Name _________________________________

Student Number _________________________________

PHYSICS 1A03 Final Examination Version 1 Sara Cormier,

Dr. Kari Dalnoki-Veress
DAY CLASS
DURATION OF FINAL EXAMINATION: 2.5 Hours
MCMASTER UNIVERSITY, December 19, 2019

THIS EXAMINATION PAPER INCLUDES 17 PAGES AND 30 MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS. YOU
ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THAT YOUR COPY OF THE PAPER IS COMPLETE. BRING
ANY DISCREPANCY TO THE ATTENTION OF YOUR INVIGILATOR.

No books, notes, or other aids are permitted.

• Mark the version number of this exam on the scantron sheet in the version column (see above).
• If you do not have a 9 digit student number, please put zeros in front of your number i.e. 00xxxxxxx.
• You must be prepared to show your student card to the exam invigilators.
• Circle the best answer on this exam paper AND on the computer-readable scan sheet.
• There is only one correct answer for each question, no penalty for guessing a wrong answer.
• Return this paper with your answer sheet.
• A formula sheet is included with this exam paper (Last Page) as well as extra pages for scrap. These
may be removed but must be handed in with your exam.
• By writing this examination you agree to be bound by the Senate policy on Academic Integrity.
• All portable communication devices must be off during tests.
• Only the Casio FX-991 MS or MS Plus calculator is allowed.
___________________________________________________________________
COMPUTER SCAN SHEET STUDENT INSTRUCTIONS: IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO
ENSURE THAT THE ANSWER SHEET IS PROPERLY COMPLETED. YOUR EXAMINATION
RESULT DEPENDS UPON PROPER ATTENTION TO THESE INSTRUCTIONS.

The scanner, which reads the sheets, senses the bubble shaded areas by their non-reflection of light. A heavy
mark must be made, completely filling the circular bubble, with an HB pencil. Marks made with a pen or felt-
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correction fluid on the sheets. Do NOT put any unnecessary marks or writing on the answer sheet.

1. Print your name, student number, course name, section number, instructor name, and the date in the
spaces provided at the top of Side 1 (red side) of the sheet. Then you MUST sign the sheet in the space marked
SIGNATURE.

2. Mark your student number in the space provided and fill in the corresponding bubble numbers
underneath.

3. Mark only ONE choice from the alternatives (a, b, c, d, e) provided for each question. The question
number is to the left of the bubbles. Make sure that the number of the question on the scan sheet is the same as
the question number on the test paper.

4. Pay particular attention to the Marking Directions on the form

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Make absolutely sure to fill out the bubble in the version column appropriate for your version of the
final exam.

1. Using scientific notation and the correct number of significant figures, what is the result of calculation

A. 5 x 10-2
B. 4.8 x 10-2
C. 4.8 x 10-3
D. 4.81 x 10-2
E. 4.808 x 10-2

2. A chicken attempts to cross a road by accelerating from rest in the positive direction. A short time later, the
chicken slows to a stop. The chicken then turns around and returns to its original position, by speeding up
and slowing to a stop. Which of the following acceleration-time graphs best describes the motion?
ANSWER A

3. While caring for your friend’s pet snake, you play a game of “lift the snake up really fast.” You lift the
snake vertically upwards, applying a force of 50 N while raising the snake at a constant speed v. For round
2, you lift snake three times as fast. While the snake rises at a constant speed 3v (three times as fast) you are
lifting with a force of:

A. 50 N
B. 100 N
C. 150 N
D. 250 N
E. 350 N

4. Drake and Max are playing catch while standing on a hill. Drake sees his Dad walking towards the hill and
tosses the baseball to him horizontally with a velocity of 20.0 m/s. The horizontal distance from Drake to his
Dad is 40.0 m. What is the height difference from where Drake throws the ball to where his Dad catches it?

A. 9.8 m
B. 24.0 m
C. 19.6 m
D. 39.2 m
E. need more information

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5. How many pieces of popped popcorn does it take to fill our lecture hall JHE 376?

A. 106
B. 109
C. 1011
D. 1014
E. 1017

6. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the block and the inclined surface of the figure below is 0.3 and
the coefficient of static friction is 0.9. Each block is 1 kg. The pulley is frictionless and the string is
massless. What is the magnitude of the acceleration of the blocks if the system is released from rest?

