SRI LANKAN PHYSICS OLYMPIAD

COMPETITION – 2016

Time Allocated : 02 Hours Calculators are not allowed to use.

Date of Examination : 18 – 06 – 2016 Index No. : ……………….........
Time : 9.00 a.m. - 11.00 a.m.
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INSTRUCTIONS
Answer all questions
 There are two parts (A and B) in this paper.
 Part A contains 15 multiple choice questions. Underline the response corresponding to your
choice in each question. If you change the choice of an answer, the previous underline mark
must be completely erased/removed.
 Part B contains two questions.
 Use the papers provided to do all the derivations.
 At the end of each question an answer sheet is provided for you to write down the
corresponding final expressions or numerical answers.
 At the end of the exam, handover the full question paper together with the final answer sheets.
 Handover the papers used to work out the problems separately with your index number
written on each paper.
 Do not detach any sheet from the question paper.

PART A
( )

1. Block A of mass 2 kg is placed over block B of mass 8 kg. The

combination is placed over a rough horizontal surface. Coefficient of
friction between B and the floor is 0.5. Coefficient of friction
between A and B is 0.4. A horizontal force of 10 N is applied on
block B. The frictional force acting between A and B, and B and the floor respectively are

(1) zero, zero (2) zero, 10 N (3) 8 N and zero (4) 8 N and 10 N (5) 8 N and 50 N

2. An object is projected vertically upwards from the ground with a speed of 15 . While
ascending and descending the corresponding times that the object passes a point at a height 10 m
from the ground are respectively,

(1) 1.0 s, 2.0 s (2) 0.5 s, 2.0 s (3) 1.5 s, 2.0 s (4) 1.0 s, 3.0 s (5) 1.5 s, 3.0 s

3. With the propagation of a longitudinal wave through a material medium, the quantities
transmitted along the propagation direction are

(1) Energy, momentum and mass (2) Energy only (3) Energy and mass

(4) Energy and momentum (5) Mass and momentum

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 4. A ball bearing is released from rest at a height h on a smooth track and completes the circular
loop of the track. If R is the reaction acting on the ball bearing at the highest point A of the loop,
which of the following graphs correctly shows the variation of R with h?

(1) R R A

0 hh

R R R R R R
(2) R R
(3) (4) (5)

0 h 0 0
0 hh hh
h hh

5. An open tube of air supports standing waves at frequencies of 300 Hz and 400 Hz, and at no
frequencies between these two. The second harmonic of this tube has frequency of

(1) 800 Hz. (2) 600 Hz. (3) 400 Hz. (4) 200 Hz. (5) 100 Hz.

6. A transverse wave propagating to the right along a string is shown in the figure. At the moment
shown, out of the particles labeled as P, Q, R, S, and T which point has its velocity and
acceleration in opposite directions?
S T
P
R
Q
(1) P (2) Q (3) R (4) S (5) T

7. The image of the moon is focused on a screen by a converging lens of focal length 20 cm. If the
moon subtends an angle of 9.5  10-3 radians at the centre of the lens, the diameter of the image is

(1) 4.8  10-2 cm (2) 9.5  10-2 cm (3) 1.9  10-1 cm (4) 3.8  10-1 cm (5) 7.6  10-1 cm

8. A boat has green light of wavelength 500 nm on its mast. What wavelength would be measured
and what colour would be observed for this light as seen by a diver submerged in water by the
side of the boat? The refractive index of water for green colour nw = 4/3.

(1) Green of wavelength 375 nm (2) Blue of wavelength 375 nm

(3) Green of wavelength 500 nm (4) Red of wavelength 665 nm
(5) Yellow of wavelength 500 nm

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 9. Which of the following statements is/are correct?

(A) The boiling point of pure water increases with atmospheric pressure.
(B) When pure water is boiling, the supplied energy is transformed into the kinetic energy of
the water molecules.
(C) When pure water is boiling, the supplied energy is transformed into the intermolecular
potential energy.

(1) (A) only (2) (A) and (B) only (3) (B) and (C) only (4) (A) and (C) only
(5) All (A), (B) and (C)

10. The variation of pressure P against volume V of a fixed mass of an ideal gas when it undergoes
a cyclic process, ABCD is shown in the P-V diagram below.

