41st National Secondary School

Students Physics Olympiad

Preliminary Round Question Paper
(2024/09/07 9:00-12:00)

Instructions for exam takers

1. Before the Start of the exam, students must diligently read the instructions.
2. This test consists of 6 pages, totalling 400 marks. (Remark: original was 4 pages)
3. Any content you wish the marker to grade must be written in the blank space provided
after a question in the answer booklet; the marker will only grade the content on the
answer booklet; MCQ and fill in the blank questions must be answered on the answer
booklet too; any working and answers written on the question paper will not be marked.

Section 1. Multiple Choice Questions (60 Marks, containing 5 questions, each worth 12 marks. In the four
options given in each question, some question(s) will have only one correct answer, and some question(s)
will have multiple correct answers. Please put the English letter(s) corresponding to the correct option(s) in
the brackets after each question in the answer sheet. If all of the options are chosen correctly, 12 marks is
awarded, if some of the correct options are chosen but not all, 6 marks are awarded, if any option is wrong or
the question is left blank, 0 marks are awarded.)

Question 1. A square with side length 𝑎 is put on a horizontal plane, a positron on each of its vertices. An electron is
put at a point 𝑃 directly above the center 𝑂 of the square (The distance between 𝑂 and 𝑃 is much smaller than 𝑎), and
released from rest. Ignoring air resistance, gravity, electromagnetic radiation, quantum effects and any other
perturbations, which of the following will happen to the electron?
A. The electron will move to infinitely far away
B. The system consisting of the electron and the positrons has conservation of energy
C. The electron will oscillate periodically on the vertical line through 𝑂
D. The electron will oscillate above the square

Question 2. 𝑛 mol of ideal gas goes through a quasistatic process, from state 𝑃 to state 𝑄. The graph between the
3
volume 𝑉 and the temperature 𝑇 is shown on the figure below. When 𝑉 = 2
𝑉0, the temperature is at a maximum
9 𝑝0𝑉0
value 4 𝑛𝑅
(here, 𝑝0 and 𝑉0 are the pressure and volume at state 𝑃 and R is the gas constant). If at states 𝑃 and 𝑄,
2𝑝0𝑉0
the temperatures 𝑇𝑃 and 𝑇𝑄 are both equal to 𝑛𝑅
, which of the following is the 𝑝 − 𝑉 graph of the process?
Question 3. An electron with energy 2. 0 𝑒𝑉 is fired at a fixed proton from very far away. Then electron is captured by
the proton when it is near, and a photon is released, allowing the electron and proton to form a Hydrogen atom at
ground state. It is known that the ground state energy of a Hydrogen atom is − 13. 6 𝑒𝑉, the speed of light in vacuum
8 −19
is 3. 0 × 10 𝑚/𝑠, the magnitude of charge of an electron and Planck’s constant are 1. 6 × 10 𝐶 and
−34 2
6. 6 × 10 𝑘𝑔 · 𝑚 /𝑠. Which of the following is nearest to the wavelength of the photon given off?
A. 79 𝑛𝑚
B. 91 𝑛𝑚
C. 107 𝑛𝑚
D. 620 𝑛𝑚

Question 4. As shown in the figure below, the distance between two vertical walls is 𝑙, a cube wooden block with
mass 𝑚 and side length 𝑑 is pushed against the left wall by connecting it to a spring attached to a fixed point on the
right wall. It is known that the coefficient between the wooden block and the left wall is µ, the rest length of the spring
is 𝑙, the spring constant is 𝑘, and the gravitational acceleration is 𝑔. Which of the following are true?

2𝑚𝑔
A. If 𝑘 = µ𝑑
, the wooden block is not at equilibrium
2𝑚𝑔 2𝑚𝑔
B. If 𝑘 = µ𝑑
, the normal force from the left wall acting on the wooden block is µ
2𝑚𝑔 2𝑚𝑔
C. If 𝑘 = µ𝑑
, the size of the frictional force from the left wall acting on the wooden block is µ
𝑚𝑔
D. For the wooden block to be at equilibrium, 𝑘 is at least µ𝑑

Question 5. A person’s heartbeat is at a rate of 60 times per minute. Each time. 60𝑚𝐿 of blood is pumped out, and its
pressure is 100𝑚𝑚𝐻𝑔. It is known that 1𝑚𝑚𝐻𝑔 = 133. 32 𝑃𝑎. The mechanical power of the heart pumping out the
blood is closest to which of the following values?
A. 0. 48 𝑊
B. 0. 80 𝑊
C. 0. 96 𝑊
D. 1. 60 𝑊
Section 2. Fill in the blank Questions (100 Marks, each question is worth 20 marks, each blank is worth 10
marks. Please put the answer on the blank after each question number in the answer sheet. Only the answer
is required to be written, the working need not be shown.)

