Leaving Certificate Physics Practice Test

These questions are part of the practice quiz. Start practicing

• What device is designed to quickly disconnect a circuit when it detects an imbalance between live and neutral currents?
• Which statement describes a longitudinal wave?
• If a resistor has constant resistance, what happens to the current when the potential difference is doubled?
• Power is the rate at which work is done.
• Displacement is the distance moved in a given direction.
• Which option best defines a transverse wave?
• A force A = 5 N east, B = 12 N north. What is the resultant magnitude and direction?
• Density is defined as mass per unit volume. The units can best be described as mass per unit what?
• Which statement about frequency during refraction is true?
• Using E = hf and work function φ = 2.2 eV, with hf = 3.5 eV, calculate the kinetic energy of emitted electrons.
• If gravity is halved (g → g/2) for the same v and θ, by what factor does the range change?
• Two independent measurements of a quantity are x1 = 5.00 ± 0.05 and x2 = 2.50 ± 0.03. If the quantity is their sum, what is the uncertainty in the result?
• Compute the capacitive reactance for C = 100 μF at ω = 100 rad/s.
• Velocity is the
• A vector quantity is
• An electron with + charge.
• A spring with spring constant k = 200 N/m extends by x = 0.04 m. What is the magnitude of the restoring force?
• One volt is defined as the potential difference when one joule of work is done to move one coulomb of charge.
• If gravitational acceleration g decreases while v and θ stay the same, what happens to R?
• State how the internal energy U of an ideal monatomic gas depends on n at constant T and V.
• Coherent sources are defined as sources that have which properties?
• Packet of light energy.
• Which term describes the antiparticle of the electron?
• Light travels in glass (n = 1.50) and hits the boundary with air (n = 1.00) at an incidence angle of 50°. What occurs at the boundary?
• Which statement best defines the potential at a point?
• What term describes the antiparticle of the electron?
• A virtual image is formed by
• For a string under tension T and density μ, wave speed v = sqrt(T/μ). If both T and μ are doubled, how does the fundamental frequency f1 = (1/(2L)) sqrt(T/μ) change?
• EMF is best described as the voltage supplied by a source when connected to a circuit. Which option correctly names this quantity?
• In refraction, which lines lie in the same plane?
• The unit of angular velocity is
• Which of the following describes a longitudinal wave?
• For a mass-spring system undergoing SHM with angular frequency ω and amplitude A, show that ω = sqrt(k/m) and identify the maximum kinetic energy.
• Extrinsic conduction involves the movement of charges through which material?
• Which term describes the spreading of a wave beyond a barrier or through a gap?
• The Doppler effect describes the change in frequency of a wave due to the relative motion between the source and the observer.
• Which statement best defines radiation?
• The moment of a force about a pivot is defined as
• In a series circuit with resistors 2 Ω, 3 Ω, and 5 Ω connected to a 12 V supply, what is the current through the circuit?
• For a loop of area 0.25 m^2 in a magnetic field that changes from 0 T to 0.4 T in 0.5 s, what is the induced emf?
• Which statement best expresses energy conservation in a closed system?
• The resistance of a conductor is the ratio of the potential difference across it to the current flowing through it. Which term describes this quantity?
• What is the acceleration of s(t) = 4 t^2 at any time, i.e., a = d^2s/dt^2?
• What does the U-value of a structure represent?
• A single-loop conductor of area 0.04 m^2 in a 0.8 T field experiences a change in field by 0.2 T in 0.1 s. Find the induced emf.
• If the slit width d is halved from 0.20 mm to 0.10 mm while the wavelength λ remains 500 nm, estimate the first minimum angle θ1.
• What is the phenomenon when light bounces off a surface?
• Particle with the same mass as another particle but opposite charge.
• From a distance-time graph, a straight line with slope 5 m/s indicates velocity. If this velocity continues and the initial position s0 = 2 m, what is the position after 4 s?
• Doping is the addition of a small amount of atoms of another element to a pure semiconductor to increase its conductivity. Which option best describes this statement?
• Using Bohr model, the wavelength of the photon emitted when hydrogen transitions from n_i = 2 to n_f = 1 (Lyman series) is approximately:
• What device is abbreviated RCD?
• Capacitance is defined as the ratio of the charge on a capacitor to the potential difference across it.
• Which constant in the formula is due to gravity?
• A 50 μF capacitor is charged to 12 V. What is the energy stored?
• Which statement correctly describes a property of the law of reflection?
