CONTEST 7

ROUND 1

1. What is the linear momentum of a object moving at due east?

ANSWER: due east

2. A moving object has linear momentum of magnitude . What force applied parallel to the

direction of motion of the object can stop it in ?

ANSWER:

3. At what speed will the magnitude of linear momentum of a moving object be ?

ANSWER:

4. Explain why the first ionization energy of beryllium atomic number 4, is higher than the first
ionization energy of lithium atomic number 3.
ANSWER: Beryllium has electronic configuration of 1s22s2 which is more stable
than that of lithium which is 1s22s1.
Secondly, the atomic radius of beryllium is smaller than that of lithium.
Removing an electron from beryllium atom will therefore require more energy
than in lithium.
5. Explain why the first ionization energy of magnesium, atomic number 12, is higher than that
of aluminum, atomic number 13.
ANSWER: The electronic configuration of the valence shell for magnesium is more
stable.
Removing that lone electron from the 3p subshell in aluminum will require less
energy.
6. Three main factors influence the first ionization energy of an atom.
(a) Atomic radius (b) Stability of electronic configuration
(c) Effective nuclear charge.
Which of these factors determine the trend of first ionization potential in elements in
Group in the Periodic Table?
ANSWER: (a) Atomic radius and (c) effective nuclear charge.

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PREAMBLE: Distinguish between plant cells and animal cells with respect to the following:
7. Forms of storage of excess glucose.
ANSWER: In plants, excess glucose is stored as starch whereas in animals it is stored as
glycogen.
8. Outermost covering of the cells.
ANSWER: The outermost covering of the plant cell is the (Cellulose) cell wall whereas
in animals it is the plasma membrane.
9. Plastids
ANSWER: Animal cells lack plastids whereas plant cells possess plastids.
PREAMBLE: Find the first four terms of the sequence defined by the recurrence relation.
10. Un + 1 = 2Un , U1 = 2
ANSWER: U1 = 2, U2 = 4, U3 = 8, U4 = 16]
11. Un + 1 = Un + 2, U1 = 2
ANSWER: [ U1 = 2, U2 = 4, U3 = 6, U4 = 8]
12. Un + 1 = Un – 2, U1 = 2
ANSWER: [U1 = 2, U2 = 0, U3 = -2, U4 = - 4

PREAMBLE: A charged particle moving at enters a uniform magnetic

field with its velocity perpendicular to the field. No other fields are present.

13. What is the change in kinetic energy of the particle after ?

ANSWER:

14. What is the work done by the magnetic field on the charged particle when the particle travels a

distance of ?

ANSWER:

15. Find the net force on the charge.

ANSWER:

16. Calculate the volume of oxygen to be released at STP in the electrolysis of dilute sodium
chloride solution using carbon electrodes after passing a charge of 1/6 Faraday.
Molar volume of a gas at STP is 22.4 dm3. Give your answer to two places of decimal.
ANSWER: 2H2O + 4F → 2H2 + O2
4F ≡ 22.4 dm3 of O2 at STP
1/6F ≡ (1/6/4)*22.4 dm3 = 0.93 dm3

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17. Calculate the volume of oxygen to be released at STP in the electrolysis of molten alumina
after passing a charge of 0.3Faraday.
Molar volume of a gas at STP is 22.4 dm3. Give your answer to two places of decimal
ANSWER: Al2O3 + 6F → 2Al + 3/2 O2
6F ≡ 3/2 O2
= (3/2)*22.4 dm3 = 33.6 dm3
0.3F = (0.3/6)*33.6 = 1.68 dm3
18. In the electrolysis of molten KBr, it is found that after passing a certain amount of charge, 5.6
dm3 of bromine gas is evolved. Calculate the moles of potassium that would have been
discharged. Molar volume of a gas at STP is 22.4 dm3.
ANSWER: 2 KBr + 2F → 2K + Br2.
22.4 dm3 of Br2 ≡ 2F = 2 moles of K.
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5.6 dm of Br2 = (5.6/22.4)*2 F = 0.5 F
Hence mole of K produced = 0.5 mol
PREAMBLE: Give the branches of biology that deal with the following:
19. The study of structure and forms of organisms.
ANSWER: Anatomy and morphology
20. The study of fossils and all aspects of extinct life.
ANSWER: Palaeontology
21. The study of functions of living organisms and individual organs, tissues, and cells of which
they are composed.
ANSWER: Physiology
PREAMBLE: Find the x-intercept and the y-intercept of the graph of the given curve
22. y = 3x – 12
ANSWER: x-intercept = 4, y-intercept = -12
[y = 0 gives 3x – 12= 0, x = 4; x = 0 gives y = -12]
23. y = x2 – 4
ANSWER: x-intercept = ±2, y-intercept = -4
[y = 0 gives x2 – 4 = 0 , x = ±2; x = 0 gives y = -4]
24. 2x – 5y = 10
ANSWER: x-intercept = 5, y-intercept = -2
[y = 0 gives 2x = 10, x = 5; x = 0 gives -5y = 10 and y = -2]

