9702 · June 2024
Physics
It is important to carefully read the text of the question before considering the four options presented. Candidates should be familiar with the definitions of physical quantities in the syllabus, for instance understanding the difference between definitions for units and quantities.
Source: Cambridge International
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Candidates should avoid rounding intermediate answers in a numerical calculation as this can lead to an incorrect final answer. Candidates should keep intermediate values in their calculators or record them to several more significant figures than the final answer. Only once the final answer has been calculated should this value be rounded to an appropriate number of significant figures.
Candidates should pay attention to the units in which information is presented and take note of any SI prefixes.
Question difficulty map
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9702/11
Multiple Choice
9702/12
Multiple Choice
9702/13
Multiple Choice
9702/21
AS Level Structured Questions
9702/22
AS Level Structured Questions
9702/23
AS Level Structured Questions
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Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9702 Physics June 2024 Prin…
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9702 Physics June 2024 Principal Examiner Report for Teachers © 2024 Question 4 Most candidates correctly selected option B. Some weaker candidates selected option C, suggesting that they were recognising the at2 term from a different equation of motion. Candidates should be familiar with all the equations of motion for uniformly accelerated objects. Question 6 Many of the stronger candidates correctly selected option D. Some candidates selected option B. Option B suggests candidates recognised that to calculate the percentage uncertainty, the denominator had to be the difference in temperature, but failed to realise that the absolute uncertainty of a single reading from the thermometer needs to be doubled. Question 7 Many candidates selected the correct answer C. Some candidates choose D, suggesting they were confusing the behaviour of the vertical component of the velocity (decreasing and then increasing) with the vertical component of the acceleration. Question 13 Most candidates selected the correct answer D. Candidates who used the change in speed of the ball (20 – 15 = 5 m s–1) as opposed to the change in velocity of the ball (20 – – 15 = 35 m s–1) selected option B which accounted for most of the incorrect responses. Question 14 Most candidates found this question straightforward, correctly selecting option A. Some candidates instead chose option B, which displays a couple, and so means the object cannot be in equilibrium. Question 16 Candidates found this question challenging with incorrect options A, C and D all proving popular. This calculation can be solved using trigonometric functions, which are often the source of arithmetic errors, especially among weaker candidates. It can also be solved by recognising that each half of the cord forms a 3-4-5 triangle, and so the force can be deduced from similar triangles. Question 19 This was challenging for all candidates. Candidates needed to use the equations power = intensity × area, and intensity is proportional to amplitude2. Stronger candidates were able to combine these equations to arrive at the correct answer B. Incorrect options A and C were both popular, suggesting one or both of the relevant equations were not known. Question 24 This was challenging for all candidates, requiring candidates to combine Malus’s law I = I0cos2 with I ∝ A2 to get the correct option A. Option B was the most popular incorrect answer, suggesting that candidates recalled Malus’s law but did not know how to deal with the amplitude. Question 25 Most candidates answered this correctly. The most popular incorrect option was D, which suggests that candidates understand the relationship between wavelength and period, but are not confident with SI prefixes.
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9702 Physics June 2024 Prin…
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9702 Physics June 2024 Principal Examiner Report for Teachers © 2024 Question 26 A significant proportion of candidates selected incorrect options B and C, which were the angle of the 2nd and 3rd order maxima from the central maxima. This suggests candidates know how to use the diffraction grating equation. Candidates need to carefully read the question, which asked for the angle between the second and third order maxima. Question 28 Candidates found this question very challenging, with many candidates selecting incorrect option C. Graphical representations of progressive waves should be practiced by all candidates. Question 31 Many candidates found this straightforward. Some candidates selected incorrect option C, confusing resistance with resistivity. Question 34 Some candidates were able to correctly determine the resistance of R by finding the parallel combination of resistance between X and Y, using 120 = (R 3R) / (R + 3R) to get R = 160 W. Many candidates chose incorrect option A, treating the resistor network as a series combination of 4 resistors and so getting 120 / 4 = 30 W. Question 35 Many candidates chose the correct option C. Some candidates selected the incorrect option D, suggesting a confusion about the effect of internal resistance on terminal potential.
