CONTEST 11

ROUND 1

1. A flat disk is spinning at about a vertical axis. Find the speed of a point on the

disk from the axis.

ANSWER:

2. The speed of a point from the axis of a flat disk spinning about a vertical axis is .

Find the angular speed of the disk.

ANSWER:

3. A flat disk is spinning at about a horizontal axis. Find the speed of a point on the disk

from the axis.

ANSWER:

4. Give one process each by which nitrogenous compounds are removed from the environment.
ANSWERS:
a. Nitrification
b. Nitrogen fixation
c. Denitrification
d. Decomposition
e. Thunderstorm
PREAMBLE: Perform the indicated operation and leave your answer in scientific notation.
5. (5 × 108) × (8 × 107)
ANSWER: 4.0 × 1016 [40 × 1015 = 4.0 × 1016]
6. (7 × 10-10) × (6 × 1015)
ANSWER: 4.2 × 106 [42 × 105 = 4.2 × 106]
7. 5 ×(2 × 10-10)3
ANSWER: 4.0 × 10-29 [ (5 × 8)10-30 = 4.0 × 10-29]

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8. Give one reason for the use of limestone as part of the charge in the extraction of iron
in the blast furnace
ANSWER: The limestone decomposes to give CO2 which helps to increase the
yield of iron. OR The lime or CaO formed combines with silica, the
impurity in the ore to form the slag.

9. Iron pyrites is an ore of iron in the form of FeS2. What must be done to this ore before it is
fed into a blast furnace?
ANSWER: It must be roasted in air to give iron (III) oxide (or Fe2O3) [and SO2 gas].

10. Give the balanced equation for the roasting of siderite, iron (II) trioxocarbonate (IV) to iron
(III) oxide and CO2.
ANSWER: 4FeCO3 + O2 → 2Fe2O3 + 4CO2.

PREAMBLE: The coefficient of kinetic friction between two surfaces is .

11. Find the force needed to maintain steady relative motion between the surfaces when they are pressed

against each other by a force.

ANSWER:

12. Find the magnitude of the work done by friction when the surfaces are pressed against each other by

a force and one of them moves .

ANSWER:

13. Find the force pressing the surfaces against each other when kinetic friction is .

ANSWER:

PREAMBLE: Explain the following terms

14. Dominant character
ANSWER: This is the character that produces its effects even if the
opposite or contrasting character is present.
15. Genotype
ANSWER: The genetic makeup of a cell, an organism or an
individual. / The sum total of genes inherited from both
parents of an organism.

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16. Allele
ANSWER: The alternative forms of a gene occupying the same
place or locus on a chromosome and affecting the same
character but in different ways.

PREAMBLE: Simplify

17. [ ( ]

ANSWER: 5x2

18. [( ]

ANSWER: 2x3y2

19. [(

ANSWER: 2x/y2
PREAMBLE: The next three questions are about J. J. Thompson’s Cathode Ray
experiment.
20. What will be the difference between the cathode ray generated when oxygen in the
tube is replaced with CO2?
ANSWER: No difference.
21. What is cathode ray made up of?
ANSWER: A beam of electrons/light.
22. How was the charge on the constituents of the ray determined?
ANSWER: The ray was passed between positively charged and negatively
charged electric plates. The ray was repelled by the negatively charged
plate and attracted by the positively charged plate indicating that the
constituents of the ray were negatively charged.
PREAMBLE: The refractive index of a variety of glass is .

23. Find the sine of the angle of refraction for light incident on the glass from air at .

ANSWER:

24. Find the sine of the angle of refraction for light incident from the glass to air at .

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 ANSWER:

25. Find the sine of the angle of reflection for light incident from the glass to air at .

ANSWER:

PREAMBLE: State whether the following are density dependent or density

independent factors.
26. Flood
ANSWER: Density independent
27. Water
ANSWER: Density dependent
28. Food
ANSWER: Density Dependent
PREAMBLE: Factorise completely.
29. x3 + 2x2 + 5x + 10
ANSWER: (x + 2)(x2 + 5) [x2(x + 2) + 5(x + 2) = (x + 2)(x2 + 5)],
30. 2a3 – 2a2 + 3a – 3
ANSWER: (a – 1)(2a2 + 3) [ 2a2(a – 1) + 3(a – 1) = (a – 1)(2a2 + 3)]
31. y3 + y2 – 4y – 4
ANSWER: (y + 1)(y – 2)(y + 2) [ y2(y + 1) -4(y + 1) = (y + 1)(y2 – 4) = (y +
1)(y – 2)(y + 2)
32. 50cm3 of 0.20moldm-3 HCl were diluted to 100cm3 with deionised water. Calculate
the expected pH of the diluted solution.
ANSWER: Dilution: 50 → 100cm3 i.e. 1 in 2
New concentration is 0.10moldm-3
pH = -log10[HCl] = 1.0
33. 50cm3 of 0.50moldm-3 solution are diluted to 250cm3. Calculate the change in pH,
given that log(0.50) = -0.301
ANSWER: Dilution: 50 → 250cm3 i.e. 1 in 5
New concentration = 0.10moldm-3
New pH = 1

