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ESAT Mock Physics Esat-physics-bank-3

25 questions25 marks40Updated August 2026

The ESAT Mock Physics Esat-physics-bank-3 paper in full: all 25 questions, each with its answer. ESAT is the Engineering and Science Admissions Test. Sit it cold under exam timing, mark it, then work back through anything you missed using the solutions below.

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Question 1

1 mark
A light spring with a spring constant of 100 N m−1100\,\text{N m}^{-1} is stretched from an extension of 10 cm10\,\text{cm} to an extension of 20 cm20\,\text{cm}. The spring remains within its limit of proportionality throughout the process. What is the additional elastic potential energy stored in the spring during this extension?
  • A.0.5 J0.5\,\text{J}
  • B.1.0 J1.0\,\text{J}
  • C.1.5 J1.5\,\text{J}
  • D.2.0 J2.0\,\text{J}
  • E.3.0 J3.0\,\text{J}

Answer: C

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Question 2

1 mark
A block XX of mass 4.0 kg4.0\,\text{kg} is placed on a smooth, horizontal table. It is connected by a light, inextensible string that passes over a frictionless pulley at the edge of the table to a hanging weight YY of mass 1.0 kg1.0\,\text{kg}. The system is released from rest.

What is the magnitude of the tension in the string while the masses are in motion?
(The gravitational field strength
gg is 10 N kg−110\,\text{N kg}^{-1}.)
  • A.2.0 N
  • B.4.0 N
  • C.8.0 N
  • D.10 N
  • E.12 N

Answer: C

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Question 3

1 mark
A car of mass 1200 kg1200\,\text{kg} is towing a trailer of mass 800 kg800\,\text{kg} along a straight, horizontal road. The car and trailer accelerate together at a constant rate of 1.5 m s−21.5\,\text{m s}^{-2}. During this acceleration, the trailer experiences a constant resistive force of 300 N300\,\text{N}.

What is the magnitude of the force exerted by the trailer on the car?
  • A.300 N
  • B.900 N
  • C.1200 N
  • D.1500 N
  • E.3000 N

Answer: D

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Question 4

1 mark
A weather sensor of mass 12 kg12\,\text{kg} is falling vertically through the air. After some time, a small parachute is deployed to slow its descent. At a specific instant after the parachute has opened, the air resistance acting on the system is 300 N300\,\text{N}. What is the magnitude and direction of the acceleration of the sensor at this instant?
(The gravitational field strength
gg is 10 N kg−110\,\text{N kg}^{-1}.)
  • A.10 m s−210\,\text{m s}^{-2} downwards
  • B.15 m s−215\,\text{m s}^{-2} downwards
  • C.15 m s−215\,\text{m s}^{-2} upwards
  • D.25 m s−225\,\text{m s}^{-2} upwards
  • E.35 m s−235\,\text{m s}^{-2} upwards

Answer: C

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Question 5

1 mark
Two spheres, PP and QQ, have identical dimensions and surface textures but are made of different materials. Sphere PP has a mass of 3.0 kg3.0\,\text{kg} and sphere QQ has a mass of 5.0 kg5.0\,\text{kg}. Both spheres are dropped from a high altitude. Sphere PP is observed to reach a terminal velocity of 40 m s−140\,\text{m s}^{-1}. Assuming that air resistance depends only on the speed and the dimensions of the object, what is the magnitude of the acceleration of sphere QQ at the instant its speed is 40 m s−140\,\text{m s}^{-1}?
(The gravitational field strength
gg is 10 N kg−110\,\text{N kg}^{-1}.)
  • A.0 m s−20\,\text{m s}^{-2}
  • B.4.0 m s−24.0\,\text{m s}^{-2}
  • C.6.0 m s−26.0\,\text{m s}^{-2}
  • D.10 m s−210\,\text{m s}^{-2}
  • E.16 m s−216\,\text{m s}^{-2}

