IGCSE Physics 0625 — Full Syllabus Challenge 1 — Paper 2 (MCQ) Cambridge Challenge

Question 1 • 1.2 Motion

A Vande Bharat Express leaves Mysuru station. It accelerates uniformly from rest to 30 m/s in 60 s, travels at a constant 30 m/s for 120 s, then decelerates uniformly to rest in 40 s.

What is the total distance travelled?

A3600 m B5100 m C6600 m D4500 m

Question 2 • 1.2 Motion

A cricket ball is thrown vertically upwards at 20 m/s and caught again at the same height. Air resistance is negligible and g = 10 m/s².

Which row gives the total distance travelled and the displacement when the ball returns to the thrower’s hand?

ADistance 40 m; displacement 0 BDistance 0; displacement 0 CDistance 40 m; displacement 40 m DDistance 20 m; displacement 20 m

Question 3 • 1.5 Forces

At Kempegowda Airport, a baggage tug of mass 2000 kg pulls a trailer of mass 1000 kg. The tug’s driving force is 4500 N and the total resistive force on tug and trailer together is 1500 N.

What is the acceleration?

A1.5 m/s² B1.0 m/s² C2.25 m/s² D3.0 m/s²

Question 4 • 1.6 Momentum

In a hockey match in Rotterdam, a ball of mass 0.16 kg travels at 25 m/s towards a player. She strikes it so that it leaves at 35 m/s along the same line but in the opposite direction. The stick is in contact with the ball for 0.010 s.

What is the average force on the ball?

A400 N B560 N C960 N D160 N

Question 5 • 1.5 Moments

A uniform plank of length 3.0 m and weight 120 N rests on a pivot 0.5 m from its left-hand end.

What downward force must be applied at the left-hand end to keep the plank horizontal?

A60 N B120 N C360 N D240 N

Question 6 • 1.7 Energy

At a hydroelectric plant in Bhutan, 500 kg of water falls through 120 m every second (g = 9.8 N/kg). The electrical output is 480 kW.

What is the efficiency of the plant?

A41% B60% C92% D82%

Question 7 • 1.7 Energy

A 900 kg car in Munich slows from 20 m/s to 8 m/s using its brakes.

How much energy is transferred to the brakes as thermal energy?

A6.5 × 10⁴ J B1.5 × 10⁵ J C1.8 × 10⁵ J D2.9 × 10⁴ J

Question 8 • 1.8 Pressure

At a dam in Kerala, the water depth is 35 m. Density of water = 1000 kg/m³, g = 9.8 N/kg, atmospheric pressure = 1.0 × 10⁵ Pa.

What is the total pressure on the base of the dam wall?

A1.0 × 10⁵ Pa B2.4 × 10⁵ Pa C3.4 × 10⁵ Pa D4.4 × 10⁵ Pa

Question 9 • 1.5 Forces

A spring is 12.0 cm long when supporting a 4.0 N load and 13.5 cm long when supporting a 7.0 N load. The spring obeys Hooke’s law throughout.

What is its unstretched length?

A8.5 cm B9.0 cm C10.0 cm D10.5 cm

Question 10 • 1.5 Circular motion

At a Delhi athletics meeting, a hammer thrower whirls the hammer in a horizontal circle at constant speed, then releases the wire.

What happens to the hammer at the instant of release?

AIt continues along the circular path until it slows down BIt moves off in a straight line along the tangent to the circle CIt flies radially outwards, directly away from the centre DIt spirals outwards with increasing speed

Question 11 • 2.1 Kinetic particle model

A weather balloon released from Pune contains 6.0 m³ of helium at a pressure of 100 kPa. It rises to an altitude where the pressure is 40 kPa. The temperature is unchanged.

What is the new volume of the helium?

A2.4 m³ B6.7 m³ C9.0 m³ D15 m³

Question 12 • 2.2 Thermal properties

A bathtub in Oslo contains 150 kg of water at 35 °C. A mug contains 0.25 kg of tea at 90 °C.

Which statement is correct?

AThe mug of tea has more internal energy because it is hotter BThe bathtub water has more internal energy, but the tea molecules have a higher average kinetic energy CBoth have equal internal energy because internal energy depends only on temperature DThe bathtub water molecules have a higher average kinetic energy because there are more of them

Question 13 • 2.2 Thermal properties

A rooftop solar water heater in Marrakesh absorbs 3.0 MJ of energy, all transferred to 25 kg of water. The specific heat capacity of water is 4200 J/(kg °C).

What is the temperature rise of the water?

A12 °C B21 °C C29 °C D120 °C

Question 14 • 2.2 Thermal properties

A chef in Glasgow is scalded by steam at 100 °C. The burn is much worse than one from the same mass of boiling water at 100 °C.

