This JAMB Physics exam paper from the year 2000 evaluates your conceptual understanding and problem-solving abilities across a comprehensive range of physics principles. Reviewing the questions reveals a strong emphasis on thermodynamics and heat transfer, electromagnetism including electromagnetic induction and alternating current circuits, as well as modern physics concepts like radioactivity and the photoelectric effect. You will also encounter standard mechanics problems involving work, energy, power, and rotational motion. To get the most out of this practice page, make sure to carefully work through your calculations and read the detailed explanations for each answer rather than simply memorizing the final values.
Topics in this paper
In homes, electrical appliances and lamps are connected in parallel because
Parallel connection does not heat up the wires might be tempting since heat loss is a major electrical concern, but the correct choice is that parallel wiring ensures each appliance receives the full supply voltage and operates independently.
A mass of 0.5 kg is attached to a spring with a spring constant of 50 N/m. If it oscillates with an amplitude of 0.1 m, what is the maximum kinetic energy?
0.135 J might be selected through a calculation error or incorrect squaring, but maximum kinetic energy is found by multiplying half the spring constant by the squared amplitude, yielding 0.250 J.
In the electrolysis of a solution to deposit metal X, which of the following applies?
X is the anode and very high current is used might confuse students mixing up electrode assignments, but reduction occurs to deposit metal X at the cathode while electrode material Y functions as the anode.
A radioactive isotope has a decay constant of 10⁻⁵ s⁻¹. Calculate its half-life
6.93 × 10⁻⁶ s might be chosen by incorrectly multiplying instead of dividing, but half-life is calculated by dividing natural log of 2 by the decay constant, giving 6.93 × 10⁴ s.
Which of the following is a property of steel?
It cannot retain its magnetism longer than iron might be picked by mixing up magnetic permanence, but steel is characterized by its ability to retain magnetism, making it ideal for permanent magnets.
If the threshold frequency for tungsten is 1.3 × 10¹⁵ Hz, what is its work function? [h = 6.6 × 10⁻³⁴ Js]
8.85 × 10⁻¹⁸ J could be selected due to a multiplication typo, but the work function is determined by multiplying Planck's constant by the threshold frequency.
A solenoid of 200 turns and length 0.5 m carries a current of 2 A. What is the magnetic field strength inside the solenoid? [μ₀ = 4π × 10⁻⁷ Tm/A]
3.2 × 10⁻³ T might be picked if forgetting to divide by length or misplacing a factor, but magnetic field strength inside a solenoid is found using the product of permeability, turn density, and current.
Under which of the following conditions do gases conduct electricity?
High pressure and high p.d might be chosen if confusing ionization requirements, but gases conduct electricity at low pressure coupled with high potential difference.
In measuring high frequency a.c., the instrument used is the
Moving iron ammeter might seem correct for general alternating current work, but high-frequency a.c. is measured using hot wire ammeters due to thermal effects.
The bond between silicon and germanium is
Electrovalent might be mistakenly chosen by confusing covalent sharing with ionic transfer, but silicon and germanium form covalent bonds via electron sharing.
A projectile is launched at 45° with a speed of 20 ms⁻¹. How far from the launch point does it land? [g = 10 ms⁻²]
36.8 m might be selected from arithmetic errors in the range formula, but the horizontal distance is calculated using the square of speed multiplied by the sine of double the launch angle divided by gravity.
A 5 kg block slides down a 30° incline with a coefficient of kinetic friction of 0.15. If the incline is 4 m long, what is the work done by friction? [g = 10 ms⁻²]
-30.0 J could be picked if miscalculating the normal force or friction components, but the work done by friction is determined from the product of the kinetic friction force and the incline length.
A satellite orbits a planet at a radius of 8 × 10⁶ m with a period of 2 × 10⁴ s. What is the centripetal acceleration of the satellite?
0.63 ms⁻² might be chosen if forgetting to square the orbital velocity, but centripetal acceleration is computed from squared velocity divided by radius.
A 2 kg ball moving at 6 ms⁻¹ collides elastically with a 3 kg ball moving at 4 ms⁻¹ in the opposite direction. What is the velocity of the 2 kg ball after collision?
2.8 ms⁻¹ could be selected by ignoring the initial direction of motion, but applying conservation of momentum and kinetic energy results in a velocity of -2.8 ms⁻¹.
A solid cylinder of mass 2 kg and radius 0.5 m rolls without slipping down an incline of 30°. What is its angular acceleration? [g = 10 ms⁻²]
12 rad/s² might be picked if neglecting the moment of inertia factor for a solid cylinder, but angular acceleration is derived from linear acceleration divided by the radius.
A gas undergoes an isobaric process, absorbing 2000 J of heat and expanding to do 800 J of work. What is the change in internal energy?
800 J might be selected by confusing work with internal energy, but the change in internal energy equals the heat absorbed minus the work done.
0.2 kg of ice at -10°C is heated until it becomes steam at 100°C. How much heat is required? [c_ice = 2100 J/kgK, c_water = 4200 J/kgK, L_fusion = 3.34 × 10⁵ J/kg, L_vaporization = 2.26 × 10⁶ J/kg]
5.48 × 10⁵ J could be chosen if missing the phase change or specific heat components, but total heat requires summing the energy for temperature changes and phase transitions of ice, water, and steam.
A gas at 27°C and 1 atm occupies 2 L. If it is compressed to 0.5 L at 127°C, what is the new pressure? [R = 8.31 J/molK]
4.67 atm might be selected from a temperature conversion error, but applying the combined gas law yields a new pressure of 5.33 atm.
Two coherent sources emit waves of wavelength 0.4 m, separated by 2 m. At what distance from one source along the line joining them is the first constructive interference observed?
0.5 m might be picked by incorrectly dividing the separation distance, but constructive interference is found using integer multiples of the wavelength.
A car moving at 20 ms⁻¹ sounds a horn of frequency 400 Hz towards an observer moving at 10 ms⁻¹ towards the car. What frequency does the observer hear? [Speed of sound = 340 ms⁻¹]
428 Hz could be chosen if reversing the source and observer velocity signs, but the Doppler effect formula for a moving car and approaching observer yields 435 Hz.
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