UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO MID-SEMESTER EXAMINATION

BIOLOGICAL PHYSICS
PHSI191

15th April 2015

TIME ALLOWED: 60 Minutes

This examination paper comprises 9 pages:
and consists of 20 Multiple Choice questions and 1 identification question (Ques-
tion 1) for a total of 21 questions. The identification question identifies which
exam script is being answered and is not worth any marks.
You should:
Print your name on the Examination Answer Sheet computer form provided.
Enter your ID number in the appropriate grid on the front of the answer form.
Select the best answer (A...E) for each question.
Indicate your choice by filling in the appropriate circle on the answer form, in pencil.
You may change your choice, but you must completely erase the earlier choice.
Rough work may be done in the booklet provided. This will NOT be marked.
Marking scale:
one correct answer 1 mark
one wrong answer 0 mark
no answer selected 0 mark
more than one answer 0 mark
The following material is provided:
Rough working booklet.

Use of calculators:
No restriction on the model of calculator to be used, but no device with commu-
nication capability shall be accepted as a calculator. (Calculators are subject to
inspection by the examiners.)
You are permitted to bring with you:
Personal Study Sheet: a single sheet of A4 paper, which may have any material
(written, printed or photocopied) on both sides.
Other Instructions:
The values of PHYSICAL QUANTITIES which may be needed are given on page 2,
or within the question to which they are relevant.
A selection of FORMULAE which may be useful is also given on page 2.
A copy of the Psychrometric chart is given on page 3.
 2 PHSI 191 Mid-semester Exam [2015]

Physical constants Note the multiplying prefixes

Acceleration due to gravity g : 10 m s−2 giga (G) : 109
Coulomb law constant ke : 9 ×109 N m2 C−2 mega (M) : 106
Electronic charge e : 1.6 ×10−19 C kilo (k) : 103
Electronic mass me : 9.1 ×10−31 kg milli (m) : 10−3
Speed of light in vacuum c : 3.0 ×108 m s−1 micro (µ) : 10−6
Avogadro’s number NA : 6.0 ×1023 mol−1 nano (n) : 10−9
Stefan-Boltzmann constant σSB : 5.7 ×10−8 W m−2 K−4 pico (p) : 10−12
Boltzmann constant kB : 1.38 × 10−23 J K−1 femto (f) : 10−15
Universal gas constant R : 8.3 J mol−1 K−1 centi (c) : 10−2
Planck constant h : 6.6 ×10−34 J s hecto (h) : 102
Unified atomic mass unit u : 1.66×10−27 kg
: 931.5 MeV c −2
Rydberg constant R : 1.097×107 m−1
Bohr radius aB : 5.29×10−11 m

Formulae
p2 c
F = ma I= Rs = R1 + R2 + R3 + . . . n=
2Z v
 
I 1 1 1
d = vt LI = 10 log10 = + + ... n1 sin θ1 = n2 sin θ2
10−12 Rp R1 R2
 
p l n2
v = at Lp = 20 log10 R=ρ sin θc =
2 × 10−5 A n1
1 2 1 2 1 1 1
d= at P + ρgh + ρv = const τ = RC = +
2 2 f di do
v2 hi di
a= P = Psurf + ρgh V (t) = V0 e−t/τ m= =−
r ho do
1
ω = 2πf F = Av P V = N kT = nRT P =
f
v f f
ω= F = ρf V g U = N kT = nRT mλ = b sin θ
r 2 2
F/A f λ
θ = ωt γ= Uper atom = kT φ = 1.22
∆L/L0 2 D
1 F/A
T = S= T (◦ C) = T (K) − 273.15 E = hf
f ∆x/L0
m
r
−∆P
T = 2π B= ∆L = L0 α∆T KEe = hf − BE
sk ∆V /V0
l (P2 − P1 ) πr 4 E
T = 2π F = ∆A ∼
= A0 2α∆T p=
g 8ηl c
ρvD h
τ = Fd Re = ∆V ∼
= V0 3α∆T λ=
η p !
√ 1 1 1
PE = mgh xrms = 2Dt Q = mc∆T =R − 2
λ n2f ni
1 qQ n2
KE = mv2 F = ke Q = mL rn = aB
2 r2 Z
F Q ∆Q kA∆T Z2
W = Fd E= = ke 2 = En = − 2 E0
q r ∆t d n
1 2 ∆Q
W = kx ∆U = q∆V = hconv A∆T nλ = 2πrn
2 ∆t
W ∆V
P = = Fv E=− hconv = 3.1 or 8.3v0.6 N = N0 e−λt
t ∆d
Q ∆Q 0.693
F ∆t = ∆p C= = σεAT 4 λ=
V ∆t t1/2
Q2 1 ∆Q
F = −kx U = = CV 2 = hrad A∆T A = A0 e−λt
2C 2 ∆t

