St.

Mark’s School
Final Examination 2019 – 2020
FORM 4 PHYSICS

Time allowed: 2 hours 30 minutes

This paper must be answered in English.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
(1) There are TWO sections, A and B, in this Paper.

(2) Section A consists of multiple-choice questions in this question paper, while Section B contains conventional
questions printed separately in Question-Answer Book B.

(3) Answers to Section A should be marked on the Multiple-choice Answer Sheet while answers to Section B
should be written in the spaces provided in Question-Answer Book B. The Answer Sheet for Section A
and the Question-Answer Book for Section B will be collected separately at the end of the
examination.

(4) The diagrams in this paper are NOT necessarily drawn to scale.

(5) The last two pages of Section A contain a list of data, formulae and relationships which you may find useful.

SECTION A (MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SECTION A

(1) Read the instructions on the Answer Sheet carefully. Insert the information required in the spaces provided.

(2) When told to open this book, you should check that all the questions are there. Look for the words ‘END
OF SECTION A’ after the last question.

(3) There are 33 questions. All questions carry equal marks.

(4) ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS. You are advised to use an HB pencil to mark all the answers on the Answer
Sheet, so that wrong marks can be completely erased with a rubber. You must mark the answers clearly;
otherwise you will lose marks if the answers cannot be captured.

(5) You should mark only ONE answer for each question. If you mark more than one answer, you will receive
NO MARKS for that question.

(6) No marks will be deducted for wrong answers.

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 1
Section A – Multiple Choice (45 marks)

1. An unmarked thermometer is placed in pure melting ice and then in steam over pure boiling water. The lengths of
the liquid column are 3 cm and 28 cm respectively. What is the temperature indicated by the thermometer when the
length of the liquid column is 17 cm ?

A. 56 K
B. 68 K
C. 329 K
D. 341 K

2. A metal bar is hit continuously by a hammer. Which of the following are correct ?

(1) The metal bar becomes hotter.

(2) Heat is transferred from the hammer to the metal bar during the process.
(3) Energy is transferred from the hotter part of the metal bar to the cooler part by conduction.

A. (1) and (2) only

B. (1) and (3) only
C. (2) and (3) only
D. (1), (2) and (3) only

3. Which of the following statements about evaporation are correct ?

(1) Evaporation occurs only on the surface of the liquid.

(2) Evaporation of sweat from the skin surface has a cooling effect on the human body.
(3) On a humid day, the rate of evaporation of sweat is lower.

A. (1) and (2) only

B. (1) and (3) only
C. (2) and (3) only
D. (1), (2) and (3) only

4. In general, the land cools down faster than the sea does at night. Which of the following is likely to be the cause of
this phenomenon ?

A. Wind blows from the sea towards the land.

B. Wind blows from the land towards the sea.
C. Water has a high specific heat capacity.
D. The rise in temperature of the sea is higher than that of the land in the daytime.

5. A beaker of water is heated by a Bunsen flame. In order to keep the water boiling, the flame cannot be removed.
Which of the following about the situation is / are correct ?

(1) Energy is required for the water to keep it boiling.

(2) The average kinetic energy of water molecules increases while the water keeps boiling.
(3) The internal energy of the water in the beaker decreases while the water keeps boiling.

A. (1) only
B. (2) only
C. (1) and (3) only
D. (2) and (3) only

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 2
6.

A student set up the apparatus as shown to determine the specific latent heat of vaporization of water. Which of the
following is an essential precaution to ensure an accurate result ?

A. A lid should be used to cover the beaker.

B. A thermometer should be used to ensure the temperature of the water to be 100 oC.
C. A 12-V heater should be used to heat up the water.
D. The beaker should be made of heat-insulating materials.

7. A heater supplies energy to 0.5 kg of ice contained in a vessel of negligible heat capacity. The initial temperature of
the ice is – 10 °C. The ice melts and finally become water of 70 °C after 8 min. The energy lost to surroundings
during the heating process is 100 kJ. What is the power of the heater ?

