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Grade 12 Physics entrance exam, 2017 E.C. (2025), version 2

Real questions from the Grade 12 university entrance exam in Physics, as students sat it in 2017 E.C. Every question comes with the correct answer and a worked explanation. The 2017 E.C. exam went out in several versions. This page holds version 2; the others are listed further down.

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  • Natural science stream

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  • 2017 E.C. (2025), version 2

    Exam year

  • 50 questions with answers

    In this set

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Answer each question yourself before opening the answer. The explanations point to the exact place in the textbook, so you know which page to reread when you miss one.

Question 2

Two trains are traveling towards each other on parallel tracks. Train X is moving west at 80 km/h, Train Y moving east at 60 km/h. If you are on Train X, what is the velocity of Train Y relative to Train X?

  1. A.140 km/h towards the east
  2. B.60 km/h towards the west
  3. C.20 km/h towards the west
  4. D.140 km/h towards the west
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: A 140 km/h towards the east

Why

Relative velocity is the difference of two velocities. Take east as positive, so train Y has vY=+60v_Y = +60 km/h and train X has vX=−80v_X = -80 km/h because it travels west. Then vY/X=vY−vX=60−(−80)=+140v_{Y/X} = v_Y - v_X = 60 - (-80) = +140 km/h, and the plus sign means the direction is east. Option D carries the right number but the wrong direction. It comes from adding the two speeds and then keeping the heading of your own train instead of the heading the subtraction gives.

Question 3

Which of the following is a correct action-reaction force pair?

  1. A.The force of a ball hitting a wall and the force of gravity pulling the ball down.
  2. B.The force of a car's tires pushing backward on the road and the road pushing the car forward.
  3. C.The force of the bat hitting a ball and the force of air resistance on the ball.
  4. D.The force of a swimmer's arms pushing water backward and the force of gravity pulling them down.
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B The force of a car's tires pushing backward on the road and the road pushing the car forward.

Why

A Newton's third law pair comes from one single interaction and its two forces act on two different bodies. The tyres push backwards on the road and the road pushes the car forwards: same contact, equal size, opposite directions, different bodies. Option D is the tempting one, because pushing water backwards is a genuine action force, but its partner is the water pushing the swimmer forwards. The pull of gravity on the swimmer belongs to a separate interaction with the Earth.

Question 4

A 0.25 kg ball moving at 4 m/s collides inelastically with a stationary ball of mass 0.75 kg. After collision they stick together. What is the kinetic energy lost?

  1. A.4 J
  2. B.2 J
  3. C.3.5 J
  4. D.1.5 J
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: D 1.5 J

Why

Momentum is conserved through the collision. Before impact p=0.25×4=1p = 0.25 \times 4 = 1 kg m/s, and the two balls move off together as one 1 kg body, so v=1/1=1v = 1/1 = 1 m/s. Kinetic energy before is 12(0.25)(4)2=2\tfrac{1}{2}(0.25)(4)^2 = 2 J and after is 12(1)(1)2=0.5\tfrac{1}{2}(1)(1)^2 = 0.5 J, so 2−0.5=1.52 - 0.5 = 1.5 J is lost to heat, sound and deformation. Option B (2 J) is the energy the moving ball started with, not the amount lost, and some of that energy survives as the motion of the pair.

Question 5

A block weighing 200 N is placed on a frictionless inclined plane that rises to a height of 3 m over a distance of 12 m along the plane. What is the mechanical advantage (MA) of the inclined plane?

  1. A.1.67
  2. B.3.00
  3. C.4.00
  4. D.6.00
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: C 4.00

Why

For a frictionless inclined plane the mechanical advantage is the length of the slope divided by the height it lifts through: MA=Lh=123=4MA = \frac{L}{h} = \frac{12}{3} = 4. The 200 N weight is extra information that the formula does not need. Option B (3.00) is tempting because 3 m is printed in the question, but mechanical advantage is a ratio of two forces or two lengths and carries no unit, so a bare height cannot be the answer.

Question 6

What is the main characteristic of a third-order lever?

  1. A.The fulcrum is at one end, with the effort on the other end.
  2. B.The load is positioned between the effort and the fulcrum.
  3. C.It has a mechanical advantage greater than one.
  4. D.The effort is applied between the load and the fulcrum.
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: D The effort is applied between the load and the fulcrum.

Why

Levers are classed by what sits in the middle. In a third class lever the effort is applied between the fulcrum and the load, as in the human forearm, a pair of tweezers or a fishing rod. Because the effort arm is then shorter than the load arm, this class always has a mechanical advantage below one and trades force for speed and range of movement. Option B describes the second class lever, where the load is in the middle, as in a wheelbarrow.

Question 7

Considering the relationship between atmospheric pressure and altitude, which evaluation best explains the challenges faced by climbers at high elevations?

  1. A.Climbers are less affected by low atmospheric pressure because they are physically fit.
  2. B.Decreased atmospheric pressure at high altitudes leads to reduced oxygen levels, which can impair physical performance and increase fatigue.
  3. C.Climbers do not need to acclimatize as atmospheric pressure has no significant impact on their performance.
  4. D.High atmospheric pressure at altitudes enhances climbers' endurance and reduces fatigue.
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B Decreased atmospheric pressure at high altitudes leads to reduced oxygen levels, which can impair physical performance and increase fatigue.

Why

Air pressure falls as altitude rises, so each breath of air holds fewer oxygen molecules and the partial pressure of oxygen in the lungs drops. Less oxygen reaches the blood and the working muscles, which brings on breathlessness, headache and quick fatigue. This is why climbers spend days acclimatising before attempting a high summit. Option D reverses the physics: atmospheric pressure decreases with altitude, it does not increase.

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The other Physics papers of 2017 E.C.

2017 E.C. (2025)2017 E.C. (2025), version 1

Physics papers from other years

2018 E.C. (2026)2018 E.C. (2026), version 12018 E.C. (2026), version 22016 E.C. (2024)2016 E.C. (2024), Tigray2016 E.C. (2024), round 12016 E.C. model exam2015 E.C. (2023)2014 E.C. (2022)2013 E.C. (2021)2012 E.C. (2020)2011 E.C. (2019)2010 E.C. (2018)2009 E.C. (2017)2008 E.C. (2016)2007 E.C. (2015)2006 E.C. (2014)2005 E.C. (2013)

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Are these the real 2017 E.C. Physics entrance exam questions?

Yes. They come from the national university entrance exam in Physics that students sat in 2017 E.C. (2025). Our set holds 50 of its questions, each with its answer and an explanation that points back to the textbook.

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