A. 0 m/s2
B. 0.55 m/s2
C. 0.97 m/s2
D. 1.3 m/s2 1kg
E. 2.2 m/s2
1kg

40o

7. Sara drops a ball from a high building. If we neglect air resistance, which of the following statements is
false concerning the ball as it falls?

A. The change in momentum will be the same during each second.

B. The kinetic energy will increase at the same rate the potential energy decreases.
C. The change in speed will be the same during each second.
D. The kinetic energy will increase faster than the momentum will increase.
E. The potential energy will decrease at the same rate the momentum will increase.

8. The magnetic permeability in a classical vacuum is given by the physical constant 0 which is defined by
the equation:

where  is a dimensionless constant, h is Planck’s constant with dimensions [ML2/T], e is the charge of an
electron with dimensions [AT], and c is the speed of light with dimensions [L/T]. What are the dimensions
of 0?

A. Dimensionless
B. [ML/A2T2]
C. [ML/A2T]
D. [ML2/A2T2]
E. [ML2/AT2]

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9. A cheetah can sprint at a speed of 95.0 km/h. The best a human is capable of is a speed of 37.5 km/h. A man
and a cheetah are initially 0.500 km apart and both are running at their top speed. The cheetah is chasing the
man, who is running away. Assume both the cheetah and man are travelling in the same direction along a
straight line. How long does it take the cheetah to overtake the man?

A. 0.523 s
B. 13.6 s
C. 19.2 s
D. 31.3 s
E. 87 s

10. A car approaches a barrier at a speed of 20 m/s along a level road. The driver applies the brakes at a distance
of 52 m from the barrier. What minimum coefficient of kinetic friction is required to stop the car before it
hits the barrier?

A. 0.4
B. 0.5
C. 0.6
D. 0.7
E. 0.8

11. An object is moving along the x-axis. The graph to the

right shows its position from the starting point as a
function of time. Which statement below is false.

A. The object is moving in the negative direction

during segment B.
B. The average velocity and acceleration during
segment C are both zero.
C. The total displacement over the 30s is zero.
D. The average speed over the 30s is zero.
E. The speed of the object during segment B is
faster than segment D.

12. A hiker descends from a canyon in the Rockies Mountains to the river below. During this hike, the work
done by the gravity on the hiker is:

A. Zero.
B. Positive and depends on the path taken by the hiker.
C. Negative and depends on the path taken by the hiker.
D. Positive and independent of the path taken by the hiker.
E. Negative and independent of the path taken by the hiker.

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13. Physics Girl pulls a sled with a birthday cake east along level ground as shown in the diagram below. The
cake does not slide with respect to the sled. Physics Girl is slowing to a stop and the cake and sled are also
slowing to a stop at the same rate as Physics Girl. If we ignore air resistance, what forces are acting on the
birthday cake?

A. Normal force up, gravity down.

B. Normal force up, gravity down, static friction east.
C. Normal force up, gravity down, static friction west.
D. Normal force up, gravity down, kinetic friction west.
E. Normal force up, gravity down, kinetic friction east.

14. A projectile is launched with 200 kgm/s of momentum and 1000 J of kinetic energy. What is the mass of
the projectile?

A. 5 kg
B. 10 kg
C. 20 kg
D. 40 kg
E. 50 kg

15. Three pieces of fruit are released from the same window, one after another. A watermelon is simply dropped
with no initial velocity. An apple is thrown straight downwards, and a blueberry is thrown straight upwards
with the same initial speed as the apple. All three eventually hit the ground. How do their speeds just before
they hit the ground compare, if air resistance is ignored?

A. All three speeds are the same.

B. The watermelon is the fastest, the blueberry is the slowest, and the apple is in between.
C. The apple is the fastest, the blueberry is the slowest, and the watermelon is in between.
D. The watermelon is the slowest, the blueberry and the apple are the same.
E. The watermelon is the fastest, the blueberry and the apple are the same.

16. A 121 cm long, 4.0 g string oscillates in its n = 3 mode with a frequency of 180 Hz and a maximum
amplitude of 5.0 mm. What is the tension in the string?

A. 21.0 N
B. 44.5 N
C. 69.7 N
D. 73.5 N
E. 85.6 N

17. A very thin oil film (n=1.25) floats on water (n = 1.33). What is the thinnest film that produces a strong
reflection for green light with a wavelength of 500 nm?

A. 200 nm
B. 300 nm
C. 400 nm
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 D. 500 nm
E. 600 nm
18. An experimental way to tune a soda bottle is to compare its
frequency with that of a 360 Hz tuning fork. Initially, a beat
frequency of 8 Hz is heard. A small amount of water is removed,
and the beat frequency decreases steadily to 6 Hz. What are the
initial and final frequencies of the bottle, respectively?