Answer: B

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Question 6

1 mark
An electric car of mass 1200 kg1200\text{ kg} is accelerated from rest to a speed of 20 m s−120\text{ m s}^{-1} along a straight, horizontal road. The car's motor provides a constant input power of 60 kW60\text{ kW} and operates at an overall efficiency of 80%80\%. Assuming air resistance is negligible, how long does the car take to reach this speed?
  • A.3.2 s
  • B.4.0 s
  • C.5.0 s
  • D.6.25 s
  • E.10.0 s

Answer: C

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Question 7

1 mark
A block of mass 5.0 kg5.0\text{ kg} is pulled from rest up a rough slope by a constant force of 50 N50\text{ N} acting parallel to the slope. The slope has a length of 10 m10\text{ m} and reaches a vertical height of 6.0 m6.0\text{ m}. When the block reaches the top of the slope, it has a speed of 4.0 m s−14.0\text{ m s}^{-1}. Using g=10 m s−2g = 10\text{ m s}^{-2}, what is the work done against friction during this process?
  • A.40 J
  • B.160 J
  • C.200 J
  • D.300 J
  • E.340 J

Answer: B

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Question 8

1 mark
Two metal rods, XX and YY, have the same length LL. Rod XX has a diameter dd and is made of a metal with thermal conductivity kk. Rod YY has a diameter 2d2d and is made of a metal with thermal conductivity 0.5k0.5k. If the same temperature difference ΔT\Delta T is maintained between the ends of each rod, what is the ratio of the rate of thermal energy transfer through rod YY to the rate of thermal energy transfer through rod XX?
  • A.0.250.25
  • B.0.50.5
  • C.1.01.0
  • D.2.02.0
  • E.4.04.0

Answer: D

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Question 9

1 mark
Two identical solid cubes, XX and YY, are placed in a room where the air and walls are maintained at a constant temperature of 25∘C25^\circ\text{C}. Cube XX is at an initial temperature of 15∘C15^\circ\text{C} and cube YY is at an initial temperature of 35∘C35^\circ\text{C}. Both cubes have the same dull black surface finish. Which of the following statements correctly compares the initial rates of emission and absorption of infrared radiation for the two cubes?
  • A.Cube YY emits radiation at a higher rate than cube XX, and cube XX absorbs radiation at a higher rate than cube YY.
  • B.Cube XX emits radiation at a higher rate than cube YY, and cube YY absorbs radiation at a higher rate than cube XX.
  • C.Cube YY emits radiation at a higher rate than cube XX, and both cubes absorb radiation at the same rate.
  • D.Both cubes emit radiation at the same rate, but cube XX absorbs radiation at a higher rate than cube YY.
  • E.Both cubes emit and absorb radiation at the same rate because they have the same surface area and color.

Answer: C

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Question 10

1 mark
Two metal spheres, MM and NN, are placed in a vacuum. Sphere MM has a radius RR and a dull black surface. Sphere NN has a radius 3R3R and a shiny polished surface. At any given temperature, the rate of infrared radiation emission per unit surface area for the dull black surface is 1212 times that of the shiny polished surface. Both spheres are initially at the same temperature TT. Let PMP_M be the initial power emitted by sphere MM and PNP_N be the initial power emitted by sphere NN. What is the ratio PMPN\frac{P_M}{P_N}?
  • A.43\frac{4}{3}
  • B.34\frac{3}{4}
  • C.44
  • D.99
  • E.1212

Answer: A

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Question 11

1 mark
Two metal blocks, X and Y, are heated using identical electric heaters. Block X has mass mm and specific heat capacity cc. Block Y has mass 3m3m and specific heat capacity 2c2c. The heater for block X is switched on for a time tt, and the heater for block Y is switched on for a time 4t4t. Assuming 100%100\% efficiency for both heaters and no heat loss to the surroundings, what is the ratio of the temperature change of block Y to the temperature change of block X, ΔTYΔTX\frac{\Delta T_Y}{\Delta T_X}?
  • A.1/6
  • B.2/3
  • C.3/2
  • D.6
  • E.24

