AQA GCSE Synergy Paper 4: Physical sciences Foundation November 2020 question paper 8465/4F

A student investigated the electrolysis of potassium chloride solution.

Figure 1 shows the apparatus used.

The student used the piece of equipment labelled A to measure the volume of gas collected.

What is the piece of equipment labelled A ?

Tick (✓) one box.

What does the circuit symbol B represent?

Complete the sentence.

Choose the answer from the box.

Direct current (dc) is supplied to the circuit.

What is direct current?

Tick (✓) one box.

Potassium chloride solution contains potassium (K⁺) ions and chloride (Cl^–) ions.

Why are chloride ions attracted to the positive electrode?

Hydrogen gas is produced at the negative electrode.

Which test should the student use to identify hydrogen gas?

Tick (✓) one box.

Hydrogen ions and potassium ions move to the negative electrode.

Hydrogen gas is produced at the negative electrode.

Why is hydrogen gas produced at the negative electrode?

Tick (✓) one box.

The student measured the volume of gas collected at each electrode every minute for 25 minutes.

Figure 2 shows the results.

Describe one similarity and one difference in the volume of hydrogen and the volume of chlorine collected during the 25 minutes.

Use Figure 2.

Figure 3 shows how a power station supplies electricity to consumers.

The National Grid is a system of cables and transformers linking power stations to consumers.

Complete the sentences.

Choose answers from the box.

Each answer may be used once, more than once or not at all.

The step-up transformer causes the potential difference to increase and

the current to.

The use of the step-up transformer causes the energy transferred by heating

of the cables to.

The step-down transformer causes the potential difference to decrease and

the current to.

A nuclear power station has a power output of 350 000 000 W

Calculate the energy transferred by the power station in 60 seconds.

Use the equation:

energy transferred = power × time

Table 1 shows some of the waste products produced by three different types of power station.

Which type of power station contributes least to global warming?

Give a reason for your answer.

Which type of power station produces waste products that cause acid rain?

Give a reason for your answer.

A student investigated how the bounce height of a ball varied with drop height.

Figure 4 shows the ball before and after bouncing.

Figure 5 shows some of the student’s results.

Describe a method the student could use to obtain the data shown in Figure 5.

Draw a ring around the anomalous result on Figure 5.

Give one reason why you chose this result.

Table 2 shows some of the student’s results.

Plot the data in Table 2 on Figure 5.

Draw a line of best fit.

What conclusion can be made from Figure 5 ?

Tick (✓) one box.

Table 3 shows some of the student’s results.

What was the uncertainty in the student’s results when the drop height was 60 cm?

Tick (✓) one box.

What is the reason for the uncertainty in the values of bounce height?

Tick (✓) one box.

A student investigated how the distance travelled by a trolley from the end of a ramp varied with the total mass of the trolley.

Figure 6 shows the equipment the student used.

This is the method used.

1. Put the trolley on the ramp at the start position.

2. Let the trolley roll down the ramp.

3. Measure the distance from the end of the ramp to the position where the trolley stops.

4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 with different masses on the trolley.

Give one variable the student should have kept the same in the investigation.

Table 4 shows the results.

Predict a value for X in Table 4.

What conclusion can be made from these results?

When the trolley was in the start position, the vertical height between the centre of mass of the trolley and the floor was 0.600 m

gravitational field strength = 9.8 N/kg

Calculate the gravitational potential energy of the trolley when the total mass of the trolley and masses was 2.50 kg

Use the equation:

gravitational potential energy = mass × gravitational field strength × height

When the trolley is released from the start position, energy is transferred in different ways.

Complete the sentences.

Choose answers from the box.

As the trolley moves down the ramp the trolley accelerates.

There is an increase in the trolley’s
energy.

After leaving the ramp the trolley slows down.

There is an increase in the
energy of

the surroundings.

This question is about hydrogen peroxide.

The formula of hydrogen peroxide is H₂O₂

Name the elements in a molecule of hydrogen peroxide.

How many atoms are in a molecule of hydrogen peroxide?

Hydrogen peroxide decomposes to produce oxygen and water.

Write the word equation for the reaction.

A student investigated the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide.

The student used manganese dioxide as a catalyst.

The student measured the volume of oxygen produced.

The student collected the oxygen in a gas syringe.

Figure 7 shows a gas syringe.

What is the volume of oxygen in the syringe?

Figure 8 shows how the volume of oxygen collected varied with time.

Which point on Figure 8 shows when the reaction is fastest?

Tick (✓) one box.

Which point on Figure 8 shows when the reaction has stopped?

Tick (✓) one box.

The student repeated the investigation using raw potato instead of manganese dioxide.

An enzyme in the potato acts as the catalyst.

Draw one line from each catalyst to the type of substance the catalyst is.

The student repeated the investigation using boiled potato instead of raw potato.

