VECTOR & UNCERTAINTIES MASTERY TEST

A force of 5 N may be represented by two perpendicular components OY and OX as shown in

thediagram, which is not drawn to scale.

3N

5N

OY is of magnitude 3 N.
What is the magnitude of OX?
A

2N

3N

4N

5N

Which two vector diagrams represent forces in equilibrium?

P and Q

Q and R

R and S

S and P

The vector diagram shows three coplanar forces acting on an object at P.

3N
P
4N
4N

The magnitude of the resultant of these three forces is 1 N.

What is the direction of this resultant?
A

Three coplanar forces, each of magnitude 10 N, act through the same point of a body in the
directions shown.
10 N

10 N
30o 30o

10 N

What is the magnitude of the resultant force?

The diagram shows two vectors X and Y.

In which vector triangle does the vector Z show the magnitude and direction of vector XY?

D
X

The diagram shows a resultant force and its horizontal and vertical components.
vertical
component

resultant

horizontal
component

The horizontal component is 20.0 N and = 30. What is the vertical component?
A

8.7 N

10.0 N

11.5 N

17.3 N

A vector quantity V is resolved into two perpendicular components X and Y. The angle between V
and component X is .
V

Y
X

The angle between component X and the vector V is increased from 0 to 90.
How do the magnitudes of X and Y change as the angle is increased in this way?

increase

increase

increase

decrease

decrease

increase

decrease

decrease

A force of 5.0 N pushes a ball due north and another force of 3.0 N pushes it due east.
N

5.0 N

3.0 N

What is the magnitude of the net force acting on the ball?

A

2.8 N

4.0 N

5.8 N

8.0 N

Two possible displacements of an object are represented by the vectors P and Q.

Which vector best represents the resultant displacement (P Q) of the object?

10 A vector has magnitude R and perpendicular components P and Q, as shown in the diagram.
R
vertical component Q

horizontal component P

Which row correctly describes the perpendicular components?

vertical component

horizontal component

R sin

R cos

R cos

R sin

R sin

R cos

11. A steel wire is stretched in an experiment to determine the Young modulus for steel.
The uncertainties in the measurements are given below.
measurement

uncertainty

load on wire

2%

length of wire

0.2%

diameter of wire

1.5%

extension

1%

What is the percentage uncertainty in the Young modulus?

A

1.3%

1.8%

4.7%

6.2%

12 A student measures the time T for one complete oscillation of a pendulum of length l.
Her results are shown in the table.
l/m

T/s

0.420 0.001

1.3 0.1

She uses the formula

T = 2

l
g

to calculate the acceleration of free fall g.

What is the best estimate of the percentage uncertainty in the value of g?
A

13

0.02%

4%

8%

16%

A thermometer can be read to an accuracy of 0.5 C. This thermometer is used to

measure atemperature rise from 40 C to 100 C.
What is the percentage uncertainty in the measurement of the temperature rise?
A

0.5 %

0.8 %

1.3 %

1.7 %

14 In a simple electrical circuit, the current in a resistor is measured as (2.50 0.05) mA. The
resistor is marked as having a value of 4.7 2 %.
If these values were used to calculate the power dissipated in the resistor, what would be the
percentage uncertainty in the value obtained?
A

2%

4%

6%

15

The resistance R of a resistor is to be determined. The current I in the resistor and the potential
difference V across it are measured.
The results, with their uncertainties, are
V = (15.0 0.5) V.

I = (2.0 0.2) A
The value of R is calculated to be 7.5 .
What is the uncertainty in this value for R ?
0.3

0.5

0.7

16 A student wishes to determine the density of lead. She measures the mass and diameter of
a small sphere of lead:
mass = (0.506 0.005) g
diameter = (2.20 0.02) mm.
What is the best estimate of the percentage uncertainty in her value of ?
A

1.9%

2.0%

2.8%

3.7%

17

18.

A quantity x is to be determined from the equation

x = P Q.
P is measured as 1.27 0.02 m.
Q is measured as 0.83 0.01 m.
What is the percentage uncertainty in x to one significant figure?
A

0.4 %

2%

3%

7%

STRUCTURED QUESTION

1.

(a)

Define pressure.
.............................................................................................................................................. [1]

(b) A cylinder is placed on a horizontal surface, as shown in Fig. 2.1.

diameter

cylinder

Fig. 2.1
The following measurements were made on the cylinder:
mass = 5.09 0.01 kg
diameter = 9.4 0.1 cm.
(i)

Calculate the pressure produced by the cylinder on the surface.

pressure = .................................................... Pa [3]

(ii)

Calculate the actual uncertainty in the pressure.

actual uncertainty = .................................................... Pa [3]

(iii)

State the pressure, with its actual uncertainty.

pressure = ........................................... ........................................... Pa [1]

2.

(a) State the difference between a scalar quantity and a vector quantity.
scalar: ..............................................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................
vector: ..............................................................................................................................
.................................................................................................................................... [2]
(b) Two forces of magnitude 6.0 N and 8.0 N act at a point P. Both forces act away from
point P and the angle between them is 40.
Fig. 1.1 shows two lines at an angle of 40 to one another.

40

Fig. 1.1
On Fig. 1.1, draw a vector diagram to determine the magnitude of the resultant of the
two forces.
magnitude of resultant = ...................................... N [4]

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19 A spring of unextended length 0.50 m is stretched by a force of 2.0 N to a new length of 0.90 m.
The variation of its length with tension is as shown.

2.0
tension / N

0
0

0.50

length / m

0.90

How much strain energy is stored in the spring?