Answer: B

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Question 12

1 mark
A substance in the solid state has a density of ρs=1600 kg m−3\rho_{\text{s}} = 1600\,\text{kg m}^{-3}. When the substance sublimates to form a gas, its density decreases to ρg=0.20 kg m−3\rho_{\text{g}} = 0.20\,\text{kg m}^{-3}. In the solid, particles are modeled as spheres of diameter DD packed tightly in a simple cubic arrangement such that each particle occupies a cubic volume Vs=D3V_{\text{s}} = D^3. In the gas, each particle is modeled as occupying an average cubic volume Vg=d3V_{\text{g}} = d^3, where dd is the average distance between the centers of adjacent particles. What is the ratio of the average distance between the surfaces of adjacent particles in the gas to the particle diameter DD?
  • A.19
  • B.20
  • C.88
  • D.400
  • E.7999

Answer: A

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Question 13

1 mark
A long vertical tube, closed at one end, contains a 2.0 m2.0\text{ m} column of oil that traps an 80 cm80\text{ cm} column of an ideal gas at the closed end. Initially, the tube is oriented with its open end facing upwards. The atmospheric pressure is equivalent to the pressure exerted by a 10.0 m10.0\text{ m} column of the same oil. The tube is then slowly inverted until its open end faces downwards. Assuming the temperature of the gas remains constant and no oil is lost from the tube, what is the distance moved by the oil column relative to the tube?
  • A.16 cm
  • B.20 cm
  • C.40 cm
  • D.80 cm
  • E.120 cm

Answer: C

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Question 14

1 mark
A 100 g100\,\text{g} block of ice is initially at a temperature of −20 ∘C-20\,^\circ\text{C}. A heater provides energy to the ice at a constant rate of 200 W200\,\text{W}. Assuming no energy is lost to the surroundings, how much time does it take for the block to reach a state where exactly 50 g50\,\text{g} of the ice has melted into water at 0 ∘C0\,^\circ\text{C}?

(Take the specific heat capacity of ice to be
cice=2.1 Jg−1 ∘C−1c_{ice} = 2.1\,\text{Jg}^{-1}\,^\circ\text{C}^{-1} and the specific latent heat of fusion of ice to be Lf=334 Jg−1L_f = 334\,\text{Jg}^{-1}.)
  • A.21.0 s
  • B.83.5 s
  • C.104.5 s
  • D.125.5 s
  • E.188.0 s

Answer: C

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Question 15

1 mark
A medical ultrasound probe is placed against a patient's skin to examine two adjacent layers of tissue, XX and YY. Both layers have the same thickness LL. The speed of sound is vXv_X in tissue XX and vYv_Y in tissue YY. A pulse is emitted at time t=0t = 0. The first echo (Echo 1, from the interface between XX and YY) is received at time t1t_1. The second echo (Echo 2, from the far boundary of YY) is received at time t2t_2. Assuming the probe is adjacent to the surface of layer XX, which of the following expressions gives the ratio t2t1\frac{t_2}{t_1}?
  • A.vX+vYvX\frac{v_X + v_Y}{v_X}
  • B.vX+vYvY\frac{v_X + v_Y}{v_Y}
  • C.vXvY\frac{v_X}{v_Y}
  • D.vYvX\frac{v_Y}{v_X}
  • E.vX+vY2vY\frac{v_X + v_Y}{2v_Y}

Answer: B

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Question 16

1 mark
Two electromagnetic waves, XX and YY, travel through a vacuum. Wave XX has a wavelength λX=6.0×10−5 m\lambda_X = 6.0 \times 10^{-5}\,\text{m}. Wave YY has a frequency fYf_Y such that the ratio of the frequency of YY to the frequency of XX is:
fYfX=2.0×105\frac{f_Y}{f_X} = 2.0 \times 10^5

Which row in the table correctly identifies the nature of wave
YY, its wavelength in a vacuum, and a common hazard or application associated with it?
(The speed of light in a vacuum is
c=3.0×108 m s−1c = 3.0 \times 10^8\,\text{m}\,\text{s}^{-1})
  • A.nature: X-ray; wavelength: 3.0×10−10 m3.0 \times 10^{-10}\,\text{m}; application: medical imaging of bones
  • B.nature: Gamma ray; wavelength: 3.0×10−15 m3.0 \times 10^{-15}\,\text{m}; application: sterilising medical equipment
  • C.nature: Ultraviolet; wavelength: 3.0×10−10 m3.0 \times 10^{-10}\,\text{m}; hazard: causes skin cancer
  • D.nature: X-ray; wavelength: 3.0×10−5 m3.0 \times 10^{-5}\,\text{m}; application: satellite communications
  • E.nature: Radio wave; wavelength: 1.2×101 m1.2 \times 10^1\,\text{m}; application: local radio broadcasting

