AQA GCSE PHYSICS - PAPER 2
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
Will more radiation be absorbed when it's day or night? ANSW✅✅Day - the Sun transfers
radiation to the Earth where it is absorbed, thus causing an increase in local temperature
Global warming ANSW✅✅If the atmosphere starts to absorb more radiation without emitting the
same amount, the overall temperature will rise until absorption and emission are equal again
What causes sound waves? ANSW✅✅Vibrating objects - these vibrations are passed through the
surrounding medium as a series of compressions and rarefactions
Travelling of Sound Waves ANSW✅✅Sound waves travel faster in solids than in liquids, and faster
in liquids than in gases
When a sound wave travels through a solid, it does so by causing the particles in the solid to vibrate
Where can't sound travel? ANSW✅✅Space - it's mostly a vacuum, therefore there are no particles
to move or vibrate
Process of sound reaching the ear ANSW✅✅1) Sound waves that reach your eardrum can cause it
to vibrate
2) These vibrations are passed on to tiny bones in your ear called ossicles, through the semicircular
canals & to the cochlea
3) The cochlea turns these vibrations into electrical signals which get sent to your brain & allow you
to sense the sound
What range frequency can humans hear? ANSW✅✅Between 20Hz and 20kHz
What limits human hearing? ANSW✅✅1) The size of our eardrum
2) The shape of our eardrum
3) The structure of all the parts in the ear that vibrate to transfer the energy from the sound wave
,Sound Waves - Reflection ANSW✅✅Sound waves are reflected by hard, flat surfaces
Echoes are just reflected sound waves
Sound Waves - Refraction ANSW✅✅Sound waves will refract as they enter different media
As they enter denser material, they speed up - when a wave travels into a different medium, its
wavelength changes and its frequency stays the same, thus causing the change in speed
What is ultrasound? ANSW✅✅Sound waves beyond the range of human hearing - 20,000Hz
What is partial reflection? ANSW✅✅When a wave passes from one medium to another, some of
it is reflected off the boundary between the two media whilst some is transmitted
Partial reflection of ultrasound waves ANSW✅✅If you point a pulse of ultrasound at an object,
wherever there are boundaries between one substance & another, some of the ultrasound gets
reflected back
Ultrasound - Medical Imaging ANSW✅✅Ultrasound waves can pass through the body, but
whenever they reach a boundary between two different media (like fluid in the womb & the skin of
the foetus), some of the wave is reflected back & detected
The exact timing & distribution of these echoes are processed by a computer to produce a video
image of the foetus
Ultrasound - Industrial Imaging ANSW✅✅Ultrasound can be used to find flaws in objects e.g.
pipes or materials like wood or metal
Ultrasound waves entering a material will usually be reflected by the far side of the material - if
there is a flaw e.g. a crack inside the object, the wave will be reflected sooner
What is echo sounding? ANSW✅✅When high-frequency sound waves are used by boats and
submarines to find out the depth of the water they are in or to locate objects in deep water
What happens when a wave arrives at a boundary? ANSW✅✅1) It can be completely reflected
2) It can be partially reflected
,Seismic Waves ANSW✅✅An earthquake produces seismic waves, which travel out through the
Earth
They can be detected all over the surface of the planet using seismometers - seismologists work out
the time it takes for the shock waves to reach a seismometer and they note which parts of the Earth
don't receive the shock waves at all
Movement of Seismic Waves ANSW✅✅When seismic waves reach a boundary between different
layers of material inside the Earth, some waves will be absorbed & some will be refracted
Most of the time, if the waves are refracted, they change speed gradually, resulting in a curved path
- but, when properties change suddenly, the wave speed changes abruptly & the path has a kink
Seismic Waves - P-Waves ANSW✅✅Longitudinal
They travel through solids & liquids
They travel faster than S-waves
Seismic Waves - S-Waves ANSW✅✅Transverse
They can't travel through liquids or gases
Slower than P-waves
Why do scientists study seismic waves? ANSW✅✅By observing how seismic waves are absorbed
& refracted, they are able to work out where the properties of the Earth change dramatically
Measuring the Speed of Sound - Method ANSW✅✅1) Set up the oscilloscope so the detected
waves at each microphone are shown as separate waves
2) Start with both microphones next to the speaker, then slowly move one away until the next two
waves are aligned on the display, but have moved exactly one wavelength apart
3) Measure the distance between the microphones to find one wavelength
4) Find the speed of the sound waves passing through the air - the frequency is whatever you set the
signal generator to
Measuring the Speed of Water Ripples - Method ANSW✅✅1) Using a signal generator attached to
the dipper of a ripple tank, you can create waves at a set frequency
2) Use a strobe light to see wave crests on a screen below the tank
, 3) Increase the frequency of the strobe light until the wave pattern on the screen appears to 'freeze'