• If the speed on the same circular path is increased from 20 m/s to 40 m/s while radius remains 50 m, what is the centripetal acceleration?
• If the temperature difference across a conducting rod doubles from 100 K to 200 K, what is the new heat transfer rate (keeping all other factors the same)?
• Which term describes a property that changes with temperature and is suitable for measuring temperature?
• Intrinsic conduction is the movement of charges through which type of material?
• In an elastic collision with m1=2 kg moving at 3 m/s and m2=1 kg at rest, what is the velocity of m2 after the collision?
• In a closed system with no external forces, momentum ...?
• A sound source emits f0 = 600 Hz and moves toward a stationary observer with speed vs = 40 m/s; speed of sound is 343 m/s. What is the observed frequency?
• What term describes a physical property that changes with temperature and can be used to measure temperature?
• The splitting of a large nucleus into two smaller nuclei with the release of energy and neutrons is called?
• A transverse wave's displacement is primarily described as being what relative to the direction of travel?
• The specific latent heat of vaporisation is the amount of heat energy needed to change 1 kg of a substance from liquid to gas without a change in temperature.
• A sound source emits 500 Hz and moves toward a stationary observer with speed 20 m/s in air; the speed of sound is 340 m/s. Using f' = f0 v /(v − vs), what is the observed frequency?
• If a medium has refractive index n = 1.5, what is the speed of light in that medium (given c ≈ 3.00×10^8 m/s)?
• If light travels from air into a medium with a higher refractive index, what happens to the angle of refraction?
• If a gas sample is compressed at constant temperature, what happens to its pressure?
• If a projectile is launched at speed 20 m/s and angle 60°, what is the maximum height?
• A real image is formed by
• A converging lens with f = 10 cm forms a real image of an object at u = 25 cm. Using the lens equation, find the image distance v and the magnification M.
• When light enters a medium with a higher refractive index, which property changes?
• A machine does 200 J of work in 5 s. What is its average power?
• A vernier caliper is used to measure a length. The main scale reads 12.0 mm and the vernier line aligns with 7 on the vernier scale (divisions of 0.02 mm). What is the measured length?
• Electric field strength is the force per unit charge.
• Which of the following statements defines work?
• Compute the work done by a constant force of 6 N moving 0.5 m in a direction 60° from the displacement.
• Which principle states that energy is neither created nor destroyed, only transformed?
• Which term describes the addition or meeting of two or more waves to form a new wave?
• If the dielectric constant κ between the plates increases by a factor of 16, by what factor does the capacitance increase?
• From pV = nRT, if n doubles at fixed V and T, what happens to p?
• A straight wire of length 2 m carries 3 A in a magnetic field of 0.5 T perpendicular to the wire. What is the magnetic force on the wire?
• Using the uncertainty principle Δx Δp ≥ ħ/2, with Δx = 1×10^-10 m, what is the minimum Δp?
• Which law states that the force between two masses is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them?
• Capacitance is defined as the ratio of the charge stored on a capacitor to the potential difference across it. Which term is this?
• What quantity remains constant in a collision within a closed system?
• Which of the following is a vector quantity?
• A solar cell converts 23% of incident radiant power into electrical power. If 1200 W of light shines on it, what electrical power is generated?
• Work per unit charge is called the potential difference.
• Provide the expression for the fundamental frequency f1 of a standing wave on a string of length L with fixed ends in terms of tension T and linear density μ.
• According to Newton's first law, a body not acted on by external forces will do what?
• Which material is defined as having a resistivity between that of a good conductor and a good insulator?
• Which is a scalar quantity?
• Which statement is true about velocity and speed?
• For fixed v and g, at which launch angle θ is the horizontal range maximized?
• For y = x1/x2 with x1 = 3.50 ± 0.08 and x2 = 1.25 ± 0.02, estimate the uncertainty in y using the standard relative-error method.
• What is electric current?
• A rectangular loop of area 0.5 m^2 is placed in a uniform magnetic field of 0.6 T perpendicular to the plane. What is the magnetic flux through the loop?
• If the tension on a string is doubled while μ stays constant, by what factor does the wave speed change?
• Which quantity is defined as the force per unit charge?
• A scalar quantity is
• Which statement correctly defines a polarised wave?
• Two waves with the same frequency and in phase are described as which of the following?
• Which follows a vector quantity?
• If the speed is doubled from 25 m/s to 50 m/s while θ remains 30°, the new range is approximately:
• A red LED with Vf ≈ 2.1 V is in series with a 470 Ω resistor on a 5 V supply. Estimate the current.