Why?

ASteam is at a higher temperature than boiling water BSteam molecules move faster, so they strike the skin harder CSteam penetrates deeper into the pores of the skin DCondensing steam releases its latent heat of vaporisation into the skin, in addition to the energy released as the hot water cools

Question 15 • 2.2 Thermal expansion

In Rajasthan, overhead power cables between pylons sag noticeably more on a hot afternoon than on a cold night.

Which explanation is correct?

AThe metal atoms themselves expand when heated BThe atoms vibrate with larger amplitude, so their average separation increases and the cable becomes longer CThe cable softens in the heat and stretches under its own weight DThe heat causes extra electrons to flow, making the wire longer

Question 16 • 2.3 Thermal energy transfer

A house in Seoul uses underfloor heating. A friend’s house uses a heater mounted near the ceiling. The underfloor system warms the whole room much more effectively.

Why?

AWarm air produced at floor level rises and sets up convection currents that circulate energy around the whole room BConduction through air is faster near the floor CRadiation from a heater can only travel upwards DCold air is less dense, so it collects near the floor where it is easily heated

Question 17 • 3.1 Wave properties

A tsunami crossing the Indian Ocean travels at 200 m/s and has a wavelength of 100 km.

What is its frequency?

A2 × 10^-3 Hz B0.5 Hz C500 Hz D2 × 10⁷ Hz

Question 18 • 3.2 Light

A ray of light passes from air into a beaker of cooking oil. The angle of incidence is 48° and the angle of refraction is 30°.

What is the refractive index of the oil? (sin 48° = 0.743)

A0.67 B1.35 C1.49 D1.60

Question 19 • 3.2 Light

An optical fibre in a Singapore data centre has a core of refractive index 1.40. A ray inside the core strikes the core boundary at an angle of incidence of 50°.

Which row is correct?

ACritical angle ≈ 46°; the ray is totally internally reflected BCritical angle ≈ 44°; the ray refracts out into the cladding CCritical angle ≈ 56°; the ray refracts out of the core DCritical angle ≈ 50°; the ray travels along the boundary

Question 20 • 3.2 Light

A film projector at a Mumbai cinema uses a converging lens of focal length f to throw a magnified, real, inverted image onto the screen.

Where must the film be placed?

ACloser to the lens than f BExactly at f CBetween f and 2f from the lens DFurther from the lens than 2f

Question 21 • 3.3 EM spectrum

A 5G mast in Seoul transmits at a frequency of 3.5 GHz. The speed of electromagnetic waves is 3.0 × 10⁸ m/s.

What is the wavelength, and in which region of the EM spectrum does it lie?

A8.6 cm, in the microwave region B86 cm, in the radio region C8.6 mm, in the infrared region D8.6 cm, in the infrared region

Question 22 • 3.4 Sound

During a storm in Nairobi, a student sees a lightning flash and hears the thunder 6.0 s later. The speed of sound in air is 340 m/s and light arrives essentially instantly.

How far away was the lightning strike?

A57 m B1.0 km C2.0 km D3.4 km

Question 23 • 3.4 Sound

An engineer in Kanpur tests a steel rail for internal cracks using ultrasound. A pulse sent into the rail reflects off a flaw and returns after 40 μs. The speed of sound in steel is 5900 m/s.

How deep is the flaw?

A5.9 cm B118 cm C24 cm D12 cm

Question 24 • 4.2 Electrical quantities

A lightning strike over Florida transfers 25 C of charge to the ground in 0.50 ms.

What is the average current?

A12.5 A B50 A C5.0 × 10⁴ A D0.02 A

Question 25 • 4.2 Electrical quantities

A copper wire has resistance R. A second copper wire has half the length and twice the diameter.

What is the resistance of the second wire?

AR/2 BR/4 CR/8 DR/16

Question 26 • 4.3 Circuits

A 12 V battery of negligible internal resistance is connected to a 2.0 Ω resistor in series with a parallel combination of a 6.0 Ω and a 3.0 Ω resistor.

What is the current in the 6.0 Ω resistor?

A0.5 A B1.0 A C2.0 A D3.0 A

Question 27 • 4.2 Electrical quantities

An electric car in Pune charges from a 230 V home charger drawing 15 A for 8.0 hours.

How much energy is transferred, in kWh?

A3.5 kWh B14 kWh C28 kWh D1.2 × 10⁵ kWh

Question 28 • 4.5 Electromagnetic effects

A long vertical wire in a Kolkata laboratory carries a current straight downwards. The wire is viewed from directly above.

What is the shape and direction of the magnetic field around the wire, as seen from above?

