GCSE Physics Forces & motion questions by topic

Sort each quantity into scalars or vectors.

1. (a)Distance.[1]
2. (b)Weight.[1]
3. (c)Speed.[1]
4. (d)Acceleration.[1]
5. (e)Energy.[1]

A skydiver falls with weight 700 N and air resistance 700 N.

1. (a)State the resultant force.[1]
2. (b)State the name for the skydiver’s motion at this moment.[1]
3. (c)The skydiver then opens the parachute and drag rises to 900 N. Calculate the new resultant.[1]
4. (d)State what happens to the skydiver’s speed after the parachute opens.[1]

Complete the sentences about Newton’s laws.

1. (a)Without a resultant force, an object keeps its … velocity.[1]
2. (b)The equation linking resultant force, mass and acceleration is F = …[1]
3. (c)Newton’s third law: forces act in equal and opposite …, on different …[2]

A cyclist accelerates from 4.0 m/s to 10 m/s in 12 s.

1. (a)Calculate the acceleration.[2]
2. (b)The cyclist and bike have mass 65 kg. Calculate the resultant force needed.[2]

A velocity–time graph shows a van: 0 to 8.0 m/s in 4.0 s, constant 8.0 m/s for 6.0 s, then back to 0 in 5.0 s.

1. (a)Calculate the acceleration during the first stage.[2]
2. (b)Calculate the total distance travelled.[3]
3. (c)Describe the van’s motion between 4.0 s and 10.0 s.[1]
4. (d)Calculate the deceleration during the final stage.[1]

A 1 500 kg car travels with an engine force of 3 000 N against 1 200 N of friction.

1. (a)Calculate the resultant force.[1]
2. (b)Calculate the acceleration.[2]
3. (c)The car reaches a speed where friction rises to 3 000 N. Describe its motion from then on.[2]
4. (d)State the name for this condition.[1]

This question is about the acceleration required practical.

1. (a)Describe how the force on the trolley is varied without changing the total mass.[2]
2. (b)State what the graphs of a against F and a against 1/m should show.[2]
3. (c)Explain why the runway is tilted slightly.[2]
4. (d)State one source of error.[1]

A student says: “The faster an object moves, the bigger the force needed to keep it moving at that speed.”

1. (a)Identify when the student is right.[2]
2. (b)Identify when the student is wrong.[2]
3. (c)Rewrite the statement correctly using Newton’s laws.[2]

A 900 kg racing car accelerates from rest to 42 m/s (about 150 km/h) in 7.0 s. The engine provides 6 200 N of thrust.

1. (a)Calculate the acceleration.[2]
2. (b)Calculate the resultant force needed.[2]
3. (c)Calculate the total resistive force acting.[2]
4. (d)The car later travels at constant 42 m/s. State its resultant force and the engine thrust required, with a reason.[2]

Two ice skaters, masses 60 kg and 40 kg, push off each other. The 40 kg skater moves away at 3.0 m/s. (You may use momentum ideas qualitatively.)

1. (a)Compare the forces each skater feels during the push.[2]
2. (b)Explain why the lighter skater moves off faster.[3]
3. (c)State the direction of each skater’s motion and name the law that guarantees the opposite directions.[2]

A student measures a trolley’s acceleration with a light-gate pair and gets these results for constant trolley mass.

1. (a)Describe the relationship shown and quote the evidence.[3]
2. (b)Explain why the accelerations are slightly less than F ÷ (trolley mass) would predict.[3]
3. (c)State one systematic improvement.[2]

A rocket of mass 20 000 kg lifts off with engines producing 260 000 N of upward thrust.

1. (a)Calculate the rocket’s weight (g = 9.8 N/kg).[2]
2. (b)Calculate the resultant force at lift-off.[2]
3. (c)Calculate the initial acceleration.[2]
4. (d)Explain why the acceleration grows as the rocket rises, even at constant thrust.[2]