Page 1 of 9

I _____________
II _____________
III _____________

III ____________

Phys253B Final Examination - Spring 2014
Student Name: ID #:
Time: 2 hours
Part I (no partial credit, 5 points each)
1. Charging a neutral object without touching it with a charged object is called charging by
___________________.

2. X and Y are two uncharged metal spheres on insulating stands, and are in contact with
each other. A positively charged rod R is brought close to X (figure 1).
Sphere Y is now moved away from X (figure 2).








The final charge states of X and Y, respectively, are:
a) Neutral and neutral.
b) Positive and neutral.
c) Neutral and positive.
d) Negative and positive

3. An electron, a proton, and a neutron are accelerated through a uniform electric field as
seen in the figure. Label the path of each particle by writing its name by the path number
I, II, III.








Page 2 of 9

4. The resistors in the circuit shown each have a resistance of 400 . What is the equivalent
resistance of the circuit?

a) 200
b) 400
c) 800
d) 1600


5. If the length and diameter of a wire of circular cross section are both doubled, the
resistance is

a) Unchanged.
b) Doubled.
c) Increased fourfold.
d) Halved.
e) None of these are true



6. A current carrying loop of wire lies flat on a table top. When viewed from above, the
current moves around the loop in a counterclockwise sense. What is the direction of the
magnetic field caused by this current, outside the loop?
The magnetic field

a) Circles the loop in a clockwise direction.
b) Circles the loop in a counterclockwise direction.
c) Points straight up.
d) Points straight down





Page 3 of 9







7.

As the capacitor in the RC circuit above reaches its maximum charge (when the switch is
closed), which of the following statements is FALSE?
a) The voltage across the capacitor is at its maximum.
b) The voltage across the resistor is zero.
c) The final current across the resistor is the same as the initial current across the
resistor.
d) The sum of the voltages across the capacitor and resistor is equal to the initial
voltage across the capacitor.

8. In the following figure, angle AOB is 97.0 degrees. What is the angle of incidence?

a) 43.5 degrees
b) 48.5 degrees
c) 83.0 degrees
d) 97.0 degrees








Page 4 of 9

9. Light is incident on two slits that are separated by 0.2 mm. The figure shows the resulting
interference pattern observed on a screen 2.0 m away from the slits. Determine the wavelength
of light used in this experiment.

a) 5 nm
b) 25 nm
c) 250 nm
d) 500 nm


10. The image produced by a convex mirror of an erect object in front of the mirror (farther
than the focal length) is always

a) Virtual, erect, and larger than the object
b) Real, upside-down, and smaller than the object
c) Real, erect, and larger than the object
d) Virtual, erect, and smaller than the object



11. Light of wavelength 700.0 nm passes through double slits. The m = 0 and m = 1 bright
spots are 6.0 cm apart on a screen positioned 2.0 m from the slits. What is the spacing
between the two slits?

a) 23.3 nm
b) 42.0 nm
c) 46.7 nm
d) 73.8 nm
e) 124 nm



Page 5 of 9

Part I I Short Answer
Problem 1 (7 points)

A long solenoid consists of 1500 turns of wire and has a length of 0.65m. There is a current of
4.7 A in the wire. What is the magnitude of the magnetic field within the solenoid?








Problem 2 (8 points)
A V vs. I plot for a resistor is shown on the right.
a) Is the resistor Ohmic or non-Ohmic?


b) As the current increases, how does the resistance change?








Page 6 of 9

Problem 3 (15 points)

A car mechanic uses a rechargeable torch, which contains five identical light bulbs. The bulbs
are connected to a 12-volt battery, as shown in the diagram below.








a) i. State the name that describes the arrangement of bulbs in the circuit shown above.


ii. Explain why bulbs connected in this way will be bright.





b) The current through each bulb is 0.30 A. Calculate the total resistance of the circuit.




c) The voltage across each bulb is 12 V and the current through each is 0.30 A. Calculate
the total power output of the torch.








Page 7 of 9

d) One of the light bulbs in the torch blows and stops working. Explain what effect this
would have on the total brightness of the torch.









e) Explain how the brightness of the bulbs would change if the bulbs were connected to the
battery as shown below.


























Page 8 of 9

Problem 4 (15 points)
Charging and discharging curve of a capacitor given by following figure.

a. Briefly explain the charging and discharging behavior of a capacitor.




b. Record the following quantities from the above table.
i. Maximum Voltage =
ii. Half of Maximum Voltage =
iii. Time of Maximum Voltage =
iv. Time of Half Maximum Voltage =





Page 9 of 9

c. If the capacitor connected with 100 k resistor use the half-life to calculate capacitance
of the circuit.





d. What is the time constant of the circuit?





e. When you use the flash on a camera, it often takes a few seconds before you can use the
flash again. Explain.