Cambridge International Examinations

Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level

PHYSICS 9702/12
Paper 1 Multiple Choice October/November 2017
1 hour 15 minutes
Additional Materials: Multiple Choice Answer Sheet
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Write your name, Centre number and candidate number on the Answer Sheet in the spaces provided
unless this has been done for you.
DO NOT WRITE IN ANY BARCODES.

There are forty questions on this paper. Answer all questions. For each question there are four possible
answers A, B, C and D.
Choose the one you consider correct and record your choice in soft pencil on the separate Answer Sheet.

Read the instructions on the Answer Sheet very carefully.

Each correct answer will score one mark. A mark will not be deducted for a wrong answer.
Any working should be done in this booklet.
Electronic calculators may be used.

This document consists of 20 printed pages.

IB17 11_9702_12/2RP
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Data

speed of light in free space c = 3.00 × 108 m s–1

permeability of free space µ0 = 4π × 10–7 H m–1

permittivity of free space ε0 = 8.85 × 10–12 F m–1

1
( = 8.99 × 109 m F–1)
4πε 0

elementary charge e = 1.60 × 10–19 C

the Planck constant h = 6.63 × 10–34 J s

unified atomic mass unit 1 u = 1.66 × 10–27 kg

rest mass of electron me = 9.11 × 10–31 kg

rest mass of proton mp = 1.67 × 10–27 kg

molar gas constant R = 8.31 J K–1 mol–1

the Avogadro constant NA = 6.02 × 1023 mol–1

the Boltzmann constant k = 1.38 × 10–23 J K–1

gravitational constant G = 6.67 × 10–11 N m2 kg–2

acceleration of free fall g = 9.81 m s–2

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Formulae
1
uniformly accelerated motion s = ut + 2
at 2
v 2 = u 2 + 2as

work done on/by a gas W = p∆V

gravitational potential φ = – Gm
r
hydrostatic pressure p = ρ gh

pressure of an ideal gas p= 1 Nm <c 2>

3 V

simple harmonic motion a = – ω 2x

velocity of particle in s.h.m. v = v0 cos ωt

v = ±ω ( x 02 − x 2 )

fsv
Doppler effect fo =
v ± vs

electric potential V= Q
4 πε 0r

capacitors in series 1 / C = 1 / C1 + 1 / C2 + . . .

capacitors in parallel C = C1 + C2 + . . .

1
energy of charged capacitor W= 2
QV

electric current I = Anvq

resistors in series R = R1 + R2 + . . .

resistors in parallel 1 / R = 1 / R1 + 1 / R2 + . . .
BI
Hall voltage VH =
ntq
alternating current/voltage x = x0 sin ωt

radioactive decay x = x0 exp(–λt)

decay constant λ = 0.693

t1
2

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1 Which pair of units are not the same when expressed in SI base units?

A m s–2 and N kg–1

B N s and kg m s–1
C Pa and N m–2
D V m–2 and N C–1

2 What is the vertical component of this displacement vector?

5.0 km

37°
horizontal

A 3.0 km B 3.8 km C 4.0 km D 5.0 km

3 The units of specific heat capacity are J kg–1 K–1.

What are the SI base units of specific heat capacity?

A m s–2 K–1 B m s–1 K–1 C m2 s–2 K–1 D m2 s–1 K–1

4 A quantity y is to be determined from the equation shown.

px
y=
q2

The percentage uncertainties in p, x and q are shown.

percentage
uncertainty

p 6%
x 2%
q 4%

What is the percentage uncertainty in y?

A 0.5% B 0.75% C 12% D 16%

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5 A transmitter emits a pulse of electromagnetic waves towards a reflector. The pulse is reflected
and returns to the transmitter.

A detector is located at the transmitter. The emitted pulse and the reflected pulse are displayed
on a cathode-ray oscilloscope (c.r.o.) as shown.

1 cm

1 cm

The pulse takes 6.3 µs to travel from the transmitter to the reflector.

What is the time-base setting of the c.r.o.?

A 2.1 µs cm–1 B 3.2 µs cm–1 C 4.2 µs cm–1 D 6.3 µs cm–1

6 A hot-air balloon is moving vertically upwards with a constant speed of 3.00 m s–1. A sandbag is
dropped from the balloon. It takes 5.00 s for the sandbag to fall to the ground.

What was the height of the balloon when the sandbag was released?

A 29 m B 108 m C 123 m D 138 m

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7 The velocity-time graph for a train starting at one station and stopping at the next is shown.

velocity

0
0 time

Another train has double the acceleration but the same maximum speed and the same
deceleration.

Which velocity-time graph, on the same scale, shows the motion of this train between the same
stations?

A B

velocity velocity

0 0
0 time 0 time

C D

velocity velocity

0 0
0 time 0 time

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8 A stone is released from rest and falls a long distance in air.

Which graph could show the variation with time t of the acceleration a of the stone?

A B
a a

0 0
0 t 0 t

C D
a a

0 0
0 t 0 t

9 A slow vehicle and a fast vehicle travel towards each other in a straight line and then collide.

Which outcome is never possible, regardless of the masses of the vehicles?