• A 2 kg mass initially moving with v0 = 3 m/s experiences a constant force F = 4 N for 0.2 s. Find the final velocity.
• Which term describes short-sightedness?
• Which expression represents Snell's law?
• Which quantity is associated with a change of state without a temperature change?
• Destructive interference occurs when two waves combine to produce a wave of lower amplitude. Which term names this phenomenon?
• Which statement best defines conduction?
• For a SHM with spring constant k = 5 N/m and amplitude A = 0.4 m, what is the maximum kinetic energy?
• Pressure is defined as force per unit area. What is the SI unit of pressure?
• A radioactive sample has N0 = 3×10^23 undecayed nuclei and a half-life of 1 hour. What is the initial activity A0?
• Hooke's Law states that extension is proportional to the applied force.
• A force is
• Which principle relates the buoyant force to the displaced fluid's weight?
• Calculate the power dissipated by a 5 Ω resistor carrying 2 A.
• Pair production involves creation of a particle and its antiparticle from energy.
• In the range formula R = v^2 sin 2θ / g, if the speed v is doubled while θ remains the same, by what factor does R increase?
• If θ is increased to 60° with the same speed, how does the range compare to θ = 30°?
• Power is defined as
• Constructive interference occurs when two waves combine to produce a wave of greater amplitude. Which term names this phenomenon?
• Using the lens maker formula for a thin lens in air with n = 1.50, R1 = +20 cm, R2 = -20 cm, what is the focal length f?
• A machine does 120 J of work in 4 s. What is its average power?
• For a single-slit diffraction pattern, the first minimum occurs when sin θ1 = λ/d. With d = 0.20 mm and λ = 500 nm, estimate θ1.
• Which lens is used to correct hyperopia (long-sightedness)?
• Two small nuclei join to form a larger nucleus.
• Which law states that force is proportional to the rate of change of momentum?
• The specific latent heat of vaporisation is defined as which of the following?
• A car travels at 20 m/s around a horizontal circular curve of radius 50 m. What is its centripetal acceleration?
• Which lens corrects myopia?
• The amount of heat required to change the state of 1 kg of a substance without changing its temperature is called?
• The quantity defined as the heat energy needed to change 1 kg of a substance by 1 Kelvin.
• Which law is used to calculate the electric force between point charges?
• Acceleration is
• Which quantity is defined as the product of mass and velocity?
• The charge that passes when 1 A flows for 1 second is called the coulomb.
• Which statement defines energy?
• A projectile launched with speed 20 m/s at 45° reaches a maximum height h = u_y^2/(2g). Compute h.
• What is the moment of a force about a pivot?
• Coulomb's Law expresses that the force between two point charges is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance.
• The specific latent heat of fusion is defined as the amount of heat energy required to change 1 kg of a substance from solid to liquid at constant temperature.
• In a 1D elastic collision with m1=2 kg moving at 3 m/s and m2=1 kg at rest, find the velocity of m1 after the collision.
• The weight of an object is
• Two charges q1 = 2 nC and q2 = 3 nC are separated by r = 2 cm. Compute the Coulomb force.
• Angular velocity is defined as
• Which of the following angles yields the same horizontal range as 30° for the same speed and gravity?
• For an ideal gas with n = 1 mol at T = 300 K and V = 48 L, what is the pressure at the same temperature?
• A solar cell with 25% efficiency is illuminated with 800 W of radiant power. How much electrical power is generated?
• Archimedes' Principle relates buoyant force to what?
• The refractive index of a medium is defined as the ratio of which quantities when light travels from vacuum into that medium?
• A converging lens with f = 10 cm forms a real image of an object at u = 15 cm. Using the thin-lens equation, determine the image distance v and the magnification M.
• A Carnot engine operates between Th = 500 K and Tc = 350 K. What is the maximum efficiency?
• Temperature is a measure of what property?
• Which statement describes the condition for a floating object in equilibrium at the surface of a fluid?
• Using the Rayleigh criterion, estimate the angular resolution for light with wavelength 550 nm observed through an aperture of diameter 2.0 cm.
• The law of flotation states that for a floating object, its weight equals the weight of the fluid it displaces.
• What term describes a discrete unit of light energy?
• What term describes a self-sustaining reaction where the release of neutrons causes further fission?
• Convert the initial activity A0 from decays per hour to s^-1: A0 ≈ 2.08×10^23 decays per hour.
