BRITISH PHYSICS OLYMPIAD 2014-15

Round 1

Section 2

14th November 2014

Instructions
Questions: Only TWO of the eight questions in Section 2 should be attempted.

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes on this section (approximately 40 minutes on each question).

Marks: The maximum mark for each of these questions is 20.

Answers
Answers and calculations can be written on loose paper or examination booklets. Graph
paper and formula sheets are available.

Students should ensure their name and school is clearly written on all answer sheets.

Teachers’ instructions
Section 1 and Section 2 of Round 1 may be sat in one session of 2 hour 40 minutes.

Alternatively, the paper may be sat in two sessions on separate occasions; with 1 hour 20
minutes for Section 1 and 1 hour 20 minutes for Section 2. If the paper is taken in two
sessions on separate occasions, Section 1 must be collected after the end of 1 hour 20
minutes and Section 2 is to be handed out in the second session.
 Important Constants
Speed of light c 3.00 x 108 ms-1

Planck constant h 6.63 x 10-34 Js

Electronic charge e 1.60 x 10-19 C

Mass of electron me 9.11 x 10-31 kg

Gravitational constant G 6.67 x 10-11 Nm2kg-2

Acceleration of free fall g 9.81 ms-2

Radius of the earth RE 6.38 x 106 m

2
Q2.

The circuits in this question have arms with resistance R, and currents I, i1 , i2 and i3 in
the arms indicated in the Figures. An external potential difference, V , produces the
current I. The symbol for resistance has been omitted from the Figures.

Use the symmetry of the circuit and apply the result that reversing V , reverses the
directions of all the currents; the magnitudes remaining unaltered.

Kirchoff’s first rule may be required. It states that at any vertex, the sum of the currents
entering is equal to the sum of the currents leaving.

Figure 2.(a) Figure 2.(b) Figure 2.(c)

(a)

(i) Obtain the current in EF, iEF , in the circuit in Figure 2.(a).

(ii) Determine the resistance across AB, RAB , in terms of R.

[5]

(b) Determine the resistance across AC, RAC , in terms of R in Figure 2.(b).

[5]

(c) Determine the resistance across AD, RAD , in terms of R in Figure 2.(c).

This may require the application of Kirchoff’s second rule. This states, for application
here, that the clockwise sum of the currents in any closed loop is zero.

[10]

3
Q3.

Particles of mass m and charge q are projected with velocity v, with v much less than c,
into a uniform magnetic field of flux density B, at an angle θ to the field.

(a) Show, by considering the motion parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field,
that the particles have a helical trajectory, with their axes along the direction of the
magnetic field.

[8]

(b) Determine the pitch of the helix x10.

[3]

(c) Show that if θ is small, the trajectories for different θ but constant v, will all pass
through a point P along the axis of the helix, after travelling a distance L along the
magnetic field. Determine L and calculate its value if the particles are electrons and
v = 107 ms-1 and B = 10-4 T.

[7]

(d) How would the analysis be modified if v was a relativistic velocity?

[2]

4
Q4.

(a)

Figure 4.(a)

A smooth rod is bent into a right angle and mounted in a vertical plane on a horizontal
base, Figure 4.(a). Beads of mass m1 = 100 g and m2 = 300 g slide without friction on
the rod, and are connected by a cord of negligible weight with tension T. The angle
between the horizontal base and the rod with the mass m1 is 30o. When the system is
in static equilibrium, determine:

(i) the angle α between the cord with tension T and the 30o slope, Figure 4.(a)

(ii) the tension T

[12]

(b) A smooth straw of length L and mass m is balanced on the edge of a smooth
cylindrical container of diameter d which rests on a horizontal table, Figure 4.(b), at an
angle α to the horizontal, as indicated in the Figure. Determine the angle α.

[8]

Figure 4.(b)

5
Q5.

Figure 5.(1)

A Newton’s rings interference experiment uses a plano-convex lens resting on a glass

plate with light of wavelength λ incident normally on the lens, Figure 5.(1).

(a) Derive the conditions for constructive and destructive interference resulting from a
region where the air gap has thickness t.

[5]

(b) A constructive interference ring, resulting from light passing through the air gap of
thickness t, has a radius r . Show that the radius of curvature of the lens, a, is given
by the equation.

r2 = 2at - t2

[3]

(c) By neglecting t2 in the above formula, derive a formula for a in terms of r and the
order of interference, n, that is independent of t for the case in which the nth order
destructive interference ring has radius r.

[2]

(d) If, using sodium light of wavelength λ = 598 nm, the diameter of the nth order
constructive interference ring is 0.582 cm and that of the (n + 20)th has diameter
1.36 cm, calculate the radius of curvature of the lens.

