CIE AS Physics

Topic Questions

Syllabus Edition

First teaching 2020

Last exams 2024

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5.2 Energy: GPE & KE

11 mark

What is the approximate kinetic energy of an Olympic athlete when running at maximum speed during a 100m race?

  • 400 J

  • 4000 J

  • 40 000 J

  • 400 000 J

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21 mark

A body travelling with a speed of 10 m s–1 has kinetic energy 1500 J.

 If the speed of the body is increased to 40 m s–1, what is its new kinetic energy?

  • 4.5 kJ

  • 6 kJ

  • 24 kJ

  • 1350 kJ

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31 mark

An object is thrown into the air.

 Which graph shows how the potential energy Ep of the object varies with height h above the ground?

5-2-q3

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41 mark

A car of mass 1000 kg travels forwards at 25 m s–1 and then backwards at 5 m s–1

 What is the change in the kinetic energy of the car?

  • 200 kJ

  • 300 kJ

  • 325 kJ

  • 450 kJ

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51 mark

To get to his office from the entrance of the building, a man has to walk up six flights of stairs.

 The height of each flight is 2.5 m and the man has a mass of 80 kg.

 What is the approximate gain in the man’s gravitational potential energy during the climb?

  • 1200 J

  • 2000 J

  • 4800 J

  • 12 000 J

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61 mark

A car with a total mass of 1400 kg is travelling at 108 km h–1

 What is the kinetic energy of the car?

  • 21 kJ

  • 42 kJ

  • 630 kJ

  • 8160 kJ

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71 mark

The formula for kinetic energy is E subscript k equals fraction numerator 1 over denominator 2 space end fraction m v squared

 Which kinematic equation is used in the derivation of this formula?

  • v equals u plus a t

  • s equals open parentheses fraction numerator u plus v over denominator 2 end fraction close parentheses space t

  • s equals u t plus 1 half a t squared

  • v squared equals u squared plus 2 a s

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81 mark

The formula for gravitational potential energy is E subscript p equals m g h

 From which concept is this equation derived?

  • Work Done = Force × Distance

  • Force = Mass × Acceleration

  • Power = Force × Speed

  • Distance = Speed × Time

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91 mark

A cyclist is travelling at a constant speed up a hill. The frictional force resisting the cyclist’s motion is 8.0 N.

 The cyclist uses 450 J of energy to travel 20 m.

What is the increase in gravitational potential energy of the cyclist?

  • 160 J

  • 290 J

  • 440 J

  • 610 J

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101 mark

A stone of weight 4.0 N in the Earth’s gravitational field is moved from P to Q and then to R along the path shown.

 How much potential energy does the stone gain?

cie-ial-images225png

  • 120 J

  • 200 J

  • 280 J

  • 1200 J

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11 mark

A loaded aeroplane has a total mass of 1.2 × 105 kg while climbing after take-off. It climbs at an angle of 23° to the horizontal with a speed of 50 m s–1.

 What is the rate at which it is gaining potential energy at this time?

  • 2.3 × 106 J s–1

  • 2.5 × 106 J s–1

  • 2.3 × 107 J s–1

  • 2.5 × 107 J s–1

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21 mark

A uniform solid cuboid of concrete of dimensions 0.50m × 1.20m × 0.40m and weight 4000 N rests on a flat surface with the 1.20 m edge vertical as shown in diagram 1.

cie-ial-images238png

What is the minimum energy required to roll the cuboid through 90° to the position shown in diagram 2 with the 0.50 m edge vertical?

  • 200 J 

  • 400 J

  • 1400 J

  • 2600 J

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31 mark

A steel sphere is dropped vertically onto a horizontal metal plate. The sphere hits the plate with a speed u, leaves it at a speed v, and rebounds vertically to half of its original height.

 Which expression gives the value of  v over u ?

  • 1 over 2 squared

  • 1 half

  • fraction numerator 1 over denominator square root of 2 end fraction

  • 1 minus fraction numerator 1 over denominator square root of 2 end fraction

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41 mark

A ball released from a height h0 above a horizontal surface rebounds to a height h1 after one bounce. The graph that relates h0 to h1 is shown below.

cie-ial-images240png

If the ball (of mass m) was dropped from an initial height h and made three bounces, the kinetic energy of the ball immediately after the third impact with the surface was

  •  open parentheses 0.8 close parentheses cubed m g h

  • open parentheses 0.8 close parentheses squared m g h

  • open square brackets 1 minus open parentheses 3 cross times 0.2 close parentheses close square brackets m g h

  • open square brackets 1 minus open parentheses 0.8 close parentheses cubed close square brackets m g h

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51 mark

An object of mass m passes a point X with a velocity v and slides up a frictionless incline to stop at point Y which is at a height h above X

cie-ial-images241png

A second object of mass ½ m passes X with a velocity of ½ v. To what height will it rise?

  • h over 4

  • h over 2

  • fraction numerator h over denominator square root of 2 end fraction

  • h square root of 2

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61 mark

The diagram shows two bodies X and Y connected by a light cord passing over a light, free-running pulley. X starts from rest and moves on a smooth plane inclined at 30° to the horizontal.

cie-ial-images242png

What will be the total kinetic energy of the system when X has travelled 2.0 m along the plane?