Given: specific heat capacity of water = 4200 J kg1 oC1

specific heat capacity of ice = 2100 J kg1 oC1
specific latent heat of fusion of water = 3.34 × 105 J kg1

A. 676 W
B. 884 W
C. 1560 W
D. 5310 W

8. Which of the following can increase the rate of heat transfer across the two ends of a metal bar ?

(1) Increase the length of the metal bar.

(2) Increase the cross-sectional area of the metal bar.
(3) Increase the temperature difference between the two ends of the metal bar.

A. (1) only
B. (3) only
C. (1) and (2) only
D. (2) and (3) only

9. A football player is running at a velocity of 3 ms-1 due north. After a violent collision with another player, he is
moving at a velocity of 4 ms-1 due east. Which of the following arrows best represents the direction of his change in
velocity ? N
A. B.

C. D.

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 3
10. Steel ball bearings, each with a mass of m, are fired at the rate of n ball bearings per second towards a fixed vertical
steel block with a horizontal speed v. They rebound from the block at 0.5 times its original speed. What is the
average force exerted on the block?

A. 0.5 mv / n
B. 1.5mv / n
C. 0.5mnv
D. 1.5mnv

11. The photograph shows a baby sitting on a push-chair and her mother Amy
is pushing the push-chair with a uniform velocity v along the horizontal
ground.
Let F = horizontal force exerted by Amy on the push-chair and
m = total mass of the baby and the push-chair.

Which of the following expressions denotes the average output power of

Amy in pushing the push-chair ?

A. 𝐹𝑣
B. 𝑚𝑔𝑣
C. 𝐹 𝑚𝑔 𝑣
D. 𝐹 𝑚𝑔 𝑣

12.

The above figure shows an open wagon moving with negligible resistance in vertically falling rain. An appreciable
amount of rain falls into the wagon and accumulates there. What are the effects of the accumulating rain on the
speed, momentum and kinetic energy of the wagon ? (Ignore the effects of the raindrops hitting the front of the
wagon.)

speed momentum kinetic energy

A. decreases decreases decreases
B. decreases decreases remains unchanged
C. decreases remains unchanged decreases
D. remains unchanged remains unchanged remains unchanged

13. When given a slight push, a block moves freely with constant velocity down a plane inclined at 20o to the horizontal.
If the mass of the block is 0.5 kg, what is the force, parallel to the inclined plane, required for pulling the block up the
plane with constant velocity ?

A. 1.7 N
B. 3.4 N
C. 4.7 N
D. 6.7 N

14. An object with a mass of 5 kg is placed on a smooth plane inclined at 30º to the horizontal. It is connected by a light
string passing over a frictionless pulley to another object with a mass of 3 kg, as shown. When the system is
released, what is the tension in the string ?
5 kg
A. 4.9 N
B. 19.6 N
C. 27.6 N 3 kg
D. 31.3 N

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 4
15.

An electric fan is installed at one end of a trolley. The trolley starts to move when the electric fan is turned on.
Which of the following explains the phenomenon ?

A. There is no friction between the wheel and the ground.

B. The air particles push the trolley.
C. The force exerted on the air particles by the fan causes the trolley to accelerate.
D. There are forces exerted on the trolley.

16.

Two identical balls P and Q are placed at the edge of a table. At the same instant, P is pushed slightly and falls
vertically to the ground while Q is projected horizontally and reaches the ground through a parabolic path (as shown).
Which of the following statements is/are correct ? (Ignore air resistance)

(1) P and Q have the same acceleration.

(2) P and Q have the same speed on reaching the ground.
(3) Q takes longer time to reach the ground.

A. (1) only
B. (2) only
C. (1) and (3) only
D. (2) and (3) only

17.

A ball is kicked off a platform which is 20 m above the ground as shown. Its initial velocity is 15 m s−1 and makes
an angle of 30° to the horizontal. Eventually the ball lands on the ground. Find the time of flight of the ball.

A. 1.39 s
B. 2.92 s
C. 3.74 s
D. 5.77 s

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 5
18.

A weight is hung on one side of the lever, and a helium balloon is tied to the other side. An external force is applied
to the lever to keep it balanced. At which position and in what direction can the force be applied?

A. (1) and (2) only

B. (1) and (3) only
C. (3) and (4) only
D. (2) and (4) only

19. For a particle performing uniform circular motion about a fixed point, which of the following physical quantities of
the particle remain(s) unchanged ?

