A2 REVISION -1

1. A poorly – designed bridge oscillates up and down at its natural period of 0.81 s.
a) Calculate the natural frequency of oscillation.
b) Show that the angular velocity of the oscillation is approximately 7.8 rads -1.
c) When people walk across this bridge, oscillations of large amplitude occur. Explain
the cause of the large amplitude oscillations and the possible consequences.

d) A dog standing in the middle of the bridge moves up and down with SHM with an
amplitude of 10.4 cm (and period 0.81 s). At time t =0 s, the dog is at the centre
of its motion moving upwards. Calculate the displacement of the dog at time t =
1.40 s.
e) The amplitude of oscillation is increased and is now so great that the dog
temporarily loses contact with the bridge. The displacement of the bridge where
the dog is standing varies as shown.

(i) Calculate the dog’s displacement when it loses contact with the bridge.
[Hint: The downward acceleration of the dog cannot be greater than g.]
(ii) Without further calculation indicate, on the graph above, the point at
which the dog loses contact with the bridge and the approximate point at
which it makes contact with the bridge again.

2. A mass , m, is attached to a spring and oscillates horizontally with SHM on the floor of
an ice rink. Its frequency of oscillation is 0.625 Hz and the spring constant of the
spring is 2640 Nm-1.
a) Show that the mass. m, is approximately 170 kg.
b) The maximum k.e. of the mass is 2.15 kJ. Calculate its maximum speed.
c) State the maximum p.e. stored in the spring and explain your reasoning.
 d) Calculate the amplitude of oscillation.

e) At time t = 0 , the displacement of the mass is zero. Calculate the acceleration of

the mass at time t = 1.40 s.
f) Explain briefly, why pushing the mass every 1.60 s would result in large amplitude
oscillation.
g) Later, when the mass is released from its maximum displacement of 2.00 m, an
observer starts a stopwatch. After 5.0 s the amplitude of oscillation has decreased
to 1.40 m. Sketch a displacement – time graph of the damped oscillations on the
grid below.

3. The graph shows how acceleration, a, varies with displacement, x, from the
equilibrium position, for a steel sphere oscillating up and down on the end of a helical
spring.
a) Which two features of the graph show the ball to be performing SHM?
b) (i) How large is the amplitude, A, of the motion?
(ii) Find the gradient of the line.
(iii) Show clearly that the periodic time of the motion is 0.50 s.
c) At time t = 0 the sphere is passing through its equilibrium position (x = 0), and the
displacement, x is about to become positive.
(i) For a time t = 0.040 s, calculate
(I) the value in radians of ωt in the equation x = A Sin ωt.
(II) the displacement x of the sphere.
(ii) The sketch-graph shows one cycle of the oscillation. Use it to make a rough
check of your answer to b) (i) (II), commenting on your findings.
4. Figure shows a device which could be used to measure the mass of an object in a zero-
gravity environment.

The object is fastened to a tray which is suspended between a pair of identical

stretched springs. The period of sideways oscillation of the object can be used to
measure its mass.
 The tension T in each spring when the object is in equilibrium is given by T = ke
where e is the equilibrium extension of the spring and k is its force constant. The
object is displaced to the right from equilibrium by a distance +x.
a) By writing down expressions for the tension TL of the left-hand spring and TR of
the right-hand spring, show that when the object is released its acceleration a is
given by
a = - (2k/M) x where M is the total mass of the object,

fastener and tray.

b) A mass of 0.24 kg is fastened to the tray, displaced to the right and released. The
period of subsequent oscillations is 1.6 s. Show that the mass of the tray and
fastener is 0.06 kg. k = 2.3 Nm-1.

c) The device is calibrated by measuring the period of oscillation for objects of known
mass. On the axes of the figure below, sketch the expected shape of the
calibration curve obtained from the procedure.

5. Three charges are placed in a line as shown.

a) Draw three arrows at P representing the electric fields due to each of the three
charges.

b) Calculate the electric field at P due to the +6.0 μC charge only.

 c) Calculate the resultant electric field at P.
d) (i) Show that the total electric potential at P is zero.
(iii) A positive charge is released from rest at point P and encounters no
resistive forces. Explain in terms of energy and forces why the charge
initially accelerates to the right but eventually becomes stationary a long
way away from the three charges.

6. a) Define electric field strength at a point in space.

b) Figure shows an evenly spaced grid. A, B and C are points on the grid. A
positive charge Q is placed on the grid at point A. The magnitude of the electric field
strength at point B due to the charge Q is 8.0 x 105 NC-1.

(i) Apart from the magnitudes of the electric field strength, state another
difference between the electric field at points B and C.
(ii) Determine the magnitude of the electric field strength at point C.
c) The simplest atom is that of hydrogen with one proton and one electron, The
mean separation between the proton and the electron is 5.0 x 10 -11m.
(i) Calculate the magnitude of the electrical force FE acting on the electron.
(ii) The gravitational force FG acting on the electron due to the proton is very small
compared with the electric force FE it experiences. Calculate the ratio FE / FG.

7. This question is about the gravitational field around the Earth, shown in figure below.

Draw four arrowed lines on figure to represent the gravitational field above the
Earth’s surface.

The g.f. strength at the Earth’s surface, 6.4 x 106 m from its centre, is 9.8 Nkg-1.
Show that the mass of the Earth is about 6 x 10 24 kg.
 The moon orbits the Earth, moving in a circle of radius 3.8 x 108 m. Explain why the
value of the centripetal acceleration of the moon in its orbit is equal to the
g.f.strength of the Earth at that distance. Use the centripetal acceleration of the
moon to calculate the speed of the moon in its orbit.