Question 6. The units of time, length, mass, charge all often depend on the system of units. The person who
proposed the idea of quantization, Max Planck, realized that using the speed of light in vacuum 𝑐, the gravitational
constant 𝐺, the Planck constant ℎ and the vacuum permittivity ϵ0, it is possible to write some quantities unrelated to
the system of units. These are the Planck mass 𝑚𝑝, Planck length 𝑙𝑃, Planck time 𝑡𝑃 and Planck charge 𝑞𝑃. Using 𝑐, 𝐺
, ℎ and ϵ0, the expressions for 𝑚𝑝 and 𝑞𝑝 __________ and __________.

Question 7. As shown in the figure below, a uniform metal rod 𝐴𝐵 is positioned on a rough incline of angle θ = 36. 9॰.
The angle between the rod and the horizontal is also θ. The coefficient of friction between the incline and the rod is
µ = 1. 00. When the temperature of the rod is slowly increased, the rod will increase in length, but there is one point
on the rod that is at rest with respect to the incline: the ratio between the distance from the lower end 𝐴 to this point
and the total length of the rod is __________. When the temperature of the rod is slowly decreased, the rod will
decrease in length, but there is one point on the rod that is at rest with respect to the incline: the ratio between the
distance from the lower end 𝐴 to this point and the total length of the rod is __________ (keep three significant
figures). Assume that the incline does not expand/contract.

Question 8. In The Complete Story of Tang Dynasty, Li Yuanba, who was riding a horse, heard the sound of thunder,
and threw his hammer into the sky to “hammer the sky”, but at the end the hammer fell on him and killed him. The
time between when he threw the hammer and when it hit him is τ, the horse moves at a constant velocity at all times
and it moves a total distance of 𝑠. In Li Yuanba’s reference frame, the speed the hammer is thrown at is __________,
its direction is __________.

Question 9. A light comb is a fancy type of light source. It contains light with equidistant frequencies. Each
monochromatic color of light in the light comb is known as a tooth of the comb. The frequencies of the teeth can be
described with ν𝑚 = ν0 + 𝑚∆ν, where 𝑚 = 0, ± 1, ± 2, ···, ν0 and ∆ν are constants. When a light comb hits hydrogen
atoms at rest, the frequencies ν−1 and ν1 can exactly cause the atom to jump from ground state (energy level 𝑛 = 1)
to excited state 𝑛 = 91 and excited state 𝑛 = 101 respectively. The parameters of this light comb are ν0 =
−19
__________ and ∆ν = __________. It is known that the magnitude of the charge of an electron is 1. 6 × 10 𝐶 and
−34 2
Planck’s constant is 6. 6 × 10 𝑘𝑔 · 𝑚 /𝑠.

Question 10. The temperature in a house is 300 𝐾 and the atmospheric pressure is 𝑝0. In this room, a glass bottle is
filled with compressed air, and is sealed tight by a cylindrical cork, with surface area 𝑆. The temperature of the gas in
the bottle is equal to the gas outside, and its pressure is 𝑝 = 2𝑝0, the cork is at rest with respect to the bottle. As
shown in the figure, the bottle is then brought into another room with liquid nitrogen at 77 𝐾, then quickly brought back
to the room. At this point, the size of the frictional force between the bottle and the cork is __________. If the elastic
force between the cork and the bottle always is 𝑁, then the condition for the frictional coefficient µ between the two
satisfies __________ (use the physical quantities given in the problem), for the cork to always stay at rest relative to
the bottle. Assume that the thermal expansion of the bottle and the cork can be neglected, and that the gas is ideal.
Section 3. Calculation Questions (240 Marks, containing 6 questions, each question is worth 40 marks.
Responses to calculation questions must contain necessary word explanations, equations and important
calculation steps. There are no marks given for just the final answer. If a numerical value can be calculated, it
must be explicitly calculated out, if a value has units, it must be explicitly written out.)

