Name : ............................................ Index No : .............

Gr
2
10 IGCSE Physics MCQ Max. Mark : 40
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1 The diagram shows the resultant R of a 3.0 N force and a 4.0 N force that act at a point P.

3.0 N R

P
4.0 N

The angle between the 3.0 N force and the 4.0 N force can be any value from 0° to 90°.

Which value of R is not possible?

A 4.0 N B 5.0 N C 6.0 N D 7.0 N

2 What is measured using a micrometer?

A area
B current
C length
D mass

3 The graph shows a short journey. It is a speed–time graph.

4
speed
m/s 3

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
time / s

What is the greatest speed reached?

A 1m/s B 2m/s C 3m/s D 4m/s

4 A car of weight 11 000 N moves with constant velocity along a horizontal road. A driving force of
5000 N acts on the car.

What is the force opposing the motion of the car?

A 5000 N B 6000 N C 11 000 N D 16 000 N

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5 A man with an open parachute falls to Earth at constant speed. The following forces act:

P the upward force of the parachute on the man

Q the upward force of the man on the Earth
R the downward force of the Earth on the parachute
S the downward force of the man on the parachute

Which two forces are a Newton’s third law pair?

A P and Q B P and R C P and S D Q and R

6 A box is pulled up a rough slope, as shown.

direction of
movement

In which direction does friction act on the box?

7 The diagram shows a motorcyclist leaning over in order to turn the corner to the left.

Which force causes him to turn?

motorcyclist

left right
C

D B

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8 Which type of force causes the Earth to orbit the Sun?

A elastic
B electrostatic
C gravitational
D magnetic

9 Four objects of different masses are on different planets.

The weight of each object on its planet is determined.

Which object is on the planet with the smallest gravitational field strength?

mass / kg weight / N

A 5 125
B 15 150
C 20 220
D 25 225

10 Which physical quantity does not change when a piece of copper is heated?

A density
B mass
C temperature
D volume

11 A single metal bolt has a mass of 34 g.

Three of the bolts are immersed in a measuring cylinder that contains 30 cm3 of water.

The reading on the measuring cylinder rises to 42 cm3.

What is the density of the metal?

A 0.81 g / cm3 B 2.8 g / cm3 C 7.5 g / cm3 D 8.5 g / cm3

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12 A rocket of mass M when empty carries a mass M of fuel. The rocket and fuel travel at speed v.
The engine of the rocket is fired and all of the fuel is expelled. The speed of the rocket increases
to 2v.

What happens to the kinetic energy of the rocket?

A It doubles.
B It halves.
C It increases by a factor of four.
D It stays the same.

13 A car of mass 1000 kg is driven 200 m up an incline so that it rises 50 m vertically.

200 m
50 m

The acceleration of free fall g is 10 m / s2.

What is the gain in gravitational potential energy?

A 5000 J B 200 000 J C 500 000 J D 2 000 000 J

14 A fish is swimming 15 m below the surface of a lake, as shown.

15 m

fish

The density of the water is 1000 kg / m3.

Atmospheric pressure is 100 000 Pa.

The acceleration of free fall g is 10 m / s2.

What is the total pressure on the fish?

A 50 000 Pa B 120 000 Pa C 150 000 Pa D 250 000 Pa

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15 The diagram shows a mercury manometer. The tube is open to the atmosphere on the right-hand
side.

The left-hand side is connected to a container containing a gas at pressure P.

60 mm 80 mm
gas at
pressure P
mercury

Atmospheric pressure on its own supports a column of mercury of height 756 mm.

Which height of column does pressure P on its own support?

A 676 mm of mercury
B 696 mm of mercury
C 816 mm of mercury
D 836 mm of mercury

16 In a weightlifting contest, an athlete lifts a metal bar of mass 20 kg fitted with a mass of 80 kg on
each end.

The lift from ground to a height of 2.5 m takes 0.50 s.

20 kg
80 kg
80 kg

2.5 m

ground

The gravitational field strength g is 10 N / kg.

What average power does the weightlifter exert in providing the gravitational potential energy
during this lift?

A 0.90 kW B 5.0 kW C 8.0 kW D 9.0 kW

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17 A boy is standing by the side of a lake.

stone

2.0 m
water surface

The boy drops a heavy stone from a height of 2.0 m above the water surface.

The acceleration due to gravity is 10 m / s2.

What is the speed of the stone when it hits the surface of the water?

A 4.5 m / s B 6.3 m / s C 20 m / s D 40 m / s

18 In which situation is energy being released by the fusion of hydrogen nuclei to form helium?

A in the decay of 14C used to date an object

B in a radioactive isotope emitting alpha-particles
C in the centre of the Earth
D in the centre of the Sun

19 The diagram shows a block being pulled up a slope by a force F.

new position
r of block

F p

The block reaches the new position at the top of the slope.

What is the work done by force F in moving the block to its new position?

A F×r B F×p C F (q + p) D F (r + p)

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In which
20 Which situationabout
statement is energy being releasedclinical
a mercury-in-glass by the thermometer
fusion of hydrogen nuclei to form helium?
is correct?

