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AQA Level 1/2 Certificate 1

June 2015
2

3
Physics 8403/1 4

Paper 1 5

6
Wednesday 20 May 2015 1.30 pm to 3.00 pm
7
For this paper you must have:
 a ruler
8
 a calculator
 the Physics Equations Sheet (enclosed). TOTAL

Time allowed
 1 hour 30 minutes

A
Instructions
 Use black ink or black ball-point pen.
 Fill in the boxes at the top of this page.
 Answer all questions.
 You must answer the questions in the spaces provided. Do not write
outside the box around each page or on blank pages.
 Do all rough work in this book. Cross through any work you do not want
to be marked.

Information
 The marks for questions are shown in brackets.
 The maximum mark for this paper is 90.
 You are expected to use a calculator where appropriate.
 You are reminded of the need for good English and clear presentation in
your answers.
 Question 2(c) should be answered in continuous prose.
In this question you will be marked on your ability to:
– use good English
– organise information clearly
– use specialist vocabulary where appropriate.

Advice
 In all calculations, show clearly how you work out your answer.

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Answer all questions in the spaces provided.

1 Many electrical appliances are connected to the mains supply using a three-core cable
and a three-pin plug.

1 (a) Use the correct answer from the box to complete the sentence.
[1 mark]

charge energy power

Electric current is the rate of flow of .............................................................. .

1 (b) Figure 1 shows a three-pin plug connected to a three-core cable.

Figure 1

Earth wire

L Live wire
Neutral wire

N Fuse

1 (b) (i) The three wires of the three-core cable have different coloured coverings.

State the colour of the covering of the neutral wire.

[1 mark]

..............................................................

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1 (b) (ii) Which two parts of the plug shown in Figure 1 protect the wiring of a circuit?

Tick () two boxes.

[2 marks]

Tick ()

Earth wire

Fuse

Live wire

Neutral wire

1 (c) Some electrical appliances are connected to the mains supply using a two-core cable
and a three-pin plug. Appliances that are double insulated do not require all three
wires.

1 (c) (i) What does ‘double insulated’ mean?

[1 mark]

............................................................................................................................................

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1 (c) (ii) State which of the three wires is not required.

[1 mark]

..............................................................

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1 (d) (i) An electrical appliance is connected to a 20 V supply.

The current in the appliance is 3 A.

Calculate the power of the appliance.

Use the correct equation from Section C of the Physics Equations Sheet.
[2 marks]

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

Power = .................................................. W

1 (d) (ii) Another electrical appliance is connected to a 20 V supply.

The appliance transfers 300 J of energy.

Calculate the charge.

Give the unit.

Use the correct equation from Section C of the Physics Equations Sheet.
[3 marks]

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

Charge = ..................................................

Unit .........................
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2 A number of different forces act on a moving vehicle.

2 (a) A car moving at a steady speed has a driving force of 3000 N.

2 (a) (i) What is the value of the resistive force acting on the car?

Tick () one box.

[1 mark]

Tick ()

2000 N

3000 N

4000 N

2 (a) (ii) What causes most of the resistive force?

Tick () one box.

[1 mark]

Tick ()

Air resistance

Faulty brakes

Poor condition of tyres

Question 2 continues on the next page

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2 (b) A car is moving along a road. The driver sees an obstacle in the road at time t = 0 and
applies the brakes until the car stops.

The graph in Figure 2 shows how the velocity of the car changes with time.

Figure 2

Velocity

0
0 Time t

2 (b) (i) Which feature of the graph represents the negative acceleration of the car?

Tick () one box.

[1 mark]

Tick ()

The area under the graph

The gradient of the sloping line

The intercept on the y-axis

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2 (b) (ii) Which feature of the graph represents the distance travelled by the car?

Tick () one box.

[1 mark]

Tick ()

The area under the graph

The gradient of the sloping line

The intercept on the y-axis

2 (b) (iii) On a different journey, the car is moving at a greater steady speed.

The driver sees an obstacle in the road at time t = 0 and applies the brakes until the
car stops.

The driver’s reaction time and the braking distance are the same as shown in Figure 2.

On Figure 2 draw another graph to show the motion of the car.

