Student No: .

25/3/04

THE KING'S SCHOOL

HALF YEARLY EXAMINATION

2005

PHYSICS
YEAR 12
INSTRUCTIONS

Time allowed - 1 hours

DO NOT REMOVE this paper from the examination room

Answer ALL questions in the spaces provided

Write your Student number in ALL the spaces provided

TOPICS:

Space
Motors and Generators

SECTION A SECTION B SECTION C -

10 multiple choice questions 1 mark each

10 short answer questions
2 extended response questions
TOTAL

A Formula and Data Sheet is provided at the back you may detach it.

Performance outcome
for reporting

= 10 marks
= 30 marks
= 10 marks
= 50 marks

Demonstrates competence with the key physical concepts as

studied in the HSC course.

SECTION A
Questions 1 - 10 - multiple choice
Attempt ALL questions

Choose the best answer and indicate your choice by placing a cross (X) in the appropriate
space on the Answer grid.
1.

A body's gravitational potential energy changes with its distance from a planet.
Which graph best describes the gravitational potential energy (E) of a body as a
measure of its distance (d) from the planet's surface?
A

Year 12 Physics : Half Yearly Exam 2005

Page 2

2.

NASA sent two probes, SAT 1 and SAT 2 to planet Cmos. Both probes lie on the same
plane as they orbit Cmos. Data from the probes was sent back to NASA and tabulated
as shown below.
Planet Cmos

Probe
SAT 1

Radius of Orbit (km)

6,300

Period of revolution (hours)

4

SAT 2

7,500

Data not received

The period of revolution for SAT 2 was not received due to sunspot interference.
From the received data, what did NASA scientists calculate the period of revolution for
SAT 2 to be?
A
B
C
D
3.

4.8 hours
5.0 hours
5.2 hours
5.4 hours

A space probe is in orbit around a newly discovered planet at a distance of 10,000 km

above the planet's surface.
The planet's diameter is measured as being 14,000 km and the mass of the planet is
found to be 1.2 1025 kg.

What is the value of gravitational acceleration in the space probe's orbit?

(A) 16.25 ms-2
(B)
8.00 ms-2
(C)
2.75 ms-2
(D) 1.40 ms-2

Year 12 Physics : Half Yearly Exam 2005

Page 3

4.

The diagram below shows the path of a projectile under the influence of the Earth's
gravitational field.

Which combination of graphs best depicts the projectiles vertical and horizontal
velocity for the motion with respect to time?
Vertical velocity Vv
A

Horizontal velocity Vh
Vh

Vv

Vh

Vv

Vv

Vh

Vv

Vh
t

Year 12 Physics : Half Yearly Exam 2005

Page 4

5.

A muon at rest has an average lifetime of 10-6 s. A muon travelling at high speed in a
particle accelerator is found to have a lifetime of 2 x 10-6 s. What is the approximate
speed of the muon?
A
B
C
D

6.

0.5 c
0.75 c
0.87 c
1.15 c

A student performed an experiment to measure the force on a long current-carrying

conductor placed perpendicular to an external magnetic field.
The graph shows how the force on a 1.0 m length of the conductor varied as the current
through the conductor was changed.
Force (N)

0.7

3.0

Current (A)

What was the magnitude of the external magnetic field in this experiment?
A
B
C
D

0.23 T
1.1 T
2.1 T
4.3 T

Year 12 Physics : Half Yearly Exam 2005

Page 5

7.

A loop of wire is placed in a magnetic field as shown.

The magnetic field strength B is doubled and then reduced to zero as shown in the
graph below.

B
t

Choose the graph which best describes the induced current in the loop.
A

B
clockwise

clockwise

D
clockwise

clockwise

anticlockwise

Year 12 Physics : Half Yearly Exam 2005

anticlockwise

anticlockwise

anticlockwise

Page 6

8.

A conductor, which is in a magnetic field, is connected to a power source through a

switch as shown below.

When the switch is closed, what will be the direction of the force on the conductor?
A
B
C
D

9.

into the page

down the page
up the page
out of the page

The name given to the labelled features of an AC motor below are correct in which of
the following options?

A
B
C
D

1
shaft
laminated core
squirrel cage
magnet

2
magnet
shaft
laminated core
squirrel cage

Year 12 Physics : Half Yearly Exam 2005

3
squirrel cage
magnet
shaft
laminated core

4
laminated core
squirrel cage
magnet
shaft

Page 7

10.

The coil of an AC generator rotates at a constant rate in an magnetic field as shown.

Which of the following diagrams represents the curve of flux threading the coil?
A
flux

B
flux

C
flux

D
flux

Year 12 Physics : Half Yearly Exam 2005

Page 8

Student No: .

