Pearson Edexcel International GCSE (9–1) · PHYSICS · Chapter
Movement and Position
97 practice questions
Topics covered
Practice questions
1–10 of 10 · Hard
Question 1
3 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →A car is moving at a constant speed. The driver sees a red traffic light 120 m ahead and applies the brakes after 3 seconds. The car slows down uniformly and stops 10 seconds later, right at the light.
(a)[2 marks]Sketch a distance–time graph for the entire journey from the point where the driver sees the red light until the car stops (from 0 to 13 seconds). Label the axes and mark clearly when the car starts braking.
(b)[1 mark]State and explain how the slope of the graph changes during the braking period.
Question 2
3 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →A group of students investigate how a trolley moves down a ramp. They record the time taken for the trolley to travel different distances starting from rest.
Results collected by the students. Distance (m) Time (s) 0.5 2.0 1.0 2.8 1.5 3.4 (a)[2 marks]Using the table, calculate the average speed of the trolley between 0.5 m and 1.5 m.
(b)[1 mark]Explain why the average speed increases as the distance increases.
Question 3
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 4
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 5
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.
Question 6
3 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →A velocity–time graph is plotted for a skateboarder moving in a straight line. The table shows the velocity of the skateboarder at certain times:
Time / s Velocity / m/s 0 2 2 10 4 18 6 26 (a)[1 mark]Plot the four points for the velocity–time data on axes. Label both axes.
(b)[2 marks]Determine the gradient of the graph and use it to find the skateboarder’s acceleration.
Question 7
3 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →Describe, with reference to a velocity–time graph, how you would recognise when an object is decelerating and determine how to calculate the deceleration using the graph.
Question 8
5 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →The velocity–time graph below shows the motion of an object moving in a straight line over 12 seconds.
Velocity–time graph for an object (a)[4 marks]Calculate the total distance travelled by the object during the 12 seconds. Show your working using the area under the graph.
(b)[1 mark]Explain why the total distance travelled and the displacement of the object are equal or not equal for this motion.
Question 9
4 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →A trolley starts from rest and accelerates steadily. After 2 s, its velocity is 4 m/s, and after a further 3 s, its velocity is 10 m/s.
(a)[2 marks]Sketch a velocity–time graph for the motion of the trolley for the first 5 seconds.
(b)[2 marks]Calculate the total distance travelled by the trolley in 5 seconds by finding the total area under the velocity–time graph.
Question 10
4 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →A go-kart travels with constant velocity for 2 seconds, then slows down uniformly to a stop in the next 3 seconds.
(a)[2 marks]The initial velocity is 8 m/s. Draw a labelled velocity–time graph for the go-kart’s motion over the 5 seconds.
(b)[2 marks]Using your graph, calculate the total distance travelled by the go-kart during the 5 seconds. Show your working.