  • 20 J

  • 59 J

  • 64 J

  • 132 J

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71 mark

A 4 kg ball and a 3 kg block of wood were placed in an arrangement as shown below. When the ball was released, it fell through a distance of 5 m, pulling the block of wood up the ramp.

cie-ial-physics-mcq-5-2-q27

If the pulleys were well oiled and the surface of the ramp exerts a frictional force of 2 N, what is the final speed of the sphere after falling through the 5 m?

  • 5.0 m s–1 

  • 5.3 m s–1

  • 6.9 m s–1

  • 10.0 m s–1

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81 mark

A block of mass 12 kg is released from rest and it slides down a 30° frictionless incline plane. It is stopped by a spring with a spring constant k as shown below.

cie-ial-images244png

The initial distance between the point of release and the uncompressed spring is 3.0 m. After the block comes to rest momentarily, the spring is compressed by 1.3 m.

 What is the value of k?

  • 200 N m–1  

  • 250 N m–1

  • 300 N m–1

  • 350 N m–1

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91 mark

A falling mass pulls a trolley from rest on a horizontal table. Given that:

The mass of the trolley = 1.5 kg

The mass of the falling mass = 0.5 kg

The distance the mass falls through = 1.0 m

Frictional force from the table = 0.8 N

The distance the trolley moves = 1.2 m

cie-ial-images245png

What is the maximum kinetic energy of the trolley?

  • 3.0 J  

  • 4.9 J

  • 15 J

  • 20 J

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101 mark

A solid rubber ball has a diameter of 8.0 cm. It is released from rest with the top of the ball 80 cm above a horizontal surface. It falls vertically and then bounces back up so that the maximum height reached by the top of the ball is 45 cm, as shown.

cie-ial-images246png

If the kinetic energy of the ball is 0.75 J just before it strikes the surface, what is its kinetic energy just after it leaves the surface?

  • 0.36 J  

  • 0.39 J

  • 0.40 J

  • 0.42 J

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11 mark

A uniform solid block has weight 500 N, width 0.4 m and height 0.6 m. The block rests on the edge of a step of depth 0.8 m, as shown.

cie-ial-images226png

The block is knocked over the edge of the step and rotates through 90° before coming to rest with the 0.6 m edge horizontal.

 What is the change in gravitational potential energy of the block?

  • 300 J

  • 400 J

  • 450 J

  • 550 J

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21 mark

A body travelling with a speed of 20 m space s to the power of negative 1 end exponenthas kinetic energy Ek 

If the speed of the body is increased to 80 m space s to the power of negative 1 end exponent   what is its kinetic energy?

  • 4 E subscript k

  • 8 E subscript k

  • 12 E subscript k

  • 16 E subscript k

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31 mark

The diagram shows a lift system in which the elevator (mass m1) is partly counterbalanced by a heavy weight (mass m2)

cie-ial-images228png

At what rate does the motor provide energy to the system when the elevator is rising at a steady speed v ? (g = acceleration of free fall)

  • 1 half m subscript 1 v squared

  • 1 half open parentheses m subscript 1 minus m subscript 2 close parentheses v squared

  • m subscript 1 g v

  • open parentheses m subscript 1 minus m subscript 2 close parentheses g v

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41 mark

A block of mass 2.0 kg is released from rest on a slope. It travels 7.0 m down the slope and falls a vertical distance of 3.0 m

 The block experiences a frictional force parallel to the slope of 5.0 N.

cie-ial-images229png

What is the speed of the block after falling this distance?

  • 4.9 m s–1

  • 6.6 m s–1

  • 8.6 m s–1

  • 10.1 m s–1

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51 mark

The diagram shows two identical vessels X and Y connected by a short pipe with a tap.

cie-ial-images230png

Initially, X is filled with water of mass m to a depth h, and Y is empty.

 When the tap is opened, water flows from X to Y until the depths of water in both vessels are equal.

 How much potntial energy is lost by the water during this process? (g = acceleration of free fall)

  • 0

  • fraction numerator m g h over denominator 4 end fraction

  • fraction numerator m g h over denominator 2 end fraction

  • m g h

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61 mark

A concrete cube of side 0.60 m and uniform density 2.0 × 103 kg m–3 is lifted 5.0 m vertically by a crane.

 What is the change in potential energy of the cube?

  • 0.75 kJ

  • 7.4 kJ

  • 21 kJ

  • 470 kJ

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71 mark

A steel ball is falling at constant speed in oil.

Which graph shows the variation with time of the gravitational potential energy Ep and the kinetic energy Ek of the ball ?

cie-ial-physics-mcq-5-2-q17

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81 mark

Car X is travelling at half the speed of car Y. Car X has twice the mass of car Y.

 Which statement is correct?

  • car X has half the kinetic energy of car Y

  • car X has one quarter of the kinetic energy of car Y

  • car X has twice the kinetic energy of car Y

  • the two cars have the same kinetic energy

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91 mark

A truck of mass 500 kg moves from rest at the top of a section of track 400 m long and 30 m high, as shown.

 The frictional force acting on the truck is 250 N throughout its journey

cie-ial-images237png

What is the final speed of the truck?

  • 14 m s–1 

  • 24 m s–1

  • 31 m s–1

  • 190 m s–1

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