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ZIMBABWE SCHOOL EXAMINATIONS COUNCI~

General Certifica1te of Education Advanced Level

PHYSICS 6032/3
PAPER3 THEORY 2 hours 30 minutes

NOVEMBER 2025 SESSION

Additional materials:
Answer booklet
Scientific calculator

----------------------------·-----------------------------------/
INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES

V.. t'i'~e your name, centre number and candidate number in the spaces provided on tille answer
booklet.
\X. rite your answers on the separate answer booklet provided.
If you use more than one booklet, fasten th e booklets/sheets together.
A.l working for numerical answers must bt: shown.

INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

The number of marks is given in brackets I _I at the end of each question or part question.

This question paper consists of 10 printed pages.

Copyright: Zimbabwf School Examinations Council, '\12025.
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DATA

speed of light in free space c == 3.00 x 108 ms- 1

permeability of free space ~o = 4rr x 10- 7 Hm- 1

permittivity of free space Eo = 8.85 x 10-12 Fm -· 1

( 1f 4rrE 0 = 8.99 x 109 mF- 1 )

elementary charge e = 1.60 x 10- 19 C

the Planck constant h =6.63 x 10-34 Js

--
unified atomic mass unit 1 U = 1.66 X l0- 27 kg

rest mass of electron me= 9.11 x 10-31 kg

rest mass of proton mp = 1.67 x 10- 27 kg

molar gas constant R = 8.31 JK- 1 mol- 1

--
the Avogadro constant NA = 6.02 x 10 23 mol- 1
the Boltzmann constant k == 1.38 X 10- 23 JK- 1

gravitational constant G = 6.67 x 10- 11 Nm 2 kg- 2

acceleration of free fall g = 9.81 ms- 2

--

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FORMULAE
uniformly accelerated motion s = ut + 'liat 2

v 2 = u 2 + 2as

work done onlby a gas W = p6.V

gravitational potential 0 =-Gm/r
hydrostatic pressure p=pgh

lNm ,,
pressure of an ideal gas p = --
3 v
< c '· >
simple harmonic motion a =-w 2 x

velocity of particle in s.h.m. V = V 0 COS W l

t: fsv
Doppler etiect Jo = v+- vs

Attenuation ofx-rays
Q
electric potential V= -
4rrE0r

capacitors in series 1/C = 11C1 • 1/C2 + . . .

capacitors in parallel C = C1 + C2 + . . .

1
energy of charged capacitor W = -QV
2

electric current I = Anvq

resistors in series R = R1 + R2 - ...

resistors in parallel l!R = IIR 1 + 11R2 +- . . .

Hall voltage vH =.!!!....

ntq

alternating cunent/voltage x = X0 sinwt

radioactive decay x = X0 exp(-A.t)

decay constant

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4
Answer question 1 and any other 3 from the remaining questions.

1 (a) (i) Distinguish between ,<,ystematic and random errors, explaining how
each may be minimised.

(ii) A rectangular solid block of mass (32 ±1) g had its dimensions
measured using an instrument that could read to± 0.5 mm.

The dimensions recorded were:

length 4.30 em
width 3.05 em
height 1.25 em

Calculate the density of the block with its uncertainty. [7]

(b) A helicopter is travelling horizontally at 130 ms- 1 at a height of 1 200m

when a bag is dropped from it and strikes the ground.

Calculate, for the bag, the

(i) time of flight,

(ii) horizontal distance travelled,

(iii) speed on striking the ground.

[6]

(c) A student stands in a lift which is initially at rest.

Describe and explain how the reaction at the floor of the lift will change
when the lift is

(i) moving upwards with a constant velocity,

(ii) accelerating upwards,

(iii) falling freely.

[6)

(d) (i) Define gravitational potential energy.

(ii) A satellite of mass 100 kg is in a circular orbit around the earth at

a height of 250 km above the earth's surface.

[radius of earth= 6400 km, mass of earth= 6 >< 10 24 kg]

Calculate. for the satellite, the

1. graYitational potential energy,

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2. kinetic energy,

3. total energy.
[6]
2 (a) Explain the term

(i) angular frequency,

(ii) phase difference.

[2]

( h) (i) Explain the term simple 11armonic motion.

(ii) Fig. 2.1 shows a displac!'ment-time graph of a partide executing

simple harmonic motion

disp/aa,nentlmm

40

(\
-----;-------1-- /
-+s--7 lime/ms

-40
/
Fi!~. 2.1
Determine the

1. amplitude,

2. period,

3. angular frequenc·>,

4. maximum veloc:i1 :~ of the particle.

(c) (i) State two conditions for 'Otal internal reflection to occur.

(ii) Light travelling through 1vater is incident on the wa:er-air

bOtmdary of refractive i:1dex 1.36.

Calculate the critical an;;le.

(iii) State and explain the eff,·ct, if any, on the angle of refraction. of
replacing air with oil of rdractive index 1.45.
f6]

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6
(d) (i) Explain the term diffraction.

(ii) State the conditions for diffraction to take place.

[3]

(e) Monochromatic light of wavelength 660 nm is incident on a double slit of

separation 0.85 nun. The screen is placed 0.80 m from the slits.

(i) Calculate the fringe separation.

(ii) State the effect on the fringes of using light of a longer wavelength.

