AS REVISION 2016

1. Define linear momentum. State the law of conservation of momentum.

Far from any massive object , a space rocket is moving with constant velocity.
The engines of the space rocket are turned on and it accelerates by burning
fuel and ejecting gases. Discuss how the law of conservation of momentum
relates to this situation.
2. Jane and Joe are two ice skaters initially at rest on a horizontal skating rink.
They are facing each other and Jane is holding a ball. Jane throws the ball to
Joe who catches it. The speed at which the ball leaves Jane, measured
relative to the ground, is 8.0 ms-1. The following data are available.
Mass of Jane = 52 kg
;
Mass of Joe = 74 kg
;
Mass of ball
= 1.3 kg
Use the data to calculate the
(i)
Speed v of Jane relative to the ground immediately after she throws
the ball.
(ii)
Speed V of Joe relative to the ground immediately after he catches
the ball.
3. Describe what is meant by the Doppler effect.
A source S of sound emits sound of frequency 1.20 kHz. S executes simple
harmonic oscillations along the x-axis. An observer X is situated on the x- axis
as shown.

The maximum speed of S is 45 ms-1 . The speed of sound is 340 ms -1.

Determine the range of frequencies heard by the observer.
4. The current in a metal conductor of cross-sectional area A is given by:
I = nAve
State the meanings of n and v. Show that the equation is correct in terms of
units.
The current in a copper wire is 2. 0 A. The wire has a cross-sectional area of
1.2 mm2 and is 5.0m
long. Calculate the time it takes a free electron in the wire
to travel from one end to the other.
( n

CU

= 8 x 1028 m-3 )

The same current (2.0 A) is now passed through a thinner wire of the
same length and material. Use the above equation to explain the effect
this charge would have on the time for an electron to travel from one end to
the other.
5. An electric cell is a device that is used to transfer energy to electrons in a
circuit. A particular circuit consists of a cell of emf and internal resistance r
connected in series with a resistor of resistance 5.0 .

Define emf of a cell.

The energy supplied by the cell to one electron in transferring it around the
circuit is 5.1 x 10-19. Show that the emf of the cell is 3.2 V.
Each electron in the circuit transfers an energy of 4.0 x 10 -19 to the 5.0
resistor. Determine the value of the internal resistance r.
6. A resistance strain gauge is a device used to detect very small changes in
structures such as buildings and bridges. It consists of a very fine wire glued
onto a thin plastic sheet. The gauge is attached to the structure under test,
so that when the structure deforms the wire is either stretched or
compressed.
If the wire is stretched it gets longer and thinner. Using an equation to
justify your answer, explain the effect that stretching the wire has on its
resistance.
The diagram shows a typical strain gauge. The wire is of circular crosssection and is arranged in a zig-zag pattern.

Show that the resistance of the wire in the strain gauge is 56 . Assume that
the diameter is 1.75 x 10-5 m and the resistivity = 7.0 x 10-8 m.
Calculate the change in length needed to produce a 0.1% variation in
resistance in the strain gauge. For calculation, ignore changes in crosssectional area.
Suggest why it is beneficial for the wire to be arranged in a zig-zag pattern.
7.