• True or false: The range is maximized when θ = 45° for a given initial speed and gravity.
• A 20 μF capacitor charged to 15 V stores energy of:
• Which term is defined as the measure of how hot or cold an object is?
• Which statement correctly distinguishes a real image from a virtual image?
• Centripetal force is the force acting in towards the centre required to keep an object moving in a circle.
• Which formulation is commonly used as Newton's Second Law for a particle of constant mass?
• What does Newton's third law say about the forces two bodies exert on each other?
• Calculate the horizontal range R for v = 25 m/s and θ = 30°, using g = 9.8 m/s^2.
• Doping is the addition of a small amount of atoms of another element to a pure semiconductor to increase its conductivity. Which option best expresses the truth?
• Stationary waves are formed when two periodic travelling waves of the same frequency and amplitude travelling in opposite directions meet. Which statement is true?
• If θ = 0°, what is the horizontal range R?
• What is the energy per photon in joules for frequency f = 6.0×10^14 Hz, given h = 6.63×10^-34 J s?
• Using pV = nRT, find the pressure for n = 1 mol, T = 300 K, V = 24 L (R = 8.314 J/mol K).
• For hydrogen emission with n_i = 2 and n_f = 1, the estimated wavelength of the emitted photon is approximately which value?
• What is the heat required to raise the temperature of 0.5 kg of water by 6 K (c = 4184 J/kg K)?
• Which statement best defines convection?
• Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another.
• A time to reduce from 1×10^24 to 1×10^22 with half-life 5 h; compute t.
• Friction is
• EMF is described as which quantity?
• Which term describes the separation of light into its component colours?
• One disintegration per second.
• The gravitational force between two masses is described by
• What term describes energy carried by light in discrete units?
• If the photon energy hf is less than the work function φ, what happens to photoemission?
• Speed is defined as
• Which phenomenon describes stationary waves formed by two identical waves traveling in opposite directions?
• A long-sighted person sees distant objects clearly but cannot bring nearby objects into focus. This condition is corrected with a convex lens. Which statement is correct?
• Which statement describes short-sightedness (myopia) corrected with a concave lens?
• In the range formula, which parameter is squared before multiplying sin 2θ?
• Compute the energy per photon for frequency f = 6.0×10^14 Hz using E = h f and h = 6.63×10^-34 J s.
• Particle and its antiparticle created from energy or gamma rays.
• The natural frequency of an object is the frequency at which the object will vibrate if free to do so.
• In equilibrium for an object under coplanar forces, which conditions must be satisfied?
• A light ray enters glass (n = 1.50) from air (n = 1.00) at θ1 = 30°. What is the refracted angle θ2?
• Which statement is true about the volt?
• A ruler with millimeter divisions is used to measure a length of 2.36 m with an estimated uncertainty of ±0.01 m. What is the percentage uncertainty?
• Dispersion is the separation of light into its different colours or wavelengths.
• If the plate area is quadrupled while the separation between plates is halved, by what factor does the capacitance increase?
• The newton is
• What is the quantity defined as the heat energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg by 1 K?
• What is the range for v = 10 m/s and θ = 30°, using g = 9.8 m/s^2?
• A gas under the stated conditions has a pressure of about p ≈ 1.04×10^5 Pa. What is this pressure approximately in atmospheres?
• Which statement correctly distinguishes intrinsic and extrinsic conduction?
• The relationship described by Boyle's Law for a gas at constant temperature is that p and V are what kind of relationship?
• Acceleration is
• In a resistor circuit with a constant supply voltage, if the current doubles and the resistance is halved, by what factor does the power dissipated change?
• A loop area 0.25 m^2 in a uniform magnetic field 0.4 T perpendicular to the loop. Magnetic flux through the loop is:
• Which statement correctly describes Ohm's Law?
• Estimate the rate of heat transfer through a rod with k = 200 W/m K, cross-section A = 1×10^-4 m^2, length L = 0.5 m, and ΔT = 100 K.
• Which quantity is not explicitly in the projectile range formula R = v^2 sin 2θ / g?
• Resonance is the transfer of energy between two systems with similar natural frequencies.
• Which of the following is a vector quantity?
• An electric field is a region of space where electrostatic forces are experienced by charged particles.
• Given s(t) = 4 t^2 (m) for t in seconds, determine the instantaneous velocity at t = 3 s.
• Calculate the critical angle for glass (n = 1.50) to air (n = 1.00).