®
AP Physics C: Electricity
and Magnetism Exam
SECTION II: Free Response 2018
DO NOT OPEN THIS BOOKLET UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO.
At a Glance
Total Time
45 minutes
Number of Questions
3
Percent of Total Score
50%
Writing Instrument
Either pencil or pen with
black or dark blue ink
Electronic Device
Calculator allowed
Weight
The questions are
weighted equally.
Instructions
The questions for Section II are printed in this booklet. You may use any blank space in
the booklet for scratch work, but you must write your answers in the spaces provided for
each answer. A table of information and lists of equations that may be helpful are in the
booklet. Calculators, rulers, and straightedges may be used in this section.
All final numerical answers should include appropriate units. Credit for your work
depends on demonstrating that you know which physical principles would be appropriate
to apply in a particular situation. Therefore, you should show your work for each part in
the space provided after that part. If you need more space, be sure to clearly indicate
where you continue your work. Credit will be awarded only for work that is clearly
designated as the solution to a specific part of a question. Credit also depends on the
quality of your solutions and explanations, so you should show your work.
Write clearly and legibly. Cross out any errors you make; erased or crossed-out work will
not be scored. You may lose credit for incorrect work that is not crossed out.
Manage your time carefully. You may proceed freely from one question to the next. You
may review your responses if you finish before the end of the exam is announced.
Form I
Form Code 4OBP4-S
82
PHYSICS C: ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM
SECTION II
Time —45 minutes
3 Questions
Directions: Answer all three questions. The suggested time is about 15 minutes for answering each of the questions,
which are worth 15 points each. The parts within a question may not have equal weight. Show all your work in this
booklet in the spaces provided after each part.
1. A circuit is created with an ideal battery and five resistors with the values shown in the figure above.
An open switch is shown that can connect points X and Y. A voltmeter V and an ammeter A1 are also
shown in the figure.
(a) The switch is in the open position.
i. Calculate the current measured by the ammeter A1 .
ii. Calculate the potential difference measured by the voltmeter V.
(b) The switch is now moved to the closed position.
i. Calculate the current measured by the ammeter A1 .
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ii. Calculate the potential difference measured by the voltmeter V.
A student wants to determine if there is a current in the closed switch. The switch is now replaced with
ammeter A 2 between points X and Y. The ammeter acts as a closed switch and can measure the current,
if any, between the two points.
(c)
i. Calculate the current measured by ammeter A 2 .
ii. Indicate the direction of the current, if any, through the ammeter A 2 .
____ Left ____ Right ____ Undefined, because the current is zero
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(d) The ammeter A 2 is replaced with switch S and capacitor C = 12 μF , as shown in the figure above. Switch
S is closed.
i. Calculate the charge stored on the positive plate of capacitor C a long time after switch S is closed.
ii. Which point, X or Y, is at a higher electric potential?
____ X ____ Y
Justify your answer.
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2. A coaxial cable is composed of a central conducting wire surrounded by a cylindrical insulator, and around
that is a conducting cylindrical shell with an insulating cover. A power supply of emf ε is used at one end
to connect the two conducting regions, and a resistive load of resistance R is connected at the other end of
the cable to complete the circuit, as shown in the schematic diagram and circuit figure above.
A cross section of the cable from the perspective of the power supply end is depicted above as if looking into the
left end of the cable. Point P is inside the cylindrical insulator a distance b from the center of the cable. Point Q
is outside the cable.
(a)
i. On figure 1 shown above left, draw an Amperian loop that could be used to determine the magnitude
of the magnetic field at point P in the diagram. Clearly mark this loop as “Loop 1.”
ii. On figure 1, draw an Amperian loop that could be used to determine the magnitude of the magnetic
field at point Q in the diagram. Clearly mark this loop as “Loop 2.”
iii. On figure 2 shown above right, draw an arrow to show the direction of the magnetic field at point P.
The arrow should start on and point away from the point in the direction of the magnetic field.
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(b) Using Ampere’s law, derive an expression for the magnitude of the magnetic field at point P. Express your
answer in terms of ε , R, b, and physical constants, as appropriate.
(c) Determine the magnitude of the magnetic field at point Q.
Justify your answer.
Question 2 continues on the next page.
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Some physics students conduct an experiment with a coaxial cable in which they connect the cable to a
variable power supply and measure the resulting magnetic field strength at point P inside the cylindrical
insulator using a magnetic field sensor. Point P is 0.0050 m from the center of the cable. The plot of the
magnetic field strength B as a function of the emf ε of the power supply is shown below.
(d)
i. Draw the best-fit line for the data.
ii. Use the straight line to calculate the resistance R of the resistor used in the experiment.
(e) The lab group uses a multimeter to measure the resistance of the resistor and determines that their
experimental value for R from part (d) is approximately 10% larger than that found with the multimeter.
Describe a physical reason that might account for this result.
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(f) The lab group notices that when the current is reversed in the cable and the experiment is again performed,
the plot has a positive vertical axis intercept equal in magnitude to the negative vertical axis intercept in the
plot shown before part (d).
i. Describe a physical reason for the vertical axis intercept.
ii. Describe a physical reason that the vertical axis intercept switches from negative to positive when the
current in the cable is reversed.
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3. A parallel plate capacitor is connected to a battery, fully charged, and then isolated from the battery. The plates
are given equal and opposite charge densities σ , and the separation between the plates is d, as shown in the
figure above. The area of each plate has a value of A.
(a) Derive an expression for the energy stored in the capacitor. Express your answer in terms of σ , d, A, and
physical constants, as appropriate.
While the capacitor is isolated from the battery, an uncharged metal slab of thickness x and area A is inserted
between the capacitor plates so that it is an equal distance from the two plates, as shown in the figure above.
(b) On the figure above, draw an arrow to indicate the direction of the electric field in the following
three regions of space between the capacitor plates. If the electric field is zero in any region, indicate
this by writing “E = 0” in that region.
i. The region between the top plate and the metal slab
ii. The region inside the metal slab
iii. The region between the metal slab and the bottom plate
(c) On the lines below, rank the regions according to the magnitude of the electric field, with 1 being the largest
magnitude. If any regions have the same magnitude of electric field, give them the same ranking.
____ The region between the top plate and the metal slab
____ The region inside the metal slab
____ The region between the metal slab and the bottom plate
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(d) Is the capacitance of the capacitor with the metal slab greater than, less than, or equal to the capacitance of
the original capacitor without the slab?
____ Greater than ____ Less than ____ Equal to
Justify your answer.
(e) When charged to the original charge density, is the energy stored in the capacitor with the metal slab greater
than, less than, or equal to the original energy stored in the capacitor calculated in part (a) ?
____ Greater than ____ Less than ____ Equal to
Justify your answer.
Question 3 continues on the next page.
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Some physics students conduct an experiment in which they charge the capacitor to the same potential
difference, isolate it from the battery, insert the metal slab, and measure the new potential difference across the
capacitor. This experiment is repeated with slabs of different thickness. The plot of the potential difference DV
across the capacitor as a function of the thickness x of the slab is shown below. A best-fit line for the data has
been drawn.
(f) Use the best-fit line to calculate the following:
i. σ , the charge density on the plates
ii. d, the distance between the capacitor plates
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