Answer: A

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Question 17

1 mark
Three components of the electromagnetic spectrum, PP, QQ, and RR, are characterized by the following properties in a vacuum:
-
PP has a wavelength of 2.5×10−8 m2.5 \times 10^{-8}\,\text{m}
-
QQ has a frequency of 4.0×1013 Hz4.0 \times 10^{13}\,\text{Hz}
-
RR has a period of 5.0×10−20 s5.0 \times 10^{-20}\,\text{s}
(The speed of light in a vacuum is
c=3.0×108 m s−1c = 3.0 \times 10^8\,\text{m}\,\text{s}^{-1}.)
Which row in the table correctly identifies the nature of
P,Q,P, Q, and RR and lists them in order of **increasing** wavelength?
  • A.P: Ultraviolet; Q: Infrared; R: Gamma ray; order: R, P, Q
  • B.P: Ultraviolet; Q: Microwave; R: X-ray; order: R, P, Q
  • C.P: Visible light; Q: Infrared; R: Gamma ray; order: P, R, Q
  • D.P: X-ray; Q: Infrared; R: Gamma ray; order: R, P, Q
  • E.P: Ultraviolet; Q: Infrared; R: Gamma ray; order: Q, P, R

Answer: A

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Question 18

1 mark
A neutral atom of an isotope of element XX has a mass number of 6565 and contains 3535 neutrons. This atom loses two electrons to form an ion X2+X^{2+}.

What is the atomic number of
XX and the number of electrons in the ion X2+X^{2+}?
  • A.atomic number: 3030; number of electrons: 2828
  • B.atomic number: 3030; number of electrons: 3232
  • C.atomic number: 3535; number of electrons: 3333
  • D.atomic number: 3535; number of electrons: 3737
  • E.atomic number: 6565; number of electrons: 6363

Answer: A

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Question 19

1 mark
Consider the following three nuclides:

614C,613C,714N^{14}_{6}\text{C}, \quad ^{13}_{6}\text{C}, \quad ^{14}_{7}\text{N}


Which one of the following statements is correct?
  • A.614C^{14}_{6}\text{C} and 613C^{13}_{6}\text{C} are isotopes, and 613C^{13}_{6}\text{C} and 714N^{14}_{7}\text{N} have the same number of neutrons.
  • B.614C^{14}_{6}\text{C} and 714N^{14}_{7}\text{N} are isotopes, and 614C^{14}_{6}\text{C} and 613C^{13}_{6}\text{C} have the same mass number.
  • C.614C^{14}_{6}\text{C} and 613C^{13}_{6}\text{C} have the same number of neutrons, and 613C^{13}_{6}\text{C} and 714N^{14}_{7}\text{N} are isotopes.
  • D.614C^{14}_{6}\text{C} and 714N^{14}_{7}\text{N} have the same number of protons, and 613C^{13}_{6}\text{C} and 714N^{14}_{7}\text{N} have the same mass number.
  • E.614C^{14}_{6}\text{C} and 613C^{13}_{6}\text{C} have different atomic numbers, and 614C^{14}_{6}\text{C} and 714N^{14}_{7}\text{N} have the same number of neutrons.

