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IGCSEPhysics: Co-ordinated Sciences (Double Award)CIEExam Questions1. Motion, Forces & EnergyPressure

Pressure (CIE IGCSE Physics: Co-ordinated Sciences (Double Award))

Exam Questions

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Pressure

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1a2 marks

A student is studying elephants. Fig. 2.1 shows an elephant.

18-32-1b

The student measures the elephant and records the values, as shown in the table.

 
Complete the table by adding a suitable unit for each measurement. Choose the units from those shown in the box.

 
m2 kg cm mm2 g m cm2 mg mm

 

measurements value unit
mass of elephant 4000  
height of elephant 3.0  

surface area of elephant foot

 0.125  

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1b7 marks

Using information from the table in (a):

 
(i)
Calculate the weight of the elephant.
   
    
weight = ..................................................... N [3]
   
(ii)
Calculate the pressure the elephant exerts on the ground when it is standing on four feet. Include a unit.  

   

   

pressure = ......................................................... [4]

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2a2 marks

Complete the sentence defining pressure in solids.

Pressure is defined as the ________ per unit ________.

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2b2 marks

Complete the word equation defining pressure in solids.

Pressure in a solid is the _______ ÷ _______.

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2c1 mark

The table shows some everyday examples of objects which exert a pressure. 

For each one identify whether the object would exert high pressure or low pressure.

    
    High or Low Pressure?
  High heeled shoe  
  Snowshoes  
  Kitchen knife  
  Point of a nail  
  Skis  

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2d3 marks

A student of weight 550 N is wearing shoes so that his two feet have a total area of 0.020 m2.

Calculate the pressure exerted by the student on the ground when standing on both feet.

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3a1 mark

The weight of a car is 20 000 N. For each tyre, the area in contact with the road is 0.1 m2.

1-9-4a-e-saloon-car
   

For the car shown in Fig. 1, calculate the total area of the car tyres which are in contact with the road surface.

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3b3 marks

Calculate the total pressure exerted by the car on the road.

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3c1 mark

The family who own the car are going on holiday. They add a roof-rack filled with heavy camping equipment.

   

State how this will affect the pressure which the car exerts on the road.

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3d1 mark

Explain your answer to part (c).

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4a1 mark

The weight of the skier shown in Fig.1 is 750 N. For each ski, the area in contact with the snow is 0.2 m2.

1-9-5a-e-skis-2
   

Calculate the total area of the skis which is in contact with the snow.

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4b3 marks

Calculate the total pressure exerted by the skier on the snow.

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4c1 mark

The skier has been told that using narrower skis will make her go faster.

She switches to skis which each have a surface area of 0.15 m2.

   

State how this will affect the pressure which the skier exerts on the snow.

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4d1 mark

Explain your answer to part (c).

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1a5 marks

Fig.5.1 shows a glass bottle containing air. The bottle is sealed with a cap.

feb-march-2018-32-q5a

The air in the bottle becomes warmer.

 
(i)
State what happens to the pressure of the air in the bottle.
[1]
 
(ii)

Explain why the pressure of the air in the bottle changes. Use your ideas about gas molecules.

[4]

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1b3 marks

The bottle has a weight of 5.4 N and an area of 9.2 cm2 in contact with the table.

 
Calculate the pressure produced by the bottle on the table. Give the unit.

 

pressure = ......................................................... 

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1c2 marks

Fig. 5.2 shows another bottle. The bottle is on a table. Part of the base of this bottle is not in contact with the table.

 feb-march-2018-32-q5c1
(i)

The base of the bottle is circular. The radius of the outer circle is 4.0 cm as shown in Fig. 5.3. Calculate the area of this circle.

 feb-march-2018-32-q5c2

 

 

area = .................................................. cm2 [1]

 

(ii)
The bottle shown in Fig. 5.2 has the same mass as the bottle shown in Fig. 5.1.
 
Explain why the bottle shown in Fig. 5.2 exerts more pressure on the table than the bottle shown in Fig. 5.1.
[1]

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2a3 marks

Fig. 4.1 shows a pin. Fig. 4.2 shows a person pushing the pin into a wall.

pin

The area of the top surface of the pin is 1.8 cm2.

The person applies a force of 50 N.

Calculate the pressure exerted on the top surface of the pin.      

 

pressure = ............................................. N / cm2 

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2b1 mark

The area of the top surface of the pin is 500 times larger than the area of the point.

Calculate the value of the pressure exerted by the point on the wall.      

 
 
 
pressure = ............................................. N / cm2 

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3a3 marks

Fig. 3.1 shows an archer pulling the string of a bow.

vQvX99UY_q3

The archer uses a force of 120 N. The force acts on an area of 0.5 cm2 on the archer’s fingers.

Calculate the pressure on the archer’s fingers.

 

 

pressure on fingers = ............................................ N/cm2 

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3b1 mark

The archer’s other hand is pushing the bow with the same force of 120 N. This force acts on a larger area than the force in (a).

 

State whether the pressure on this hand is greater than, the same as or less than the pressure on the fingers holding the string.

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3c1 mark

State the energy store of the bow that energy is transferred into when the archer bends it as shown in Fig. 3.1.

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1a3 marks

A rectangular container has a base of dimensions 0.12 m × 0.16 m. The container is filled with a liquid. The mass of the liquid in the container is 4.8 kg.

Calculate

 
(i)

the weight of liquid in the container

 

 

weight = ...........................................................[1]

(i)

the pressure due to the liquid on the base of the container

 

 

pressure = ...........................................................[2]

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1b1 mark

Explain why the total pressure on the base of the container is greater than the value calculated in (a)(ii).

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2a1 mark

A cylindrical container has a base with diameter of 0.15 m and is filled with water to a depth of 0.35 m as shown in Fig. 1.1.

1-9-5a-h-18p4-3a

The mass of the water is 6.2 kg.

Calculate the weight of the water in the container.

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2b3 marks

Calculate the pressure due to the liquid on the base of the container.

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2c2 marks

The water-filled cylinder is placed on a laboratory bench.

Suggest reasons why the total pressure on the bench is higher than the value calculated in part (b).

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