(1) kinetic energy

(2) acceleration
(3) linear momentum

A. (1) only
B. (3) only
C. (1) and (2) only
D. (2) and (3) only

20.
Q R

R’ 90 cm S’

50 cm
ground
Q’ P S

A uniform rectangular block, 50 cm  90 cm and with a mass of 2 kg, rests on the ground at position PQRS as shown.
A constant force is applied to rotate the block about an axis normal to the paper through P so that it then takes the
position PQ’R’S’. What is the minimum magnitude of that force ?

A. 4.76 N
B. 5.25 N
C. 5.45 N
D. 9.52 N

21. A smooth conical container rotates about the axis AB as shown. A marble remains at rest relative
to the container at a radial distance r from the axis. If the velocity of the marble is v, then v2 is
equal to _________ .

A. gr sin 30
B. gr cos 30
C. gr tan 30
D. gr / tan 30

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 6
22. Two satellites with different masses travel in circular orbits around the same planet. One is nearer the planet than the
other. Which of the following comparisons of the satellites can be concluded ?

The satellite in the orbit of smaller radius

(1) is in a stronger gravitational field.
(2) has a larger acceleration towards the centre of the planet.
(3) has a smaller orbital speed.

A. (1) only
B. (3) only
C. (1) and (2) only
D. (2) and (3) only

23.

A letter ‘P’ is written on a piece of paper and is viewed through a periscope as shown. Which of the following
figures best represents the image observed ?

A. B.

C. D.

24. A light ray enters a glass prism of refracting index 1.55 as shown in the figure. 40
What is the angle of refraction of the emergent ray ?

A. 15.6
B. 29.6
C. 74.6
D. 85.1

25. A person uses a diverging lens with a focal length of 5 cm to read the prints on a book. He puts the lens 10 cm above
the book and observes the image formed. What is the magnification of the image ?

A. 0.20
B. 0.33
C. 1.00
D. 3.00

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 7
26. A transverse wave is travelling in a medium. Two particles, P and Q, in the medium are vibrating in antiphase.
Which of the following statements is/are correct ?

(1) Particles P and Q are moving in opposite direction at all times.

(2) Particles P and Q are moving with different speed at all times.
(3) Particles P and Q are vibrating with different amplitudes.

A. (1) only
B. (3) only
C. (1) and (2) only
D. (2) and (3) only

27.

A vibrator with a frequency of 5 Hz generates waves on a string. The above diagram shows the shape of the string,
at the instant when the vibrator has made one complete vibration. Which of the following shows the waveform 0.1 s
later ?

A. B.

C. D.

28.

A water wave travels from the right to the left. The diagram above shows the waveform at a certain instant. Which
of the following statements is/are true ?

(1) Particle P is moving downwards.

(2) Particle Q is moving upwards.
(3) Particle R is momentarily at rest.

A. (1) only
B. (3) only
C. (1) and (2) only
D. (2) and (3) only

29. A guitar string, fixed on both ends, has a length of 80 cm. The string is set into vibration and a note of 50 Hz is
heard. What is the speed of wave on the string ?

A. 20 ms-1
B. 30 ms-1
C. 40 ms-1
D. 80 ms-1

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 8
30.
Deep region Shallow region

The figure above shows a series of plane water waves travelling from a deep region to a shallow region of water.
Which of the following diagrams best shows the wave pattern in the shallow region ?

A. B.

C. D.

31. A wire is stretched between movable bridges P and Q as shown. The tension in the wire can be varied by changing
the weights added. Mechanical waves can be generated by plucking the wire PQ. Which of the following
statements can increase the speed of the mechanical waves ?

(1) More weights are added.

(2) The wire is plucked with a greater displacement.
(3) The separation PQ is reduced.

A. (1) only
B. (3) only
C. (1) and (2) only
D. (2) and (3) only

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 9
32. Which of the following statements about a plane transmission grating is/are correct ?

(1) It produces a symmetric diffraction pattern.

(2) The angle of diffraction is directly proportional to the wavelength of incident light.
(3) A grating with smaller grating spacing is able to resolve two spectral lines of close wavelength.

