Static and Current Electricity

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Static and Current Electricity — Free MYP4 Physics Practice Questions

1QuestionCharging by Friction Induction and ConductionConcept Practice

2 marks~3 minCriterion A

A student touches a negatively charged rod against a neutral metal sphere, then removes the rod.

Explain the movement of electrons between the rod and the sphere during contact. Use the terms transfer, negative charge, repel, and neutral in your answer. [1]

State and justify the final charge of the sphere after the rod is removed. [1]

Solutions

2QuestionUnderstanding Static Charge and DischargeAssessment Practice

3 marks~5 minCriterion C

The graph shows the charge

Q

(in microcoulombs,

\mu\text{C}

) on the dome of a Van de Graaff generator against time

t

(in seconds) after switch-on. The charge rises steeply from

0

to approximately

8\ \mu\text{C}

in the first

2\ \text{s}

, then gradually flattens, approaching a maximum of

10\ \mu\text{C}

after about

6\ \text{s}

State one reason why the charge on the dome increases rapidly during the first

2\ \text{s}

. [1]

Explain why the rate of charge increase slows as

Q

approaches

10\ \mu\text{C}

. [1]

Discuss why the charge reaches a constant maximum value even though the generator continues to operate. [1]

Solutions

3QuestionCharging by Friction Induction and ConductionAssessment Practice

3 marks~5 minCriterion A

A student brings a negatively charged rod near — but not touching — the metal cap of an uncharged gold-leaf electroscope. While the rod remains in place, the student momentarily touches the cap with a finger to ground it, then removes the finger. The rod is removed last.

Deduce the final net charge on the electroscope. [1]

Explain, using the law of conservation of charge, how this charge arose during the grounding step. [1]

Explain how the final charge is distributed across the electroscope and what this distribution causes the gold leaves to do. [1]

Solutions

4QuestionElectric Conductors and Insulators UsageAssessment Practice

5 marks~8 minCriterion D

A student investigates a cylindrical copper wire of length

L = 2.00 \, \text{m}

and cross-sectional area

A = 1.00 \times 10^{-6} \, \text{m}^2

. She measures the potential difference across the wire for several currents and plots voltage

V

against current

I

. The graph is a straight line through the origin with gradient

0.0340 \, \text{V A}^{-1}

.

The resistivity of a conductor is given by

R = \dfrac{\rho L}{A}

.

The accepted resistivity of copper is

1.68 \times 10^{-8} \, \Omega \cdot \text{m}

Deduce the resistance of the wire from the graph. [1]

Calculate the resistivity

\rho

of the copper wire. [2]

Analyse whether the experimental result is consistent with the accepted value of copper's resistivity, justifying your answer with a quantitative comparison. [2]

Solutions

5QuestionElectric Conductors and Insulators UsageAssessment Practice

6 marks~9 minCriterion D

A government in a developing country must choose between copper and aluminium wiring for a new affordable housing project. Copper has electrical resistivity

\rho_{\text{Cu}} = 1.7 \times 10^{-8} \, \Omega \cdot \text{m}

; aluminium has

\rho_{\text{Al}} = 2.8 \times 10^{-8} \, \Omega \cdot \text{m}

. Copper mining causes significant habitat destruction and water pollution. Aluminium is lighter, recyclable using only 5% of the energy needed for primary production, and has a lower mining impact.

Using the resistivity values, explain which material offers better electrical performance for identical wire dimensions. [2]

Analyse the environmental and social trade-offs that make aluminium a viable alternative despite its higher resistivity. [2]

Evaluate which material the government should choose, considering electrical performance, environmental impact, and the socioeconomic context of affordable housing. [2]

Solutions

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