F = µN I = nqAv hrad ≈ 4σεT 3 1 Ci = 3.70 × 1010 Bq

1 1 1
Z = ρcsound V = IR = +
h h1 h2
ρcA2 (2πf )2 W
I= η=
2 E − ∆U

TURN OVER
 36°C 40
wb
38

34°C 36
wb
Psychrometric Chart 34

Moisture Content (grams moisture per kg-dry air)

32°C 32
wb
wb = wet-bulb temperature
30
rh = relative humidity 30°C
wb 28
rh
0% 26
28°C
wb 10
24
26°C
wb rh
22
8 0%

3
24°C 20
wb
22°C 18
wb

PHSI 191 Mid-semester Exam [2015]

20°C rh 16
%
wb 60
18°C 14
wb
16°C
wb 12
14°C h
wb 40 %r
12°C 10
wb
10°C
wb rh 8
8°C w 30%
6°C w b
b 6
TURN OVER

4°C w 20% rh
b
2°C w 4
b
0°C w 10% rh
b 5% rh 2

0
4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40
Dry-bulb Temperature (°C)
 4 PHSI 191 Mid-semester Exam [2015]

1. Please use the following letter as your answer to Question 1.

A
This letter identifies which version of the exam you are sitting. Please check that
you have filled in the correct answer on your multichoice answer sheet, as marking
any letter other than ‘A’ could disqualify the rest of your answers.

2. The arrow-head of a vertically falling arrow hits the ground with a speed of 60 m s−1 .
What was the height of the arrow-head above the ground when the arrow was
released from rest (in m)?

(A) 100 (B) 120 (C) 140 (D) 160 (E) 180

3. Your friend sends your cell-phone sliding along horizontal ice towards you at a
constant velocity of 2 m s−1 . Unfortunately, you do not catch it and the ice ends
at a cliff edge only 20 m away. What is the minimum acceleration you will need to
save your cell-phone from falling off the ice (in m s−2 )?

(A) 0.4 (B) 0.6 (C) 0.8 (D) 1.0 (E) 10.0

4. A 125 m tall skyscraper has a smooth (no friction) spiral slide, of total length
1000 m, for descending to the ground. If a 100 kg man starts from rest at the top,
with what speed will he leave the slide at the bottom (in m s−1 )?

(A) 10 (B) 25 (C) 40 (D) 50 (E) 75

5. What power is needed to accelerate your 1 tonne (i.e., 1000 kg) car along a horizontal
road from rest to 90 km h−1 in 10 seconds (in kW)?

(A) 6 (B) 9 (C) 17 (D) 24 (E) 31

TURN OVER
 5 PHSI 191 Mid-semester Exam [2015]

6. A 100 kg man leaps horizontally away from a building with a speed of 5 m s−1 onto
a 200 kg unanchored wooden platform sitting at rest on smooth, horizontal ice 3 m
below. With what speed will the man and platform move across the ice (in m s−1 )?

(A) 1.7 (B) 2.0 (C) 4.3 (D) 6.7 (E) 8.3

7. A 20 kg monkey is oscillating up and down on the end of a long branch (in simple
harmonic motion), with an amplitude of 0.1 m, and a maximum speed of 0.2 m s−1 .
What is the Hooke’s law spring constant, k, for the branch (in N m−1 )?