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9702 Physics June 2024 Prin…
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9702 Physics June 2024 Principal Examiner Report for Teachers © 2024 Question 5 Many correctly selected option B. Some candidates assumed that the feather was falling at a constant velocity, and therefore it would fall half the distance in half the time, and so selected incorrect option D. Question 9 Most candidates correctly calculated the change in the velocity 8 – – 3 = 11 m s–1, and so chose option C. Options A, B and D were all selected about equally, demonstrating a misunderstanding in either the difference of direction (taking 8 – 3 = 5 m s–1), the direction of the change in velocity, or both. Question 10 Many candidates were able to correctly apply conservation of energy to the pellet and clay and selected the correct option A. Question 12 Many candidates were able to solve the equilibrium of moments and calculate F = 3cos30 / 2sin30 = 2.6 N (C). Option B could be attained by recognising the distance from the pivot to F was twice the distance to the centre of mass then ignoring the angles of the forces. Option D could be attained by calculating the components of the forces correctly then not realising that the distance from the pivot to F was twice the distance to the centre of mass. B and D were equally popular incorrect options, suggesting candidates should practice more complex moments problems. Question 14 Most candidates were able to determine that the constant of proportionality relating force and velocity2 was 2, and so correctly calculated the force as 3200 N and the power as 128 kW (option C). Candidates that recalled P = Fv but could not calculate the correct force often arrived at options A or B, with many candidates selecting one of these two options. Question 16 Many candidates were able to correctly use EK =1 2 mv2 to determine that the velocity must have increased by a factor of 2 (option A). Some candidates instead chose a factor 16, perhaps confusing the information given in the question and assuming that the velocity had increased by a factor of 4 and calculating the consequent change to kinetic energy. Candidates are reminded to carefully read the question. Question 18 Some candidates correctly selected ‘elastic and not plastic’ (C) for the behaviour of the material between X and Y. Many candidates chose options A and D, suggesting that the definitions of elastic and plastic behaviour are not well understood. Question 21 Some candidates selected the incorrect option A. Candidates need to understand the doppler effect and the meaning of the term ‘frequency’, as well as distinguishing between the volume of the sound and the frequency. Question 23 This was challenging for candidates, with incorrect option D the most popular answer. This suggests that candidates were treating the distance between X and Y as the wavelength of the wave, rather than half the wavelength. Candidates may not have appreciated that a stationary sound wave had been formed between the loudspeaker and the wall.
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9702 Physics June 2024 Prin…
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9702 Physics June 2024 Principal Examiner Report for Teachers © 2024 Question 26 Stronger candidates were able to relate the graph shown to the diffraction grating equation and determine that sin / = nN. Weaker candidates tended to favour option C, suggesting some struggled to re-arrange the equation, or confused the number of lines per m, N, with the slit separation d. Question 30 This proved challenging for many candidates. Some candidates were able to determine that the current in the lower branch would be half the current in the upper branch, and so the current in X must be the sum of the two currents. Some candidates selected incorrect options A and B, suggesting that they did not realise the total current must increase when the switch was closed. Question 33 This was very straight-forward for the stronger candidates, who correctly selected option B. Incorrect options A, C and D were popular with weaker candidates, suggesting that they were not confident in converting charge in coulombs into charge in terms of e, or were not confident of the quantisation of charge. Question 37 The majority of candidates correctly selected option B, with the most popular incorrect option being option A. This suggests that some candidates are not confident with the difference between beta-plus and beta-minus decay.
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Topic heatmap across years
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Mark intensity
Simple harmonic oscillations (Oscillations)
Dynamics (AS Level Physics)
Elastic and plastic behaviour (Deformation of solids)
Physical quantities and units (AS Level Physics)
D.C. circuits (AS Level Physics)
Kinematics (AS Level Physics)
Practical circuits (D.C. circuits)
Equations of motion (Kinematics)
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- 1Message
Candidates should avoid rounding intermediate answers in a numerical calculation as this can lead to an incorrect final answer. Candidates should keep intermediate values in their calculators or record them to several more significant figures than the final answer. Only once the final answer has been calculated should this value be rounded to an appropriate number of significant figures.
- 2Message
Candidates should pay attention to the units in which information is presented and take note of any SI prefixes.
- 3Strength
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9702 Physics June 2024 Prin…: Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9702 Physics June 2024 Principal Exam
- 4Strength
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9702 Physics June 2024 Prin…: Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9702 Physics June 2024 Principal Exam
- 5Strength
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9702 Physics June 2024 Prin…: Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9702 Physics June 2024 Principal Exam
Teacher briefing pack
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June 2024 2024
Physics
Cambridge International Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level 9702 Physics June 2024 Principal Examiner Report for Teachers © 2024 PHYSICS Paper 9702/11 Multiple Choice Question Number Key Question Number Key Question Number Key Question Number Key 1 A 11 A 21 D 31 D 2 A 12 B 22
Candidates should avoid rounding intermediate answers in a numerical calculation as this can lead to an incorrect final answer. Candidates should keep intermediate values in their calculators or record them to several more significant figures than the final answer. Only once the final answer has been calculated should this value be rounded to an appropriate number of significant figures.
Candidates should pay attention to the units in which information is presented and take note of any SI prefixes.
Examiner insights
General comments
- •It is important to carefully read the text of the question before considering the four options presented.
- •Candidates should be familiar with the definitions of physical quantities in the syllabus, for instance understanding the difference between definitions for units and quantities.
- •In numerical questions, candidates should be careful to consider SI prefixes and powers of ten, and should be encouraged to check their answers to ensure they are a sensible magnitude.
- •In general, candidates found Questions 3, 6, 28 and relatively difficult.
- •Candidates found Questions 1, 8, 10, 18, 22, 23, 40 relatively easy.