AConcentric circles around the wire, running clockwise BConcentric circles around the wire, running anticlockwise CStraight lines radiating outwards from the wire DStraight lines parallel to the wire

Question 29 • 4.5 Electromagnetic effects

A horizontal wire on a laboratory bench carries a current towards the east. A uniform magnetic field points vertically downwards.

In which direction is the force on the wire?

AVertically upwards BTowards the north CTowards the south DTowards the west

Question 30 • 4.5 Electromagnetic effects

A bar magnet is dropped so that it falls completely through a vertical coil connected to a datalogger recording the induced e.m.f.

Which description is correct?

ATwo pulses in the same direction and of equal size BTwo pulses in opposite directions, the second one larger because the magnet is moving faster CTwo pulses in opposite directions and of equal size DA steady e.m.f. while the magnet is anywhere inside the coil

Question 31 • 4.5 Transformers

An ideal step-down transformer at a Lagos substation converts 11 000 V to 230 V. The secondary coil supplies a current of 100 A to local houses.

What is the current in the primary coil?

A0.48 A B2.1 A C100 A D4800 A

Question 32 • 4.5 Transformers

Transmission cables between a wind farm and a town have a total resistance of 5.0 Ω. By using a step-up transformer, the current in the cables is reduced from 20 A to 2.0 A while delivering the same power.

By what factor does the power wasted in the cables fall?

A10 B20 C50 D100

Question 33 • 5.1 Nuclear model

Potassium-40 (⁴⁰₁₉K) is used to date volcanic rocks.

How many protons, neutrons and electrons are there in a neutral atom of potassium-40?

A19 protons, 21 neutrons, 19 electrons B19 protons, 40 neutrons, 19 electrons C21 protons, 19 neutrons, 21 electrons D19 protons, 21 neutrons, 21 electrons

Question 34 • 5.2 Radioactivity

Polonium-210 (²¹⁰₈₄Po) decays by emitting an alpha particle (⁴₂He).

What is the daughter nucleus?

A²⁰⁶₈₂Pb B²⁰⁶₈₄Po C²¹⁴₈₆Rn D²⁰⁹₈₃Bi

Question 35 • 5.2 Radioactivity

A sample of radioactive gas collected in a Cornish cellar has an activity of 9600 Bq. After 28 days the activity has fallen to 600 Bq. Background radiation is negligible.

What is the half-life of the gas?

A1.75 days B3.5 days C7.0 days D14 days

Question 36 • 5.1 Nuclear model

In a reactor at Kudankulam nuclear power station, a uranium-235 nucleus absorbs a neutron and undergoes fission:

²³⁵₉₂U + ¹₀n → ¹⁴⁴₅₆Ba + ⁸⁹₃₆Kr + x ¹₀n

How many neutrons (x) are released?

A1 B2 C3 D4

Question 37 • 6.1 Earth & Solar System

The Moon orbits Earth at a radius of 3.84 × 10⁸ m with a period of 27.3 days (2.36 × 10⁶ s).

What is the Moon’s orbital speed?

A0.16 km/s B1.0 km/s C7.9 km/s D3.1 km/s

Question 38 • 6.1 Earth & Solar System

Mercury is a rocky planet with almost no atmosphere.

Which is the best explanation?

AIts gravitational field is too weak to hold on to fast-moving gas molecules, especially at its very high surface temperature BIt is too close to the Sun for gas to exist there CIts surface is too smooth for gases to stick to DIt rotates too quickly and flings its atmosphere away

Question 39 • 6.2 Stars & Universe

Astronomers observe a hydrogen spectral line, normally at 656 nm in the laboratory, in the light from two galaxies. In galaxy G1 the line appears at 662 nm; in galaxy G2 it appears at 668 nm.

What can be concluded?

ABoth galaxies are approaching Earth; G2 approaches faster BBoth galaxies are receding; G2 recedes faster and, by Hubble’s law, is further away CBoth galaxies recede at the same speed, but G2 is further away DG1 is receding but G2 is approaching

Question 40 • 6.2 Stars & Universe

Which of these observations, if made, would contradict the Big Bang theory?

AMicrowave background radiation detected at 2.7 K from all directions BRedshift of galaxies found to be proportional to their distance CDistant galaxies in all directions found to be strongly blueshifted DThe Universe found to consist mostly of hydrogen and helium

Full Syllabus Challenge 1 — Paper 2

Section A: Motion, Forces & Energy (Topic 1)

Section B: Thermal Physics (Topic 2)

Section C: Waves (Topic 3)

Section D: Electricity & Magnetism (Topic 4)

Section E: Nuclear Physics (Topic 5)

Section F: Space Physics (Topic 6)