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Chapter 15 Practice Paper: Electromagnetic waves and black body radiation — question paper

QuizQuipPractice Series
QQ/GCSE-PHYS/CH15

GCSE (9–1) · GCSE Physics (Foundation and Higher (includes Physics-only content))

Chapter 15 Practice Paper

Electromagnetic waves and black body radiation

Duration: 40 minutes
Total: 30 marks
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READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST

  • Answer all questions.
  • Section A contains ten multiple-choice questions. Choose one answer, A, B, C or D, for each.
  • Section B contains structured questions. Write your answers in the spaces provided.
  • You may use a calculator. Take the speed of electromagnetic waves as 3 × 10⁸ m/s.
  • The number of marks is given in brackets [ ] at the end of each question or part question.
  • The total mark for this paper is 30.

Original practice material written for the MOE GCSE Physics syllabus. It is not an official MOE or school examination paper. Chapter 15: the electromagnetic spectrum (uses and hazards), refraction, and Higher Physics-only black body radiation and the Earth’s temperature balance.

For Examiner’s Use
Section A/ 10
Section B/ 20
Total/ 30

Section A: Multiple-choice questions[10 marks]

Choose one answer for each question. Each question is worth 1 mark.

  1. 1

    The speed of all electromagnetic waves in a vacuum is

    1. A340 m/s
    2. B3 × 10⁶ m/s
    3. C1 500 m/s
    4. D3 × 10⁸ m/s
    ( )
  2. 2

    The shortest-wavelength electromagnetic waves are

    1. Aradio waves
    2. Bmicrowaves
    3. Cvisible light
    4. Dgamma rays
    ( )
  3. 3

    Cooking food in a microwave oven works because microwaves are

    1. Areflected by fat only
    2. Babsorbed by water molecules, heating the food
    3. Cthe fastest waves
    4. Dunable to enter food
    ( )
  4. 4

    Which part of the spectrum is ionising?

    1. Aradio and microwave
    2. Bultraviolet, X-rays and gamma rays
    3. Cinfrared only
    4. Dvisible light only
    ( )
  5. 5

    A shadow image of a broken bone is produced using

    1. AX-rays absorbed more by bone than flesh
    2. Bradio waves reflected by bone
    3. Csound through the leg
    4. Dgamma rays from the bone
    ( )
  6. 6

    A hazard of overexposure to ultraviolet light is

    1. Ainternal heating of tissue
    2. Bhypothermia
    3. Cskin damage and raised skin-cancer risk
    4. Dhair growth
    ( )
  7. 7

    A radio wave has frequency 1.5 × 10⁸ Hz. Its wavelength is

    1. A0.5 m
    2. B2.0 m
    3. C4.5 × 10¹⁶ m
    4. D45 m
    ( )
  8. 8

    Signals in optical fibres for broadband are carried by

    1. Ainfrared or visible light guided along the fibre
    2. Bgamma rays along copper
    3. Csound in the glass core
    4. Dradio leaking from the cladding
    ( )
  9. 9

    As an object gets hotter, the wavelength of its peak emission (Higher)

    1. Agets longer
    2. Bstays fixed
    3. Cgets shorter
    4. Dbecomes zero
    ( )
  10. 10

    If a planet absorbed more radiation per second than it emitted (Higher), it would

    1. Acool down
    2. Bemit no radiation
    3. Ckeep a constant temperature
    4. Dwarm up until emission balanced absorption
    ( )

Section B: Structured questions[20 marks]

Answer all questions in the spaces provided.

  1. 11

    This question is about the electromagnetic spectrum.

    1. (a)

      List the seven groups of the spectrum in order of increasing frequency.

      [2]
    2. (b)

      Name the group used to carry signals to satellites.

      [1]
    3. (c)

      Explain why gamma rays can sterilise a sealed plastic pack of instruments.

      [2]
    4. (d)

      State one precaution staff should take when using gamma sources.

      [1]
  2. 12

    A police radio transmits at 200 MHz and light from a lamp has wavelength 5.0 × 10⁻⁷ m.

    1. (a)

      Calculate the wavelength of the police radio transmission.

      [3]
    2. (b)

      Calculate the frequency of the lamp light.

      [3]
    3. (c)

      State which of the two waves is closer to the visible band.

      [1]
  3. 13

    This question is about black body radiation. (Higher, Physics only)

    1. (a)

      State the two defining properties of a perfect black body.

      [2]
    2. (b)

      Describe how the radiation emitted by a body changes as its temperature rises.

      [3]
    3. (c)

      The Earth’s atmosphere absorbs some of the infrared it tries to emit. Explain the effect on the Earth’s temperature.

      [2]

— End of paper —