plumiIntensity and luminosity: Edexcel International A Level Physics questions
Edexcel International A Level Physics past-paper questions on 5.6.2.3 Intensity and luminosity, 2019–2025, with mark schemes and examiner’s reports where available.
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All 17 questions on Intensity and luminosity, as a list
- June 2025, Unit 5, Q8 (1 mark): Two stars, X and Y, have the same luminosity. The graph shows how the intensity I of radiation received at Earth from star X and star Y varies with wavelength λ
- June 2025, Unit 5, Q19(b) (5 marks): Aita is a planet in orbit around Tau Ceti. A scientist suggests that Aita receives the same intensity of light from Tau Ceti as the Earth receives from the Sun.
- June 2025, Unit 5, Q20(c) (2 marks): Jupiter is much further away from the Sun than Mars is. A space probe to Mars was powered by solar cells. Suggest why solar cells were not suitable for a space
- January 2025, Unit 5, Q16(b)(ii) (2 marks): When viewed from Earth, the mean intensity of this Cepheid variable star is –4 W m –2. 5.1 × 10 Determine the distance of this Cepheid variable star from Earth.
- October 2024, Unit 5, Q15(b) (4 marks): A teacher claims that, from Earth, Sirius appears twice as bright as Canopus. Assess the accuracy of this claim. luminosity of Canopus = 4.12 × 10 30 W distance
- June 2024, Unit 5, Q16(a) (5 marks): Calculate the wavelength, λmax , corresponding to the peak intensity of emission of radiation from ε-Eridani. distance of ε-Eridani from the Earth = 9.94 × 10 1
- January 2024, Unit 5, Q16(a) (4 marks): Calculate the intensity of radiation from the Sun incident on Pluto. radius of Sun = 6.96 × 10 8 m surface temperature of Sun = 5800 K (4) Intensity of radiatio
- January 2023, Unit 5, Q21(a)(ii) (4 marks): The distance from Kapteyn’s Star to the planet Kapteyn‑b is 2.55 × 10 10 m. The intensity IE of light received at the Earth from the Sun is 1380 W m –2. Show th
- October 2022, Unit 5, Q9 (1 mark): Canopus and Sirius are two stars. Radiation from Sirius has 3 times the intensity of radiation from Canopus. The distance of Canopus from Earth is 36 times the
- June 2022, Unit 5, Q11 (3 marks): A standard candle in the galaxy M81 has a luminosity 14 800 times the luminosity of the Sun. The intensity of radiation received from the standard candle, measu
- January 2022, Unit 5, Q8 (1 mark): Sirius and α-Centauri are two of our closest stars. Sirius has a luminosity about 16 times greater than the luminosity of α-Centauri. Sirius is twice as far awa
- October 2021, Unit 5, Q11 (2 marks): Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. The intensity of Sirius is measured to be 1.09 × 10−7 W m−2. Calculate the distance of Sirius from the Earth. lum
- June 2021, Unit 5, Q12(b)(i) (4 marks): Show that the luminosity of the source is about 2 × 1035 W. (4)
- June 2021, Unit 5, Q12(b)(ii) (2 marks): When FRB sources were first discovered, some observers suggested that the bursts might be alien communications. Suggest why this is unlikely. luminosity of the
- January 2021, Unit 5, Q6 (1 mark): The star Vega has a luminosity 5 times the luminosity of the star Altair. The distance of Vega from the Earth is 1.5 times the distance of Altair from the Earth
- October 2020, Unit 5, Q14(a) (2 marks): The distance of the Earth from the Sun is 1.50 × 1011 m. Show that the luminosity of the Sun is about 4 × 1026 W. (2)
- October 2020, Unit 5, Q16(d) (3 marks): Deduce which of these stars gives the lower intensity of radiation at the Earth. (3)
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