A. (1) only
B. (2) only
C. (1) and (3) only
D. (2) and (3) only

33. A beam of monochromatic light falls at normal incidence on a plane transmission grating. Third-order diffracted
beams are found at angles of 45 to the incident direction. What is the highest order of diffracted beam that can be
observed ?

A. 3rd order
B. 4th order
C. 5th order
D. 6th order

End of Section A

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 10
 List of data, formulae and relationships
Data
molar gas constant R = 8.31 J mol−1 K−1
Avogadro constant NA = 6.02 × 1023 mol−1
acceleration due to gravity g = 9.81 m s−2 (close to the Earth)
universal gravitational constant G = 6.67 × 10−11 N m2 kg−2
speed of light in vacuum c = 3.00 × 108 m s−1
charge of electron e = 1.60 × 10−19 C
electron rest mass me = 9.11× 10−31 kg
permittivity of free space ε0 = 8.85 × 10−12 C2 N−1 m−2
permeability of free space μ0 = 4π × 10−7 H m−1
atomic mass unit u = 1.661 × 10−27 kg (1 u is equivalent to 931 MeV)
11
astronomical unit AU = 1.50 × 10 m
light year ly = 9.46 × 1015 m
parsec pc = 3.09 × 1016 m = 3.26 ly = 206265 AU
Stefan constant σ = 5.67 × 10−8 W m−2 K−4
Planck constant h = 6.63 × 10−34 J s

Rectilinear motion Mathematics

For uniformly accelerated motion: Equation of a straight line
Arc length
Surface area of cylinder
Volume of cylinder
Surface area of sphere
Volume of sphere
For small angles, (in radians)
Astronomy and Space Science Energy and Use of Energy

gravitational potential energy  illuminance

E
A
Stefan’s Law
rate of energy transfer by conduction
Doppler effect
thermal transmittance U-value

maximum power by wind turbine

Atomic World Medical Physics

Einstein’s photoelectric equation Rayleigh criterion (resolving power)

power of a lens
energy level equation for hydrogen
atom
intensity level (dB)
de Broglie formula

Rayleigh criterion (resolving power) acoustic impedance

intensity reflection coefficient

transmitted intensity through a medium

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 11
 energy transfer during heating
A1. D1. Coulomb’s law
and cooling

energy transfer during change of electric field strength due to a

A2. D2.
state point charge

electric field between parallel

A3. equation of state for an ideal gas D3.
plates(numerically)

A4. kinetic theory equation D4. resistance and resistivity

A5. molecular kinetic energy D5. resistors in series

D6. resistors in parallel

B1. force D7. power in a circuit

force on a moving charge in a

B2 moment of a force D8.
magnetic field

force on a current-carrying
B3. gravitational potential energy D9.
conductor in a magnetic field

magnetic field due to a long

B4. kinetic energy D10.
straight wire

magnetic field inside a long

B5. P =Fv mechanical power D11.
solenoid

B6. centripetal acceleration D12. induced e.m.f.

ratio of secondary voltage to

B7. Newton’s law of gravitation D13.
primary voltage in a transformer

fringe width in double-slit

C1. E1. law of radioactive decay
interference

C2. diffraction grating equation E2. half-life and decay constant

activity and the number of

C3. equation for a single lens E3.
undecayed nuclei

E4. E = mc2 mass–energy relationship

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 12
 St. Mark’s School
Final Examination 2019 – 2020
Index number:

FORM 4 PHYSICS
Section B: Question-Answer Book B Question Maximum Marks
No. Marks

Section A 45
INSTRUCTIONS
Section B

1. Refer to the general instructions on the cover of the

1 10
Question Paper for Section A.
2 8
2. Write your index number in the space provided on
3 11
this page.

4 10
3. Answer ALL questions.
5 10

4. Write your answers in the spaces provided. Do not 6 7

write in the margins.
7 10

5. Supplementary answer sheets and graph papers will

8 8
be supplied upon request.
9 10
6. Unless otherwise specified, numerical answers
Total 129
should be either exact or correct to 3 significant
figures.

