PrepWithTee owl logo PrepWithTee
2021

Cambridge A Level ยท 9702 ยท Paper 4 ยท A Level structured questions

Physics 9702/42 Oct/Nov 2021 past paper

Cambridge A Level Physics (9702) Paper 4 (A Level structured questions), variant 2, Oct/Nov 2021: the question paper and its official mark scheme, 10 questions worth 82 marks, with the grade thresholds. Free to open, no account needed.

Questions
10
Marks
100
Grade A from
55
Open the question paperMark scheme

File names: 9702_w21_qp_42 ยท 9702_w21_ms_42

Grade thresholds for 9702/42 Oct/Nov 2021

The minimum raw marks Cambridge set for each grade on this component (out of 100). Thresholds change every session and variant, so always compare your score with the paper you actually sat.

ABCDE
5545352413

Topics in this paper

Which syllabus chapters 9702/42 Oct/Nov 2021 tested, by marks. Each chapter links to every past-paper question on it.

ChapterQuestionsMarks
Magnetic fields215
Ideal gases111
Gravitational fields110
Quantum physics19
Motion in a circle18
Nuclear physics18
Capacitance17
Electric fields17
Medical physics17

Questions in 9702/42 Oct/Nov 2021

  1. Question 1Motion in a circle ยท 8 marks

    (a) State what is meant by centripetal acceleration. (b) An unpowered toy car moves freely along a smooth track that is initially horizontal. The track contains a vertical circular loop around which the car travels, as shown in Fig. 1.1. โ€ฆ

  2. Question 2Gravitational fields ยท 10 marks

    (a) State the relationship between gravitational potential and gravitational field strength. (b) A moon of mass M and radius R orbits a planet of mass 3M and radius 2R. At a particular time, the distance between their centres is D, โ€ฆ

  3. Question 3Ideal gases ยท 11 marks

    (a) One of the assumptions of the kinetic theory of gases is that all collisions involving molecules of the gas are elastic. (i) State what is meant by an elastic collision. (ii) State two other assumptions of the kinetic theory โ€ฆ

  4. Question 4Capacitance ยท 7 marks

    A trolley on a smooth surface is attached by springs to fixed blocks as shown in Fig. 4.1. springs trolley smooth surface fixed block fixed block Fig. 4.1 The trolley oscillates horizontally about its equilibrium position with an amplitude of โ€ฆ

  5. Question 6Electric fields ยท 7 marks

    (a) Define electric potential. (b) An isolated conducting sphere in a vacuum has radius r and is initially uncharged. It is then charged by friction so that it carries a final charge Q. This charge can be considered to be โ€ฆ

  6. Question 8Magnetic fields ยท 5 marks

    Two long straight parallel wires P and Q carry currents into the plane of the paper, as shown in Fig. 8.1. P current I Q current 2I Fig. 8.1 The current in P is I and the current in Q โ€ฆ

  7. Question 9Quantum physics ยท 9 marks

    (a) State what is meant by: (i) the photoelectric effect (ii) work function energy. (b) A polished calcium plate in a vacuum is investigated by illuminating the surface with light. It is found that no photoelectric current is produced when โ€ฆ

  8. Question 10Magnetic fields ยท 10 marks

    Fig. 10.1 shows a simple laminated iron-cored transformer consisting of a primary coil of 25 000 turns and a secondary coil of 625 turns. laminated iron core 25 000 turns 625 turns 640 ฮฉ VOUT VIN Fig. 10.1 The output โ€ฆ

  9. Question 11Medical physics ยท 7 marks

    (a) A piezoelectric transducer containing a quartz crystal is used to obtain diagnostic information about internal structures. Describe the function of the quartz crystal. (b) (i) Define specific acoustic impedance. (ii) Describe, qualitatively, how the specific acoustic impedances of two โ€ฆ

  10. Question 12Nuclear physics ยท 8 marks

    (a) Radioactive decay is both random and spontaneous. State what is meant by: (i) random (ii) spontaneous. (b) A sample of radioactive material contains atoms of an unstable nuclide X. The activity of the sample due to the atoms of โ€ฆ

Other Physics papers from Oct/Nov 2021

Questions students ask

Where can I get the 9702/42 Oct/Nov 2021 mark scheme?
Open the mark scheme above - it is the official Cambridge scheme for this exact paper (9702_w21_ms_42), and on a wide screen it sits beside the question you are reading.
What was the grade threshold for an A in 9702/42 Oct/Nov 2021?
55 marks out of 100, a C needed 35.
Which topics came up in 9702/42 Oct/Nov 2021?
Mostly Magnetic fields, Ideal gases, Gravitational fields. The full list is in the table above.
Do I need an account to open 9702/42 Oct/Nov 2021?
No. Every paper opens for free without signing in. A free account also saves your pen marks and records your score against the grade thresholds.