Physics Interview questions

try the cambridge forum - we don't want to help prospective tabs :p:

Reply 2

oxymoron

7

Hoofbeat

try the cambridge forum - we don't want to help prospective tabs :p:

Ignore her, she's in a hate the world mood! :rolleyes:

Erm, they might ask you anything really - maths and physics questions. One I heard was a discussion of roller coaster ... they just asked to talk about the physics behind roller coasters and then saw where the discussion went!

Reply 3

I had some mathsey ones (eg I was given a circuit and asked to derive current, power and pd expressions, then asked to calculate resistance of max power), and some logic/thought ones ("How many planes are in the sky at any one time?").

I also got some music ones, as I did a bit of music in my spare time... "Why does a violin sound different to a piano?", "What's the largest organ pipe needed to produce the lowest audible note?"

Reply 4

I had roller coaster questions at Oxford too.

I know Simon doesn't agree with me to an extent, but I think NatSci interviews at cambridge are different from Oxford ones. At Oxford for Physics I was asked a variety of stuff (but then I did have 4 interviews!!!): escape velocity of objects, working our GP series for a bouncing ball dropped from a height, strings moving on guitars, rollercoasts, how resistors should be arranged for a fire to produce the most heat/power....can't think of anything else off the top of my head. Just know your A-Level stuff solidly and then you'll be able to apply it to any situations they ask you about...you can't really prepare any other way!

Reply 5

oxymoron

7

K'uin K'ra

and some logic/thought ones ("How many planes are in the sky at any one time?")

They seem to like those strange ones ...
How many ashtrays are there in the all the restaurants in Oxford? is another one!

Reply 6

oxymoron

How many ashtrays are there in the all the restaurants in Oxford? is another one!

No that was from our 0th week problem sheet in MT04!!!

Reply 7

oxymoron

7

Hoofbeat

No that was from our 0th week problem sheet in MT04!!!

I know, but could easily be an interview question!

Reply 8

oxymoron

They seem to like those strange ones ...
How many ashtrays are there in the all the restaurants in Oxford? is another one!

We had to do that one on the first day! :p:

Another is how many piano tuners are there in Oxford?

Reply 9

Also, do you remember that bouncing ball question you got in the first week or so, Chloé? I had that in my first interview... :frown:

Reply 10

K'uin K'ra

Also, do you remember that bouncing ball question you got in the first week or so, Chloé? I had that in my first interview... :frown:

awwww....did it involve steps? cuz i had a bouncing ball one in interview at St Hilda's but it didn't involve steps.

Reply 11

Hoofbeat

awwww....did it involve steps? cuz i had a bouncing ball one in interview at St Hilda's but it didn't involve steps.

Yes, it did. Perfectly elastic ball bouncing down steps.

Had to prove it couldn't bounce on every step, and also give the number of steps it will bounce on before it skips one.

Reply 12

Christophicus

18

oxymoron

They seem to like those strange ones ...
How many ashtrays are there in the all the restaurants in Oxford? is another one!

that question sucks cos it isn't even subject related! I suppose if you knew the number of restaurants in oxford that would help. :rolleyes:

Reply 13