Question 11. To make a coin stand up on the Chinese high speed railway (高铁) has become an interesting pastime
of countless journeys. Suppose the coin is a non-uniform circular disk; the coin touches the table at point 𝑃, the
center of mass is on the right side of the diameter through point 𝑃, and is positioned at distance 𝑑 from the diameter
and at distance ℎ from the table. The gravitational acceleration is 𝑔.
1. As shown in the figure 11a, the train accelerates uniformly on a flat track. The coin is placed vertically on a
flat table, and the acceleration is in the direction of the side of the coin.
1.1. If the coin is at rest with the table, find the acceleration 𝑎 of the train;
1.2. If the coefficient of friction between the coin and the table is µ, how much must the acceleration be
at least to have the coin sliding?

2. As shown in the figure 11b, there is a table with inclination angle θ on the train. Its cross section is a vertical
wedge, and the face of the coin is parallel to the cross section. The point 𝑃 is still in contact with the table,
and the center of mass is still on the right side of the diameter through point 𝑃. At this point, the train moves
with a constant speed in a flat circular tunnel, such that the face of the coin is in the same direction as the
diameter of the tunnel, the radius of the trajectory of the center of mass of the coin is 𝑅. The coin is known to
be at rest relative to the table.
2.1. Find the angular acceleration ω of the train in the tunnel;
2.2. Find the minimum value of the coefficient of friction between the coin and the table.

Question 12. As shown in figure 12a, a conveyor belt is tightened by two circular disks of radius 𝑅, the axes of
rotation of the disks are parallel and horizontal. The inclination of the belt with the horizontal is θ, there is a small
wooden block of mass 𝑚 on the conveyor belt. It is known that the gravitational acceleration is 𝑔.
1. When the two disks are not moving, the wooden block slides down with uniform speed. Find the coefficient
of friction µ between the wooden block and the conveyor belt.
2. When the disks spin with angular velocity ω anticlockwise, and at 𝑡 = 0, the small wooden block moves
down the conveyor belt with speed 𝑣0, and its distance to the lower disk is 𝑙, find the time 𝑇 it takes to reach
the lower disk.
Question 13. Some flexible material can be used to create a flexible circuit structure. A flexible circuit structure is
made of copper, using the basic unit (“S” shape) as pictured in figure 13a. After an iteration of self-symmetry, a new
structure (“卍” shape) is shown in figure 13b. It consists of 9 copies of figure 13a and 8 connecting pieces (the white
rectangles shown). After a similar process, the figure 13c is created. It consists of 9 copies of figure 13b and
connecting pieces, and so on. In each iteration, the shape and size of the “S” shape is unchanged, and the
connecting pieces also retain the same shape and size. The material and cross-section of the shapes are also the
7 −1 −1
same as the “S” shape basic unit. The conductivity of copper is σ𝐶𝑢 = 6. 45 × 10 Ω ·𝑚 .
1. The parameters of the basic unit “S” shape is shown in the figure 13d. In particular, 𝑙1 = 25 µ𝑚, 𝑙2 = 200 µ𝑚,
𝑙3 = 100µ𝑚, each connecting piece has length 𝑙𝑐 = 15 µ𝑚. The “S” shape can be considered as a long
isotropic and uniform conducting wire, with a cross section as a rectangle (width and length are 𝑊 = 8. 0 µ𝑚
and 𝑡 = 2. 0 µ𝑚). The length of this wire can be thought of as the length of the midline of the “S” shape. Find
the resistances 𝑅0, 𝑅1 and 𝑅2 between the two ends for the wires in 13a, 13b and 13c.
2. In actual applications, this flexible structure must cover a macroscopic area. We can keep on using this
iteration to increase the area. Suppose from the basic unit, we apply the iteration 𝑛 times. For 𝑛 = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4
and 𝑁 (𝑁 is any nonnegative integer), find the expression for the resistance between the two ends of the
wire (express your answer using symbols such as 𝑊, 𝑡, σ𝐶𝑢, 𝑙1, 𝑙2, 𝑙3, 𝑙𝐶).
3. Now, the structure is stretched by 10% in both directions along the plane. The density and conductivity of the
material does not change. How much percentage does the total resistance increase by?

(Remark: The geometry of the figure should force 𝑊 to equal 𝑙1 supposedly, so this part of the question statement is
wrong. When answering this question, please ignore this fact. Alternatively, you could use 𝑊 = 𝑙1. This should not
change the physics of the problem anyways.)

