Cambridge Past Paper Questions

In this experiment, you will investigate the size of a drop of liquid between two glass or perspex plates.

Answer all the questions in the spaces provided.

A cylinder contains 5.12 mol of an ideal gas at pressure of 5.60 × 10⁵ Pa and volume 3.80 × 10⁴ cm³.

(a) A mass is undergoing simple harmonic motion with amplitude x₀. The maximum velocity of the mass has magnitude v₀. On [Figure 3.1], show the var...

(a) Explain what is meant by the natural frequency of vibration of a system. (b) A block of metal is fixed to one end of a vertical spring. The oth...

(a) Explain the main principles behind the use of ultrasound to obtain diagnostic information about internal body structures. (b) (i) Define specif...

The digital transmission of speech may be represented using the block diagram of [Figure 6.1]. (a) Part of the signal at point P on [Figure 6.1] is...

(a) State what is meant by electric potential at a point. (b) The centres of two charged metal spheres A and B are separated by a distance of 44.0 ...

(a) Two properties of an ideal operational amplifier (op-amp) are infinite bandwidth and infinite slew rate. Explain what is meant by (i) infinite ...

A thin slice of conducting material has its faces PQRS and VWXY normal to a uniform magnetic field of flux density B, as shown in [Figure 9.1]. Ele...

(a) (i) Define magnetic flux. (ii) State Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction. (b) A solenoid has a coil C of wire wound tightly about its ce...

Some electron energy bands in a solid are shown in [Figure 11.1]. The width of the forbidden band and the number density of charge carriers occupyi...

(a) Suggest two causes of lack of sharpness of an X-ray image. (b) The thickness of a sheet of metal is examined using a parallel X-ray beam, as il...

(a) (i) Define radioactive decay constant. (ii) Show that the decay constant λ is related to the half-life t_½ of a radioactive isotope by the expr...

A student is investigating how the extension e of an elastic cord depends on the diameter d of the cord when a force is applied. The student has a ...

A student is investigating monochromatic light passing through a double slit. Bright and dark fringes are produced on a screen as shown in [Figure ...

A wave has a frequency of 5 GHz. What is the period of the wave?

At temperatures close to 0 K, the specific heat capacity c of a particular solid is given by c = bT³, where T is the temperature and b is a constan...

The speed of an aircraft in still air is 200 km h⁻¹. The wind blows from the west at a speed of 85.0 km h⁻¹. In which direction must the pilot stee...

A digital balance is used to weigh ingredients in a laboratory. When a weight is applied to the digital balance, an electronic circuit generates a ...

Four students measure a time interval that is known to be 1.734 s. The measurement recorded by each student is shown. Which measurement is the most...

A mass on the end of a spring bounces up and down as shown, after being released at time t = 0. [Figure 6.1] Which graph shows how the velocity var...

A stone is thrown vertically upwards from a point that is 12 m above the sea. It then falls into the sea below after 3.4 s. Air resistance is negli...

Two balls X and Y are moving towards each other with speeds of 5 m s⁻¹ and 15 m s⁻¹ respectively. [Figure 8.1] They make a perfectly elastic head-o...

In the absence of air resistance, a ball thrown horizontally from a tower with velocity v, will land after time T seconds. If, however, air resista...

Two balls, of masses m and 2m, travelling in a vacuum with initial velocities 2v and v respectively, collide with each other head-on, as shown. [Fi...

A ball falls through a liquid at a constant speed. It is acted upon by three forces: an upthrust, a drag-force and its weight. Which statement is c...

A fairground ride consists of four carriages connected to a central vertical pole, as shown in the following view from above. [Figure 12.1] A motor...

A uniform horizontal beam OX, 4.0 m long and weighing 100 N, is hinged at a wall at point O. It is supported by a cord XY which is attached to the ...

An object shaped as a hemisphere rests with its flat surface on a table. The object has radius r and density ρ. The volume of a sphere is ⁴⁄₃ π r³....

Which statement best represents the principle of conservation of energy?

A crane is being used to lift containers off a ship. One container has a mass of 14 000 kg and is being lifted vertically with a speed of 3.2 m s⁻¹...

The data below are taken from a test of a petrol engine for a motor car. power output = 150 kW fuel consumption = 20 litres per hour energy content...

Leonardo da Vinci proposed a flying machine that would work like a screw to lift the pilot into the air. The ‘screw’ is rotated by the pilot. [Figu...

A metal wire, fixed at one end, has length l and cross-sectional area A. The wire extends a distance e when mass m is hung from the other end of th...

A spring has a spring constant of 6.0 N cm⁻¹. It is joined to another spring whose spring constant is 4.0 N cm⁻¹. A load of 80 N is suspended from ...

The graph shows the extension of a sample of a type of rubber as different loads F are applied and then gradually removed. [Figure 21.1] What is th...

A sound wave passes through air. The diagram shows the positions of the molecules of the air at one instant. [Figure 22.1] Which distance is equal ...

The top row of bars represents a set of particles inside the Earth and at rest. The lower row represents the same particles at one instant as a lon...

A straight tube is closed at one end and has a loudspeaker positioned at the open end. The frequency of the loudspeaker is initially very low and i...

A buzzer emitting sound of frequency 846 Hz is attached to a string and rotated in a horizontal circle. The linear speed of the buzzer is 25.0 m s⁻...

The diagram shows the principal regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, with some details labelled. The diagram is not to scale. [Figure 26.1] Wha...

P and Q are fixed points at the end of a string. A transverse stationary wave of constant maximum amplitude is formed on the string. [Figure 27.1] ...

Two identical loudspeakers are connected in series to an a.c. supply, as shown. [Figure 28.1] A microphone is moved along the line PQ. Which graph ...

A diffraction grating experiment is set up using orange light of wavelength 600 nm. The grating has a slit separation of 2.00 μm. [Figure 29.1] Wha...

Two horizontal parallel plate conductors are separated by a distance of 5.0 mm in air. The lower plate is earthed and the potential of the upper pl...

The diagram shows the electric field near a point charge and two electrons X and Y. [Figure 31.1] Which row describes the forces acting on X and on Y?

The electric current in a wire may be calculated using the equation I = Anvq. Which statement is not correct?

Three resistors are connected in parallel across a power supply, as shown. [Figure 33.1] The power dissipated in each of the resistors of resistanc...

Which graph shows the variation with current I of the potential difference V of a filament lamp?