Practice file 1 [115 marks]

1. [Maximum mark: 6] SPM.1.AHL.TZ0.18

The rate, A, of a chemical reaction at a fixed temperature is related to
the concentration of two compounds, B and C , by the equation

A = kB C
x y
, where x, y, k ∈ R.

A scientist measures the three variables three times during the reaction
and obtains the following values.

Find x, y and k. [6]

2. [Maximum mark: 6] EXM.1.SL.TZ0.6

Yejin plans to retire at age 60. She wants to create an annuity fund, which will
pay her a monthly allowance of $4000 during her retirement. She wants to save
enough money so that the payments last for 30 years. A financial advisor has told
her that she can expect to earn 5% interest on her funds, compounded annually.

(a) Calculate the amount Yejin needs to have saved into her
annuity fund, in order to meet her retirement goal. [3]

(b) Yejin has just turned 28 years old. She currently has no
retirement savings. She wants to save part of her salary each
month into her annuity fund.

Calculate the amount Yejin needs to save each month, to meet

her retirement goal. [3]
3. [Maximum mark: 6] 23N.1.SL.TZ1.2
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient
World. When it was built, 4500 years ago, the measurements of the pyramid were
in Royal Egyptian Cubits (REC).

[Source: Nina Aldin Thune. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza#/media/File:Kheops-

Pyramid.jpg. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/#. Image adapted.]

Viktor reads online that 1 REC is equal to 0. 52 metres, rounded to two

decimal places.

(a) Write down the upper and lower bounds of 1 REC in metres. [2]

The Great Pyramid of Giza has a square base with side lengths of 440 REC

and a height of 280 REC. Viktor assumes that these two measurements are
exact and that the Great Pyramid can be modelled as a square-based pyramid
with smooth faces.

(b) Find the minimum possible volume of the pyramid in cubic

metres. [4]
4. [Maximum mark: 7] 23N.1.AHL.TZ0.1
The growth of a particular type of seashell is being studied by Manon. At the end
of each month Manon records the increase in the width of a seashell since the
end of the previous month.

She models the monthly increase in the width of the seashell by a geometric
sequence with common ratio 0. 8. In the first month, the width of the seashell
increases by 4 mm.

(a) Find by how much the width of the seashell will increase during
the third month, according to her model. [2]

(b) Find the total increase in the width of the seashell, predicted by
Manon’s model, during the first year. [2]

Manon’s seashell had a width of 25 mm at the beginning of the first month.

(c) Find the maximum possible width of the seashell, predicted by

Manon’s model. [3]
5. [Maximum mark: 16] 23N.2.SL.TZ1.4
Ruben wants to buy a car for a price of 285 000 South African rand (ZAR). He
goes to a bank to get a loan to buy the car. To be eligible for the loan, Ruben
must make an initial down payment equal to 25 % of the price of the car.

The bank offers him a 5-year loan for the remaining balance, with a 4. 5 %
nominal interest rate per annum, compounded monthly. Ruben will pay the loan
in fixed payments at the end of each month.

(a.i) Find the original amount of the loan after the down payment is
paid. Give the exact answer. [2]

(a.ii) Calculate Ruben’s monthly payment for this loan, to two

decimal places. [3]

(b) Using your answer from part (a)(ii), calculate the total amount
Ruben will pay over the life of the loan, to the nearest ZAR.
Do not include the initial down payment. [2]

Ruben would like to repay the loan faster and increases his payments such that
he pays 4600 ZAR each month.

(c) Find the total number of monthly payments he will need to

make to pay off the loan. [2]

This strategy will result in Ruben’s final payment being less than 4600 ZAR.

(d) Determine the amount of Ruben’s final payment, to two

decimal places. [4]

(e) Hence, determine the total amount Ruben will save, to the
nearest ZAR, by making the higher monthly payments. [3]
6. [Maximum mark: 15] 23M.2.SL.TZ2.2
Daina makes pendulums to sell at a market. She plans to make 10 pendulums
on the first day and, on each subsequent day, make 6 more than she did the day
before.

(a) Calculate the number of pendulums she would make on the

12 th day. [3]

She plans to make pendulums for a total of 15 days in preparation for going to
the market.

(b) Calculate the total number of pendulums she would have

available at the market. [2]

Daina would like to have at least 1000 pendulums available to sell at the
market and therefore decides to increase her production. She still plans to make
10 pendulums on the first day, but on each subsequent day, she will make x

more than she did the day before.