A. 368 Hz, 366 Hz

B. 368 Hz, 354 Hz
C. 352 Hz, 366 Hz
D. 352 Hz, 354 Hz
E. Either A or D

19. Light is incident on two slits that are separated by 0.2 mm. The figure shows the resulting interference
pattern observed on a screen 1.0 m from the slits. Determine the wavelength of light used in this experiment.

A. 200 nm
B. 300 nm
C. 400 nm
D. 500 nm
E. 600 nm

20. A liquid wets a thin capillary tube that is placed into the liquid. Which of the following scenarios is likely to
occur?

E. Both A and
C are possible

A. B. C. D.

21. A pipe that is closed at both ends resonates at its fundamental frequency fc. Both ends of the pipe are
uncovered and the pipe is again made to resonate at its fundamental frequency fo. Which statement below
correctly relates these two frequencies?

A. fc = fo
B. fc > fo
C. fc < fo
D. B or C could be correct
E. Impossible to tell without knowing the length of the pipe

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22. A beam of light passes from air into water. Which statement is necessarily true?

A. The frequency is unchanged and the wavelength increases.

B. The frequency is unchanged and the wavelength decreases.
C. The wavelength is unchanged and the frequency decreases.
D. Both the wavelength and frequency increase.
E. Both the wavelength and frequency decrease.

23. The figure shows the path of a portion of a ray of light as it passes through three different materials. What
can be concluded concerning the refractive indices of these three materials? The figure is drawn to scale.

A. n1 < n2 < n3
B. n1 > n2 > n3
C. n3 < n1 < n2
D. n2 < n1 < n3
E. n1 < n3 < n2

24. A container, closed on the right side but open to the atmosphere on the left, is almost completely filled with
water, as shown below. Three points a, b, and c are marked in the container. Rank the points from highest
pressure to lowest pressure.

A. a=b>c
B. b>a>c
C. b>a=c
D. c>b>a
E. c>a=b

25. Light propagates from soda lime glass (n=1.518) into Pyrex glass (n=1.473). Determine the critical angle
where all of the light is totally internally reflected and does not leave the soda lime glass.

A. 13.99
B. 45.86
C. 52.48
D. 65.22
E. 76.01

26. A person who weighs 628 N is riding a mountain bike on a flat horizontal road. The bike has a weight of
100 N. Suppose the entire weight of the rider and bike is supported equally by the two tires. If the gauge
pressure in each tire is 8.09  105 Pa., what is the area of contact between each tire and the ground?

A. 11  10-4 m2
B. 9.9  10-4 m2
C. 6.9  10-4 m2
D. 4.5  10-4 m2
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 E. 2.5  10-4 m2

27. An open-closed tube of length 2.5 m is vibrating with a frequency of 170 Hz. If the speed of sound is
340 m/s, what harmonic is the tube the tube vibrating at? (i.e. what is n?)

A. n=1
B. n=2
C. n=3
D. n=5
E. n=7

28. You need to determine the density of a ceramic statue. If you suspend it from a spring scale, the scale reads
62.6 N. If you then lower the statue into a tub of water so that it is completely submerged, the scale reads
18.6 N. What is the density of the statue? The density of water is 1000 kg/m3.

A. 935 kg/m3
B. 1000 kg/m3
C. 1140 kg/m3
D. 1290 kg/m3
E. 1420 kg/m3

29. The graphs below describe a wave propagating in the negative x-direction. The snapshot graph was taken at
t = 0 s and the history graph is for point x = ½ cm. What is the wave function y(x,t) for the wave?

A. y(x,t) = 5 sin(0.25 x -  t)
B. y(x,t) = 5 sin( x + 0.25 t)
C. y(x,t) = 10 sin(4 x +  t)
D. y(x,t) = 5 sin(2 x + 8 t)
E. y(x,t) = 5 sin( x - 0.25 t)

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30. Two pulses approach each other at speeds of 1 cm/s as shown in the snapshot graph below. ANSWER E

Which of the following snapshot graphs best represents the shape of the pulse 2s later?

