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Physics questions, chapter 7

Quantum Physics

46 marks. Use Practice to check each answer as you go, or Exam to answer everything against the clock first. Use h = 6.63 × 10⁻³⁴ J s, c = 3.00 × 10⁸ m s⁻¹, e = 1.60 × 10⁻¹⁹ C and electron mass 9.11 × 10⁻³¹ kg.

Section A: objective questions

13 marks
Choose the best answer for each question.
1

Question 1

What is a black body?
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B
A black body absorbs all radiation that falls on it and also emits thermal radiation that depends on its temperature.
For the teacher: Remembering, low difficulty, standard 7.1.1
Textbook p. 224
2

Question 2

A black body is heated from 4 000 K to 7 000 K. Which change happens to the radiation graph?
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C
As temperature rises, the wavelength at maximum intensity becomes shorter and the intensity increases.
For the teacher: Understanding, medium difficulty, standard 7.1.1
Textbook p. 225
3

Question 3

Why can a line spectrum be used to identify an element?
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A
The wavelengths of the lines are unique to each element.
For the teacher: Understanding, low difficulty, standard 7.1.2
Textbook p. 228
4

Question 4

The frequency of a light wave is doubled. What happens to the energy of each photon?
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D
E = hf, so photon energy is directly proportional to frequency.
For the teacher: Understanding, low difficulty, standard 7.1.2
Textbook p. 229
5

Question 5

What is the energy of a photon of light with a wavelength of 500 nm?
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B
E = hc ÷ λ = (6.63 × 10⁻³⁴)(3.00 × 10⁸) ÷ (500 × 10⁻⁹) = 3.98 × 10⁻¹⁹ J. Remember to convert nm to m.
For the teacher: Applying, medium difficulty, standard 7.1.4
Textbook p. 229
6

Question 6

Four particles move with the same speed. Which has the shortest de Broglie wavelength?
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D
λ = h ÷ mv. For the same speed the particle with the greatest mass has the shortest wavelength, which is the alpha particle.
For the teacher: Understanding, medium difficulty, standard 7.1.3
Textbook p. 230
7

Question 7

The intensity of light shining on a metal above its threshold frequency is increased. What happens?
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C
More photons arrive each second, so more photoelectrons are emitted. Kinetic energy depends on frequency, not intensity.
For the teacher: Understanding, low difficulty, standard 7.2.2
Textbook p. 237
8

Question 8

A metal has a threshold frequency of 6.0 × 10¹⁴ Hz. Which light, in a vacuum, will cause photoelectric emission?
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A
The threshold wavelength is λ₀ = c ÷ f₀ = 3.00 × 10⁸ ÷ 6.0 × 10¹⁴ = 500 nm. Only a wavelength shorter than 500 nm (frequency above f₀) works.
For the teacher: Applying, medium difficulty, standard 7.3.2
Textbook p. 239
9

Question 9

A metal has a threshold frequency of 5.0 × 10¹⁴ Hz. What is its work function?
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C
W = hf₀ = 6.63 × 10⁻³⁴ × 5.0 × 10¹⁴ = 3.32 × 10⁻¹⁹ J.
For the teacher: Applying, medium difficulty, standard 7.3.2
Textbook p. 239
10

Question 10

Diagram 1 shows graphs of the maximum kinetic energy Kmax against frequency f for metals A and B. Which statement is correct?
Two parallel lines of Kmax against f; the line for B meets the frequency axis at a higher frequency than the line for A
Diagram 1
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B
W = hf₀ and f₀ of B is greater. The gradient of Kmax against f is h for every metal, so the lines are parallel.
For the teacher: Analysing, high difficulty, standard 7.3.3
Textbook p. 239
11

Question 11

Light of frequency 7.5 × 10¹⁴ Hz shines on a metal of work function 3.0 × 10⁻¹⁹ J. What is the maximum kinetic energy of a photoelectron?
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D
hf = 6.63 × 10⁻³⁴ × 7.5 × 10¹⁴ = 4.97 × 10⁻¹⁹ J. Kmax = hf − W = 4.97 × 10⁻¹⁹ − 3.0 × 10⁻¹⁹ = 1.97 × 10⁻¹⁹ J.
For the teacher: Applying, medium difficulty, standard 7.3.4
Textbook p. 241
12

