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WA1 Practice Paper: Waves, EM Spectrum and Light — question paper

QuizQuipPractice Series
QQ/S4CPH/WA1

Secondary 4 · Combined Science (Physics) (G2 / G3)

WA1 Practice Paper

Waves, EM Spectrum and Light

Duration: 55 minutes
Total: 40 marks
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READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

  • Answer all questions.
  • Section A: choose the one correct answer for each multiple-choice question.
  • Section B: answer in the spaces provided; show all necessary working.
  • Give numerical answers to 3 significant figures where appropriate, with units.
  • The acceleration of free fall near the Earth is 10 m/s².
  • The speed of sound in air is 340 m/s unless stated otherwise.
  • The use of a calculator is permitted.

Original practice material written for the MOE Combined Science (Physics) syllabus. It is not an official MOE or school examination paper. Chapters 1–3: wave terms and v = fλ, transverse and longitudinal waves, sound and echoes, EM spectrum regions and uses, reflection, refraction, refractive index and converging-lens images.

For Examiner’s Use
Section A/ 10
Section B/ 30
Total/ 40

Section A: Multiple-choice questions[10 marks]

Answer all questions. For each question, write the letter (A, B, C or D) of the correct answer.

  1. 1

    A wave transfers

    1. Amatter only
    2. Benergy without transferring matter
    3. Cmatter and energy together
    4. Dneither matter nor energy
    ( )
  2. 2

    A wave has frequency 40 Hz. Its period is

    1. A40 s
    2. B0.40 s
    3. C0.025 s
    4. D0.0025 s
    ( )
  3. 3

    The region of the EM spectrum used in TV remote controls is

    1. Aradio waves
    2. Bmicrowaves
    3. Cinfrared
    4. Dultraviolet
    ( )
  4. 4

    Which of these waves is longitudinal?

    1. Aa rope wave
    2. Blight
    3. Cwater ripples
    4. Dsound
    ( )
  5. 5

    A ray hits a plane mirror at 30° to the mirror surface. The angle of reflection is

    1. A30°
    2. B60°
    3. C15°
    4. D90°
    ( )
  6. 6

    Light passes from air into glass. It bends

    1. Atowards the normal and slows down
    2. Baway from the normal and speeds up
    3. Calong the surface
    4. Dthrough unbent
    ( )
  7. 7

    An object sits inside the focal length of a converging lens. The image is

    1. Areal, inverted, diminished
    2. Breal, upright, magnified
    3. Cvirtual, inverted, diminished
    4. Dvirtual, upright, magnified
    ( )
  8. 8

    The refractive index of a medium is the ratio of

    1. Aspeed of light in the medium to speed in vacuum
    2. Bspeed of light in vacuum to speed of sound in the medium
    3. Cspeed of light in vacuum to speed of light in the medium
    4. Dfrequency to wavelength
    ( )
  9. 9

    Which row matches the radiation to a correct use?

    1. AX-rays — sterilising sealed syringes
    2. Bgamma rays — imaging broken bones
    3. Cmicrowaves — satellite communication
    4. Dradio waves — cooking food
    ( )
  10. 10

    An echo returns 0.90 s after a shout. The reflecting cliff is (speed of sound = 340 m/s)

    1. A306 m away
    2. B189 m away
    3. C153 m away
    4. D378 m away
    ( )

Section B: Structured questions[30 marks]

Answer all questions in the spaces provided. Show all necessary working. Speed of sound = 340 m/s; speed of light in vacuum = 3 × 10⁸ m/s.

  1. 1

    A ripple tank produces water waves of frequency 2.5 Hz and wavelength 0.60 m.

    1. (a)

      Calculate the speed of the waves.

      speed =m/s[2]
    2. (b)

      State what a cork floating on the water does as a wave passes.

      [2]
    3. (c)

      The ripples are reflected by a straight barrier. State the angle of reflection if the waves strike the barrier at 35° to the normal.

      [2]
  2. 2

    A student stands 255 m from a tall wall and claps once. An electronic timer records the echo 1.5 s later.

    1. (a)

      Calculate the total distance travelled by the sound.

      distance =m[2]
    2. (b)

      Use the reading to determine the distance to the wall, and compare it with the measured 255 m.

      distance =m[3]
    3. (c)

      The student repeats the timing by hand with a stopwatch and obtains 1.7 s. Calculate the distance this would suggest, and name the main error source.

      distance =m[2]
  3. 3

    A ray of light in air strikes a glass block (refractive index 1.5) at an angle of incidence of 40°.

    1. (a)

      Calculate the angle of refraction inside the glass.

      r =°[3]
    2. (b)

      Calculate the speed of light inside the glass.

      speed =m/s[2]
    3. (c)

      The block’s far face is parallel to the near face. Describe the direction of the ray as it exits into air, with a reason.

      [2]
    4. (d)

      State the angle of refraction if the ray is shone along the normal (i = 0°).

      [1]
  4. 4

    A projector uses a converging lens of focal length 12 cm to throw an image onto a screen 3.0 m away.

    1. (a)

      State whether the image on the screen is real or virtual, and how you know.

      [2]
    2. (b)

      State two other characteristics of the image formed by a projector’s lens.

      [2]
    3. (c)

      The slide is placed just outside the focal length of the lens. Explain why the image forms far away rather than close to the lens.

      [3]
    4. (d)

      The projector lamp transfers 150 J of electrical energy each second, most of which heats the lamp. Calculate the power wasted as heat if 15 J per second leaves as light.

      power =W[2]

— End of paper —