& stop moving - this happens because the frequency of the strobe light is equal to the frequency of
the waves
4) The strobe is a good piece of equipment to use - it allows you to measure a still pattern instead of
a constantly moving one
5) The distance between each shadow line is equal to one wavelength. Measure the distance
between shadow lines that are 10 wavelengths apart, then divide this distance by 10 to find the
average wavelength
Investigating Waves on a String - Method ANSW✅✅1) Set up the equipment, then turn on the
signal generator & vibration transducer. The string will start to vibrate
2) Adjust the frequency of the signal generator until there's a clear wave on the string. The
frequency you need will depend on the length of string between the pulley & the transducer & the
masses you've used
3) You need to measure the wavelengths of these waves - best way to do this accurately is to
measure the lengths of 4/5 half-wavelengths in one go, then divide to get the mean half-wavelength
& double to get a full wavelength
4) The frequency of the wave is whatever the signal generator is set to
Investigating Refraction - Method ANSW✅✅1) Place a transparent rectangular block on a piece of
paper & trace around it. Use a ray box/laser to shine a ray of light at the middle of one side of the
block
2) Trace the incidence ray & mark where the light ray emerges on the other side of the block.
Remove the block and, with a straight line, join up the incident ray & the emerging point to show the
path of the refracted ray through the block
3) Draw the normal at the point where the light ray entered the block. Use a protractor to measure
the angle between the incident ray & the normal & the angle between the refracted ray & the
normal
4) Repeat this experiment using rectangular blocks made from different materials, keeping the
incident angle the same throughout
Investigating the Amount of Light Reflected by Different Materials - Method ANSW✅✅1) Take a
piece of paper & draw a straight line across it. Place an object so one of its sides lines up with this
line
2) Shine a ray of light at the object's surface & trace the incoming & reflected light beams
3) Draw the normal at the point where the ray hits the object. Use a protractor to measure the angle
of incidence & the angle of reflection & record these values in a table. Make a note of the width &
brightness of the reflected light ray
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
Will more radiation be absorbed when it's day or night? ANSW✅✅Day - the Sun transfers
radiation to the Earth where it is absorbed, thus causing an increase in local temperature
Global warming ANSW✅✅If the atmosphere starts to absorb more radiation without emitting the
same amount, the overall temperature will rise until absorption and emission are equal again
What causes sound waves? ANSW✅✅Vibrating objects - these vibrations are passed through the
surrounding medium as a series of compressions and rarefactions
Travelling of Sound Waves ANSW✅✅Sound waves travel faster in solids than in liquids, and faster
in liquids than in gases
When a sound wave travels through a solid, it does so by causing the particles in the solid to vibrate
Where can't sound travel? ANSW✅✅Space - it's mostly a vacuum, therefore there are no particles
to move or vibrate
Process of sound reaching the ear ANSW✅✅1) Sound waves that reach your eardrum can cause it
to vibrate
2) These vibrations are passed on to tiny bones in your ear called ossicles, through the semicircular
canals & to the cochlea
3) The cochlea turns these vibrations into electrical signals which get sent to your brain & allow you
to sense the sound
What range frequency can humans hear? ANSW✅✅Between 20Hz and 20kHz
What limits human hearing? ANSW✅✅1) The size of our eardrum
2) The shape of our eardrum
3) The structure of all the parts in the ear that vibrate to transfer the energy from the sound wave
,Sound Waves - Reflection ANSW✅✅Sound waves are reflected by hard, flat surfaces
Echoes are just reflected sound waves
Sound Waves - Refraction ANSW✅✅Sound waves will refract as they enter different media
As they enter denser material, they speed up - when a wave travels into a different medium, its
wavelength changes and its frequency stays the same, thus causing the change in speed
What is ultrasound? ANSW✅✅Sound waves beyond the range of human hearing - 20,000Hz
What is partial reflection? ANSW✅✅When a wave passes from one medium to another, some of
it is reflected off the boundary between the two media whilst some is transmitted
Partial reflection of ultrasound waves ANSW✅✅If you point a pulse of ultrasound at an object,
wherever there are boundaries between one substance & another, some of the ultrasound gets
reflected back
Ultrasound - Medical Imaging ANSW✅✅Ultrasound waves can pass through the body, but
whenever they reach a boundary between two different media (like fluid in the womb & the skin of
the foetus), some of the wave is reflected back & detected
The exact timing & distribution of these echoes are processed by a computer to produce a video
image of the foetus
Ultrasound - Industrial Imaging ANSW✅✅Ultrasound can be used to find flaws in objects e.g.
