Exam questions
Question 11
(a) A technician uses a hammer to force a nail into a wooden beam.
Calculate the kinetic energy of the hammer just before it hits the nail and give its unit.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Kinetic energy of the hammer = ____________
(3 marks)
(b) The technician raises the hammer to a height of 0.75 m above the beam before bringing it down to hit
the nail.
IGCSE Physics Exam questions – Question 11
The hammer has a mass of 0.40 kg. It has a speed of 5.0 m/s just before it hits the nail.
Calculate the increased gravitational potential energy of the hammer at a height of 0.75 m above the
beam.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Increased gravitational potential energy = ____________
(2 marks)
(c) (i) After raising the hammer to a height of 0.75 m, how much work does the technician do in hitting
the nail with the hammer? Give its unit.
____________________________________________________________________
Work done = ____________
(2 marks)
(ii) Explain your answer.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________ (2 marks)
Total
(9 marks)
Exam question © Edexcel International: London Examinations IGCSE Physics Higher Tier Paper 2H, May 2006
1
Answers
Mark scheme
1
2
IGCSE Physics Exam questions – Question 11
(a)
2
(b)
(c) (i)
(ii)
2
× 0.40 × 25 (or give the formula: 12 mv )
1 mark
=5
1 mark
J (or joules)
1 mark
0.40 × 10 × 0.75 (or give the formula: mgh)
1 mark
=3J
1 mark
5–3=2
1 mark
J
1 mark
Conservation of energy;
1 mark
means work done = kinetic energy – potential energy.
1 mark
Examiner feedback
(a)
Most students got this right.
Notice from the mark scheme that you can get a mark for showing the equation or putting the
numbers into it, even if you get the final answer wrong, so it is always worth showing your working.
And remember always to give the units for your answers.
(b)
Most students got this right.
(c)
Many students tried using work = force × distance to calculate this, and so got the wrong answer. If
the question is about energy, then it is worth thinking about whether the law of conservation of
energy applies. In this question, the kinetic energy of the hammer just before it hits the nail is
greater than the gravitational potential energy of the hammer at the top of the swing – so the
technician must have added some energy. The difference between the energy at the start (the
gravitational potential energy) and the end (the kinetic energy) must be the work done on the
hammer.
Exam question © Edexcel International: London Examinations IGCSE Physics Higher Tier Paper 2H, May 2006