- The diagram shows the levels X and Y in a liquid manometer with the gas tap open.
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

What is the pressure of the gas supply?

A 18cm of liquid below atmospheric pressure B 9cm of liquid below atmospheric pressure
C 9cm of liquid above atmospheric pressure D 18cm of liquid above atmospheric pressure

[May-2010]

27- The base for a statue rests on level ground. It is made from stone and is 2.0m long, 2.5m high and
0.80m wide. It has a weight of 96 000N.

What is the pressure that the base exerts on the ground?

A 19kPa B 24kPa C 48kPa D 60kPa [Nov-2010]

28- An engineer designs a dam wall for a reservoir.

Which factor determines the pressure at X?

A the depth of the water in the reservoir B the surface area of the reservoir
C the length of the reservoir D the thickness of the dam wall [Nov-2010]
29 . Two boys X and Y each have the same total weight and are standing on soft ground.

Which boy is more likely to sink into the soft ground and why?
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

30. A student places his thumb firmly on the outlet of a bicycle pump, to stop the air coming
out.

What happens to the pressure and to the volume of the trapped air as the pump handle is
pushed in?
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

PAPER-2 Theory

1- Fig. 10.1 shows a hand-operated hydraulic press.

A force is applied downwards at X as shown. Piston Q rises in the slave cylinder. The area of

piston P is 20 cm2 and the area of piston Q is 400 cm2.

(a) Explain, in detail, how pushing X downwards causes piston Q to rise. State clearly what
happens to valve A and to valve B.
(b) Piston P exerts a downward force of 300 N on the oil.
(i) Calculate the pressure, in N /cm2, exerted by piston P on the oil.
(ii) State the value of the pressure in the slave cylinder.
(iii) Calculate the force exerted by the oil on piston Q.

(c) Piston P moves down 5 cm.

(i) Calculate the volume of oil that moves out of the master cylinder.
(ii) Calculate the distance that piston Q rises.
(d) After X in Fig. 10.1 is pushed down, it is lifted up again.
State what happens, as X is lifted, to valve A, to valve B and to the piston Q.
(e) State why oil, not air, is used in the hydraulic press. [Nov-2002]

2- Fig. 2.1 shows a water manometer used to measure the pressure inside a gas pipe.
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

(a) State whether the pressure inside the gas pipe in Fig. 2.1 is larger than or smaller than atmospheric
pressure.
.....................................................................................................................................
(b) The manometers shown in Figs. 2.2 and 2.3 are connected to the same gas pipe at the same pressure as
shown in Fig. 2.1.On Figs. 2.2 and 2.3, draw the levels of the liquid in each manometer if
(i) the manometer in Fig. 2.2 contains water and has tubes with twice the diameter of
Fig. 2.1,
(ii) the manometer in Fig. 2.3 contains a liquid with density half that of
water.

(c) The manometer shown in Fig. 2.4 has its top end sealed.

Explain why the water levels are different in Figs. 2.4 and 2.1, even though the
pressure in the gas pipe is the same.
.............................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................
[Nov-2004]

3- Fig. 2.1 shows a stationary piston in a cylinder.

(a) The gas in the cylinder exerts the same pressure on the piston as it does on the sealed end. The sealed
end has a smaller cross-sectional area.Use ideas about molecules to explain why the pressures are the same.
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................
(b) The piston is pushed inwards and the temperature of the gas stays constant.
(i) The piston moves 0.10 m. The average force exerted on the piston to compress the gas is 23 N.
Calculate the work done. State the formula that you use.
work done = ........................
(ii) The gas in the cylinder starts at a pressure of 1.0 × 10 Pa and has a volume of 100 cm3. The volume
5

of the gas decreases to 80 cm3.Calculate the final pressure of the gas. State the formula that you use.
pressure = ..........................
[Nov-2005]

4- Fig.10.1 shows a section through a very old bicycle tyre that is made of solid rubber.
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

(a) The solid rubber tyre exerts a pressure on the ground.

The unit of pressure is the pascal (Pa).
(i) Define the pascal.
(ii) The mass of the bicycle and rider is 60 kg and the total area of the tyres in contact with the road is 2.4
× 10–3m2. The gravitational field strength is 10 N/kg.
Calculate the pressure exerted on the road.
(iii) One of the solid rubber tyres goes over a small stone, as shown in Fig. 10.2. Describe and explain
how the pressure exerted on the ground changes.
(b) Fig. 10.3 shows a modern tyre that contains air. A heavy person sits on the bicycle and the shape of the
tyre changes, as shown in Fig. 10.4.

The table contains information about the tyre in Fig. 10.3 and Fig. 10.4.

tyre in Fig. 10.3 tyre in Fig. 10.4

air pressure in tyre /Pa 1.9 × 105 2.1 × 105
volume of air /m3 0.016 V

(i) Calculate the volume V of the air in the tyre in Fig. 10.4. State one assumption that you make in your
calculation.
(ii) Another way to change the pressure in the tyre is to raise the temperature.
State what happens to the pressure in the tyre when the temperature rises and explain
your answer using ideas about molecules.

[May-2006]

5- Many cars are fitted with an air-bag, as shown in Fig. 9.1. In a collision, the air-bag inflates and reduces the effect
of the impact between the passenger and the dashboard.
 PHYSICS O - LEVEL PAST PAPER QUESTIONS
TOPIC-6 Pressure

(a) about kinematics!!!

(b) If there was no air-bag, a large pressure would be exerted on the ball at the point where it hits the dashboard.

(i) Define pressure. [1]

(ii) The inflated air-bag reduces the pressure exerted on the ball. State two reasons why the pressure is reduced. [2]

(c) Compressed gas from a small cylinder inflates the air-bag. The cylinder contains a volume of 600 cm3 of gas at a
pressure of 1.4 × 107 Pa. The cylinder and the inflated air-bag have a volume of 30 000 cm3.

(i) Calculate the pressure of the gas in the inflated air-bag, assuming that the temperature is constant. [3]

(ii) The pressure inside the cylinder decreases as the air-bag is inflated. Explain, using ideas about molecules, why
the pressure decreases. [2]

[Nov-2007]

PAPER-4 Alternative to Practical