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 13
Section B – Structured Questions (84 marks)
1. A student performs an experiment with the setup in Figure 1.1 to measure the specific heat capacity of a solid X.
The solid is a good thermal conductor. The joulemeter in the figure is used to measure the energy consumed by the
immersion heater.

solid X water
Figure 1.1

The increase in the reading of the joulemeter (E) for an increase of temperature of 10 oC for different mass (m) of
solid X is recorded and a graph of the E against m is plotted as shown in Figure 1.2.

Figure 1.2

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 14
 (a) State the importance of using a “well insulated” container in the experiment. (1 mark)

(b) In the experiment, the temperature of water is assumed to be the temperature of solid X. Explain why such an
assumption can be made. (2 marks)

(c) Find the slope of the graph in Figure 1.2. Hence, find the specific heat capacity of Solid X. (4 marks)

(d) Estimate the heat absorbed by the water and the apparatus. (1 mark)

(e) If the experiment is repeated with another solid, Y, which is also a good thermal conductor but has a larger
specific heat capacity than solid X does, and the increase in temperature is still 10 oC, sketch the graph of E
against m that you would expect to obtain on Figure 1.2, and label it as Y. (2 marks)

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 15
2.

Figure 2.1

Figure 2.1 shows a conveyor belt in a factory. A parcel with a mass of 10 kg is placed at position P when the belt
remains at rest. The workman controls the belt such that the parcel undergoes a motion described in Table 2. The
parcel and the conveyor belt move together without slipping during the entire motion.

Position of the parcel Motion Data given

PQ = 5 m and
PQ Uniform acceleration
time required = 2 s
QR Uniform velocity -----
RS = QR
RS Uniform deceleration to rest
RS > PQ
Table 2

(a) Consider the motion when the parcel travels from P to Q.

(i) Find the net force exerted on the parcel. (3 marks)

(ii) Hence, find the force exerted on the parcel by the conveyor belt. (2 marks)

(b) In Figure 2.2, sketch a graph to show the variation of the frictional force exerted by the conveyor belt on the
parcel at different position. (3 marks)

Frictional force

Position of the parcel

P Q R S
Figure 2.2

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 16
3. A toy is placed on a smooth horizontal surface as shown below. It is equipped with a fan powered by a battery. When
the fan is switched on, the toy moves to the right and reaches a constant speed eventually.

(a) With the aid of a speed-time graph, explain the motion of the toy after the fan is switched on. (4 marks)

(b) The toy with a total mass of m is now attached to a fixed point on the ceiling by a light inextensible string of
length L. It is set into uniform horizontal circular motion as shown below. The string makes an angle  to the
vertical when the angular speed of the toy is .

(i) Draw and label all the force(s) acting on

the toy in the figure on the right.
(3 marks)

(ii) Which force exerted on the toy provides

the centripetal force for the circular motion?
(1 mark)

(iii) If L = 0.8 m and  = 4 rad s-1, find the values of . (3 marks)

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 17
4. The figure below shows a machine system to transfer a load to the top of a building. The system consists of a motor,
two light cables, A and B, two uniform rods, P and Q and a smooth pulley. The load is raised by a motor through a
smooth pulley and cable A. The pulley is held by rod Q which is attached to rod P and cable B, the other end of rod
P and cable B are fixed on the wall at M and N respectively. The pulley and rod Q have negligible weights. A load
with a weight of 5000 N is raised at a constant speed of 2 ms-1 through the system.

(a) Find the tension in cable A. (1 mark) N

cable B
80o

rod Q
rod P
(b) Find the output power of the motor. (2 marks) smooth pulley

60o

M motor

cable A
(c) Find the force exerted on the pulley by rod Q.
(1 mark)

load

(d) If the weight and the length of rod P are 1.5 × 104 N and 4 m respectively, find the tension in cable B.
(2 marks)

(e) Draw on the diagram the force exerted on rod P by the wall at M. Hence, find the magnitude of the force.
(4 marks)

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 18
5. A spacecraft and a satellite are launched on a rocket booster. The rocket with the spacecraft and the
satellite has a total initial mass of 4.98 × 105 kg at take-off. The rocket engine propels hot exhaust gas
at a constant speed of 2600 m s-1 relative to the rocket in a backward direction. Assume that
2.28 × 103 kg of gas is expelled in the first second. Ignore the effect due to air resistance.

