ESAT Mock Physics Esat-physics-tp7-1
1 questions1 marks40Updated August 2026
The ESAT Mock Physics Esat-physics-tp7-1 paper in full: all 1 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.
Questions and answers are free. Full step-by-step worked solutions unlock with a free account. Start practising.
Question 1
1 markA radioactive point source emits alpha, beta and gamma radiation simultaneously in all directions. The source is placed midway between two parallel charged plates, oriented so the electric field between them points vertically upward, with the source's emissions travelling horizontally into the field region. A thick lead sheet, thin enough to be pierced by beta particles but not by alpha, is fixed just outside the plates on the right-hand side, covering only the upper half of the gap. A student places a detector directly to the right of the source, outside the plates, at the same height as the source. Which of the following statements about what the detector could register is correct?
- A.All three radiations reach the detector unchanged, because the field only affects free electrons, not particles emitted from a nucleus
- B.Only gamma radiation, because alpha and beta are both deflected away from the source's original height by the field, and any beta reaching that height would in any case be blocked by the lead
- C.Only beta radiation, because alpha is stopped by air and gamma is completely absorbed by the plates themselves
- D.Alpha and gamma radiation together, because beta is bent downward out of the field, and alpha travels straight through the field to the detector
- E.Only alpha radiation, because beta and gamma are undeflected and pass straight through, while alpha is stopped by air before reaching the plates
- F.Beta and gamma radiation together, because alpha is stopped by air within a few centimetres and never reaches the field region
Answer: F