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 ROUND 2 - SPEED ROUND
1. Name the most abundant of all skeletal materials that provide support, protection and
metabolic function.
ANSWERS: Bone
2. Name the type of muscle that is responsible for the contractility of hollow organs, such as
blood vessels, the gastrointestinal tract, the bladder, or the uterus.
ANSWERS: Smooth muscle or Non Striated muscle (Don’t accept involuntary
muscle)
3. Give the name of the tough strand of connective tissue that holds bones firmly together at
joints.
ANSWERS: Ligament, articular ligament, articular larua, fibrous ligament, or true
ligament.
4. Find three consecutive natural numbers whose sum is 84.
ANSWER: 27, 28, 29
[The middle term is 84/3 = 28, hence the numbers are 27, 28, 29]
5. Find two supplementary angles if one angle is 30° less than the other angle.
ANSWER: 105°, 75°
[x + y = 180, x – y = 30, 2x = 210, x = 105°, y = 75°]
6. Factorise completely 2a2 – 18b2.
ANSWER: 2(a – 3b)(a + 3b)
[ 2(a2 – 9b2 ) = 2(a – 3b)(a + 3b) difference of 2 squares]
7. Which Gas Law relates volume to pressure at constant temperature?
ANSWERS: Boyle’s law
8. In the Charles’ law, which parameters are related?
ANSWERS: Either V and T at constant P or P and T at constant V.
9. How does the density of a gas depend on its temperature?
ANSWERS: Density of a gas varies inversely with temperature at constant pressure or
Density of a gas decreases as temperature increases or vice versa at constant
pressure.

10. A object moves directly towards the origin with speed . What is the angular momentum

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 of the object about the origin when it is away?

ANSWERS:

The moment arm is zero so the angular momentum is zero.

11. The orbital angular momentum of the electron in a Bohr atom is five times the ground state angular
momentum. Find the ratio of the energy of the electron to the ground state energy.

ANSWERS:

so and

12. A charge moves with speed in an electric field of magnitude . Find the

magnitude of the force on the charge.

ANSWERS:

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 PROBLEM OF THE DAY

A parcel of land is rectangular and measures 300 m long and 250 m wide. A

perimeter wall 2 m high is to be built using concrete bricks of width 20 cm

and density .

a) Calculate the total length of the wall.

b) Calculate the mass of the wall.

c) Determine the pressure the wall exerts on the ground.

SOLUTION

a) The perimeter of a rectangle is twice the sum of its length and breadth, giving

1100 m.

b) The volume of the wall equals its perimeter times its height times its thickness,

that is, ; so its mass, given by its density multiplied

by its volume, is .

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c) Pressure equals weight of wall divided by base area:

ROUND 4

TRUE OR FALSE
1. An object placed at a focus of a bi-convex lens produces a real inverted image at the
other focus of the lens.
ANSWER: False
2. A collimated beam of light incident on a bi-convex lens converges at the focus of the
lens.
ANSWER: True
3. An object placed twice the focal length from a bi-convex lens produces a real inverted
image at twice the focal length of the lens.
ANSWER: True
4. In a reaction of calcium oxide and water, water is acting as a reducing agent.
ANSWER: False Reaction is not a redox reaction since there is no change in
oxidation states.
5. In a reaction between sodium metal and chlorine the gas is acting as a Lewis base.
ANSWER: False Reaction is a redox
6. Reactions of strong acids with alkalis can all be reduced to one simple reaction.
ANSWER: True H+ + OH- → H2O
7. sin150° = sin30°
ANSWER: True
8. cos210° = cos30°
ANSWER: False

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9. tan240° = tan60°
ANSWER: True
10. In an ecosystem autotrophs produce organic compounds that serve as food for them and other
organisms.
ANSWER: True
11. Flowers are the primary structures used in grouping plant families.
ANSWER: True
12. Photosynthesis involves the breakdown of complex inorganic molecules.
ANSWER: False

13. The energy of a stationary particle of mass is , where is the speed of light in

vacuum.
ANSWER: True

14. The energy of a moving particle is , but the mass is larger than the rest mass .

ANSWER: True
15. The kinetic energy of a moving particle equals the difference between the total energy

and the rest mass energy .

ANSWER: True
16. 2 - Hexanol is a secondary alkanol.
ANSWER: True
17. Fehling’s reagent can be used to identify the presence of an alkanone.
ANSWER: False
18. A solution of sodium hydrogen trioxocarbonate (IV) can be used to distinguish between an
alkanoic acid and phenol.
ANSWER: True
19. If two triangles have the same shape, they are congruent.
ANSWER: False
20. Congruent triangles have the same area.
ANSWER: True
21. Triangles with the same dimensions are congruent.
ANSWER: True (SSS condition)
22. Collenchyma cells are lignified and living at maturity.
ANSWER: False

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23. Collenchyma cells provide support for woody plants.
ANSWER: False
24. Sclerenchyma cells are lignified and living at maturity.
ANSWER: False

ROUND 5
RIDDLES

RIDDLE 1
1. We live in all the world's oceans, in fresh water, and on land,
2. We are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton and have a single pair of claws.
3. We are decapod crustaceans.
4. We make up about 20% of all marine crustaceans caught, farmed, and consumed
worldwide.
5. The mode of articulation of our legs makes a sidelong gait more efficient than forward
movement.
6. We typically walk sideways, a behaviour which gives us the word crabwise.

Who are we?

ANSWER: Crabs

RIDDLE 2

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 1. Part of me can be found in a chemistry lab by combining different elements
2. I am a combination of two inequalities.
3. My solution set is the intersection or union of two sets.
4. An example of me is ‘2x + 1 > 5 and 3x - 5 < 25’.
5. To solve me, solve the component inequalities and find their intersection or union as
appropriate.
Who am I?
ANSWER: Compound Inequality

RIDDLE 3
1. I am a hydrocarbon.
2. My carbons are in a ring.
3. My molecular formula would also suggest a straight chain hydrocarbon with one triple
bond.
4. My number of carbons is a product of two prime numbers.
5. I have something in common with benzene.
Who am I?

ANSWER: Cyclohexene

RIDDLE 4

1. I am a field.
2. I am described by field lines.

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3. My field lines are closest together where my field strength is greatest.
4. My field lines originate and terminate on point sources and point sinks.
5. My point sources are positive and my point sinks are negative electric charges.
Who am I?
ANSWER: Electric field

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