0.40 J

0.80 J

0.90 J

1.8 J

20 A simple crane consists of a rigid vertical pillar supporting a horizontal beam.

Y
Z
W
X

A weight W is lifted by a rope at the end of the beam.

What are the forces at points X, Y and Z due to the weight W?
force at X

force at Y

force at Z

tension

compression

tension

tension

tension

compression

compression

tension

compression

compression

compression

compression

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21 Which of the following types of wave can be polarised?
A

a longitudinal progressive wave

a longitudinal stationary wave

a transverse stationary wave

a transverse sound wave

22 Sound wave X has intensity 1012 times greater than that of sound wave Y.
By how much is the amplitude of X greater than the amplitude of Y?
A

106 times

3.16 106 times

5 1011 times

1012 times

23 The graph shows the shape at a particular instant of part of a transverse wave travelling along a
string.
displacement

S
Q
distance along string
R

Which statement about the motion of points in the string is correct?

A

The speed at point P is a maximum.

The displacement at point Q is always zero.

The energy at point R is entirely kinetic.

The acceleration at point S is a maximum.

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high
frequencies

visible

24 The diagram illustrates part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

low
frequencies

Which labels are correct for the regions marked 1 and 2?

1

infrared

X-rays

microwaves

X-rays

ultraviolet

microwaves

X-rays

infrared

25 The diagram represents a stationary wave on a stretched string.

x

What is represented by point P and by the length x?

point P

length x

antinode

one wavelength

antinode

two wavelengths

node

one wavelength

node

two wavelengths

26 A two-slit arrangement is set up to produce interference fringes on a screen. The fringes are too
close together for convenient observation when a monochromatic source of violet light is used.
In which way would it be possible to increase the separation of the fringes?
A

Decrease the distance between the screen and the slits.

Increase the distance between the two slits.

Increase the width of each slit.

Use a monochromatic source of red light.

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27

A stationary longitudinal wave is set up in a pipe.

In the diagrams below, the length of each arrow represents the amplitude of the motion of the air
molecules, and the arrow head shows the direction of motion at a particular instant.
Which diagram shows a stationary wave in which there are two nodes and two antinodes?

28 Which diagram represents the electric field of a negative point charge, shown by ?
A

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29 An electron, travelling horizontally at constant speed in a vacuum, enters a vertical electric field
between two charged parallel plates as shown.

electron
electric field

What are the horizontal and vertical components of the motion of this electron when it is in the
field?
horizontal component of
motion

vertical component of
motion

constant speed

acceleration upwards

constant speed

acceleration downwards

acceleration to the right

acceleration downwards

acceleration to the right

acceleration upwards

30 The electric field strength between a pair of parallel plates is E. The separation of the plates is
doubled and the potential difference between the plates is increased by a factor of four.
What is the new electric field strength?
A

2E

4E

8E

31 What is a correct statement of Ohms law?

A

The potential difference across a component equals the current providing the resistance and
other physical conditions stay constant.

The potential difference across a component equals the current multiplied by the resistance.

The potential difference across a component is proportional to its resistance.

The potential difference across a component is proportional to the current in it providing

physical conditions stay constant.

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32 The current in a resistor is 8.0 mA.
What charge flows through the resistor in 0.020 s?
A

0.16 mC

1.6 mC

4.0 mC

0.40 C

33 A cell of e.m.f. 2.0 V and negligible internal resistance is connected to the network of resistors
shown.

5.0 k

2.0 k

2.0 V

Q
3.0 k

5.0 k

V1 is the potential difference between S and P. V2 is the potential difference between S and Q.
What is the value of V1 V2?
A

+0.50 V

+0.20 V

0.20 V

0.50 V

34 A circuit is set up with an LDR and a fixed resistor as shown.

5k
9V
V

The voltmeter reads 4 V.

The light intensity is increased.
What is a possible voltmeter reading?
A

3V

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35 In the circuit below, the battery converts an amount E of chemical energy to electrical energy
when charge Q passes through the resistor in time t.

Which expressions give the e.m.f. of the battery and the current in the resistor?
e.m.f.

current

EQ

Q/t

EQ

Qt

E/Q

Q/t

E/Q

Qt

36 A battery has an e.m.f. of 3.0 V and an internal resistance of 2.0 .

3.0 V

battery
2.0

4.0

The battery is connected to a load of 4.0 .

What are the terminal potential difference V and output power P?
V/V

P/W

1.0

0.50

1.0

1.5

2.0

1.0

2.0

1.5

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37 A researcher has two pieces of copper of the same volume. All of the first piece is made into a
cylindrical resistor P of length x.
x
current

resistor P

All of the second piece is made into uniform wires each of the same length x which he connects
between two bars of negligible resistance to form a resistor Q.
x

current

resistor Q

bar of
negligible
resistance
wires

How do the electrical resistances of P and Q compare?

A

P has a larger resistance than Q.

Q has a larger resistance than P.

P and Q have equal resistance.

Q may have a larger or smaller resistance than P, depending on the number of wires made.

38 A detector is exposed to a radioactive source. Fluctuations in the count-rate are observed.

What do these fluctuations indicate about radioactive decay?
A

It is random.

It is spontaneous.

It is exponential.

It is non-linear.

39 The symbol 77
32 Ge represents a nucleus of germanium that decays to a nucleus of arsenic by
emitting a -particle.
What is the symbol of this arsenic nucleus?
A

76
32 As

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33 As

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40 Each of the nuclei below is accelerated from rest through the same potential difference.
Which one completes the acceleration with the lowest speed?
A

1
1

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4 Be

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