Science Department

Year 10 Physics summer homework (2019)

Dear Yr10 physics students,
The IGCSE runs over two academic years. For this reason, the passage from Year 10 to Year 11 is crucial and
must be taken very seriously to ensure a smooth and efficient transition. In year 11 you will not start a new
course from scratch but you will continue with the present course and develop your understanding of
physics through the study of further topics.
To help you in this task, here is a summer homework that you should do over the holidays, spreading it all
over July and August and hand it in during the first week of next term.
Prior to attempting the following questions, you should thoroughly review the first year of this course
using your textbook, make personalised summaries and try to answer end of chapter questions. Once this
is done, answer the questions below making sure to show your working out, to use the correct units, to
express your numerical results with a convenient number of significant figures and to present your work in
a tidy and well organised manner.
This summer homework will be marked and you will receive a full feedback in September. The mark you
will obtain, then, will be your first test mark for Yr11 and will count towards your first evaluation report for
next term.
I insist on the importance to complete this homework very consistently and not to do it quickly in one or
two weeks. Instead, you should read from your textbook one topic a week and attempt the questions
related to that particular topic only.
The topics you must review are the following:
 Units and measurements
 Uniform and uniformly accelerated motion (including motion graphs and “suvat” equations)
 Dynamics: forces, moments, energy, work and power
 Energy resources
 Thermal physics: heat transfer, specific heat capacity and latent heat.
 Radioactivity: alpha, beta and gamma decays; Half-life; uses and dangers.
The first week back in September you will have a topic test on radioactivity. So prepare it thoroughly.

I wish you a nice and happy summer.

1. The diagram shows the horizontal forces acting on a cyclist while she is accelerating.

(a) Explain how the unbalanced force acting on the cyclist changes as she accelerates and then cycles
at a constant speed.

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(3)

(b) Some racing cycles have lightweight frames. Why is it an advantage for the cycle to have a
lightweight frame?

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(2)
(c) (i) A cyclist and her cycle have a total mass of 85 kg.
Calculate the combined kinetic energy of the cyclist and cycle when travelling at a speed of
12 m/s.

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(3)

(ii) The kinetic energy of the cyclist and cycle increases at an average rate of
180 joules per second.
Calculate the time it takes to gain this energy.

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(2)

(d) The diagram shows the energy flow through the cycle during the first second that the cyclist is
accelerating.
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200 J 180 J
from cyclist as kinetic energy

(i) Complete the diagram by labeling the top arrow.

(1)

(ii) Calculate the efficiency of the cycle.

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(3)
(iii) When the cyclist is travelling at constant speed, the kinetic energy is constant although the
cyclist is still producing 200 J/s.
Where does the energy go?

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2. A sky-diver of mass 70 kg jumps from a plane. The graph shows how the vertical velocity of the sky-
diver varies with time. Parts of the graph have been labeled A, B, C, D and E.

50
B C
40

Vertical velocity 30
in m/s
20 D

10

0 A E
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Time in s

(a) At A, the sky-diver has an acceleration equal to the acceleration due to gravity of
10 m/s2. Calculate the resultant force acting on the sky-diver at this instant.

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(3)

(b) How can you tell from the graph that in the time period from B to C the resultant force acting on
the sky-diver is zero?

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(3)
(c) Describe and explain the motion of the sky-diver from C until he lands at E.

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(4)

(d) A sky-diver, of the same mass, falls from the same height but uses a parachute with a larger surface
area. On the grid, sketch a graph to show his motion. (2)
3. Paul and Kate are climbers.

(a) Kate weighs 550 N and Paul weighs 750 N.

They climb a rock face to a height of 45 m.

Not to
scale
45 m

(i) In the diagram, Paul has more gravitational potential energy than Kate.
Explain why.

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(1)

(ii) Give the equation needed to calculate how much work Kate will do in climbing the rock
face.

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(1)

(iii) Calculate how much work she does in climbing 45 m.

State the unit in your answer.

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(2)
 (iv) Paul accidentally dislodged a small rock.
The rock took 3 s to fall to the ground.
The acceleration due to gravity is 10 m/s2.
How fast was the rock travelling when it hit the ground?

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(3)

(v) Complete the sentences.