Answer: A

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Question 20

1 mark
A nucleus of thorium-232 (90232Th^{232}_{90}\text{Th}) decays through a series of emissions to become a stable nucleus of lead-208 (82208Pb^{208}_{82}\text{Pb}). The emissions consist only of alpha (α\alpha) particles and beta-minus (β−\beta^-) particles. What is the total decrease in the number of neutrons in the nucleus during this process, and how many of these lost neutrons are converted into protons?
  • A.total decrease in neutrons: 12; neutrons converted to protons: 4
  • B.total decrease in neutrons: 16; neutrons converted to protons: 4
  • C.total decrease in neutrons: 16; neutrons converted to protons: 8
  • D.total decrease in neutrons: 24; neutrons converted to protons: 4
  • E.total decrease in neutrons: 24; neutrons converted to protons: 8

Answer: B

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Question 21

1 mark
Three radioactive sources emit different types of radiation labelled XX, YY, and ZZ:

- Radiation
XX is stopped by a thin sheet of paper.
- Radiation
YY is stopped by a few millimetres of aluminium.
- Radiation
ZZ can only be significantly attenuated by several centimetres of lead.

Which statement about the relative ionising powers and the deflection of these radiations in a uniform magnetic field is correct?
  • A.XX is the most ionising and ZZ is not deflected.
  • B.XX is the least ionising and ZZ is not deflected.
  • C.YY is the most ionising and XX is not deflected.
  • D.ZZ is the most ionising and YY is not deflected.
  • E.ZZ is the least ionising and XX is not deflected.

Answer: A

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Question 22

1 mark
A student uses a Geiger-Müller tube to measure the count rate of a radioactive isotope in a laboratory. The background count rate is constant at 20 counts per minute20\,\text{counts per minute}.

At time
t=0t = 0, the measured total count rate is 180 counts per minute180\,\text{counts per minute}.
At time
t=30 minutest = 30\,\text{minutes}, the measured total count rate is 40 counts per minute40\,\text{counts per minute}.

What is the half-life of the radioactive isotope?
  • A.6 minutes6\,\text{minutes}
  • B.7.5 minutes7.5\,\text{minutes}
  • C.10 minutes10\,\text{minutes}
  • D.15 minutes15\,\text{minutes}
  • E.20 minutes20\,\text{minutes}

Answer: C

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Question 23

1 mark
A radioactive isotope P decays into a stable isotope Q with a half-life of 20 days20\text{ days}. Another radioactive isotope R decays into a stable isotope S with a half-life of 40 days40\text{ days}. A sample is prepared containing equal numbers of atoms of P and R, and no atoms of Q or S. What is the ratio of the number of atoms of Q to the number of atoms of S in the sample after 80 days80\text{ days} have passed?
  • A.1:41:4
  • B.4:54:5
  • C.5:45:4
  • D.15:415:4
  • E.15:1615:16

Answer: C

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Question 24

1 mark
A student has two initially unmagnetized rods of identical appearance. Rod XX is made of soft iron and rod YY is made of hard steel. Both rods are placed in contact with the North pole of a strong permanent bar magnet for several minutes. The permanent magnet is then removed and placed far away. The student then tests the rods by bringing each one close to a sensitive magnetic compass and then into a pile of small iron filings. Which of the following observations is most likely?
  • A.Both rod XX and rod YY will significantly deflect the compass needle and pick up many iron filings.
  • B.Neither rod XX nor rod YY will deflect the compass needle or pick up any iron filings.
  • C.Rod XX will significantly deflect the compass needle, but rod YY will show almost no magnetic effect.
  • D.Rod YY will significantly deflect the compass needle, but rod XX will show almost no magnetic effect.
  • E.Both rods will repel the North pole of the compass needle regardless of which end of the rod is used.

Answer: D

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Question 25

1 mark
A bar magnet is placed under a sheet of paper and iron filings are used to map the magnetic field. The filings show a pattern where the field lines emerge from end PP of the magnet and enter end QQ. A second, identical bar magnet is then brought towards the first one so that its South pole faces end QQ. Which of the following correctly identifies the pole at QQ and the nature of the force between end QQ and the second magnet?
  • A.End QQ is a North pole, and it attracts the South pole of the second magnet.
  • B.End QQ is a North pole, and it repels the South pole of the second magnet.
  • C.End QQ is a South pole, and it attracts the South pole of the second magnet.
  • D.End QQ is a South pole, and it repels the South pole of the second magnet.
  • E.End QQ is a South pole, and there is no magnetic force between them.

Answer: D

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