Consider the following statements

(A) During the process A to B, work is done by the gas.
(B) During the process B to C, heat is extracted from the gas.
(C) During the process C to D, the internal energy of the gas
increases.
Which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. (A) only 2. (B) only 3. (A) and (B) only 4. (A) and (C) only
5. (A), (B) and (C) all

11. A thin circular ring of radius r is uniformly charged to a charge q per unit length. How much
work has to be done to bring another point charge Q from infinity to the centre of the circle? (0
= permittivity of free space)
(1) 0 (2) qQ/(4or) (3) ⁄ (4) ⁄ (5) ⁄

12. In the above circuit, the cell has an e.m.f. 6 V and negligible internal
resistance. The resistances of the four resistors R1, R2, R3 and R4 are 12 , 6
, 2  and 4  respectively. The capacitor has capacitance 10 F. At
steady state, the charge on the capacitor plate connecting to A is

(1) (2) (3) 0 (4) (5)

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13. Six wires, each of resistance 2 , are joined to form a regular tetrahedron PQRS. A current of 4 A
flows (enters from P and leaves from Q) across the tetrahedron at P and Q.
Which of the following statements is/are correct? R 4A
Q
(A) Points R and S are at the same potential.
(B) The current in wire PR is 1 A.
(C) The potential drop across PQ is 4 V. P S
4A
(1) (A) only (2) (B) only (3.) (A) and (B) only (4) (A) and (C) only
(5) All (A), (B) and (C)

14. Two uniform magnetic fields of equal magnitude but with one
into paper and the other out of paper, are separated on the two
sides of the y-axis as shown. A wire is bent into a closed loop
OABO, which is shaped as a quarter of a circle. It is rotated
uniformly in a clockwise direction about O on the plane of the
paper. Which of the following graphs best shows the variation
of current, I, in the loop with time, t, in one revolution?

I I

0 0
t t

(1) (2)

I I I

0 0 0
t t t

(3) (4) (5)

15. Current , I is flowing in a conductor shaped as shown in the

figure. The radius of the curved part is r and the lengths of straight ORR O
portion are very large. The magnitude and direction of the magnetic
flux density at the centre O will be

(1) (oI/4r)[3/2 + 1] out of the paper

(2) (oI/4r)[3/2 + 1] into the paper (3) (oI/4r)[3/2 – 1] into the paper

(4) (oI/4r)[3/2 – 1] out of the paper (5) (oI/2r)[/2 + 1)] into the paper

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 PART B
Acceleration due to gravity = g

(1) A hollow sphere of radius R rotates about a vertical axis through its centre
with an angular velocity . Inside the sphere a small bead of mass m
RRR R
is moving together with the sphere without slipping at a certain height as shown
as shown in the figure. The radial distance from the center of the
RRR 
sphere to the bead makes an angle  with the vertical. 
 m m
(a) Draw the forces acting on the bead relative to an inertial observer

on the ground. Assume that the bead tends to slide down along the
inner surface of the sphere. RRR 
 friction
(b) Derive an expression for the minimum value ( ) that the coefficient of sliding
between the bead and the inner surface of the sphere must have to fulfill the abovesss
condition? Your expression should be in terms of , R, , and g.
( )
(c) A student claims that, If > 1, then some friction is necessary to prevent the
bead slipping upwards. Is this statement TRUE or FALSE? dd 

(2) A charged parallel plate capacitor with rectangular plates of height H and width l is fixed in
a vertical position in air. The plate separation between the plates is d.
(i) (a) Write down an expression for the capacitance ( ) of this air filled capacitor in terms
of the permittivity of air , H, l and d.
(b) Write down an expression for the energy stored ( ) in the capacitor in terms of the
electric field intensity (E0) of the charged capacitor, , and d.

(ii) Now the lower edges of the plates of this capacitor is made
to contact with a dielectric liquid as shown in the figure. The
HH H liquid rises up in between the plates to a height h.

(a) Write down an expression for the equivalent

huu h
capacitance ( ) of this partly liquid filled
capacitor in terms of , H, l, d, h and the relative
permittivity of the liquid.
(b) Write down an expression for the increase in the gravitational potential energy ( ) of
the liquid in terms of the density ( ) of the liquid, h, l, and g.

(c) Using the facts that total electric charge in the capacitor remains constant and there is
no energy transferred to the system from outside, derive an expression in order to
find the height (h), in terms of the initial electric field intensity E0 of the charged
capacitor, H, ρ, , , and g. All the other symbols should cancel off. No need to
keep h as the subject.

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 ANSWER SHEET

Question 1 Results Marks

(a)

.
(b)

Und Underline the correct answer: TRUE or FALSE

(c)

Question 2 Results Marks

(i) (a)

(b)

(ii) (a)

(b)

(c)

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