While the rock was falling, gravitational potential energy was converted to

…………………………. energy.
(1)
(b) Mountaineers who climb in high places often use cylinders of oxygen.
A cylinder contained 0.25 m3 of oxygen at 150 kPa pressure.
The pressure of the atmosphere is 100 kPa.

Calculate the volume of oxygen when it is all released from the cylinder into the atmosphere.

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(2)

4. The diagram shows the forces on a car travelling along a level road.

resistive force = 550 N

driving force = 950 N

(a) How can you tell that the car is accelerating forwards?

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(1)

(b) The total mass of the car is 850 kg.

Calculate the acceleration of the car.

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(3)
 (c) Explain how the horizontal forces on the car change when the driver takes her foot off the
accelerator and applies the brake.

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(3)

5. (a) Explain the difference between kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy.

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(2)

(b) An electric motor is used to lift 500 kg of bricks 3.0 m vertically as shown.

(i) Calculate the increase in the gravitational potential energy of the bricks. The gravitational
field strength is 10 N/kg.

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(3)
 (ii) The energy supplied to the motor was 24 000 J.
Explain why this is not the same as your answer to part (i).

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(2)

Q6. A smoke detector fitted inside a house contains a radioactive source, americium
241.

(a) Complete the following table of information for an atom of americium 241.

Number of neutrons 146

Number of protons 95

Number of electrons

(1)

(b) The diagram shows that the radiation given out by americium 241 does not go
through paper.

Which type of radiation, alpha (α), beta (β), or gamma (γ) is given out by
americium 241?

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(1)

(c) Explain why the radiation given out by the americium 241 is unlikely to do any
harm to people living in the house.

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(2)
Q7. Before using a radioactive source, a teacher asked her students to suggest safety
procedures that would reduce her exposure to the radiation. The students made the following

(a) Which suggestion, A, B or C, would not reduce the exposure of the teacher to
radiation?

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(1)

(b) The diagram shows how the teacher measured the distance that the radiation
traveled from the source. The count-rate at different distances from the source
was measured and recorded in the table.

Distance from source Count-rate in counts

to detector in cm per minute

20 85

40 81

60 58

80 53

100 23

What type of radiation was the source emitting, alpha, beta or gamma?

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Explain the reasons for your choice.

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(3)

(c) The graphs show how two groups of scientists, A and B, link exposure to
radiation and the risk of getting cancer.

(i) Complete the following sentence using a word or phrase from the box.

decreases has no effect on increases

Both groups of scientists agree that a high level of exposure to radiation

............................................................ the risk of getting cancer.

(1)

(ii) Use the graphs to describe carefully how the two groups of scientists disagree when the
level of exposure to radiation is very low.

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(2)
Q8. (a) The names of three types of radiation are given in List A. Various properties
of these three types of radiation are given in List B.

Draw a line to link each type of radiation in List A to its correct property in List B.
Draw only three lines.

(3)

(b) This sign warns people that a radioactive source is being used in a laboratory.

Why is it important to warn people that a radioactive source is being used?

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(1)

(c) To study the blood flow in a patient’s lungs, a doctor injects some technetium-99 compound
into the patient. The gamma radiation given out by the technetium-99
atoms is detected using a gamma camera outside the patient’s body.

Which statement gives the reason why gamma radiation is used? Put a tick ( ) in
the box next to your choice.

It can travel through a vacuum.

It is not affected by a magnet.

It can pass through the human body.

(1)
 Q9. A radioactive source emits alpha (α), beta (β) and gamma (γ) radiation. The diagram
shows what happens to the radiation as it passes between two charged metal plates.

(a) Which line P, Q or R shows the path taken by:

(i) alpha radiation ....................

(1)

(ii) gamma radiation? ....................

(1)

(b) The diagram shows three different boxes and three radioactive sources. Each source emits
only one type of radiation and is stored in a different box. The box reduces the amount of radiation
getting into the air.

Draw three lines to show which source should be stored in which box so that
the minimum amount of radiation gets into the air.
(2)
Q10. A beta particle is a high-energy electron.

(i) Which part of an atom emits a beta particle and how?

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(3)

(ii) How does the composition of an atom change when it emits a beta particle?

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(1)