Name: …………………………………………………………Adm. No: ……………………..
School: …………………………………………………..…… Stream: ………………………
Candidate’s Signature…………..… Date:………………
232 / 1
PHYSICS (THEORY)
TIME: 2 hours
JULY, 2025
NYAHOKAKIRA CLUSTER II EXAMINATION
Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education - 2025
TERM TWO EVALUATION
INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
❖ Write your name and admission number in the spaces provided above.
❖ Sign and write the name of your school, stream and the date of the examination in the spaces
provided.
❖ This paper consists of two sections; A and B.
❖ Answer ALL questions in sections A and B in the spaces provided.
❖ All your answers must be written in the spaces provided in this question paper.
❖ All working must be clearly shown.
❖ Silent non-programmable silent electronic calculators and KNEC mathematics table may be
used except where stated otherwise.
❖ This paper consists of 11 printed pages. Candidates should check the question paper to ascertain
that all the pages are printed as indicated and that no questions are missing.
For Examiner’s Use Only.
Section Question Maximum Score Candidates’ Score
A 1 – 12 25
B 13 12
14 11
15 10
16 12
17 10
80
TOTAL SCORE
Page 1 of 11
SECTION A (25 MARKS)
Answer ALL questions in this section
1. Sketch the scale of a Vernier calliper showing a reading a 3.53 cm. (2 marks)
2. The figure below shows an arrangement to demonstrate diffusion through solids:-
The hydrogen gas is supplied for sometimes then stopped and the beaker removed. State and explain
what is likely to be observed when the hydrogen gas supply is stopped (2 marks)
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3. The figure below shows a uniform metre rule of weight 2.2 N balanced by a balloon
containing hydrogen gas hung at the zero cm mark. The pivot is placed at the 80 cm mark.
Balloon with hydrogen gas
80cm
If the balloon and its contents weigh 1.5N, determine the upthrust on the balloon. (3marks)
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4. Figure below shows a bar made of iron and wood and a flame is passed over the joint with a piece
of paper.
State and explain what is observed at the junction between the two bars after some time
(2marks)
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5. The figure below shows two pipes A and B of different expansivities tightly fitted onto each other
at the junction. When the junction was cooled, it became easy to separate the conductors.
State and explain which of the two metals has a higher linear expansivity (2 marks)
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6. The figure below shows a manometer used to measure the pressure differences between the air
inside a plastic container and the atmosphere outside.
Calculate the force F exerted on the container. (3 marks)
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Page 3 of 11
7. One end of a match stick is rubbed with soap and placed gently on the surface of water in a basin.
The match stick is observed to move in one direction.
Soaped end of
match stick
Explain why this happens. (2 marks)
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8. A spring extends by 4cm when a load of 10N is suspended from it. Six similar springs
are used in the system shown in figure below.
50 N
Determine the total extension of the system. (3 marks)
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9. In the figure below a coin was placed on top of a cardboard then placed on a bottle.
Give a reason why the coin falls in the bottle when the cardboard is flicked with a finger.
(1mark)
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10. Two inflated balloons are at the same level while suspended from two threads a short distance
apart. Some air is blown gently between the balloons in a horizontal direction. State and explain the
observation made. (2 marks)
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11. Two flasks, A and B were placed on a horizontal surface as shown in figure below
Water
A B
Empty flask Half-filled flask
State and explain which flask is more stable (2 marks)
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12. Thermodynamics is a branch of physics state what it deals with. (1mark)
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Page 5 of 11
SECTION B (55 MARKS)
Answer ALL questions in this section
13. (a) A body moving in a circular path at constant speed is said to be accelerating. Explain
(1 mark)
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(b) The diagram below shows a mass m, which is rotated in a vertical circle. The speed of the
mass is gradually increased until the string breaks. The string breaks when the mass is at its
lowest position A and at a speed of 30ms-1. Point A is 5m above the ground.
Calculate;
i. The time the mass takes to reach the ground after breaking off. (3 marks)
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ii. The horizontal distance the mass travels before it strikes the ground. (2 marks)
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iii. The vertical velocity with which the mass strikes the ground. (3 marks)
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Page 6 of 11
(c) The graph below was obtained when an experiment to investigate the variation of the centripetal
force, F with the radius, r of the circle on which a body rotates was performed.
From the graph, determine the angular velocity, ω of the body given that m = 100g and F = mω2r + c,
where c is a constant. (3 marks)
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14. a) State the law of floatation. (1 mark)
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b) Explain why ships do not sink in water yet they are made of metals like steal that is denser
than water (2 marks)
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c) A block of length 15cm and uniform cross-sectional area 9cm2 is suspended from a spring
balance and completely immersed in oil of density 0.8g/cm3. Given that the density of the block
is 1.25g/cm3, determine;
i. The mass of the block (2 marks)
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Page 7 of 11
ii. The reading of the spring (3 marks)
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iii.
The reading of the spring balance when the block was half immersed in the oil
(3 marks)
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15. (a) Gases exert pressure when temperature is raised. Explain this using kinetic theory.
(2marks)
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(b)The figure below shows an experiment to investigate a certain gas law. Study it and the
questions that follow.
i. State the two quantities under investigation. (2marks)
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ii. Describe how the set up can be used to investigate the law. (3marks)
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iii.
State one major precaution to be taken during the setting of the experiment
(1mark)
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(c) Figure below shows air trapped by a column of mercury of length 2cm in a capillary tube.
When the tube is held vertically with the open end up (a), the length of air column is10 cm.
Calculate the length, h of air column when the tube is held vertically with the open end
down (b). Assume that temperature is constant and the pressure to the atmosphere is
750mmHg. (Density of mercury is 13.6gcm-3). (2marks)
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15 (a) The figure shows a 200 g mass placed on a frictionless surface and attached to a spring.
(i) The spring is compressed and released. Given that the elastic potential energy of the compressed
spring is 2.7 × 10−2 𝐽, determine the maximum speed with which the block moves after it is
released. (2 marks)
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Page 9 of 11
(ii) Sketch on the axes below the variation of potential energy, kinetic energy and total energy with
time given that the spring obeys Hooke’s law. (1 mark)
Energy (J)
Time (s)
(b) A man uses an inclined plane to lift a 100 kg load through a vertical distance of 5.0 𝑚. The
incline plane makes an angle of 300 with the horizontal.
Calculate;
I. The velocity ratio of the machine. (2 marks)
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II. The mechanical advantage of this machine if the efficiency is 80%. (3 marks)
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III. The effort required to move up the inclined plane at a constant velocity. (2 marks)
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IV. The work done against friction. (2 marks)
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16. (a) Define the term specific latent heat of fusion. (1 mark)
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(b) In an experiment to determine the power of an electric heater, melting ice was placed in a
container with an outlet and the heater placed in the ice as shown below. The melted ice was
collected.
(i) Other than current and voltage, state two measurements that would be taken in order to
determine the quantity of heat absorbed by the melted ice. (2 marks)
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If the latent heat of fusion of ice is 𝐿𝑓 , show how the measurement taken above can be used
(ii)
to determine the power P of the heater. (2 marks)
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(iii)
It is found that the power determined in this experiment is lower than the manufacturers
value indicated on the heater. Explain. (1 mark)
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(c) A copper calorimeter of mass 60g is filled with 100g of water at 240 C. Steam at normal
temperature and pressure is passed through the water until a temperature of 450C is attained. The
final mass of the calorimeter and its contents was found to be 163g. Calculate the specific latent
heat of vaporization of water. (Specific heat capacities of water and copper are 4200J/kgK and
378J/kgK respectively). (4marks)
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