Name: _______________________________________________

Physics P1 core practicals

Date:

Time:

Total marks available:

Total marks achieved: ______

Questions

Q1.

A student investigates the motion of a trolley along a horizontal runway using the apparatus in Figure 2.

Figure 2
A trolley is attached to a string passing over a pulley.
A block of metal hangs on the end of the string.
Each light gate measures the time it takes for the card to pass through the gate.
When the trolley is released, it moves along the track.
A computer measures the time it takes for the card to pass between each light gate.
Figure 3 shows a graph of acceleration against force for three trollies of different mass that are pulled
along the runway.
The graphs for the trollies are labelled P, Q and R.

Figure 3
Use the information from the graph.
(i) Calculate the mass of trolley Q
(2)

mass of trolley Q = ........................................................... kg

(ii) Describe how the graph shows that trolley R has the greatest mass.
(2)
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(Total for question = 4 marks)

Q2.

Figure 2 shows water waves spreading out from a source.

A student measures the wavelength of the waves.
He uses a ruler to measure the distance from one crest to the next crest.

Figure 2
Explain how to improve the student's method for measuring the wavelength.
(2)
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(Total for question = 2 marks)

Q3.

A student investigates what happens when light travels from air to glass.
Figure 15 shows some of the apparatus used in the investigation.

Figure 15
(i) In Figure 15, angle Y is the angle of
(1)
A deflection
B incidence
C reflection
D refraction

(ii) Figure 16 is a graph of the student's results.

 Figure 16
Use the graph to calculate a value for

(2)

...........................................................
(iii) The student concludes that angle Y is directly proportional to angle X.
Explain what the student must do to test this conclusion in more detail.
(3)
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(Total for question = 6 marks)

Q4.

A car accelerates at a constant rate of 1.83 m/s2 along a flat straight road.
The force acting on the car is 1.870 kN.
Calculate the mass of the car.
Give your answer to three significant figures.
(3)

mass = ........................................................... kg

(Total for question = 3 marks)

Q5.

A wave has a frequency of 15 Hz.

Its wavelength is 125 m.
Calculate the speed of the wave.
State the unit.
(3)

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Q6.

The electromagnetic spectrum is continuous.

Different regions of the spectrum have different properties.
An electromagnetic wave has a frequency of 7 × 109 Hz.
The speed of the wave is 3 × 108 m/s.
Calculate the wavelength of the wave.
 (3)

wavelength = .....................m

Q7.

Figure 1 shows a ripple tank.

This is used to study the behaviour of water waves.

Figure 1
Water waves are produced in the tank.
The shadow of the waves is projected onto the screen below the tank.
The waves appear to move in the direction of the arrow.
(i) Describe how to determine the frequency of the waves.
(2)
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(ii) The screen is 80 cm long.
What is the approximate wavelength of the waves as seen on the screen?
(1)
A 4 cm
B 8 cm
C 40 cm
D 80 cm

(iii) A student uses the image to estimate the speed of the water wave as 75 cm/s.
Which of these is a reason why the estimate is not correct?
(1)
A the student used a ruler without mm markings
B the light was not bright enough
C the student's measurement was inaccurate
D the wave seen on the screen is magnified

(Total for question = 4 marks)

Q8.

A man throws a stone into a pond.

Devise a method of measuring the frequency of the waves.
(2)
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(Total for question = 2 marks)

Q9.
* Figure 13 shows a beam of red light approaching one side of a rectangular glass block.
The beam of light will pass through the block and leave through the opposite side.
AB is a wavefront.

Figure 13

Discuss the path of the wavefront AB as it enters and leaves the glass block.
(6)

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(Total for question = 6 marks)

Q10.

A student investigates the motion of a trolley along a horizontal runway.

Figure 6 shows the apparatus.
 Figure 6
The trolley is attached to a string passing over a pulley.
A 100 g metal disc hangs on the end of the string.
The light gate measures the time it takes for the card to pass through it.
When the trolley is released, it accelerates along the track.
(i) Explain why the trolley accelerates along the track.
(2)
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(ii) The card takes 0.040 s to travel through the light gate.
The student calculates that the average speed of the trolley through the light gate is 1.15 m/s.
Calculate the width of the card.
(2)

width = ........................................................... cm
(iii) The trolley travels 1.2 m along the track from the start before the card reaches the light gate.
Show that acceleration of the trolley along this distance is approximately 0.55 m/s2.
(2)
 (Total for question = 6 marks)

Q11.

Two students, Alice and Bob, carry out an experiment to measure the speed of cars.
Alice paces out the distance between two lamp posts.
She records:
'Distance between lamp posts = 20 paces'
Bob starts to count when a car passes the first lamp post. He stops counting when he thinks it has passed
the second lamp post.
He records:
'My estimate for the time taken for the car to pass between the two lamp posts = 3'
Give three ways the students could improve their experimental procedure.
(3)
1 ..........................................................................................................................................
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2 ..........................................................................................................................................
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3 ..........................................................................................................................................
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(Total for question = 3 marks)

Mark Scheme

Q1.
Q2.
Q3.
Q4.

Q5.

Answer Acceptable Mark

answers
Substitution into Power of 10 error (3)
correct max 1 mark for
equation(1) numerical answer 2
v = 15 × 125 marks for correct
Evaluation (1) numerical answer
 1875 Unit (1) even with no working
m/s shown ms-1not mps
1.875 km/s
or 6750 km/h gain 3
marks If numerical
answer incorrect,
accept any correctly-
written unit of speed:
eg km/s or km/hr or
miles per hour / mph

Q6.

Answer Acceptable Mark

answers
transposition Subst. and
λ = v/f transform. either
order
(1) substitution λ = 3 1 mark only can be
× 108/7 ×109 scored for correct
(1) substitution after
evaluation incorrect
0.043 (m) transposition. 3 ×
108/7 ×109 gains 2
(1) Ignore any marks Accept any
unit given by number of sig.figs.
candidate that rounds to 0.04
0.04 , 0.0428 (m) (1)
Give full marks for
correct answer with
no working. 0.04 ×
any other power of
10 = 2 marks (3)

Q7.
Q8.

Q9.
Q10.
Q11.