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 Formula Sheet for Physics 1A03

Constants Δ𝐸
𝑃= = 𝐹⃗ ∙ 𝑣⃗
𝜌𝑎𝑖𝑟 = 1.29kg/m3 Δ𝑡
Patm = 1.013 x 105Pa
g = 9.81m/s2
Area and Volume Momentum
𝐴 = 𝜋𝑟 2 , 𝐴 = 4𝜋𝑅2 , 𝐴 = 2𝜋𝑅2 𝑝⃗ = 𝑚𝑣⃗
4 𝐽⃗ = 𝐹⃗𝑎𝑣𝑒 Δ𝑡 = △ 𝑝⃗
𝑉 = 𝜋𝑅3 , 𝑉 = 𝜋𝑅 2 ℎ
3 ∑𝑝⃗𝑖 = ∑𝑝⃗𝑓
Other Waves, sound, light
𝑦(𝑥, 𝑡) = 𝐴 cos (𝑘𝑥 ± 𝜔𝑡)
−𝑏 ± √𝑏2 − 4𝑎𝑐 𝑦(𝑥, 𝑡) = 𝐴 sin (𝑘𝑥 ± 𝜔𝑡)
𝑥=
2𝑎 𝜔 = 2𝜋𝑓 = 2𝜋/𝑇 𝑇 = 1⁄𝑓
𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑘 = 2𝜋/𝜆 𝑐 = 𝑓𝜆 = 𝜔/𝑘 𝑐 = √𝑇 ⁄𝜇
sin 𝜃 = ∆𝐸 1
ℎ𝑦𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑃= = 𝜇𝜔2 𝐴2 𝑐
∆𝑡 2
𝑎𝑑𝑗𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡
cos 𝜃 = 2𝐿 𝑛𝑐
ℎ𝑦𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝜆𝑛 = , 𝑓𝑛 = , 𝑛 = 1,2,3,∙∙∙
𝑛 2𝐿
𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑒
tan 𝜃 = 4𝐿 𝑛𝑐
𝑎𝑑𝑗𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝜆𝑛 = , 𝑓𝑛 = , 𝑛 = 1,3,5,∙∙∙
𝑛 4𝐿
sin2 𝜃 + cos 2 𝜃 = 1 𝑓𝑏𝑒𝑎𝑡 = |𝑓2 − 𝑓1 |
Kinematics 𝑐𝑛 = 𝑐/𝑛 𝜆𝑛 = 𝜆/𝑛 𝑛2 sin 𝜃𝑡 = 𝑛1 sin 𝜃𝑖
1
𝑣𝑓 = 𝑣𝑖 + 𝑎𝑡 Δ𝑥 = 𝑣𝑖 𝑡 + 2 𝑎𝑡 2
𝑣𝑓2 − 𝑣𝑖2 = 2𝑎Δx 𝑚𝜆𝑛
(𝑣𝑖 + 𝑣𝑓 ) 2𝑑 = { 1
(𝑚 + 2) 𝜆𝑛
Δ𝑥 = 𝑡
2 𝑚𝜆
|𝑟2 − 𝑟1 | = 𝑑 sin 𝜃 = { 1
Forces (𝑚 + ) 𝜆
2
∑ 𝐹⃗ = 𝑚𝑎⃗ 𝐹⃗𝑠 = −𝑘𝑥⃗
fs ≤ 𝜇𝑠 𝑁 fk = 𝜇𝑘 𝑁 “low to high, phase shift of π”

Work and Energy Fluids

1 𝐹𝑔 = 𝑚𝑔 = 𝜌𝑉𝑔 𝐹𝑏𝑢𝑜𝑦 = 𝜌𝑙𝑖𝑞 𝑉𝑔
𝐾 = 2 𝑚𝑣 2 𝑈𝑔 = 𝑚𝑔𝑦
1 𝑃 = 𝐹/𝐴 ∆𝑃 = 𝑃 − 𝑃0 = 𝜌𝑔ℎ
𝑊 = Δ𝐾 𝑈𝑒𝑙 = 2 𝑘𝑥 2 𝑃𝑎𝑏𝑠 = 𝑃𝑔𝑎𝑢𝑔𝑒 + 𝑃𝑎𝑡𝑚
𝑊 = 𝐹⃗ ∙ Δ𝑟⃗ = 𝐹Δ𝑟 cos 𝜃 = 𝐹𝑥 Δ𝑥 + 𝐹𝑦 Δ𝑦
𝑊𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠 = −Δ𝑈
E = K + 𝑈𝑔 + 𝑈𝑠
Δ𝐸 = 𝐸𝑓 − 𝐸𝑖 = 𝑊𝑛𝑜𝑛−𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠
End

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