(iii) Suggest, with a reason, the effect of replacing the double slit with a
diffraction grating on the intensity of fringes produced.
[5]

3 (a) Two charged spheres A and B, carrying charges- 0.75 [Link] and +0.80 flC
respectively are placed 12 em apart in a vacuum. Point P is 9 em from A
as shown in Fig. 3.1.

I~ ~
12 em

•
A p •B

I~ 9cm
·I
Fig. 3.1

(i) Draw a diagram showing the electric field lines suiTounding

sphere A.

(ii) Define electric field strength.

(iii) Calculate the electric field strength at point P.

(iv) State the direction of the resultant electric field strength.

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(b) A battery of an unknown electromotive force (ernf), E, and an internal
resistance of 0.5 fl is connected to three resistors. An ideal voltmeter
and an ammeter of negligible resistance, reading 0.2 A are also connected
as shown in Fig. 3.2.

·-L__
·---------------·
[Link]

I
L---------------~

Fig. 3.2
(i) Distinguish between e. [Link] potential difference in terms of energy
considerations.

(ii) Determine the

1. voltmeter reading,

2. total current supplied by the battery,

3. e. m.f of the battery.

(iii) Describe the effect of increasing the internal resistance of the

battery in the circuit. [1 0]

(c) A generator has a large number of turns in the coil and it produces root
mean square (r.m.s) voltage of240 V.

(i) Define the term r.m.s voltage.

(ii) State any two ways in whtch the induced [Link].f can be increased.

(iii) Determine the value of the peak voltage.

[6]
(d) (i) Draw a circuit symbol for an exclusive OR gate.

(ii) Draw the truth table for an exclusive OR gate.

[3]
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4 (a) (i) Define density.

(ii) Distinguish between water at 20 °C [Link] ice at- 5 oc in terms

of spacing and motion of molecules.

(iii) State any two differences between boiling and evaporation.

[5]

(b) (i) List two characteristics of a good thermometric property.

(ii) Describe the structure of a thermocouple thermometer.

(iii) A platinum resistance thermometer is found to give resistance

values of 3.50 .0. at ice point and 4.80 n at steam point.

Dete1mine the resistance at a temperature of 10 °C.

[7]

(c) (i) State the assumption for the kinetic th eory of gases that explains
why the internal energy of ideal gase~ is wholly kinetic.

(ii) Fig. 4.1 shows a graph of density. p, against pressure, P, for a fixed
mass of a gas at a constant temperature.

P/kgm·3

1.9 ------------------------- -· .. --

1.7 ------------------------

1.5 ------ --------------

1.3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1.1 ----- -----

0.9 -----

0. -IL....,---,-':----:-::c---:-"7-----:"'-:----:"'-:- -~--4
0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8

Fig. 4.1

1. Determine the mean square velocity of the gas molecules

using the graph.

2. The gas molecules in (ii)l have a mass of 0.056 g.

Calculate the translational kin.~ tic energy of the molecules.

3. State any assumption made in Lhe calculations in (ii)l and

(ii)2.
[7]
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(d) (i) Define spec~fic latent heat of vaporisation.

(ii) In an experiment to determine the specific latent heat of vaporisation

of ethanol, the following data were collected:

voltage across heater = 9.0V

current through heater = 3.2A
rate at which ethanol is evaporated = 0.029 gs- 1

I. Calculate the specific latent heat of vaporisation of ethanol.

2. The theoretical value for the specific latent heat of vaporisation

of ethanol is 8.57 x 10 5 Jkg- 1 .

Account for the difference between this value and the one
calculated in (ii)l.

3. Suggest what could be done to the experiment in order to

obtain a value of 8.57 x 10 5 Jkg- 1 .
[6]
5 (a) (i) Explain the photoelectric effect.

(ii) Explain how the photoelectric effect gives evidence for the
pat1iculate nature of electromagnetic radiation.
[6]

(b) Fig. 5.1 shows an electron entering a unifmm electric field.

ov

I
I I

-..
e-
I I I 5cm

I + + + + + + I

IOOOV
I
Fig. 5.1

(i) Copy Fig. 5.1 and sketch the path followed by the electron as it
moves in the electric field .

(ii) Calculate the force exetted on the electron by the electric field.

(iii) Explain how electr ic and magnetic fields can be used in velocity
selection.
[5]

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(c) Fig. 5.2 shows some ofthe energy levels of the hydrogen atom.
Energy /e V II\

0 n=oo
-0.06 n=5
-0.09 n=4
-0 .14 n=3

-0.24 n=2

-0.5 n=l

-2.18 t - - - - - - - - -,- - - - - - ·- - - - - - - n=O

Fig. 5.2

An electron falls from n = 2 to the ground state.

Calculate the

(i) 1. photon energy it will emit,

2. frequency of the emitted radiai ion,

3. wavelength of the emitted radiation.

(ii) State the type of the emitted radiation.

[7]

(d) Distinguish between an emission spectrum and an absorption spectrum. [2]

(e) (i) Explain what is meant by signal attenuation.

(ii) A transmission cable;: oflength 18 km produces noise of 5 x 10-10 W.

The power output is 5 x 10- 8 W.

Calculate the

1. minimum signal-to-noise ratio,

2. attenuation. i fthe attenuation per unit length is 4 dBkm- 1 .

[5]

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