IGCSE Physics Motion topical questions

State the instrument you would choose for each measurement.

1. (a)The volume of a quantity of water[1]
2. (b)The length of a pencil[1]
3. (c)The time for a toy car to roll 1 m down a ramp[1]

Sort these quantities into scalars and vectors: distance, force, speed, weight, temperature, acceleration.

1. (a)Identify all the scalars.[2]
2. (b)Identify all the vectors.[2]

A cyclist rides 300 m along a straight road in 25 s.

1. (a)Write the equation linking speed, distance and time.[1]
2. (b)Calculate the cyclist’s average speed, in m/s.[2]

A student must find the average thickness of one sheet of paper. She measures a stack of 400 identical sheets with a rule and finds the stack is 4.8 cm thick.

1. (a)Explain why she measures 400 sheets rather than a single sheet.[2]
2. (b)Calculate the average thickness of one sheet, in millimetres.[2]

The distance–time graph for a delivery van has four sections: a straight sloping line, a horizontal line, a steeper straight sloping line, and a curve that becomes steeper.

1. (a)Describe the motion during the horizontal section.[1]
2. (b)Describe the motion during the section where the curve becomes steeper.[1]
3. (c)Explain which section shows the greatest speed.[2]

A car accelerates uniformly from rest to 18 m/s in 6.0 s, then travels at 18 m/s for a further 10 s.

1. (a)Calculate the acceleration during the first 6.0 s.[2]
2. (b)Calculate the distance travelled during the first 6.0 s.[1]
3. (c)Calculate the total distance travelled in the whole 16 s.[2]

A bag of cement has a mass of 25 kg. Take g = 9.8 N/kg.

1. (a)Explain the difference between the mass and the weight of the bag.[2]
2. (b)Calculate the weight of the bag near the Earth’s surface.[2]

A stone is dropped from rest from a bridge and hits the river 2.5 s later. Take g = 9.8 m/s² and ignore air resistance.

1. (a)Calculate the speed of the stone when it hits the water.[2]
2. (b)Explain why the stone’s acceleration stays at 9.8 m/s² even though its speed is increasing.[1]
3. (c)State and explain how air resistance would change the stone’s motion.[2]

A bus travels 1.2 km north along a straight road in 100 s, waits at traffic lights for 20 s, then travels a further 0.8 km north in 80 s.

1. (a)Calculate the total distance travelled by the bus, in metres.[1]
2. (b)Calculate the average speed for the whole journey, in m/s. Give your answer to 2 significant figures.[2]
3. (c)State the direction of the bus’s average velocity.[1]

A student investigates a pendulum. Timing a single swing gives unreliable results, so the student times 20 complete oscillations three times and obtains 27.6 s, 27.4 s and 27.2 s.

1. (a)Explain why timing 20 oscillations is more accurate than timing one.[2]
2. (b)Calculate the average period of one oscillation.[2]

A boat is pushed by a wind force of 5.0 N towards the east and a current force of 12 N towards the north, acting at right angles.

1. (a)Determine, by calculation, the size of the resultant force.[2]
2. (b)Describe the direction of the resultant.[1]
3. (c)State the value of the resultant if instead the two forces act along the same line in the same direction, and explain your answer.[2]

A glass marble has a mass of 5.2 g. A measuring cylinder contains 40 cm³ of water; when the marble is lowered in, the level rises to 42 cm³. Water has density 1.0 g/cm³.

1. (a)Explain why the rise in water level gives the volume of the marble.[2]
2. (b)Calculate the density of the glass.[2]
3. (c)A block of wood has density 0.60 g/cm³. Predict, with a reason, whether the wood floats on water.[2]

An empty measuring cylinder has a mass of 52 g. A liquid is poured in up to the 60 cm³ mark and the total mass becomes 116 g. A second liquid, which does not mix with the first, has a density of 1.4 g/cm³.

1. (a)Calculate the mass of the first liquid.[1]
2. (b)Calculate the density of the first liquid, in g/cm³, to 2 significant figures.[2]
3. (c)Convert your answer to kg/m³.[1]
4. (d)The two liquids are poured into the same beaker. State which liquid forms the top layer and justify your answer.[1]