Question 14. As shown in figure 14a, a metal loop with uniform resistance and diameter 𝑑 is fixed on a horizontal
table. There is a uniform magnetic field, with magnitude 𝐵, in a direction perpendicular into the loop. At the start, a
metal rod is pressed against the metal loop, and coincides with the horizontal diameter of the loop, then it is dropped
from rest. Throughout the drop, the rod stays in contact with the loop, causing a closed circuit. There is also a
variable force 𝐹 applied on the rod, such that its motion is like free fall. The resistance per unit length of both the
metal loop and the metal rod is α. At the start, the time is 𝑡 = 0. Calculate the variable force 𝐹 as a function of time.
The gravitational acceleration is 𝑔. Neglect friction and air resistance.
 2
Question 15. The cross sectional area of a satellite (perpendicular to the direction of movement) is 𝑆 = 10 𝑚 , it has
mass 𝑚 = 10 𝑘𝑔. Around the low-altitude orbit of radius 𝑅 = 6400 𝑘𝑚 is a uniform distribution of dust particles with
−11 3
density ρ𝑑 = 1. 6 × 10 𝑘𝑔/𝑚 . Assume that these dust particles are at rest with respect to the Earth, and assume
3
they stick to the satellite after colliding with it. Take the density of Earth to be ρ = 5500 𝑘𝑔/𝑚 , radius of Earth
2 −11 3 2
𝑅0 = 6371 𝑘𝑚. Gravitational acceleration is 𝑔 = 9. 8𝑚/𝑠 , gravitational constant is 𝐺 = 6. 67 × 10 𝑚 /(𝑘𝑔 · 𝑠 ).
(1) Assuming the orbital trajectory is roughly a circle, estimate the drag force on the satellite caused by the dust
particles;
(2) Estimate the amount of height lost by the satellite after one orbit, due to the dust particles.

Question 16. The horizon is the line that separates the tangent plane to the Earth and the far sky that can be
observed. An observer at point 𝑃 sees the sun appearing just on the horizon. The apparent position of the sun is on
the horizon, but in reality it is below it, as shown in figure 16a. Assume that the Earth is a sphere of radius 𝑅, with an
atmosphere of height ℎ (ℎ << 𝑅). The refractive index of the atmosphere is a constant value 𝑛.
(1) Estimate the angle between the horizon and the line connecting the center of the Earth and the actual
position of the sun.
(2) If there was no atmosphere, how much later would we see the sunrise?

It is known that the rotational period of Earth is 𝑇 = 24 ℎ, the radius of Earth is 𝑅 = 6371 𝑘𝑚, ℎ = 20𝑘𝑚, 𝑛 = 1. 0003
. In this question, the position of the Sun refers to the position of the center of the Sun. All calculations should be
based upon an observer at the equator on the day of spring equinox.
 Answer Sheets
Province/Region: __________
City: __________
School: __________
Name: __________
Exam number: __________

Section 1. Multiple Choice Questions (60 Marks, containing 5 questions, each worth 12 marks. In the four
options given in each question, some question(s) will have only one correct answer, and some question(s)
will have multiple correct answers. Please put the English letter(s) corresponding to the correct option(s) in
the brackets after each question in the answer sheet. If all of the options are chosen correctly, 12 marks is
awarded, if some of the correct options are chosen but not all, 6 marks are awarded, if any option is wrong or
the question is left blank, 0 marks are awarded.)

Marker Score Remark

1. ( )
2. ( )
3. ( )
4. ( )
5. ( )

Section 2. Fill in the blank Questions (100 Marks, each question is worth 20 marks, each blank is worth 10
marks. Please put the answer on the blank after each question number in the answer sheet. Only the answer
is required to be written, the working need not be shown.)

Marker Score Remark

6. __________ __________
7. __________ __________
8. __________ __________
9. __________ __________
10. __________ __________

Section 3. Calculation Questions (240 Marks, containing 6 questions, each question is worth 40 marks.
Responses to calculation questions must contain necessary word explanations, equations and important
calculation steps. There are no marks given for just the final answer. If a numerical value can be calculated, it
must be explicitly calculated out, if a value has units, it must be explicitly written out.
Question 11.

Marker Score Remark

Question 12.

Marker Score Remark

Question 13.

Marker Score Remark

Question 14.

Marker Score Remark

Question 15.

Marker Score Remark

Question 16.

Marker Score Remark