A inIt the decay

covers of C 14
a much used
larger to date
range anan
than object
ordinary laboratory thermometer.
B inIt ais radioactive isotope
more sensitive thanemitting alpha-particles
an ordinary laboratory thermometer.
C in
Itsthe centre
scale of linear.
is not the Earth

D inItsthe centre ofisthe

sensitivity Sun by the constriction in the capillary tube.
affected

21 Which description of a dull black surface is correct?

A good emitter, good absorber and good reflector of radiation

B good emitter, poor absorber and poor reflector of radiation
C good emitter, good absorber and poor reflector of radiation
D poor emitter, poor absorber and poor reflector of radiation

22 The temperature of a body increases by 1 °C.

Which other quantity also increases?

A heat capacity
B internal energy
C specific heat capacity
D specific latent heat

23 The
The thermal energyofproduced
200 V battery an electricbycaranis electric
chargedheater
with a in three ofminutes
current 33 A foris4.0
used to melt
hours. The wax. The
efficiency
of the
solid charging
wax process
is initially at its is 90%. point of 60 °C.
melting
How much useable energy is transferred to the battery?
The specific latent heat of the wax is 220 J / g. The heater supplies 7700 J of thermal energy to the
wax. Some of the wax melts.

How much wax melts?

A 21 MJg
0.58 B 86 g
1.7 MJ C 95
12 MJ
g D 35 g MJ
106

24 Which row explains why a liquid has a fixed volume but does not have a fixed shape?

force between molecules movement of molecules

in the liquid in the liquid

A large free to move within the liquid

B large vibrate at fixed positions
C small free to move within the liquid
D small vibrate at fixed positions

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25 A fixed mass of gas is enclosed in a cylinder by a piston which is free to move.

Which combination of changes to the pressure and to the temperature must increase the density
of the gas?

pressure temperature

A decrease decrease
B decrease increase
C increase decrease
D increase increase

26 Light enters a glass block at an angle of incidence i and it produces an angle of refraction r in the
glass.

r
glass
block

Several different values of i and r are measured, and a graph is drawn of sin i against sin r.

Which graph is correct?

A B C D
sin i sin i sin i sin i
1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5

0 0 0 0
0 0.5 1.0 0 0.5 1.0 0 0.5 1.0 0 0.5 1.0
sin r sin r sin r sin r

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27 A swimming pool is lit by an underwater light.

A ray of light is incident on the water surface.

What is the correct path for the ray of light?

B
water surface
A

light
C
D

28 Which diagram shows the action of a converging lens on a parallel beam of light?

A B

C D

29 What is a feature of red light compared with that of violet light?

A A prism deviates red light more.

B Red light has a lower frequency.
C Red light has a shorter wavelength.
D The speed of red light in a vacuum is smaller.

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30 What is the ratio of the longest sound wavelength audible to a healthy human ear to the shortest?

A 20 : 1 B 1000 : 1 C 10 000 : 1 D 20 000 : 1

31 Ultrasound is used to clean jewellery in a liquid.

What is another use of ultrasound?

A optical fibre communication

B pre-natal scanning
C sunbeds
D telephone communications

32 Bar magnets and various non-magnetic and demagnetised metal bars are placed in the different
arrangements shown.

In which arrangement do the bars repel?

A B

S N iron S N copper

C D

N S S N N S

S N

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33 There is varying current in the coil of the loudspeaker shown. The loudspeaker is producing a
sound. The magnet is clamped.

clamp
cone

coil

magnet

What is vibrating to produce the sound?

A coil only
B cone only
C magnet only
D coil and cone

34 Two insulated and uncharged metal spheres X and Y are touching.

A positively charged rod is held near X and then the spheres are moved apart.

X now has a negative charge.

X Y
+
+
+

What is the charge on Y?

A negative and smaller than that on X

B negative and the same size as that on X
C positive and smaller than that on X
D positive and the same size as that on X

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35 A stationary negative charge in an electric field experiences an electric force in the direction
shown.

left – force right

What is the direction of the electric field?

A to the left
B to the right
C down the page
D up the page

36 A battery consists of three identical cells in parallel.

What is the unit of electromotive force (e.m.f.) and to what is the e.m.f. of the battery equal?

unit e.m.f. of the battery is equal to

A J/C the sum of the e.m.f.s of the three cells

B J/C the e.m.f. of one of the cells
C N/V the sum of the e.m.f.s of the three cells
D N/V the e.m.f. of one of the cells

A
37 The nuclide notation for an isotope of X is ZX.

How many neutrons are there in a nucleus?

A A B A–Z C Z–A D Z

38 Radioactivity is used in several activities that take place in hospitals.

Which activity never uses radioactivity?

A cooking meals
B diagnosing illnesses
C sterilising equipment
D treating illnesses

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14
39 6C is a natural radioactive isotope of carbon and is present in all living things. It has a half-life of
5700 years.

1 14
How old is a bone that is found to have only 4
of the natural proportion of 6C ?

A 5700 years
B 11 400 years
C 17 100 years
D 22 800 years

40 A kettle is connected to the 240 V mains supply using a plug containing a 13 A fuse.

The kettle contains water.

When it is switched on, the fuse blows. This happens again after a new fuse is fitted.

Someone replaces the fuse with a nail, and the kettle works.

What else might happen as a result of replacing the fuse with a nail?

A A very large current overloads the wiring, causing a fire.

B The kettle boils the water less quickly.
C The kettle uses more energy to boil the water.
D The water boils at a higher temperature.

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