CONTEST 24
ROUND 1
1. Find the speed of light in a medium with refractive index if the speed of light in vacuum is
ANSWER:
2. The speed of light in a medium is times the speed of light in a second medium. Find the ratio of the
refractive index of the first medium to that of the second.
ANSWER:
3. Find the refractive index of a medium in which the speed of light is .
ANSWER:
4. Explain the process ‘Radioactive decay’
ANSWER: It is a spontaneous disintegration of a radioactive nucleus to give a daughter
nucleus or daughter nuclei and radiation (or nuclear particles)
5. Some radioactive nuclei decay by α–emission. What is the process equivalent to?
ANSWER: It is a loss of atomic mass units of 4 and atomic number of 2 or loss of helium
nucleus
6. By what means can a non–radioactive nucleus be made to disintegrate
ANSWER: By bombardment of the nucleus with (energetic) nuclear particles
PREAMBLE: Find the magnitude of the given vector:
7. a = -3i + 4j
ANSWER: 5 [|a| = √(9 + 16) = √25 = 5]
8. b = 8i + 15j
ANSWER: 17 [|b | = √(64 + 225) = √289 = 17]
9. c = 12i – 5j
ANSWER: 13 [|c| = √(144 + 25) = √169 = 13]
10. Which of the following organisms use lung books for respiration?
ANSWER: Spiders B. Insects C. Millipedes D. snails
11. Which of the following is NOT a function of the pedipalp in spiders?
ANSWER: A. Web spinning B. Reproduction C. Locomotion D. Feeding
12. Which of the following is a characteristic that spiders do not share with other arachnids?
ANSWER: A. Bodies divided into two segments B. Absence of wings or antennae
C. Presence of exoskeleton D. Presence of spinnerets
PREAMBLE: The fundamental charge is approximately .
13. A conductor carries a net charge of . How many excess electrons does it carry?
ANSWER:
14. Find the net charge on a conductor from which electrons have been removed.
ANSWER:
15. A conductor carries a net charge of . Find the net charge on it when electrons are removed
from it.
ANSWER:
16. Consider the half–cells Al3+/Al and Fe2+/Fe with standard electrode potentials –1.66 and –0.41 V
respectively. State which of the units Al, Fe, Al3+ and Fe2+ is the strongest reducing agent and give
your reason.
ANSWER: Strongest reducing agent Al
A cell with the equation: 2 Al + 3 Fe2+ → 2 Al3+ + 3 Fe
will have a positive emf of 1.25 V. The reverse will have negative emf and will not occur
spontaneously
17. Consider the following half–cells and their corresponding standard electrode potentials:
Sn2+/Sn - 0.14 V; Cd2+/Cd- 0.40 V.
If a primary cell were to be set up using the two half–cells, state which metal will constitute the
anode and give your reasons.
ANSWER: Cd will be the anode.
Oxidation takes place at the anode. For positive emf, - 0.40 V has to be reversed.
Hence oxidation takes place in the cadmium half-cell, ie Cd/Cd 2+,
18. Chromium in principle can reduce both iron (II) and iron (III) to the neutral metal. Use the following
standard electrode potentials to determine which reduction will be more spontaneous and give your
reason.
Fe3+/Fe - 0.04 V; Fe2+/Fe - 0.41 V; Cr3+/Cr - 0.74 V
ANSWER: Reduction of Fe3+ to Fe will be more spontaneous. Emf for (a) ˃ (b)
(a) Combining Cr/Cr3+ and Fe3+/Fe, emf = 0.74 - 0.04 = 0.70 V
3+ 2+
(b) Combining Cr/Cr and Fe /Fe, emf = 0.74 - 0.41 = 0.33 V
PREAMBLE: A cuboid measures 10 cm by 6 cm by 5 cm. Find
19. the volume of the cuboid [V = 10 x 6 x 5 = 300]
ANSWER: 300 cm3
20. the total surface area of the cuboid
ANSWER: 280 cm2
[ A = 2(10 x 6 + 10 x 5 + 6 x 5) = 2(60 + 50 + 30) = 2(140) = 280]
21. the perimeter of the cuboid
ANSWER: 84 cm
[ P = 4(10 + 6 + 5) = 4(21) = 84]
22. How does taxism differ from tropism.
ANSWER: In taxism, the whole organism is affected whereas in tropism only part of the
organism is affected.
23. What name is used to describe the physical space occupied by an organism together with its
functional role in a community?
ANSWER: Niche
24. Name the natural process that can convert atmospheric nitrogen to soil nitrogen
ANSWER: Lightning
ROUND 2 - SPEED ROUND
1. Give the pH range of the gastric juice in the stomach.
ANSWER: pH = 1.0 to 3.0
2. State the pH range of the albumin of eggs.
ANSWER: 7.6 to 8.0
3. Methyl orange indicator has two colours, the acid form which is red and the base form which is
yellow. If to a solution of dilute HCl containing a few drops of methyl orange a base is added, at what
pH will all the red colour disappear?
ANSWER: pH = 4.4
4. Why do amphibians achieve more efficient circulation than fishes?
ANSWER: Amphibians have double loop circulatory system
5. In a certain breed of plants, yellow seeds are dominant over green seeds. What will be the expected
genotypic ratio in a cross between a plant with green seeds and a plant that is heterozygous for seed
colour?
ANSWER: 1:1
6. How do amphibians differ from lobe-finned fishes and most other fishes in terms of their oxygen
intake?
ANSWER: The amphibians take in oxygen through their lungs and skin
7. In the photoelectric ejection of electrons from the surface of a metal, what property of the incident radiation
determines the energy of the emitted electrons?