(c) Given that she will still make pendulums for a total of 15 days,
calculate the minimum integer value of x required for her to
reach her target. [3]

Daina tests one of her pendulums. She releases the ball at the end of the
pendulum to swing freely. The point at which she releases it is shown as the
initial position on the left side of the following diagram. Daina begins recording
the distances travelled by the ball after it has reached the extreme position,
represented by the right-hand side of the diagram.

diagram not to scale

On each successive swing, the distance that the ball travelled was 95% of its
previous distance. During the first swing that Daina recorded, the ball travelled a
distance of 17. 1 cm. During the second swing that she recorded, it travelled a
distance of 16. 245 cm.
(d) Calculate the distance that the ball travelled during the 5 th
recorded swing. [3]

(e) Calculate the total distance that the ball travelled during the
first 16 recorded swings. [2]

(f ) Calculate the distance that the ball travelled before Daina

started recording. [2]
7. [Maximum mark: 8] 22M.1.AHL.TZ1.12
The strength of earthquakes is measured on the Richter magnitude scale, with
values typically between 0 and 8 where 8 is the most severe.

The Gutenberg–Richter equation gives the average number of earthquakes per

year, N , which have a magnitude of at least M . For a particular region the
equation is

log 10 N = a − M , for some a ∈ R.

This region has an average of 100 earthquakes per year with a magnitude of at
least 3.

(a) Find the value of a. [2]

The equation for this region can also be written as N .

b
= M
10

(b) Find the value of b. [2]

Within this region the most severe earthquake recorded had a magnitude of
7. 2.

(c) Find the average number of earthquakes in a year with a

magnitude of at least 7. 2. [1]

The number of earthquakes in a given year with a magnitude of at least 7. 2 can

be modelled by a Poisson distribution, with mean N . The number of
earthquakes in one year is independent of the number of earthquakes in any
other year.

Let Y be the number of years between the earthquake of magnitude 7. 2 and

the next earthquake of at least this magnitude.

(d) Find P(Y > 100). [3]

8. [Maximum mark: 5] 21N.1.AHL.TZ0.6
An infinite geometric sequence, with terms u n , is such that u 1 = 2 and
∞

Σ u k = 10.
k=1

(a) Find the common ratio, r, for the sequence. [2]

(b) Find the least value of n such that u n <

1
. [3]
2
9. [Maximum mark: 15] 19N.2.SL.TZ0.T_3
Maegan designs a decorative glass face for a new Fine Arts Centre. The glass face
is made up of small triangular panes. The first three levels of the glass face are
illustrated in the following diagram.

The 1st level, at the bottom of the glass face, has 5 triangular panes. The 2nd
level has 7 triangular panes, and the 3rd level has 9 triangular panes. Each
additional level has 2 more triangular panes than the level below it.

(a) Find the number of triangular panes in the 12th level. [3]

(b) Show that the total number of triangular panes, S n , in the first
n levels is given by:

+ 4n. [3]
2
Sn = n

(c) Hence, find the total number of panes in a glass face with 18
levels. [2]

Maegan has 1000 triangular panes to build the decorative glass face and does
not want it to have any incomplete levels.

(d) Find the maximum number of complete levels that Maegan

can build. [3]

(e) Each triangular pane has an area of 1. 84 m 2 .

 Find the total area of the decorative glass face, if the maximum
[4]
number of complete levels were built. Express your area to the
nearest m 2 .

10. [Maximum mark: 7] 19M.2.SL.TZ1.S_7

The first terms of an infinite geometric sequence, u n , are 2, 6, 18, 54, …

The first terms of a second infinite geometric sequence, v n , are 2, −6, 18, −54, …

The terms of a third sequence, w n , are defined as w n = un + vn .

(a) Write down the first three non-zero terms of w n . [3]

225 m

The finite series, ∑ wk , can also be written in the form ∑ 4r

k
.
k=1 k=0

(b.i) Find the value of r. [2]

(b.ii) Find the value of m. [2]

11. [Maximum mark: 6] 18N.2.SL.TZ0.S_5

The sum of an infinite geometric sequence is 33.25. The second term of
the sequence is 7.98. Find the possible values of r. [6]

12. [Maximum mark: 6] 18M.1.AHL.TZ1.H_5

2 2
Solve (ln x) − (ln 2) (ln x) < 2(ln 2) . [6]
13. [Maximum mark: 6] 18M.1.AHL.TZ1.H_5
2 2
Solve (ln x) − (ln 2) (ln x) < 2(ln 2) . [6]

14. [Maximum mark: 6] 18M.1.SL.TZ2.S_7

An arithmetic sequence has u 1 = log c (p) and u 2 = log c (pq), where

c > 1 and p, q > 0.

(b) 20

Let p = c
2
and q = c
3
. Find the value of ∑ un .
n=1
[6]

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