Question 12

A lamp emits 2.0 W of light of wavelength 600 nm. How many photons are emitted per second?
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A
n = Pλ ÷ hc = (2.0)(600 × 10⁻⁹) ÷ (6.63 × 10⁻³⁴ × 3.00 × 10⁸) = 6.03 × 10¹⁸ per second.
For the teacher: Applying, medium difficulty, standard 7.1.5
Textbook p. 232
13

Question 13

Which device works by the photoelectric effect?
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C
The light beam and photocell act as a switch; breaking the beam stops the photoelectric current and the door opens.
For the teacher: Remembering, low difficulty, standard 7.3.6
Textbook p. 244

Section B: structured questions

33 marks
Answer all questions. Show your working.
14

Question 14

The violet line of a mercury vapour lamp has a frequency of 7.41 × 10¹⁴ Hz.
[2 marks] (a)Calculate the energy of one photon of this line.
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[2 marks] (b)Calculate its wavelength in nm.
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[1 mark] (c)Why can this line spectrum be used to show that mercury is present in a lamp?
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For the teacher: Applying, medium difficulty, standard 7.1.2
Textbook p. 228
15

Question 15

An electron of mass 9.11 × 10⁻³¹ kg moves at 2.0 × 10⁶ m s⁻¹. A ball of mass 0.15 kg moves at 20 m s⁻¹.
[2 marks] (a)Calculate the de Broglie wavelength of the electron.
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[2 marks] (b)Calculate the de Broglie wavelength of the ball.
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[1 mark] (c)Why can wave behaviour not be observed for the ball?
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For the teacher: Applying, medium difficulty, standard 7.1.3
Textbook p. 230
16

Question 16

A green laser pointer emits light of wavelength 532 nm with an output power of 1.0 mW.
[2 marks] (a)Calculate the energy of one photon.
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[2 marks] (b)Calculate the number of photons emitted per second.
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For the teacher: Applying, medium difficulty, standard 7.1.5
Textbook p. 232
17

Question 17

A metal has a threshold frequency of 5.5 × 10¹⁴ Hz. Violet light (7.5 × 10¹⁴ Hz) and a bright red light (4.3 × 10¹⁴ Hz) are shone separately on the metal.
[1 mark] (a)Which light causes photoelectric emission?
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Violet light
Only its frequency is above the threshold frequency.
[2 marks] (b)Explain why the bright red light does not emit photoelectrons.
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[2 marks] (c)The intensity of the violet light is increased. State what happens to the number of photoelectrons per second and to their maximum kinetic energy.
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For the teacher: Analysing, medium difficulty, standard 7.2.2
Textbook p. 237
18

Question 18

The work function of sodium is 2.28 eV. Use hc = 1.243 × 10³ eV nm, 1 eV = 1.60 × 10⁻¹⁹ J and electron mass 9.11 × 10⁻³¹ kg.
[2 marks] (a)Will red light of wavelength 680 nm cause photoelectric emission from sodium? Show by calculation.
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[2 marks] (b)Calculate the threshold wavelength of sodium.
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[2 marks] (c)Violet light of wavelength 400 nm shines on sodium. Calculate the maximum kinetic energy of a photoelectron in joules.
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For the teacher: Applying, high difficulty, standard 7.3.4
Textbook p. 241
19

Question 19

Diagram 2 shows the graph of the maximum kinetic energy Kmax of photoelectrons against the frequency f of light for a metal.
Straight line of Kmax in eV against f in units of 10 to the 14 Hz, meeting the axis at 5.0 and passing through the point 8.0, 1.24
Diagram 2
[1 mark] (a)State the threshold frequency of the metal.
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[3 marks] (b)Calculate the gradient of the graph in J s. State what it represents.
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[1 mark] (c)Calculate the work function of the metal in eV.
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For the teacher: Analysing, high difficulty, standard 7.3.3
Textbook p. 239
20

Question 20

Diagram 3 shows the radiation from black bodies at 4 000 K (which looks red), 5 270 K (white) and 7 000 K (blue).
Radiation intensity against wavelength for black bodies at 4 000 K, 5 270 K and 7 000 K; the peak moves to shorter wavelength as temperature rises
Diagram 3: black-body curves at different temperatures
[2 marks] (b)Describe how the wavelength of maximum intensity and the colour change as a black body is heated from 4 000 K to 7 000 K.
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[1 mark] (c)Classical physics predicted that the intensity would increase without limit at short wavelength. What do the curves show?
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For the teacher: Understanding, low difficulty, standard 7.1.1
Textbook p. 225