SECTION B
Questions 11 20 - 30 marks
Attempt ALL questions
Write your answers in the space provided after each question.
Show all working where relevant.
11.

Two students carried out an investigation to determine the acceleration due to gravity
using pendulum motion.
They set up the equipment as shown in the diagram below:

Their results allowed them to construct the following table. One value was omitted.
Length L
(metres)
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.30

Period2 (T2)
(seconds2)
0.36
Not calculated
0.79
0.97
1.2

Question 11 continued on next page

Year 12 Physics : Half Yearly Exam 2005

Page 9

Question 11 (continued)
The results from the table were used to plot a graph of period2 against length as shown
below:
Period2 versus Length of Pendulum

(a)

L
, describe how
g
the value of acceleration due to gravity can be determined from the slope of the
graph.

Given that the period of a simple pendulum is given by T = 2

[2]

...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
(b)

Calculate the value of acceleration due to gravity in this situation.

[2]

...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................

Year 12 Physics : Half Yearly Exam 2005

Page 10

A plane drops emergency food rations to the Red Cross in Central Africa. The plane is
travelling at 200 km/hour and keeping a constant altitude above the flat plains below.

Altitude

12.

The person dropping the rations measures the time of fall to be 15 seconds to impact.
(a)

Calculate the final vertical velocity of the food rations just before impact.

[2]

...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
(b)

Calculate the plane's altitude.

[2]

...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
13.

Special precautions must be taken with spacecraft returning to the Earth's atmosphere.
Discuss what precautions must be taken to ensure than a manned spacecraft safely
returns to Earth.
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................

Year 12 Physics : Half Yearly Exam 2005

Page 11

[2]

14.

15.

A 1570 kg satellite orbits a planet in a circle of radius 5.94 x 106 m. The gravitational
force of attraction between this satellite and the planet is 1.57 x 106 N. Determine the
mass of the planet.

[2]

(a)

[1]

Distinguish between inertial and non-inertial frames of reference.

...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................

(b)

Calculate the mass of a proton when it is travelling at 75% the speed of light.

[2]

...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................

16.

The diagram below shows a simplified cross-section of a loudspeaker.

Cone
Voice Coil
varying
voltage output
from amplifier

N
Magnet

Using principles of physics, explain how the cone of this device is made to vibrate.
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
Year 12 Physics : Half Yearly Exam 2005

Page 12

[2]

Student No: .

17.

(a)

Calculate the force on a 15 cm length of wire carrying 1 mA of current placed at

45 to a magnetic field of strength 0.1 T as shown in the diagram.

[1]

...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
(b)

Explain why the torque on a current-carrying loop in a magnetic field is zero

when the magnetic flux through the coil is at a maximum.
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................

Year 12 Physics : Half Yearly Exam 2005

Page 13

[2]

18.

When a small metal cylinder is dropped into one end of the copper tube shown below, it
falls freely under the action of gravity.
Small metal cylinder

Copper tube

Yet a small magnet of identical dimensions takes much longer to fall through the tube.
(a)

Explain this observation.

[2]

...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
This phenomena can be both useful and a problem in different solutions.
(b)

Identify ONE practical application where this phenomena is put to use.

[1]

...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
(c)

Identify practical situations where this phenomena is a problem and outline ways
the problem(s) could be minimised.
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................

Year 12 Physics : Half Yearly Exam 2005

Page 14

[2]

Student No: .
19.

In the picture below, the transformer has 50 turns in its primary coil and 15 in the
secondary coil.
Primary (n = 50)

(a)

Secondary (n = 15)

If the initial primary voltage is 240 V, calculate the output voltage of this
transformer.

[1]

...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
(b)

Explain why it is necessary to transmit electricity at high voltages when

traversing long distances between generator and the consumers.

[2]

...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................
...............................................................................................................................

20.

The diagram below shows a part of an AC induction motor.

Explain the function of the part labelled H in the diagram.

[2]

........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................

Year 12 Physics : Half Yearly Exam 2005

Page 15

SECTION C
Question 21 22 - 5 marks each

21.

Identify and discuss THREE disadvantages of Edison's method of supplying electric

power to American cities compared to Westinghouse's method.

[5]

........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................

22.

During the course, you studied one of the following scientists, Tsiolkovsky, Oberth,
Goddard, Esnault-Pelterie, O'Neill or von Braun. Choose ONE of these scientists and
analyse the contributions that he made to the development of the exploration of space.
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
End of Paper

Year 12 Physics : Half Yearly Exam 2005

Page 16

[5]