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 Old pH = -log (0.5) = 0.3
Therefore, change in pH = 0.70
34. 40cm3 of 0.30moldm-3 KOH are diluted to 120cm3. What is the pH of the new
solution?
ANSWER: Dilution: 40 → 120cm3 i.e. 1 in 3
-
New concentration of OH = 0.10
pOH = -log[0.1] = 1
pH = 14 - 1 = 13

PROBLEM OF THE DAY

A very long solenoid is wound with 100 turns per meter length of
solenoid. The diameter of the solenoid is and it carries a current of

. The permeability of free space is . A particle of mass

and charge is moving near the middle of the solenoid with

speed perpendicular to the axis of the solenoid.

a. Find the magnitude of the magnetic flux density near the middle
of the solenoid.
b. What is the trajectory of the charged particle?
c. Find the magnitude of the acceleration on the particle.

SOLUTION:
a. .

b. Circle.

c. .

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 ROUND 3

True or False
1. A decametre is ten times a decimetre.
ANSWER: False
2. One are equals one square decametre.
ANSWER: True
3. One cubic decametre equals one thousand cubic metres.
ANSWER: True
4. An ester can be formed from phenol and ethanoic acid
ANSWER: True (phenyl ethanoate)
5. An ester can be produced from benzoic acid and benzyl alcohol
ANSWER: True (benzyl benzoate)
6. There are amide functional groups in rayon
ANSWER: False Ester functional groups are present i.e. acetate of cellulose.
7. The chromosome number determines the characteristics of an individual species.
ANSWER: True
8. The higher the chromosome number of an organism the more developed the organism.
ANSWER: False
9. The chromosome number is fixed for any particular species of organism
ANSWER: True
10. A quadrilateral is an equilateral triangle.
ANSWER: False
11. The base angles of an isosceles triangle are both acute angles.
ANSWER: True
12. If a triangle has two angles congruent, then the third angle is acute.
ANSWER: False
13. The angular speed of a point on a uniformly rotating disk is proportional to the distance
of the point from the axis of rotation.
ANSWER: False
14. The farther a point on a rotating disk is from the rotation axis, the larger the speed at the
point.
ANSWER: True
15. Two points at the same distance from the axis of a rotating disk have the same velocity.

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 ANSWER: False
16. When a solid is presented in the form of a powder in a reaction, the rate increases because
activation energy decreases.
ANSWER: False Surface area is increased leading to an increase in collision rate.
17. The activation energy of a reaction does not depend on temperature.
ANSWER: True
18. The order of a reaction and the molecularity of the same reaction are the same.
ANSWER: False
19. Bryophytes do not have conducting tissues.
ANSWER: True
20. The young sporophyte of a moss plant has a capsule that contains spores.
ANSWER: False
21. Mosses grow together in thick carpets in order to keep individual plants
Warm.
ANSWER: False
22. The statement x – 5 > 0 is equivalent to x < 5.
ANSWER: False
23. The inequality –x < 7 is equivalent to x > -7.
ANSWER: True
24. The statement ‘x is at least 7’ is equivalent to x > 7.
ANSWER: False [x ≥ 7]

ROUND 4

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 Riddles
Riddle #1
1. We are neighbours.
2. We are a pair of angles.
3. We have a common vertex.
4. We also have a common side between us.
5. On a straight line we are supplementary.
6. Remember we sit next to each other.
Who are we?
ANSWER: Adjacent Angles
Riddle #2
1. I am a type of disturbance.
2. I propagate through material media.
3. I can transport energy without transporting the particles of the medium.
4. I cause the particles of the medium in which I propagate to oscillate.
5. I cause the particles of the medium to oscillate perpendicular to the direction in which
I propagate.
Who am I?
ANSWER: Transverse mechanical wave

Riddle #3
1. I am an organometallic compound.
2. I am also a natural product.
3. I serve as a catalyst in a transformation process.
4. I have something in common with cytochromes except that our functions are
different.
5. I help to transform CO2 and water into a carbohydrate.
6. If my metal is the second member of Group (II) elements, then,
Who am I?
ANSWER: Chlorophyll.

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Riddle #4
1. I am a genus of common saprobic fungi on plants and a specialized parasite on animals.
2. I am found on a wide variety of organic substrates,
3. I grow as filamentous, branching hyphae that generally lack cross-walls (i.e. coenocytic).
4. My hyphae may form a fluffy mass, which is whitish in colour.
5. I am commonly referred to as bread mould.
Who am I?
ANSWER: Rhizopus