P H Y S I C S – Half Yearly Exam – Specimen Paper

Form 4 Time: 2 hrs

Name:_________________________________ Class: __________

Answer all questions on the exam paper. Show all steps in your

working. The use of scientific calculators is allowed. Marks are allotted

for good presentation and well-labelled diagrams.

Wherever necessary take the acceleration due to gravity, g = 10 m/s²

and Standard Atmospheric Pressure = 100,000 Pa.

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Section A Answer all questions.

(a) This question is about measurements and variables.

1. (a) Complete the following table: (5)

Quantity Symbol S.I. Units

Pressure

Acceleration

Specific heat capacity

Power

Density

(b) Classify the following as vectors and scalars: (4)

velocity, displacement, acceleration, force, mass, time

speed, distance.

Vectors Scalars

(c) Fill in the blanks with the words listed below:

speed radio waves microwaves

transverse gamma radiation x-rays

The electromagnetic spectrum is made up of seven different types of

_______________ waves that have the same ____________ .

_____________________ have the lowest frequency while

_____________________ have the highest frequency. _____________ are

very penetrating and dangerous and are used to give us pictures of

broken bones while __________________ are used in mobile

communications. (3)

(d) Give: (3)

(i)One disadvantage of Nuclear energy

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(ii)One advantage of solar energy

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(iii) A reason why wind energy is suitable for the Maltese

Islands.

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2. This question is about pressure

A village church floor has been repaved and needs to

be protected by reducing the pressure exerted on it

as much as possible. The church has 120 benches

each weighing 700N.

(b) What is the total weight of all the benches? (1)

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(c) Each bench stands on two legs. Each leg has a length of 0.4m and a

width of 0.05m. What is the total area of contact of all the benches

in the church? (2)

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(d) Calculate the pressure on the floor due to all the empty benches. (2)

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(e) What are the two factors that affect pressure at a point? (2)

(i) ______________________________

(ii) ______________________________

(f) Before refurbishing, each bench used to stand on four small circular

stoppers, one at each end. Explain why this was not desirable. (2)

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3. This question is about energy

A crane is used to lift 10 stones each of mass 100kg each through a

distance of 3m in 5s.

(a) What is the total weight of the stones? (1)

(b)Calculate the work done by the crane to lift the ten stones. (2)

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(c) Calculate the power of the crane. (2)

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(a) What is the potential energy of one stone at the top? (2)

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(b) If the stone accidentally falls freely from that height, find its

velocity just before it hits the ground. (2)

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4. This question is about heat

Sue and Dave work in a fashion design company. They are asked to design a winter

jacket with good insulation. Before they start their design, they need to find which the

best insulator is: feathers or a layer of cloth. They are given the following apparatus:

Can covered

with feather

as an insulation

Can covered

with cloth as

an insulation

Two

thermometer

s

Boiling Water

Stop watch

a)Describe an experiment that Sue and Dave must do in order to find

which is the best insulator. (3) _______________________________________________________________________

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b) Mention two precautions taken in their experiment. (2)

1.

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2.

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c) Sketch two graphs of temperature against time on the same axes to

show the expected results. Label your graphs: feather insulation and cloth

insulation. (4)

d) It is expected that _____________________ is the better insulator since

trapped air is a _______ conductor of heat. (1)

e) Dave and Sue design a quilted reversible jacket. One side of the jacket is

black and the other side is white. Choose the best way to wear the jacket to

keep a person warmer in winter. Give a reason for your choice.

Option __________ (1)

Reason: _____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________ (1)

Option 1

Black inside and white outside

Option 2

White inside and black outside

5. This question is about distance and velocity.

The distance covered every 20 seconds by a competitor taking part in the first 500m of a marathon is shown in the table below.

Time /s 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180

Distance /m 0 120 230 315 360 410 440 465 485 500

a. Plot a graph of distance on the Y-axis against time. [5]

b. From your graph, find the distance the competitor covers after:

(i) 50 seconds ______________ (ii) 150 seconds ______________ [2]

c. From the table above, find the distance the competitor covers: [2]

(i) between the 20th and 40th second ______________________________

(ii) between the 120th and 140th second ___________________________

d. Explain why the answers to questions c.(i) and c. (ii) are different. [3]

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e. Find the competitor’s average velocity: [3]

(i) during the first 50 seconds

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(ii) during the first 150 seconds

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(iii) for the first 500m of the marathon.

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space for graph paper

6. This question is about the behaviour of light in air and water.

(a) As shown in the diagram below Sarah dropped her ring in a fish pond.

She looks from position X into the pond.

(i) Show by drawing 2 rays; how light emerges from the object and

reaches the observer at point X. Show also the position of the

image formed and mark it with an ‘I’.

(4)

(ii) What is the effect that occurs at the water-air boundary called?

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(1)

(iii) Is the image obtained virtual or real? _________________

(1)

(b) The actual depth of the fish pond was 0.8m. If the refractive index of

water is 1.33, find the depth at which the ring’s image appears to be?

(3)

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Air

Water

X

(c) Sarah now takes a semi-circular glass block and places the ray box

such that the ray YZ enters the semi-circular glass block at point Y.

She obtains the result shown below

(i) Why does the refracted ray AB pass exactly on the side AB of

the block? (2)

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(ii) Why is the ray entering the glass block at Y not bent? (1)

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(iii) If the angle of incidence is greater than 42° what will happen to

the ray at Z? (1)

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7. This question is about energy and linear motion

As we become even more environmentally conscious and fuel becomes

more of an issue, the car industry is looking closely at engines which run

totally on battery power.

This car accelerates from rest and reaches a constant speed of 120m/s in

2 s. It is an extremely lightweight car that has a mass of 1,050 kg.

(a) Calculate the acceleration of the car in the first 2s. (2)

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(b) Calculate the unbalanced force needed to produce this acceleration.

(1)

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(c) What is the value of the unbalanced force once a constant speed of

120m/s has been reached? Explain your answer. (2)

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Calculate the kinetic energy the car has gained when it reaches a

constant speed of 120m/s. (2)

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(d) Calculate the power of the car in these 2s. (2)

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(e) Give two reasons why such a car is being considered as the car of the

future in terms of environmental issues and fuel consumption. (4)

(i) _______________________________________________________________

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(ii) _______________________________________________________________

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(f) The manufactures of this electric vehicle state that its optimal tear-

drop shape helps reduce fuel consumption. Explain what they

mean by this statement. (2)

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