(A) 60 (B) 70 (C) 80 (D) 90 (E) 100

8. A tone begins at a frequency of 1000 Hz and a loudness of 30 phon. The frequency

of the tone decreases to 200 Hz but the intensity of the tone does not change. What
is the loudness of the tone at the new frequency (in phon)?

Loundness Level (phon)

10
0 120
120
110
10
−2 100
100
90
Intensity Level (dB)
Intensity (W m−2)

10−4 80
80
70
10
−6 60
60
50
10
−8 40
40
30
10−10 20
20
10
10
−12 0
0
20 50 100 500 1000 5000 10 000
Frequency (Hz)

(A) 10 (B) 20 (C) 30 (D) 40 (E) 50

TURN OVER
 6 PHSI 191 Mid-semester Exam [2015]

9. A cylinder of some unknown material is placed under tensile stress by applying a

force of 5000 N in opposite directions to each end of the cylinder. The cylinder has
a constant circular cross-section, with a cross-sectional area of 1.25 cm2 . What is
the tensile stress in the bar exactly half way along its length (in MPa)?

(A) 0 (B) 20 (C) 25 (D) 40 (E) 50

Questions 10 − 12
A small cylinder of copper has a mass of 31.5 g and rests on the bottom of a beaker. The
beaker is filled with water such that the cylinder is completely submerged. The beaker
has a cross-sectional area of 7 cm2 and the water level is 12 cm above the base of the
beaker.
[Density of copper = 9.0 × 103 kg m−3 ,
Density of water = 1.0 × 103 kg m−3 .]

10. What is the gauge pressure in the water at the bottom of the beaker (in kPa)?

(A) 0.8 (B) 1.2 (C) 3.6 (D) 5.1 (E) 7.5

11. By how much did the water level rise when the cylinder was originally placed into
the beaker (in cm)?

(A) 0.1 (B) 0.2 (C) 0.5 (D) 1.0 (E) 1.3

12. What is the magnitude of the buoyant force exerted by the water on the copper
cylinder (in N)?

(A) 3.5 × 10−2 (B) 5.0 × 10−2 (C) 8.3 × 10−2 (D) 0.10 (E) 0.21

TURN OVER
 7 PHSI 191 Mid-semester Exam [2015]

13. A non-viscous fluid flows through a horizontal tube which has a downward bend
and a constriction as shown in the diagram below.

1
2.3 m s−1

h
A1
2

A2

The ratio of cross-sectional areas A1 : A2 is 1 : 0.75 and the velocity of the fluid at
point 1 is 2.30 m s−1 . Given that the pressure at point 1 is the same as the pressure
at point 2, what is the difference in height between point 1 and point 2 (in mm)?

(A) 84 (B) 120 (C) 169 (D) 206 (E) 351

14. A large tank contains oil with a viscosity of η = 7.5 Pa s. The tank has walls and
floor which are 2 cm thick, but there is a small circular hole at the base of the tank
through which oil is leaking. The fluid pressure at the base of the tank is 126 kPa
(atmospheric pressure is 101 kPa) and the radius of the hole is 1.5 mm. What is
the volume flow rate at which the oil is leaking out of the tank (in m3 s−1 )?

(A) 1.2 × 10−3 (B) 7.1 × 10−4 (C) 2.7 × 10−5 (D) 4.1 × 10−6 (E) 3.3 × 10−7

15. A 100 g piece of bone (specific heat, cbone = 3500 J kg−1 K−1 ) is placed in a well-
insulated bath of water (specific heat, cwater = 4190 J kg−1 K−1 ). The bone and
the water reach thermal equilibrium once the bone has absorbed 7000 J of energy
from the water. Which ONE of the following statements is TRUE?

(A) The temperature of the bone has increased by 2◦ C.

(B) The temperature of the bone has increased by 20◦ C.

(C) The temperature of the bone has decreased by 2◦ C.

(D) The initial temperature of the water was less than the final temperature of
the bone.

(E) The initial temperature of the water was less than the initial temperature of
the bone.