pipes or materials like wood or metal
Ultrasound waves entering a material will usually be reflected by the far side of the material - if
there is a flaw e.g. a crack inside the object, the wave will be reflected sooner
What is echo sounding? ANSW✅✅When high-frequency sound waves are used by boats and
submarines to find out the depth of the water they are in or to locate objects in deep water
What happens when a wave arrives at a boundary? ANSW✅✅1) It can be completely reflected
2) It can be partially reflected
,Seismic Waves ANSW✅✅An earthquake produces seismic waves, which travel out through the
Earth
They can be detected all over the surface of the planet using seismometers - seismologists work out
the time it takes for the shock waves to reach a seismometer and they note which parts of the Earth
don't receive the shock waves at all
Movement of Seismic Waves ANSW✅✅When seismic waves reach a boundary between different
layers of material inside the Earth, some waves will be absorbed & some will be refracted
Most of the time, if the waves are refracted, they change speed gradually, resulting in a curved path
- but, when properties change suddenly, the wave speed changes abruptly & the path has a kink
Seismic Waves - P-Waves ANSW✅✅Longitudinal
They travel through solids & liquids
They travel faster than S-waves
Seismic Waves - S-Waves ANSW✅✅Transverse
They can't travel through liquids or gases
Slower than P-waves
Why do scientists study seismic waves? ANSW✅✅By observing how seismic waves are absorbed
& refracted, they are able to work out where the properties of the Earth change dramatically
Measuring the Speed of Sound - Method ANSW✅✅1) Set up the oscilloscope so the detected
waves at each microphone are shown as separate waves
2) Start with both microphones next to the speaker, then slowly move one away until the next two
waves are aligned on the display, but have moved exactly one wavelength apart
3) Measure the distance between the microphones to find one wavelength
4) Find the speed of the sound waves passing through the air - the frequency is whatever you set the
signal generator to
Measuring the Speed of Water Ripples - Method ANSW✅✅1) Using a signal generator attached to
the dipper of a ripple tank, you can create waves at a set frequency
2) Use a strobe light to see wave crests on a screen below the tank
, 3) Increase the frequency of the strobe light until the wave pattern on the screen appears to 'freeze'
& stop moving - this happens because the frequency of the strobe light is equal to the frequency of
the waves
4) The strobe is a good piece of equipment to use - it allows you to measure a still pattern instead of
a constantly moving one
5) The distance between each shadow line is equal to one wavelength. Measure the distance
between shadow lines that are 10 wavelengths apart, then divide this distance by 10 to find the
average wavelength
Investigating Waves on a String - Method ANSW✅✅1) Set up the equipment, then turn on the
signal generator & vibration transducer. The string will start to vibrate
2) Adjust the frequency of the signal generator until there's a clear wave on the string. The
frequency you need will depend on the length of string between the pulley & the transducer & the
masses you've used
3) You need to measure the wavelengths of these waves - best way to do this accurately is to
measure the lengths of 4/5 half-wavelengths in one go, then divide to get the mean half-wavelength
& double to get a full wavelength
4) The frequency of the wave is whatever the signal generator is set to
Investigating Refraction - Method ANSW✅✅1) Place a transparent rectangular block on a piece of
paper & trace around it. Use a ray box/laser to shine a ray of light at the middle of one side of the
block
2) Trace the incidence ray & mark where the light ray emerges on the other side of the block.
Remove the block and, with a straight line, join up the incident ray & the emerging point to show the
path of the refracted ray through the block
3) Draw the normal at the point where the light ray entered the block. Use a protractor to measure
the angle between the incident ray & the normal & the angle between the refracted ray & the
normal
4) Repeat this experiment using rectangular blocks made from different materials, keeping the
incident angle the same throughout
Investigating the Amount of Light Reflected by Different Materials - Method ANSW✅✅1) Take a
piece of paper & draw a straight line across it. Place an object so one of its sides lines up with this
line
2) Shine a ray of light at the object's surface & trace the incoming & reflected light beams
3) Draw the normal at the point where the ray hits the object. Use a protractor to measure the angle
of incidence & the angle of reflection & record these values in a table. Make a note of the width &
brightness of the reflected light ray
