Pearson Edexcel International GCSE (9–1) · PHYSICS · Section
The difference between speed and velocity
20 practice questions
Practice questions
11–20 of 20
Question 11
2 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →State the difference between speed and velocity.
Question 12
3 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →The distance-time data for a moving object is shown below.
Time / s Distance / m 0.0 0.0 1.0 2.5 2.0 5.0 3.0 7.5 4.0 10.0 (a)[2 marks]Calculate the speed of the object.
(b)[1 mark]Give the correct unit for speed.
Question 13
3 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →A car travels at a constant speed of 20 m/s north and then turns to travel 20 m/s east. Explain how its speed and velocity change.
Question 14
4 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →A runner accelerates from rest to a speed of 6 m/s in 3 s.
(a)[1 mark]State the initial velocity of the runner.
(b)[2 marks]Calculate the acceleration.
(c)[1 mark]State the SI unit for acceleration.
Question 15
3 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →A car slows down from 18 m/s to 6 m/s in 4 seconds. Calculate its acceleration.
Question 16
2 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →Explain why velocity is a vector quantity but speed is a scalar quantity.
Question 17
4 marks · Normal
Answer and see the solution →A boat travels at a constant speed of 5 m/s across a river that is 100 m wide. The current flows east at 3 m/s, and the boat points directly north (perpendicular to the current).
Explain the difference between the speed of the boat and its velocity as it crosses the river. Give your answer in terms of scalar and vector quantities, and describe the actual path of the boat across the river.
Question 18
4 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →A cyclist travels in a straight line and accelerates from an initial velocity of to a final velocity of in 3.0 seconds. Calculate the cyclist’s acceleration. Explain what the negative and positive signs of velocity indicate, and describe what happens to the cyclist’s motion over this time.
Question 19
5 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →A hiker takes a trip starting at point X, walking 2.0 km east to point Y, then 1.5 km north to point Z, all in a total time of 45 minutes.
(a)[2 marks]Calculate the hiker’s average speed for the journey. Give your answer in km/h.
(b)[3 marks]Calculate the hiker’s average velocity for the journey. Give your answer as a magnitude in km/h and a compass direction from X to Z (to the nearest degree).
Question 20
4 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →The velocity–time graph below shows the motion of a motorbike travelling in a straight line for 12 s. Use this information to answer the questions.
Velocity–time graph for a motorbike (a)[2 marks]Describe the motion of the motorbike from 0 to 2 seconds, and from 2 to 6 seconds.
(b)[2 marks]Calculate the acceleration of the motorbike from 6 to 10 seconds.