[3 marks]

Question 2 continues on the next page

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2 (c) In this question you will be assessed on using good English, organising
information clearly and using specialist terms where appropriate.

Thinking distance and braking distance affect stopping distance.

Explain how the factors that affect thinking distance and braking distance affect
stopping distance.
[6 marks]

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Extra space ........................................................................................................................

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3 The current in a circuit depends on the potential difference provided by the cells and
the total resistance of the circuit.

3 (a) Figure 3 shows the graph of current against potential difference for a component.

Figure 3

Current

Potential difference

What is the name of the component?

Draw a ring around the correct answer.

[1 mark]

diode filament bulb thermistor

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3 (b) Figure 4 shows a circuit containing a 6 V battery.

Two resistors, X and Y, are connected in parallel.

The current in some parts of the circuit is shown.

Figure 4

6V

3A 2A
X

3 (b) (i) What is the potential difference across X?

[1 mark]

Potential difference across X = ............................. V

3 (b) (ii) Calculate the resistance of X.

Use the correct equation from Section C of the Physics Equations Sheet.
[2 marks]

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

Resistance of X = ............................. Ω

3 (b) (iii) What is the current in Y?

[1 mark]

Current in Y = ............................. A

3 (b) (iv) Calculate the resistance of Y.

[1 mark]

............................................................................................................................................

Resistance of Y = ............................. Ω

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3 (b) (v) When the temperature of resistor X increases, its resistance increases.

What would happen to the:

 potential difference across X
 current in X
 total current in the circuit?

Tick () three boxes.

[3 marks]

Decrease Stay the same Increase

Potential difference across X

Current in X

Total current in the circuit

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4 The early Universe contained only the lightest element.

4 (a) Use the correct answer from the box to complete the sentence.
[1 mark]

hydrogen iron uranium

The early Universe contained only ..................................................... .

4 (b) Use the correct answer from the box to complete the sentence.
[1 mark]

main sequence star protostar supernova

The heaviest elements are formed only in a ..................................................... .

4 (c) Use the correct answer from the box to complete the sentence.
[1 mark]

red giant red super giant white dwarf

Only a star much bigger than the Sun can become a ..................................................... .

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4 (d) The Universe now contains a large variety of different elements.

Describe how this happened.

[4 marks]

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5 Transformers are used to change potential differences (p.d.) in the National Grid.

5 (a) Figure 5 shows a step-up transformer that is used at a power station.

Figure 5

........................................................ ........................................................

From
power To pylons
station

........................................................ ........................................................

5 (a) (i) Use words from the box to label Figure 5.

[4 marks]

Input p.d. Iron core Output p.d.

Primary coil Secondary coil

5 (a) (ii) One of the coils in Figure 5 has a p.d. of 25 kV across it and has 1000 turns.

The other coil has a p.d. of 400 kV across it.

Calculate the number of turns on this other coil.

Use the correct equation from Section C of the Physics Equations Sheet.
[2 marks]

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

Number of turns = ........................................

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5 (a) (iii) Explain why a step-up transformer is used at a power station.

[3 marks]

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

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5 (b) Figure 6 shows a mobile phone charger.

Figure 6

The charger contains a step-down transformer. A switch mode transformer is used

rather than a traditional transformer.

Describe the advantages of using a switch mode transformer in the charger rather than
a traditional transformer.
[3 marks]

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............................................................................................................................................

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6 (a) Figure 7 shows a section through a human eye.

Figure 7

C D
B

Write the correct letter, A, B, C or D, in each empty box to identify the parts of the eye
labelled in Figure 7.
[3 marks]

Part of the eye A, B, C or D

Cornea

Lens

Retina

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6 (b) Table 1 shows how the mass of 1 cm3 of different materials varies with refractive index.

Table 1

Material Refractive index Mass in g

Water 1.33 1.00

Glass X 1.52 2.54

Glass Y 1.70 2.93

Glass Z 1.81 3.37

6 (b) (i) Describe the pattern shown in Table 1.

[1 mark]

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

6 (b) (ii) Lenses used for correcting visual defects often have a low refractive index.

State one advantage and one disadvantage of using lenses with a high refractive index
for correcting visual defects.
[2 marks]

Advantage ..........................................................................................................................

Disadvantage .....................................................................................................................

