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Physics
Paper 1
August 2025
1
1 hours
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BRAIN TRUST COLLEGE KAWUMBA-BUWAMA
S.2 END OF TERM II CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT
Uganda certificate of Education
PHYSICS
PAPER 1
Instructions to learners;
This paper has three examination items.
Item 1 is compulsory
Attempt either item 2 or item 3
Answer two items in all
Any additional item(s) answered will not be scored
Pass-mark is 50%.
Item 1.
The manager at a children’s play Centre is warned about the reduced number of
children who use the see-saw in the afternoon when it is hot. The children who
were asked why they did not use the see-saw in the afternoon said the see-saw
is very hot. The see-saw AB is metallic, of length 6m, painted black, and is
pivoted at its Centre. On certain day, a child of mass 45kg wanted to play on the
see-saw but was alone.
The child sat 2m away from the pivot as shown above. One of the workers whose
mass was 55kg decided to play with the child but was unsure if the see-saw
would balance when he sat midway between the pivot and end B 1.5m from the
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pivot. He also wondered whether to adjust his position toward the same side as
the first.
Task:
Use the knowledge of physics to:
a. Determine if the see-saw would balance the worker mid-way between the
pivot and end B.
b. Advise the worker on what to do to make the see-saw balance again
incase another child sat close to the first.
c. Explain to the manager what made the see-saw hot in the afternoon.
d. Suggest to the manager measures that can be taken to ensure the see-
saw does not become hot.
Item 2.
Two tourists from America visited Uganda and went for mountain climbing.
Before climbing they were briefed that they should be aware of nose bleeding if
they climbed beyond 43000 cm height and the mountain was said to be snow
caped. The barometric reading at sea level is 76 cmHg and at the top of the
mountain is 72.12 cmHg.
Hint: density of air is 1.2 kg m−3 ,density of mercury is13600 kg m −3 and acceleration
due to gravity is 10 m s−2
a) Know whether they will bleed at the peak of the mountain using the
mathematical approach and explain why?
b) Design an instrument that could be used to measure the pressure of the
atmosphere to be used by the climber to avoid the eventualities as they
approach the top of the mountain. (available apparatus; water dish, one-
meter long glass tube and mercury)
c) Know what to dress while at the top of the mountain.
Item 3.
Martin a motorcycle rider always struggles to push his motorcycle of mass 200kg
into the parking room which is above a raised foundation of height 1.2 m to the
ground. Every day he asks for help from the neighborhood who claims that it
requires much effort for the motorcycle to be inside the parking.
One day, his friend advised him that if a uniform beam is used of about 2.5 m
long, work can be simplified. The beam to be used is considered strong if it does
the work of more than 2.0 kJ .
Task:
As a physics learner, help Martin to;
a) Arrange the machine and explain how to use it?
b) Know whether the above designed simple machine can withstand the
weight of the motorcycle.
c) Suggest the ways how the machine can be used with more less effort.
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d) Know the efficiency of the above designed machine if the effort used was
900 N.
END
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