8. A satellite orbits the Earth in a circular path 800 km above the Earth’s surface. At this
orbit of the satellite the g.f.s. is 7.7 Nkg-1. The radius of the Earth is 6400 km.
a) Calculate the orbital speed of the satellite and the period of the orbit of the
satellite.
b) The orbit of the satellite passes over the Earth’s poles. Show that the satellite
makes about 14 orbits around the Earth in 24 hours. Suggest a practical use of such
a satellite.

9. State, in words, Newton’s Law of Gravitation.

Figure shows the circular orbits of two of Jupiter’s moons: Adrastea, A, and Megaclite,
M. Use the following data in the calculations below.
Orbital radius of A = 1.3 x 108 m Orbital period of A = 7.2 hours.
g.f.s. at orbit of A = 7.5 Nkg-1 Orbital radius of M = 2.4 x 1010 m.
Calculate (i) the mass of Jupiter
(ii) the g.f.s. at the orbit of M
(iii) the orbital period of M.

10. a)Gas inside a cylinder is heated using a Bunsen burner. The gas expands at constant
pressure.
Label the start of this expansion A and the end B on the p –V graph below.
 (ii) The gas is now cooled at constant volume from B. Label the end of this
process C.

c) When the gas is at a pressure of 1.00 x 105 Pa and has a volume 20.0 x 10-3 m3, its
temperature is 323 K.
(i) Calculate the total number of moles of gas.
(ii) Calculate the total number of molecules of gas.
(iii) Calculate the temperatures of the gas at B and C.
d) For BC, the gas was cooled by pouring 0.125 kg of cold water over the piston. The
amount of heat that flowed out of the gas was 715 J. Calculate the increase in
temperature of the cold water given that the s.h.c. of water is 4200 Jkg -1K-1.
e) Estimate the total work done by the gas for the whole cycle ABCA.
f) Explain why your answer to e) is also the heat flowing into the gas during the cycle
ABCA.

11. An ideal monatomic gas undergoes the cycle ABCDA shown below.

BC and DA are isotherms (the temperature along each of BC and DA is constant.) and
there are 49.3 mols of ideal gas.

a) By considering one point on BC and one on DA, show that the temperature of BC is
approximately 300 K and that of DA is approximately 400 K.
b) Calculate the internal energy of the gas for BC and for DA.
c) Explain why the work is zero for both AB and CD.
d) Explain why the change in internal energy is zero for both BC and DA.
e) Show that the work done by the gas for DA is approximately -90kJ. Estimate the
work done for BC.
 f) For each of the processes AB,
g) BC, CD, DA and the whole cycle ABCDA, write the values of W (work done by the
gas), ΔU (the change in internal energy of the gas) and Q (the heat supplied to
the gas).
12. a) The pressure p and volume V of a quantity of an ideal gas at absolute temperature
T are related by the equations pV = nRT and pV = NkT. In these equations identify
the symbols n and N.
Choose one of the equations above and show how Boyle’s law follows from it. Show
that the product of pV has the same units as work done.
b) The graph shows the variation of pressure, p, with the reciprocal of volume, 1/V, of
0.050 kg of oxygen behaving as an ideal gas.

(i) Use the graph to show that the variation of p with 1/V is taking place at
constant temperature.
(ii) The molar mass of oxygen is 0.016 kgmol-1. Calculate the temperature , in 0C,
of the oxygen in (i).

13. a) Describe
(i) the motion of atoms in a solid at a temperature well below its melting point.
(ii) the effect of a small increase in temperature on the motion of these atoms.
(iii) the effect on the internal energy and temperature of the solid when it melts.

b) Figure shows the apparatus used to determine the s.h.c. of a metal. A block
made of the metal is heated by an electric heater that produces a constant
power of 48 W. In order to reduce heat loss from the sides, top and bottom of
the block, it is covered by a layer of insulating material. Temperature sensors
connected to a data logger show that the block and insulation are initially at
the room temperature of 18 0C. The heater is switched on and after 720 s the
sensors show that the temperature of the block is 54 0C and the average
temperature of the insulating material is 38 0C.

(i) Use the information given above and the data shown below to determine the
s.h.c. of the metal block.

Mass of metal block = 0.98 kg : power of heater = 48 W:

 s.h.c. of the insulating material = 850 Jkg -1K-1 : mass of the insulating
material = 0.027 kg.

(ii) A second experiment is done without the insulating material and with the block
again starting at 18 0C. Discuss whether the value of the s.h.c calculated from
the second experiment is likely to be lower, the same or higher than the value
calculated in (i).

14. A canister of volume 0.025 m3 contains helium gas at a pressure of 3.04 x 105 Pa and a
temperature of 280 K. (Relative molecular mass of helium is 4.0)
a) Calculate the number of moles of the gas in the canister.
b) Calculate the number of helium molecules in the canister.
c) The density of the gas.
d) The r.m.s. speed of the helium molecules.
The product of the pressure and volume of an ideal gas may be expressed as
pV = nRT

The product may also be written in terms of the mean square speed of the gas
molecules as pV = 1/3 Nm< c2 >

(i) Derive in clear steps a formula that shows how the internal energy of the ideal
gas depends on the temperature of the gas.
(ii) Calculate the internal energy of the helium gas in the canister.

15. a) The following equation relates to ideal gases:

N x ½ m< c2 > = (3/2) nRT

In terms of energy, explain the meaning of ½ m< c2 > ; (3/2) nRT.

b)(i) By applying the above equation to one mole of helium gas (or otherwise),
calculate the r.m.s. speed of helium molecules at 20 0C. (The mass of a helium
molecule is 6.4 x 10-27 kg.)

(ii) Use your answer to (b) (i) to calculate the pressure of helium gas at 20 0C and
density 0.19 kgm-3.