MACLEANS COLLEGE

AS PHYSICS ASSIGNMENT
UNIT 6 ASSIGNMENT: PHASES OF MATTER & DEFORMATION OF
SOLIDS,
Q1
(a) Define density.
(b) Copper has density 8930 kg m-3 and zinc has density 7140 kg m-3. Brass is an
alloy consisting of 70 % copper and 30 % zinc by volume. Assume that the
volume of the alloy is equal to the sum of the volumes of the copper and zinc
used. Consider one cubic metre of brass. Complete the table below in order to
find the density of the brass.
Metal
Volume/m3
Mass/kg
Density/kg m-3
copper
0.70
8930
zinc
0.30
7140
brass
1.00
(c) Measurement shows that the density of the brass in (b) is 8500 kg m-3. Use your
knowledge of the structure of crystalline solids to suggest why, in practice, it is
possible that the volume of brass might be different from the volume of copper
plus the volume of zinc.
Q2
(a) Sketch a graph of the temperature rise of a solid heated at a constant rate through
its melting and boiling points. Label all the important aspects clearly.
(b) Which type of internal energy (kinetic or potential) could be used as a label on
the vertical axis?
(c) Indicate the times when the potential energy is increasing but not the kinetic
energy.
Q3
Calculate the density of:
(a) A 2.3 x 10-4 m3 block of copper with a mass of 2.0 kg
(b) A sample of air which has a volume of 3.0 m3 and a mass of 3.9 kg.
Q4
A 40 N weight is placed on top a vertical wooden cylinder of uniform crosssectional area 5.0 x 10-4 m2. Assuming that the weight of the wooden cylinder is
negligible, calculate the pressure at its base.
Q5
All nuclei have approximately the same density. The mass of a copper nucleus is
1.1 x 10-25 kg and its radius 4.8 x 10-15 m.
(a) Calculate the density of this nucleus, taking it to be spherical.
(b) Find the radius of a lead nucleus of mass 3.5 x 10-25 kg.

Q6
A spring has an un-extended length of 12.4 cm. When a load of 4.5 N is suspended
from the spring, its load becomes 13.3 cm. Calculate
(a) The elastic constant of the spring
(b) The length of the spring for a load of 3.5 N.
Q7
The elastic cord of a catapult has an elastic constant of 700 N m-1. Calculate the
energy stored in the elastic cord when it is extended by 15 cm.
Q8
An elastic band is stretched so that its length increases by 2.4 cm. The force
required to stretch the band increases linearly from 6.3 N to 9.5 N. Calculate:
(a) the average force required to stretch the elastic band,
(b) the work done in stretching the band.
Q9
Two wires each have length 1.8 m and diameter 1.2 mm. One wire has a Young
modulus of 1.1 x 1011 Pa and the other 2.2 x 1011 Pa. One end of each wire is
attached to the same fixed point and the other end of each wire is attached to the
same load of 75 N so that each has the same extension. Assuming that the elastic
limit of the wires is not exceeded, calculate the extension of the wires.
Q10
The figure on the right shows the change in
length, l, of a climbing ropeas the force on it
increases.
(a) What is the force constant, k, of the
climbing rope?
(b) Provided that the elastic limit is not
exceeded, by how much would you expect
the rope to stretch if the following forces
were applied to it?
(i)
3000 N (ii) 2.25 kN

F/N
1000
800
600
400

l/m

200

0.1

0.2

0.3 0.4

0.5

0.6

Q11
A spring has a force constant, k, of 800 N m-1.
(a) What tension, F, would stretch it by 40 mm?
(b) What mass would you have to hang on it (on Earth) to produce this tension?

Q12
A block of rubber with a force constant, k, of 50 N m-1 is compressed by a force of
1.0 N.
(a) What reduction in length is produced?
(b) How much energy is stored in the block?
Q13
A mass of 300 g is hung by a spring and stretches it by 6.0 cm.
(a) If another two identical springs are put in parallel to share the load (that is
three springs in parallel), by how much will the springs stretch now?
(b) By what factor has the force constant changed?
The springs are now linked together in series.
(c) By how much will each spring stretch and what is the total extension?
(d) By what factor has the force constant changed this time?
Q14
A human hair of cross-sectional area of 2.5 x 10-9 m2 has a mass of 20 g hanging on
it.
(a) Calculate the stress.
(b) Estimate the approximate diameter of the hair.
Q15
(a) A rope of length 80 m is stretched to give a strain of 10 %. What is the new
length of rope?
(b) A rope of length 55 m is stretched to 57 m. What is the strain?
(c) A rope stretched to give a 15 % strain is 47 m long. What was its original
length?
Q16
(a) What is the Young modulus of the material
whose stress/strain graph is plotted on the
right?
(b) Show that the area under the graph is equal to
the work done per unit volume of the material.
(No calculation is needed).

Stress/MPa
300
200
100

Q17
For the spring whose behaviour is shown on the right,
find
(a) The force constant
(b) The maximum strain shown (where strain = l/l)
(c) The energy stored at this maximum strain.

Strain/x 10-3
0.2

0.4

0.6 0.8

1.0

1.2

Tension/N

6
4
2
0

20

40

60

80

100 120 140

Length of spring/mm

Q18
A girl bungee jumping has a mass of 60 kg and the unstretched length of the
rope is 40 m. She jumps from a height of 100 m and falls a total of 70 m before
she is brought to rest for the first time.
(a) Describe the energy changes that take place during this fall.
(b) Calculate the total loss in gravitational potential energy.
(c) Use this to calculate the average force on her while she is being brought to
rest.
(d) When does she feel the maximum force from the rope?
(e) What is its value?
(f) Three different ropes were tested on this jump, with force-extension
characteristics shown below. Explain what would you feel with each rope,
and what aspect is equal for all three graphs?
force

Three different ropes

A

B
C

extension