A Both vehicles stop.

B Only one vehicle stops.
C The fast vehicle’s speed increases.
D The slow vehicle’s speed increases.

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10 Two blocks of masses M and m are joined by a thin string which passes over a frictionless pulley,
as shown.

pulley

a string
M

m a

The acceleration of free fall is g.

What is the acceleration a of the two blocks?

(M + m) (M – m) M m
A g B g C g D g
(M – m) (M + m) m M

11 The diagram shows a block of copper suspended in water.

face S

face R

The block experiences an upthrust from the water.

Which statement is the basis of an explanation for this upthrust?

A Copper is more dense than water.

B The area of face R is greater than the area of face S.
C The density of water increases with depth.
D The pressure of water increases with depth.

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12 The diagram shows a solid cube with weight W and sides of length L. It is supported at rest by a
frictionless spindle that passes through the centres of two opposite vertical faces. One of these
faces is shaded.

The spindle is now removed and replaced at a distance L to the right of its original position.
4

L
4

When viewing the shaded face, what is the torque of the couple that will now be needed to keep
the cube at rest?

WL
A anticlockwise
4

WL
B clockwise
4

WL
C anticlockwise
2

WL
D clockwise
2

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13 A street lamp is fixed to a wall by a metal rod and a cable.

cable

wall
P

metal rod lamp

Which vector triangle could represent the forces acting at point P?

A B

C D

14 Two rigid steel beams XY and YZ are fixed at their lower ends and are hinged at Y. Each beam is
inclined at 50° to the horizontal, as shown. A weight of 4.0 × 104 N hangs from Y. The structure is
in equilibrium.

Y hinge
steel beam steel beam

4.0 × 104 N

50° 50°
X Z

What is the force exerted by each beam on the hinge at Y?

A 2.6 × 104 N B 3.1 × 104 N C 5.2 × 104 N D 6.2 × 104 N

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15 Air is trapped inside a glass bulb which is immersed in water and attached to a U-tube containing
mercury. The densities of water and mercury are ρw and ρm respectively. The surface of the
water is open to the atmosphere where atmospheric pressure is P.

atmospheric pressure P
water surface
glass bulb

water
density ρ w air hw

hm

U-tube

mercury
density ρ m

The acceleration of free fall is g.

What is the pressure of the air in the glass bulb?

A P + gρwhw + gρmhm

B P + gρwhw – gρmhm

C gρwhw + gρmhm

D gρwhw – gρmhm

16 A ball of mass m is thrown up to height h in air with an initial velocity v, as shown.

v
h

P Q

Air resistance is negligible. The acceleration of free fall is g.

What is the total work done by the gravitational force on the ball during its flight from P to Q?

A zero B 1
2
mv 2 C mgh D 2mgh

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17 A constant force F, acting on a car of mass m, moves the car up a slope through a distance s at
constant velocity v. The angle of the slope to the horizontal is α.

gravitational potential energy gained by car

What is the ratio ?
work done by force F

mgs sinα mv mv 2 mg sinα

A B C D
Fv Fs 2Fs F

18 Car X is travelling at half the speed of car Y. Car X has twice the mass of car Y.

Which statement is correct?

A Car X has half the kinetic energy of car Y.

B Car X has one quarter of the kinetic energy of car Y.
C Car X has twice the kinetic energy of car Y.
D The two cars have the same kinetic energy.

19 During refuelling, a petrol car receives 50 litres of fuel in 90 seconds. The petrol has 34 MJ of
energy per litre.

For an electric car to receive the same amount of energy in the same time from a 230 V supply,
what is the minimum current required?

A 2700 A B 8.2 × 104 A C 7.4 × 106 A D 6.6 × 108 A

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20 A bolt is subjected to a tensile force, as shown.

bolt
X
Y
tensile tensile
2d d
force force

The bolt has a circular cross-section. At end X the diameter is 2d. At end Y the diameter is d.

What is the ratio stress at Y ?

stress at X
A 0.25 B 0.50 C 2.0 D 4.0

21 A rectangular block of steel supporting a very large component of a bridge has a height of 15 cm
and a cross-section of 20 cm × 12 cm. It is designed to compress 1 mm when under maximum,
evenly distributed, load.

The Young modulus of steel is 2.0 × 1011 N m–2.

What is the maximum load it can support?

A 32 MN B 56 GN C 720 GN D 32 TN

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22 When sound travels through air, the air particles vibrate. A graph of displacement against time for
a single air particle is shown.

displacement

0
0 T 2T time

Which graph best shows how the kinetic energy of the air particle varies with time?

A B
kinetic kinetic
energy energy

0 0
0 T 2T time 0 T 2T time

C D
kinetic kinetic
energy energy

0 0
0 T 2T time 0 T 2T time

23 Which wave is a longitudinal wave?

A a light wave travelling through air

B a radio wave from a broadcasting station
C a ripple on the surface of water
D a sound wave travelling through air

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24 A vibrating tuning fork is held above a glass cylinder filled to the top with water. The water level is
steadily lowered. A loud sound is first heard when the water level is 83.5 cm above the bench.
The next loud sound is heard when the water level is 17.1 cm above the bench.

tuning fork

NOT TO
cylinder SCALE

water
83.5 cm

water 17.1 cm

The speed of sound in air is 340 m s–1.