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6 (b) (iii) The eyesight of a person can change throughout their lifetime. Scientists have
designed cheap spectacles that allow the wearer to change the focal length of the
lenses as their eyesight changes.

Two designs are:

 using water-filled lenses where water is pumped in or out of the lens to change
its shape
 using a pair of specially shaped lenses for each eye that are able to slide across
each other.

Figure 8 shows these two designs.

Figure 8

Spectacles with water-filled lenses Spectacles with sliding lenses

made from glass Z

Water store and pump Knob to adjust position

of sliding lens

Suggest one advantage and one disadvantage of each design.

[4 marks]

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6 (c) Figure 9 shows parallel rays of white light from a distant point being refracted towards
a screen by a lens.

The lens is made from a glass with a much greater refractive index than glass normally
used for correcting visual defects.

Figure 9

Lens
Screen
Red light

White light Blue light

Red light

What would you notice about the image on the screen?

State two observations.

[2 marks]

1 .........................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

2 .........................................................................................................................................

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7 Under the same conditions, different materials heat up and cool down at different rates.

7 (a) What is meant by specific heat capacity?

[2 marks]

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

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7 (b) ‘Quenching’ is a process used to change the properties of steel by cooling it rapidly.

The steel is heated to a very high temperature and then placed in a container of
cold water.

7 (b) (i) A metalworker quenches a steel rod by heating it to a temperature of 900 °C before
placing it in cold water. The mass of the steel rod is 20 kg.

The final temperature of the rod and water is 50 °C.

Calculate the energy transferred from the steel rod to the water.

Specific heat capacity of steel = 420 J/kg °C

Use the correct equation from Section B of the Physics Equations Sheet.
[3 marks]

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

Energy transferred = ........................................ J

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7 (b) (ii) The temperature of the steel rod eventually returns to room temperature.

Compare the movement and energies of the particles in the steel rod and in the air at
room temperature.
[3 marks]

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7 (b) (iii) When the steel rod is being quenched, the temperature of the water rises to 50 °C.
After a few hours the water cools down to room temperature.

Some of the cooling of the water is due to evaporation.

Explain in terms of particles how evaporation causes the cooling of water.

[4 marks]

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8 Quantities in physics are either scalars or vectors.

8 (a) Use the correct answers from the box to complete the sentence.
[2 marks]

acceleration direction distance speed time

Velocity is .................................................... in a given .................................................... .

8 (b) Complete Table 2 to show which quantities are scalars and which quantities are vectors.

Put one tick () in each row.

The first row has been completed for you.

[3 marks]

Table 2

Quantity Scalar Vector

Momentum 

Acceleration

Distance

Force

Time

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8 (c) Figure 10 shows two supermarket trolleys moving in the same direction.

Trolley A is full of shopping, has a total mass of 8 kg and is moving at a velocity of

2 m/s with a kinetic energy of 16 J.

Trolley B is empty, has a mass of 4 kg and is moving at a velocity of 0.5 m/s with
a kinetic energy of 0.5 J.

Figure 10

Trolley A Trolley B

8 kg 4 kg
16 J 0.5 J

2 m/s 0.5 m/s

8 (c) (i) Calculate the momentum of both trolley A and trolley B.

Give the unit.

Use the correct equation from Section A of the Physics Equations Sheet.
[4 marks]

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

Momentum of trolley A = ..............................

Momentum of trolley B = ..............................

Unit ....................

8 (c) (ii) The trolleys in Figure 10 collide and join together. They move off together.

Calculate the velocity with which they move off together.

[3 marks]

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Velocity = .............................. m/s

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8 (c) (iii) In a different situation, the trolleys in Figure 10 move at the same speeds as before but
now move towards each other.

Calculate the total momentum and the total kinetic energy of the two trolleys before
they collide.
[2 marks]

............................................................................................................................................

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Total momentum = .................................

............................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................

Total kinetic energy = .............................. J

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END OF QUESTIONS

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Acknowledgement of copyright-holders and publishers

Permission to reproduce all copyright material has been applied for. In some cases, efforts to contact copyright-holders have been unsuccessful and
AQA will be happy to rectify any omissions of acknowledgements in future papers if notified.

Copyright © 2015 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved.

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