TURN OVER
 8 PHSI 191 Mid-semester Exam [2015]

16. The spherical, stainless-steel head of an artificial hip is stored at a temperature

of 4◦ C and then warmed to 37◦ C before being implanted. The coefficient of linear
expansion of stainless steel is αsteel = 6.9×10−6 K−1 . What is the fractional increase
in the volume of the head of the hip implant, i.e., ∆V /V0 ?

(A) 1.1 × 10−5 (B) 5.3 × 10−5 (C) 2.5 × 10−4 (D) 6.8 × 10−4 (E) 8.7 × 10−4

17. A container with a volume of 1 m3 holds a mixture of 2.0 mol of argon gas and
1.0 mol of neon gas. These two gases are monatomic and are in thermal equilibrium.
Given that the molar mass of argon is 40 g mol−1 and the molar mass of neon is
20 g mol−1 , which ONE of the following statements is FALSE?

(A) The temperature of the argon is equal to the temperature of the neon.

(B) The partial pressure of argon is less than than the partial pressure of neon in
the container.

(C) The average kinetic energy of the argon atoms is equal to the average kinetic
energy of the neon atoms.

(D) The average velocity of the argon atoms is less than the average velocity of
the neon atoms.

(E) The total thermal energy of the argon is greater than the total thermal energy
of the neon.

18. A large freezer has a constant internal temperature of 0◦ C and sits in a large
room which has a constant temperature of 18◦ C. The freezer is insulated with
a 0.2 m thick layer of polystyrene (the thermal conductivity of polystyrene is
kpoly = 0.035 W m−1 K−1 ) and a 0.2 m thick layer of a wool-based insulator (the
thermal conductivity of wool is kwool = 0.07 W m−1 K−1 ). Which ONE of the
following statements is TRUE?

(A) The rate of heat transfer through the polystyrene is greater than the rate of
heat transfer through the wool-based insulator.

(B) The rate of heat transfer through the polystyrene is less than the rate of heat
transfer through the wool-based insulator.

(C) The temperature difference across the polystyrene is greater than the temper-
ature difference across the wool-based insulator.

(D) The temperature difference across the polystyrene is less than the temperature
difference across the wool-based insulator.

(E) The net heat transfer rate depends on whether the wool-based insulator or
polystyrene is on the inside.

TURN OVER
 9 PHSI 191 Mid-semester Exam [2015]

19. After driving home in the evening, the moist air inside your car is at a temperature
of 22◦ C and a relative humidity of 60%. You leave your car parked outside for a
few hours and when you return you notice that there is condensation on the inside
surfaces of the car. You make some measurements and find that the moist air inside
the car is now at a temperature of 6◦ C and a relative humidity of 100%, and your
car contains 6 kg of moist air. How much water vapour, in total, has condensed on
the inside surfaces of your car (in g)?

(A) 10 (B) 15 (C) 24 (D) 48 (E) 60

20. An Antarctic fur seal spends 5 hours hunting during which time its metabolic rate
increases to allow the seal to do mechanical work at a rate of 150 W. If the seal has
a mechanical work efficiency of 15%, how much energy would the seal need to gain
from the food it catches in order to neither gain nor lose body mass while hunting
(in MJ)?

(A) 2 (B) 6 (C) 10 (D) 14 (E) 18

21. Which ONE of the following statements is TRUE regarding thermal energy balance
for people exposed to environmental thermal stress?

(A) Swimming rather than floating in cold (e.g., 12◦ C) water normally helps pre-
vent hypothermia because the thermal energy gained from metabolism more
than offsets the extra convective heat loss to the water due to movement.

(B) Spinal injury can jeopardise thermal balance by impairing thermoafferent

(thermal input) processes and all main thermoefferent (thermal output) pro-
cesses.

(C) Thermal balance is easy to quantify accurately from thermometry (measure-

ments of core and skin temperatures).

(D) Young babies maintain better thermal balance than adults because they have
more fat (relatively) to insulate against cold.

(E) Compared with young adults, old adults maintain better thermal balance
during cold stress and during heat stress.