What is the frequency of the tuning fork?

A 128 Hz B 256 Hz C 384 Hz D 512 Hz

25 A train that is moving in a straight line along a railway track has a whistle that continuously emits
sound of frequency f.

A woman standing by the side of the track hears sound of frequency 0.85f.

The speed of sound in the air is 340 m s–1.

What is the velocity of the train?

A 51 m s–1 away from the woman

B 51 m s–1 towards the woman
C 60 m s–1 away from the woman
D 60 m s–1 towards the woman

26 Orange light in a vacuum has a wavelength of 600 nm.

What is the frequency of this light?

A 180 Hz B 5.0 × 105 Hz C 1.8 × 1011 Hz D 5.0 × 1014 Hz

27 A stationary sound wave has a series of nodes. The distance between the first and the sixth node
is 30.0 cm.

What is the wavelength of the sound wave?

A 5.0 cm B 6.0 cm C 10.0 cm D 12.0 cm

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28 Which diagram shows the diffraction of water waves in a ripple tank?

A B

C D

29 A hill stands between a radio transmitter and a house, as shown.

hill

house radio transmitter

The radio transmitter cannot be seen from the house, but radio waves from the transmitter are
received at the house.

Why is this?

A The wavelength of light is longer than the wavelength of radio waves so there is more
diffraction of light over the hill.
B The wavelength of light is shorter than the wavelength of radio waves so there is more
diffraction of light over the hill.
C The wavelength of radio waves is longer than the wavelength of light so there is more
diffraction of radio waves over the hill.
D The wavelength of radio waves is shorter than the wavelength of light so there is more
diffraction of radio waves over the hill.

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30 In an experiment to demonstrate double-slit interference using light, the distance from the slits to
the screen is doubled and the slit separation is halved. The wavelength of the light is kept
constant.

By which factor does the separation of adjacent bright fringes change?

A 1 B 1 C 2 D 4
4 2

31 The diagram shows two metal plates connected to a constant high voltage.

Which graph shows the variation of the electric field strength E midway between the two plates as
the distance d between the two plates is increased?

A B C D
E E E E

0 0 0 0
0 d 0 d 0 d 0 d

32 An electron moves between two points X and Y in a uniform electric field, as shown.

Y
uniform electric field

The distance between X and Y is 4.0 cm and the line XY is at an angle of 60° to the direction of
the field.

The field exerts the only force on the electron.

The field strength is 100 N C–1.

What is the change in the kinetic energy of the electron as it moves from X to Y?
A – 4 eV B –2 eV C +2 eV D +4 eV

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33 Two copper wires are joined together and carry a current, as shown.

current current

wire P
wire Q
diameter d
diameter 2d

Wire P has diameter d and wire Q has diameter 2d.

average drift speed of the free electrons in wire P

What is the ratio ?
average drift speed of the free electrons in wire Q

A 1 B 1 C 2 D 4
4 2

34 A cell of negligible internal resistance is connected to resistors R1, R2 and R3, as shown. The cell
provides power to the circuit and power is dissipated in the resistors.

R1

R2 R3

Which word equation must be correct?

A power loss in R1 = power loss in R2 + power loss in R3

B power loss in R2 = power loss in R3
C power output of cell = power loss in R1 + power loss in R2 + power loss in R3
D power output of cell = power loss in R1

35 Which graph represents a metallic conductor, where the resistance of the conductor is given by
the gradient of the graph?

A B C D
V V I I

0 0 0 0
0 I 0 I 0 V 0 V

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36 A typical mobile phone battery has an e.m.f. of 5.0 V and an internal resistance of 200 mΩ.

What is the terminal p.d. of the battery when it supplies a current of 500 mA?

A 4.8 V B 4.9 V C 5.0 V D 5.1 V

37 The circuit shown contains a resistor S that is neither in series nor in parallel with the other
resistors.

12.0 V
0.50 Ω

3.0 A
4.0 A
0.5 A

R R

Kirchhoff’s laws can be used with the data in the diagram to deduce the resistance of each of the
two identical resistors labelled R.

What is the resistance of each resistor R?

A 3.0 Ω B 4.0 Ω C 4.8 Ω D 5.0 Ω

38 The diagram shows a potential divider connected to a 12 V supply of negligible internal

resistance.

300 Ω

12 V X

0 –100 Ω

Which range of voltages can be obtained between X and Y?

A 0 to 3 V B 0 to 4 V C 0 to 8 V D 0 to 9 V

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39 The diagram shows a sequence of radioactive decays involving three α-particles and a
β– particle.

α β– α α
237
93 Np Q R S T

What is nuclide T?
225 231 225 229
A 88 Ra B 88 Ra C 90 Th D 90 Th

40 Which combination of up (u) and down (d) quarks forms a neutron?

A uuu B uud C udd D ddd

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