Paper 2

Describe how to determine the specific heat capacity of an aluminium block using an electric heater.

A 2.4 kW kettle heats 1.5 kg of water from 15 °C to 100 °C. Calculate the minimum time taken. (c = 4200 J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹)

State four assumptions made in the kinetic theory of an ideal gas.

A cylinder of volume 0.020 m³ contains air at 2.0 × 10⁵ Pa and 290 K. Calculate the number of molecules and the mass of air (molar mass 0.029 kg mol⁻¹).

Show that the radius of a geostationary orbit is about 4.2 × 10⁷ m. (Mass of Earth = 5.97 × 10²⁴ kg)

Calculate the minimum energy needed to move a 1200 kg satellite from the Earth's surface (radius 6.37 × 10⁶ m) to geostationary orbit, ignoring its kinetic energy.

Explain why a satellite in a lower orbit moves faster.

Compare gravitational and electric fields, giving one similarity and two differences.

A 220 μF capacitor charged to 9.0 V is discharged through a 47 kΩ resistor. Calculate the time constant, the pd after 15 s and the energy transferred in that time.

Explain why inserting a dielectric between the plates increases the capacitance.

Electrons accelerated through 2000 V enter a uniform 1.5 mT magnetic field at right angles. Calculate their speed and the radius of their path.

A coil of 200 turns and area 4.0 × 10⁻³ m² rotates at 50 Hz in a uniform field of 0.050 T. Calculate the peak and rms emf.

Explain why a magnet falls slowly through a vertical copper tube.

Calculate the activity of 1.0 μg of cobalt-60 (half-life 5.27 years).

Calculate the binding energy per nucleon of helium-4. Mass of nucleus = 4.00151 u, proton 1.00728 u, neutron 1.00867 u, 1 u = 931.5 MeV.

Explain the roles of the moderator, control rods and coolant in a thermal nuclear reactor, and why a moderator is needed.

Describe how to check that gamma radiation obeys an inverse-square law.

How much energy is needed to raise 2.0 kg of water by 5.0 K? (c = 4200 J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹)

How much energy melts 0.50 kg of ice at 0 °C? (L = 3.34 × 10⁵ J kg⁻¹)

A gas occupies 0.0249 m³ at 100 kPa and 300 K. How many moles are there?

What is the mean kinetic energy of a gas molecule at 300 K?

The absolute temperature of an ideal gas is doubled. The rms speed is multiplied by:

At a height equal to the Earth's radius above the surface, the gravitational field strength is:

The period of a geostationary satellite is:

Which is the escape velocity from a planet of mass M and radius r?

Gravitational potential near a planet is:

The distance between two point charges is doubled. The force becomes:

What is the field strength between plates 2.0 cm apart with pd 500 V?

What charge is stored on 470 μF at 6.0 V?

What energy is stored in 100 μF at 12 V?

What is the time constant of 10 kΩ and 220 μF?

After one time constant, what fraction of the initial charge remains?

What is the force on a 0.050 m wire carrying 3.0 A at right angles to a 0.20 T field?

A charged particle moves in a circle in a magnetic field. If its speed doubles, the radius:

The flux linkage of a coil changes by 0.12 Wb-turns in 0.040 s. What is the average induced emf?

An ideal transformer has 1200 primary turns and 60 secondary turns. The primary voltage is 240 V. The secondary voltage is:

Alpha-particle scattering showed that:

The distance from a gamma source doubles. The corrected count rate becomes:

What fraction of a radioactive sample remains after three half-lives?

What is the decay constant of a nuclide with half-life 5.0 minutes?

Nucleus X has nucleon number 216 and nucleus Y has 27. What is radius X ÷ radius Y?

Which nucleus has the highest binding energy per nucleon?