ANSWER: Frequency
8. A radioactive isotope has a mean lifetime of . Find its decay constant.
ANSWER:
9. What is the change in kinetic energy of a particle with charge when it is accelerated through a potential
difference ?
ANSWER:
10. Find the sum in the given base .
ANSWER: 208 [6008 308 = 384 24 = 16 = 208 ]
11. If cosA = 12/13 and A is acute evaluate sin(90° – A).
ANSWER: 12/13 [ sin(90 – A) = cosA = 12/13]
12. Factorise completely (x2 – y2 + x + y).
ANSWER : (x + y)(x – y + 1) [ (x + y)(x – y + 1) using difference of two squares]
PROBLEM OF THE DAY
The thermal conductivity of a certain alloy is .A rod made of the
alloy has a square cross section of side . The rod is thermally insulated and one
end is maintained at whiles the other end is maintained at .
a) Find the temperature gradient across the rod.
b) Give an expression relating heat flow rate to temperature gradient.
c) Calculate the heat flow rate through the rod.
d) If the cold end is maintained at its temperature by an ice-water bath,
calculate the quantity of fresh ice at that must be added to the bath
every hour to maintain the bath temperature. The specific heat capacity
of water is and the specific latent heat of ice is .
SOLUTION
a) Orient the rod along the x-axis with the cold end at the origin. Then temperature
gradient . If the opposite orientation is
chosen, a negative result merely indicates temperature is decreasing with increasing
coordinate.
b) .
c) ; Negative sign implies heat flows in
negative x direction, from the hot end to the cold end.
d) Quantity of ice needed equals energy transported to the bath in one hour divided by
the specific latent heat of ice, that is .
ROUND 4
TRUE OR FALSE
PREAMBLE: State whether the following statements about mammalian erythrocytes are true or false.
1. They have nuclei at maturity.
ANSWER: False
2. They have haemoglobin.
ANSWER: True
3. The cells are less numerous than leucocytes.
ANSWER: False
4. The speed of light in vacuum is exactly .
ANSWER: True
5. The meter is defined as the distance travelled by light in vacuum in of a second.
ANSWER: True
6. The second is defined as of the time interval between one complete rotation of the
earth.
ANSWER: False
7. At a turning point, the derivative is always zero.
ANSWER: False
8. A function is increasing whenever the derivative is non-negative.
ANSWER: False
9. At a point of inflexion, the gradient is always zero.
ANSWER: False
10. It is not possible to use H2S gas to distinguish between iron (II) and iron (III) in separate solutions.
ANSWER: False It is possible. Iron (II) gives black precipitate
Iron (III) gives whitish – yellow precipitate of S particles
11. Solid Fe(OH)2 dissolves neither in NaOH solution nor dilute ammonia.
ANSWER: True
12. H2S can be used to distinguish between Cu2+ and Fe2+ in separate solutions.
ANSWER: False Both give black precipitate
13. The life cycle of a flowering plant includes a diploid gamete and haploid spore.
ANSWER: False
14. The gametophytes of conifers are physically much larger than their sporophytes.
ANSWER: False
15. Mosses and ferns require a film of water for gametes to meet.
ANSWER: True
16. Average velocity equals half the sum of initial and final velocities.
ANSWER: False
17. Average velocity equals the ratio of displacement in a time interval to duration of that interval.
ANSWER: True
18. Average velocity in motion with constant acceleration equals half the sum of initial and final
velocities.
ANSWER: True
19. Discrete data are countable.
ANSWER: True
20. Continuous data are measurable.
ANSWER: True
21. The mean of a set of numbers is equal to the mode of the set of numbers.
ANSWER: False
22. First ionization energies usually have positive values.
ANSWER: True Energy is required to remove an electron from a neutral atom
23. In the second period of the Periodic Table, Neon has the highest first ionization energy.
ANSWER: True
24. Since first ionization generally increases from left to right in a Period, aluminum has a higher first
ionization energy than magnesium.
ANSWER: False (Neutral Mg has a more stable electronic configuration than Al)
ROUND 5
RIDDLES
RIDDLE 1
1. I am a quadrilateral.
2. I fit my outline in 2 positions.
3. I have no axis of symmetry.
4. I have a center of symmetry.
5. I am characterized by opposite sides being parallel.
Who am I?
ANSWER: Parallelogram
RIDDLE 2
1. I was first observed by Gregor Mendel in 1865 during his studies of genetics in pea plants.
2. I occur during meiosis in eukaryotes.
3. A very noticeable feature of me is recombination.
4. I describe how different genes independently separate from one another when reproductive cells
develop.
5. I am popularly known as Mendel’s second law.
Who am I?
ANSWER: (Law of) independent assortment
RIDDLE 3
1. I am a type of motion.
2. I may occur at constant velocity;
3. That is, with zero acceleration.
4. But I can also occur with non-zero acceleration.
5. When a body undergoes my kind of motion, every part of it is displaced by the same vector,
6. And its orientation remains unchanged.
Who am I?
ANSWER: Translation
RIDDLE 4
1. I was born in an English town not too far from Manchester.
2. My father who was a book seller, wanted me to be an Engineer.
3. When I gained admission to Cambridge University I chose rather to read mathematics.
4. I started working at the Cavsendish Laboratory also in Cambridge after graduation and rose to
become the Head of the prestigious Laboratory at the age of 28.
5. I did a lot of work on positively charged ions in electric and magnetic fields.
6. Despite my interest in positively charged ions I discovered the electrons and won a Noble Prize
for that in 1900 at the age of 50.
Who am I?
ANSWER: J. J. Thompson
