AQA A-level Physics Paper 1 May
2024 Exam Questions and
Answers
What is meant by work function (2) - Answer>> Minimum
energy required by an electron to escape from (1) a metal surface
(1)
What is meant by ionisation energy? (2) - Answer>> Minimum
energy required to remove an electron from an atom (1) from the
ground state (1)
Why do emitted electrons have a kinetic energy that varies up to a
maximum value? (4) - Answer>> Energy of a photon is
fixed/constant (1)
Energy is required for electrons to overcome work function ø (1)
Electrons deeper into/below the surface of the metal require more
energy to overcome work function and therefore have less KE(1)
Maximum KE = Energy of photon - work function ø (1)
Explain how (bright ring) diagram is evidence of the wave-particle
duality of electrons? - Answer>> Diffraction pattern
maxima/minima (bright and dark areas) (1)
Diffraction is a property of waves- proves wave-behaviour of
electrons (1)
What is meant by the ground state? - Answer>> The lowest
energy state of an atom
Explain the difference between excitation and ionisation (2) -
Answer>> An electron receives a discrete amount of energy for
BOTH (1)
, Excitation promotes an electron to a higher energy level
Ionisation is when an electron receives enough energy to leave
the atom
Explain why only photons of certain frequencies cause excitation
(4) - Answer>> discrete energy levels (1)
Electrons need to absorb a DISCRETE amount of energy to move
to a higher energy level (1)
Photons need to have a certain frequency to provide this energy,
because E=hf (1)
interaction is a 1:1 reaction all of the photon's energy is absorbed
(1)
Explain how excitation takes place in a fluorescent tube -
Answer>> Electrons flow through the tube to the applied PD
causing a current to flow (1)
Electrons collide with mercury atoms in the tube (1)
This raises electrons in the mercury atom to a higher energy level
(1)
What is the purpose of coating in a fluorescent tube? -
Answer>> UV/ High energy photons emitted from mercury
atoms when the electrons in the atom de-excite (1)
High energy photons absorbed by the coating (1)
Coating emits photons in the visible spectrum (1)
What happens when annihilation occurs? (2) - Answer>>
particle and an anti-particle collide and cease to exist (1)
Their mass is released as energy in the form of a pair of gamma
photons (1)
How does the strong nuclear force between two nucleons vary
with the separation of the nucleons? (3) - Answer>> repulsive at
< 0.5 fm (1)
2024 Exam Questions and
Answers
What is meant by work function (2) - Answer>> Minimum
energy required by an electron to escape from (1) a metal surface
(1)
What is meant by ionisation energy? (2) - Answer>> Minimum
energy required to remove an electron from an atom (1) from the
ground state (1)
Why do emitted electrons have a kinetic energy that varies up to a
maximum value? (4) - Answer>> Energy of a photon is
fixed/constant (1)
Energy is required for electrons to overcome work function ø (1)
Electrons deeper into/below the surface of the metal require more
energy to overcome work function and therefore have less KE(1)
Maximum KE = Energy of photon - work function ø (1)
Explain how (bright ring) diagram is evidence of the wave-particle
duality of electrons? - Answer>> Diffraction pattern
maxima/minima (bright and dark areas) (1)
Diffraction is a property of waves- proves wave-behaviour of
electrons (1)
What is meant by the ground state? - Answer>> The lowest
energy state of an atom
Explain the difference between excitation and ionisation (2) -
Answer>> An electron receives a discrete amount of energy for
BOTH (1)
, Excitation promotes an electron to a higher energy level
Ionisation is when an electron receives enough energy to leave
the atom
Explain why only photons of certain frequencies cause excitation
(4) - Answer>> discrete energy levels (1)
Electrons need to absorb a DISCRETE amount of energy to move
to a higher energy level (1)
Photons need to have a certain frequency to provide this energy,
because E=hf (1)
interaction is a 1:1 reaction all of the photon's energy is absorbed
(1)
Explain how excitation takes place in a fluorescent tube -
Answer>> Electrons flow through the tube to the applied PD
causing a current to flow (1)
Electrons collide with mercury atoms in the tube (1)
This raises electrons in the mercury atom to a higher energy level
(1)
What is the purpose of coating in a fluorescent tube? -
Answer>> UV/ High energy photons emitted from mercury
atoms when the electrons in the atom de-excite (1)
High energy photons absorbed by the coating (1)
Coating emits photons in the visible spectrum (1)
What happens when annihilation occurs? (2) - Answer>>
particle and an anti-particle collide and cease to exist (1)
Their mass is released as energy in the form of a pair of gamma
photons (1)
How does the strong nuclear force between two nucleons vary
with the separation of the nucleons? (3) - Answer>> repulsive at
< 0.5 fm (1)
