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KCSE 2010 Physics Paper 1 Questions

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SECTION A (25 marks)
Answer all the questions in the spaces provided.

  1. Figure 1 shows a vernier calipers being used to measure the internal diameter of a tube.

    vernier callipers kcse 2010
    Record the diameter of the tube. (1 mark)

  2. A stop watch started at 0.50s after the start button was pressed. The time recorded using the stopwatch for a ball bearing falling through a liquid was 2.53s. Determine the time of the fall. (1 mark)

  3. Some water in a tin was boiled for some time. The tin can was then released and cooled. After some time it collapsed. Explain this observation. (2 marks)

  4. A paper windmill in a horizontal axis was placed above a candle as shown in figure 2.

    paper windmill kcse 2010
    When the candle was lit the paper windmill began to rotate.
    Explain this observation. (2 marks)

  5. When a liquid is heated in a glass flask, its level at first falls then rises. Explain this observation. (2 marks)

  6. Figure 3 shows a uniform metre rule pivoted at the 30cm mark. It is balanced by a weight of 2N suspended at the 5cm mark.

    moments about a point kcse 2010
    Determine the weight of the metre rule. (2 marks)

  7. Figure 4 shows a horizontal tube with two vertical tubes x and y. Water flows through the horizontal tube from right to left. The water level in tube x is higher than water level in tube y.

    bernoullis principle kcse 2010

    Explain this observation. (2 marks)

  8. A cart of mass 30kg is pushed a long a horizontal path by a horizontal force of 8N and moves with a constant velocity. The force is increased to 14N.
    Determine:
    1. The resistance of the motion of the cart. (1 mark)
    2. The acceleration of the cart. (2 marks)

  9. When a drop of oleic acid of known volume is dropped on the surface of water in a large trough, it spreads out to form a large circular patch. State one assumption made when the size of the molecule of the oleic acid is estimated by determining the area of the patch. (1 mark)

  10. The weight of a solid in air is 5.0N. When fully immersed in a liquid of density 800Kg m-3, its weight is 4.04N.
    Determine:
    1. The upthrust in the liquid. (1 mark)
    2. The volume of the solid. (2 marks)

  11. When a bicycle pump was sealead at the nozzle and the handle slowly pushed toward the nozzle, the pressure of the air inside increased.
    Explain this observation. (1 mark)

  12. Figure 5 shows a mass of 200g connected by a string through a hollow tube to a mass of 0.50kg, The 0.5kg mass is kept stationery in the air by whirling the 200g mass around in a horizontal circle of radius 1.0 metre.

    angular velocity kcse 2010

    Determine the angular velocity of the 200g mass. (3 marks)

  13. State the SI unit of a spring constant. (1 mark)

  14. Figure 6 shows an athlete lifting weights while standing with the feet apart.

    center of gravity kcse 2010

    Explain why standing with the feet apart improves the athletes’ stability. (1 mark)

    SECTION B (55 marks)
    Answer all the questions in this section in the spaces provided.

    1. A cyclist initially at rest moved down a hill without pedaling. He applied brakes and eventually stopped. State the energy changes as the cyclist moved down the hill. (1 mark)
    2. Figure 7 shows a mass of 30kg being pulled from point P to point Q, with a force of 200N parallel to an inclined plane. The distance between P and Q is 22.5m. In being moved from P to Q the mass is raised through a vertical height of 7.5m.

      work done kcse 2010
      1. Determine the work done:
        1. by the force; (2 marks)
        2. on the mass; (2 marks)
        3. to overcome the friction. (2 marks)

      2. Determine the efficiency of the inclined plane. (2 marks)

    3. Suggest one method of increasing the efficiency of the inclined plane. (1 mark)

  15. In the experiment to determine the density of sand using a density bottle, the following measurements were recorded:

    Mass of empty density bottle = 43.2g
    Mass of density bottle full of water = 66.4 g
    Mass of density bottle with some sand = 67.5 g
    Mass of the density bottle with the sand filled up with water = 82.3g

    Use the data to determine the:
    1. Mass of water that completely filled the bottle; (2 marks)
    2. Volume of water that completely filled the bottle; (1 mark)
    3. Volume of the density bottle; (1 mark)
    4. Mass of sand; (1 mark)
    5. Mass of water that filled up the space above the sand; (1 mark)
    6. Volume of the sand. (3 marks)
    7. Density of the sand. (2 marks)

    1. Explain why it is advisable to use a pressure cooker for cooking at high altitudes. (2 marks)
    2. Water of mass 3.0kg initially at 200C is heated in an electric kettle rated 3.0 KW. The water is heated until it boils at 1000C. (Take specific heat capacity of water 4200Jkg-1K-1, Heat capacity of the kettle 450JK -1, Specific latent heat of vapourisation of water =2.3mJkg-1)

      Determine:
      1. The heat absorbed by the water; (2 marks)
      2. Heat absorbed by the electric kettle; (2 marks)
      3. The time taken for the water to boil; (3 marks)
      4. How much longer it will take to boil away all the water. (3 marks)

  16. Figure 8 shows the mass of a stone of mass 4.0kg immersed in water and suspended from a spring balance with a string. The beaker was placed on a compression balance whose reading was 85N. The density of the stone was 3000kgm-3 while the density of the liquid was 800kgm-3.

    upthrust in fluids kcse 2010

    Determine the:
    1. Volume of the liquid displaced. (2 marks)
    2. Upthrust of the stone. (4 marks)
    3. Reading of the spring balance. (2 marks)
    4. Reading of the compression balance when the stone was removed from the water. (2 marks)

    1. Figure 9 shows the velocity-time graph for the motion of a certain body.

      velocity time graph kcse 2010

      Describe the motion of the body in the region:
      1. OA; (1 mark)
      2. AB; (1 mark)
      3. BC. (1 mark)

    2. A moving car initially at 10 ms-1 decelerates at 2.5 ms-2.
      1. Determine:
        1. its velocity after 1.5s; (2 marks)
        2. the distance travelled in 1.5s; (2 marks)
        3. the time taken for the car to stop. (2 marks)

      2. Sketch the velocity-time graph for the motion of the car up to the time the car stopped. (1 mark)
      3. From the graph, determine the distance of the car travelled before stopping. (2 marks)
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