(a) (i) Calculate the average thrust (the upward force) acting on the rocket due to the exhaust gas
during the first second. (2 marks)

(ii) Assuming the change in mass of the rocket during the first second is negligible, estimate the acceleration
of the rocket (2 marks)

(b) The spacecraft with a mass of 7.80 × 103 kg first enters an orbit at a height of 200 km above the earth surface.
Assuming the orbit to be circular, calculate the orbital speed of the spacecraft.
(The radius of the earth is 6.37× 106 m.) (4 marks)

(c) Meanwhile, a miniaturized satellite with a mass of 40 kg is released to take photo and monitoring the operation
of the spacecraft itself in space and the course of spacewalk. It will stay with the orbit module of the
spacecraft for 3 months. How many times will the satellite orbit around the earth ?
(Assume the satellite is very close to and is relative stationary to the orbit module) (2 marks)

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 19
6.

John uses a magnifying glass to read the words on a computer screen. Originally, the letters are about 1 cm tall.
After using the magnifying glass, the letters now appear to be 3 times larger when John puts the lens 3 cm in front of
the screen.

(a) Find the image distance away from the lens. (1 mark)

(b) (i) Draw a ray diagram with the scale given to show how the image is formed. (3 marks)

1 cm

(ii) Hence find the focal length of the lens by the graphical method. (1 mark)

(c) John moves the lens to a position 6 cm away from the computer screen. What are the natures of image
observed by John ? (2 marks)

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 20
7. A sound waves produced by a loudspeaker travels from right to left through air. Figure 7 shows the positions of
some air particles when the wave is passing through them at a time instant t, and the corresponding equilibrium
positions of the particles.

A B C D E F G H I J K position of the particles

at a certain instant t
A B C D E F G H I J K
equilibrium position

Figure 7

5 cm

(a) Describe a method to show whether sound waves are transverse or longitudinal waves. (2 marks)

(b) (i) Name the particle(s) in Figure 7 which is / are momentarily at rest at time t. (1 mark)

(ii) Find the amplitude of the wave. (1 mark)

(c) If the speed of the wave is 320 ms-1, find the period of the wave, T. (2 marks)

(d) At the time instant (t +T/4),

(i) sketch the displacement-position graph of the particles shown in Figure 7 (Take right as positive
y-direction); (3 marks)

(ii) hence, determine the moving direction of particle B. (1 mark)

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 21
8. Ready-meals that can be heated in a microwave oven always have the instruction that the food should be stirred
properly before eating. This is because ‘hot and cold spots’ within the oven lead to uneven heating of the food. A
microwave source within the oven emits coherent waves with a wavelength of 0.12 m in all directions. The waves
are reflected off the walls, so the microwaves arrive at one spot by several different routes and interfere with each
other.

(a) What is meant by coherent waves? (2 marks)

(b) Find the frequency of the microwave used. (2 marks)

(c) The diagram shows the path of two microwaves arriving at point S.

By considering the path difference, explain whether point S is a ‘cold spot’ or a ‘hot spot’. Assume that no
other microwaves arrive at that point. (4 marks)

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 22
9. (a) Wavefronts of light change shape when they pass around an edge or through a slit. Figure 9 shows the
wavefronts of red light passing through a slit and how they bend.

Figure 9

(i) Name the phenomenon. (1 mark)

(ii) On Figure 9, sketch the wavefronts of blue light passing through the slit and how they bend. (2 marks)

(b) The red light passes through two slits that are close together and produces a pattern of bright and dark bands on a
screen at a fixed distance away. When the two slits are separated by 1.2 mm, two dark bands in the pattern are
0.60 mm apart.

(i) Find the distance between two dark bands on the screen if the distance between the two slits is reduced to
0.40 mm. (2 marks)

(ii) If the width of the slits increases slightly while keeping the separation between the two slits remains
unchanged, explain and describe the effect on the pattern. (5 marks)

End of Section B
END OF PAPER

1920-F4-FE-Physics P. 23