Cambridge O Level · 5054 · Paper 1 · Multiple choice
Physics 5054/12 Oct/Nov 2020 past paper
Cambridge O Level Physics (5054) Paper 1 (Multiple choice), variant 2, Oct/Nov 2020: the question paper and its official mark scheme, 40 questions worth 40 marks, with the grade thresholds. Free to open, no account needed.
- Questions
- 40
- Marks
- 40
- Grade A from
- 24
File names: 5054_w20_qp_12 · 5054_w20_ms_12
Grade thresholds for 5054/12 Oct/Nov 2020
The minimum raw marks Cambridge set for each grade on this component (out of 40). Thresholds change every session and variant, so always compare your score with the paper you actually sat.
| A | B | C | D | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 13 |
Topics in this paper
Which syllabus chapters 5054/12 Oct/Nov 2020 tested, by marks. Each chapter links to every past-paper question on it.
Questions in 5054/12 Oct/Nov 2020
- Question 1
A heavy nail is fixed firmly to a wall. It is pulled by a string at 40 to the vertical. The nail does not move. pull of string nail 40° Three forces act on the nail: its weight W, the …
- Question 2
A car begins to move. It speeds up until it reaches a constant speed. It continues to travel at this constant speed for the rest of the journey. What happens to the acceleration and what happens to the velocity of …
- Question 3
The speed–time graph for a car’s journey is shown. During which part of the journey is the car moving with non-uniform acceleration? speed time …
- Question 4
A car is travelling forwards at high speed. The brakes are applied and the car skids along the road surface. In which direction and where does the friction force act? A backwards on the tyres B forwards on the tyres …
- Question 5
A car of mass 800 kg has a forward acceleration of …
- Question 6
A satellite orbits a planet in a circular path as shown. It has constant speed. There is a force on the planet due to the satellite. In which direction is the force on the planet? …
- Question 7
A block is hung on a spring balance. The marker inside the balance is pulled down by the block. marker …
- Question 8
There is an astronaut on a planet which has a gravitational field strength one fifth of the value on Earth. He hangs samples of rock from a spring balance designed for use on Earth. Each sample has a mass of …
- Question 9
An electrically charged plastic ball is at rest. Which types of field are caused by the ball? A electric, gravitational and magnetic B electric and gravitational only C electric and magnetic only D gravitational and magnetic only
- Question 10
Which list contains only quantities that can be changed by a force? A mass, shape, velocity B mass, shape, volume C mass, velocity, volume D shape, velocity, volume
- Question 11
An extension–load graph is plotted for a spring. Which point marks the limit of proportionality for this spring? extension 0 0 load …
- Question 12
The diagram shows a diver 20 m below the surface of a lake. The total pressure at this depth is …
- Question 13
A ball is dropped from a height as shown. …
- Question 14
A student uses an average force of F to push a box a distance of d across a horizontal table. The mass of the box is m and the gravitational field strength is g. How is the work done by …
- Question 15
A workman rolls a barrel of weight 2000 N up a plank of length 2.0 m and onto a lorry. The back of the lorry is 0.80 m above the horizontal surface of the road. …
- Question 16
What is power ? A force per second B the maximum force an object exerts C the total energy of an object D work done per second
- Question 17
The diagram shows a glass tube filled with water and suspended above a bench. The water is free to circulate around the tube. At point P, there is a convection current moving in a downwards direction. At which point is …
- Question 18
Which physical property cannot be used for the measurement of temperature? A the length of a metal bar B the mass of a plastic block C the pressure of a gas D the resistance of a wire
- Question 19
A student performs an experiment to find out how much energy is needed to change the temperature of a steel nail by 1.0 C. Which quantity is the student determining? A the heat capacity of the nail B the latent …
- Question 20
A substance has a melting point of –17 C and a boiling point of 117 C. In which state does the substance exist at –10 C and at 110 C? at –10 C at …
- Question 21
Which description of a liquid is correct? A fixed shape, fixed volume B fixed shape, no fixed volume C no fixed shape, fixed volume D no fixed shape, no fixed volume
- Question 22
A mass of gas is trapped inside a cylinder by a moving piston. gas moving piston As the piston moves in, the volume of the gas decreases but the temperature stays the same. What happens to the gas pressure, and …
- Question 23
A plane mirror on a vertical wall forms an image of an object placed in front of it. Which characteristics describe the image? A real, inverted and smaller than the object B real, upright and the same size as the …
- Question 24
Which statement about light passing from air to glass is correct? A The frequency of the light waves decreases. B The speed of the light waves decreases. C The wavelength of the light waves increases. D The wavelength of the …
- Question 25
Applications use different components of the electromagnetic spectrum. Which shows correct applications for X-rays, ultraviolet light and microwaves? X-rays ultraviolet light microwaves A mobile phone fluorescent tube intruder alarm B killing cancerous cells sterilising surgical instruments satellite television C medical …
- Question 26
Where does sound travel the fastest? A in a vacuum B in gases C in liquids D in solids
- Question 27
A scientific research boat uses pulses of ultrasound to detect fish underneath it. A pulse of ultrasound is bounced from a group of fish 6000 m directly below the boat. The next pulse is sent out 2.0 s after the …
- Question 28
Which row correctly describes ultrasound? type of wave frequency A longitudinal less than 20 kHz B longitudinal greater than 20 kHz C transverse less than 20 kHz D transverse greater than 20 kHz
- Question 29
What is stored in a battery and what is its unit? quantity unit A current A B current …
- Question 30
A car battery delivers 150 kC to a circuit before it needs recharging. Two headlamps connected in parallel to the battery are switched on. There is a current of 4.0 A in each lamp. How much time passes before the …
- Question 31
Three identical lamps and three ammeters are connected as shown. …
- Question 32
A thermistor and a light-dependent resistor (LDR) are connected in series. A potential difference (p.d.) of 6.0 V is applied across them as shown. …
- Question 33
A 240 V mains circuit contains eight 60 W lamps in parallel. At the time when the lamps are switched on, the filaments are cold and the current is four times as large as the final steady current in the …
- Question 34
What is used with a magnet to create an induced electromotive force (e.m.f.) in a simple a.c. generator? A a battery B a coil of wire C a voltmeter D a relay
- Question 35
What changes kinetic (movement) energy into electrical energy? A a car battery B an electric fire C an electric motor D a wind turbine
- Question 36
A transformer has 4800 turns on its primary coil and 480 turns on its secondary coil. The primary coil is connected to …
- Question 37
A cathode-ray oscilloscope with the Y-gain set at …
- Question 38
A potential divider uses a power supply of voltage 12 V. The resistors X and Y initially have equal resistances. …
- Question 39
What is the definition of the half-life of a radioactive element? A half of the time it takes for one atom to decay B half of the time taken for all the atoms in a sample to decay C the …
- Question 40
Which row shows the atomic structure of a neutral atom with a nucleon number of 9? number of neutrons number of protons number of electrons …
Other Physics papers from Oct/Nov 2020
- 5054/11 Multiple choice
- 5054/21 Theory
- 5054/22 Theory
- 5054/41 Alternative to Practical
- 5054/42 Alternative to Practical