[4]

(e) If, in 5.0 s, the air gap between the lens and the plate is filled with methyl alcohol
of refractive index μ = 1.33, what are the average speeds at which the radii of the
constructive interference rings increase in (d) in this time interval?

[6]

6
Q6

Figure 6.(1)

(a) The diode in the above circuit, Figure 6.(1), is used to rectify an ac voltage supply.
The ac voltage supply at time t has the form,
V(t) = V0 cos (2πft )
It has f = 50 Hz and V0 = 20 V. The capacitor has capacitance C = 50 μF and the
resistance, R , can take the values 10 kΩ, 1 kΩ and 100 Ω.
Determine the time constants for the discharge of the capacitor, for all three values
of the resistance.

[2]

(b) Sketch a graph of the voltage forms across the resistance for the three values of R ,
superimposing the original ac source on each sketch.

[8]

(c) For the case R = 10 kΩ, deduce a relation for determining the time the diode
conducts, TD , in terms of f and T1 , where T1 is the time the capacitor discharges per
cycle. Show that it is the solution of the equation

exp(-T1/RC ) = cos(2πfT1),

and verify that T1 = 0.019125 s.

Determine the percentage of the time that the diode is conducting.

[6]

(d) Calculate the variation in voltage, from maximum to minimum, for R = 10 kΩ.

[4]

7
Q7

(a) Explain the difference between random errors and systematic errors. Give one
example of each using either a clock to measure time or an ammeter to measure
current.
Give a numerical example of:

(i) a correct measurement of g with low precision

(ii) the root mean square of the two length measurements, 65.0 m and 72.0 m
[6]

(b) If the maximum fractional error in the measurement of the period of a simple
pendulum is 0.20% and that in measuring the length is 0.60%, what is the maximum
percentage error in calculating the value of the gravitational acceleration due to free
fall, g?
[3]
(c) Use the measurements in Table 7.(c) to plot a suitable straight line graph to verify
that the numerical values of pd, V , and the current, I , varies as

10V = A Iα , where A and α are constants.

1 2 3 4 5 6

V/V 3.0 3.6 4.6 5.0 6.2 6.6

I/A 3.2 9.9 20.4 31.6 97 193

Table 7.(c)
Determine α and A, with an estimate of their accuracy.
[7]
(d) Using the three sets of measurements, (1,4), (2,5) and (3,6) in Table 7.(c), determine
the three associated values of α, and their mean value, αM, together with the
magnitudes of their deviations from αM. Compare and comment on the accuracy of
αM with that of α determined in (c).

[4]

8
Q8

Figure 8.(1)

A particle of mass m1 is incident with velocity u on a stationary particle of mass m2 =

4m1. The incident particle is scattered through an angle θ1, with velocity v1, and the
other particle is scattered in a direction that makes an angle θ2 with the direction of u,
with velocity v2, Figure 8.(1).

(a) Determine the velocity ratios (v1/v2) and (v1 / u) assuming momentum conservation
only.

[5]

(b) Compare the initial kinetic energy, TI , with the final kinetic energy, TF ,for the
following situations:
(i) θ1 = θ2 = 60.0o
(ii) θ1 = θ2 = 56.0o
(iii) v1 = v 2 , θ1 = 90o

In each case determine if the energy is conserved.

[12]

(c) If θ1 and θ2 are small, verify that energy is conserved if 3θ1 = - 8θ2.
(For small θ, sin θ θ )
[3]

9
Q9

(a) The energy levels, En , of the hydrogen atom are given by

En = - 13.6/n2 eV , where n = 1,2,3,....

What is the wavelength of the photon that results from a transition from the second
excited state to the ground state?
[3]

(b) A 0.50 mW laser, of wavelength 590 nm producing a beam with a divergence angle
of 1.5 x 10-3 radians, is pointing at the Moon. What is the maximum number of
photons arriving per second per square metre on the Moon?
[5]
8
The Earth – Moon distance REM = 3.84 x 10 m.

(c) A photon of frequency f1 and wavelength λ1, momentum h/λ1 , is scattered by a

stationary electron. A photon of frequency f2 and wavelength λ2 results. It travels in
the opposite direction to the initial photon and the electron gains energy of 5.00
keV, with velocity v in the same direction as the incident photon. Determine
numerically the value of λ1.
[8]

(d) Monochromatic light of wavelength 380 nm is incident on a metal surface. A

potential of 1.32 V is required to cut off the flow of photoelectrons.
What is the work function of the metal?
[4]

End of Questions

10