The enzyme in the boiled potato did not catalyse the reaction.

How will the rate of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide using boiled potato compare with the rate using raw potato?

Tick (✓) one box.

This question is about the reaction of metals with sulfuric acid.

The word equation for the reaction of zinc with sulfuric acid is:

zinc + sulfuric acid → zinc sulfate + hydrogen

What type of substance is zinc sulfate?

Tick (✓) one box.

Calculate the relative formula mass (M_r) of zinc sulfate (ZnSO₄).

Relative atomic masses (A_r): Zn = 65 S = 32 O = 16

A student investigated the temperature increase when the same mass of different metals were added to 0.1 M sulphuric acid.

The student used four different metals.

The student did the experiment three times for each metal and calculated the mean temperature increase for each metal.

Table 5 shows the results for nickel.

Calculate value X.

Table 6 shows the mean values for the four metals.

The student plotted the results on a bar chart.

Figure 9 shows the bar chart.

The student made some errors when plotting the bar chart.

Give three errors the student made.

Use Table 6 to place the metals in order of reactivity.

Figure 10 shows a girl inside a train which is moving to the left at a speed of 20 m/s

The girl is wearing inline skates.

The train is moving at a constant speed of 20 m/s

The train suddenly decelerates.

The girl continues to move with a speed of 20 m/s

Which of Newton’s laws is a correct explanation of this situation?

Tick (✓) one box.

Figure 11 shows a velocity-time graph for the train as it arrives at a station and stops.

Between which two times on Figure 11 is the train stationary?

Tick (✓) one box.

The train travels at a constant speed between 0 seconds and 5 seconds.

Determine the distance the train travels between 0 seconds and 5 seconds.

Use the equation:

distance travelled = speed × time

Between which two times on Figure 11 is the deceleration of the train the greatest?

Write down the equation which links acceleration (a), change in velocity (Δ v) and time taken (t).

Determine the acceleration of the train between 15 seconds and 20 seconds.

Write down the equation which links kinetic energy (E_k), mass (m) and speed (v).

At one point in the train’s journey the train’s speed was 6.0 m/s

At this point the kinetic energy of the train was 1 080 000 J

Calculate the mass of the train.

This question is about polymers and plastics.

Figure 12 shows the displayed formula for poly(chloroethene).

What does ‘n’ represent in the displayed formula for poly(chloroethene)?

The representation of poly(chloroethene) in Figure 12 does not show the actual structure of the molecule.

Give one reason why.

Poly(chloroethene) is commonly known as PVC.

PVC does not decompose in the ground.

Many polymer plastics like PVC become pollutant waste in the oceans.

In the oceans, PVC can break into smaller pieces.

The smaller pieces are called PVC nanoplastic.

A piece of PVC nanoplastic has a thickness of 50 nm

Calculate the thickness of the PVC nanoplastic in metres.

Give your answer in standard form.

1 nm = 0.000 000 001 m

Suggest two reasons why PVC nanoplastic can be harmful to marine life.

Suggest two ways to reduce plastic waste.

A student wanted to make blue copper sulfate crystals from green copper carbonate powder and sulfuric acid.

Figure 13 shows the method the student used.

The student obtained a mixture of coloured powders not blue crystals.

Describe how the method could be improved so that blue copper sulfate crystals are produced.

A student investigated how the extension of a spring varied with the force acting on the spring.

Figure 14 shows the equipment the student used and a ruler scale between 10 cm and 15 cm

Describe how the student should determine the extension of the spring.

Write down the equation which links extension (e), force (F) and spring constant (k).

The extension of the spring was 0.12 m when the force was 3.0 N

Calculate the spring constant of the spring.

Spring constant = N/m

Figure 15 shows the results of the same investigation using a different spring.

The spring constant of the spring was 40 N/m

Determine the energy stored by the spring when the force was 3.6 N

Use the Physics Equations Sheet.

A student investigated how the acceleration of a trolley varied with the resultant force on the trolley.

The force on the trolley was provided by the masses on the string.

Figure 16 shows how the student set up the equipment.

This is the method used.

1. Release the trolley from the top of the runway.

2. As the card passes each light gate a timer turns on and off.

3. The datalogger calculates the velocity of the trolley at light gate A and at light gate B.

4. The datalogger calculates the acceleration using the two velocities.

5. Repeat steps 1 to 4 using different masses.

Which two measurements are needed to determine the velocity of the trolley at each light gate?

Tick (✓) two boxes.

Why was a sloping runway used instead of a flat runway?

Tick (✓) one box.

What are two advantages of using a datalogger and light gates instead of a stopclock in this investigation?

Tick (✓) two boxes.

Write down the equation which links acceleration (a), mass (m) and resultant force (F).

The acceleration of the trolley was 2.4 m/s²

The resultant force on the trolley was 1.2 N

Calculate the mass of the trolley.