Pearson Edexcel International GCSE (9–1) · PHYSICS · Unit
Forces and Motion
367 practice questions
Topics covered
Practice questions
21–30 of 38 · Hard
Question 21
4 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →The diagram shows a metal block at rest on a horizontal table. Several forces act on the block. A downward force of 35 N acts on the block (its weight). The table exerts an upward force of 35 N (normal reaction).
(a)[2 marks]State and explain whether the forces on the block are balanced or unbalanced. Justify your answer using vector ideas.
(b)[2 marks]Describe what will happen to the block if an extra upward force of 10 N is applied to it.
Question 22
4 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →A student claims that temperature is a vector quantity. She says this because temperature can rise or fall, and you can measure how quickly it changes.
(a)[2 marks]Explain, with reasons, whether temperature is a vector or scalar quantity.
(b)[2 marks]Give two reasons why force is a vector quantity and not a scalar quantity.
Question 23
5 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →A student is testing the behaviour of a metal wire using the setup below. She measures its original length as 80.0 cm. She applies a series of increasing forces and records the following lengths:
Force / N Length / cm 0 80.0 2 80.4 4 80.8 6 81.2 8 81.6 10 82.8 (a)[2 marks]Calculate the extension produced by each applied force, entering your answers in cm.
(b)[3 marks]Identify between which two forces the wire most likely stops obeying Hooke’s law, and justify your answer using the data.
Question 24
5 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →A designer is choosing materials for a chair. The seat uses metal springs under a cushion, while the backrest is made of a plastic sheet. Both materials can be squashed or stretched slightly when someone sits on the chair.
(a)[3 marks]Explain why using springs with elastic behaviour is suitable for the seat, but the plastic sheet is less suitable if elastic behaviour is required for comfort.
(b)[2 marks]State one reason why it is important for the springs to return to their original shape after the load is removed.
Question 25
4 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →A football goalkeeper of mass 80 kg dives to stop a ball and comes to a stop in 0.15 s after making contact with the ground. Just before contact, the goalkeeper's horizontal speed is 5.2 m/s.
(a)[2 marks]Calculate the horizontal acceleration of the goalkeeper as he comes to rest.
(b)[2 marks]Calculate the magnitude of the unbalanced force acting on the goalkeeper during this time.
Question 26
3 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →A company wants to design an emergency stopping system for lightweight drones. The system applies the same unbalanced force to drones of different masses to bring them to a stop in emergencies.
Explain, using the formula , why lighter drones can be stopped more quickly than heavier drones by the same force. In your answer, refer to how acceleration depends on mass.
Question 27
4 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →A car travels at 50 mph on a wet road surface and an identical car travels at the same speed but on a dry road. Both drivers apply the brakes at the same time when they see an obstacle ahead.
(a)[2 marks]Explain why the car on the wet road will have a longer stopping distance. Refer to the forces involved in your answer.
(b)[2 marks]State two factors, apart from the road surface, that could increase the braking distance for both cars.
Question 28
3 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →A driver needs to stop suddenly when a traffic light turns red. The car is moving at a higher speed than usual, and the driver is very tired.
(a)[2 marks]Describe how the driver’s tiredness and the higher speed affect the thinking and braking distances.
(b)[1 mark]Explain the effect of these factors on the total stopping distance.
Question 29
3 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →The table below gives the thinking distance and braking distance for a car at two different speeds in ideal conditions.
Speed (mph) Thinking distance (m) Braking distance (m) 30 9 14 60 18 55 (a)[2 marks]Compare how thinking distance and braking distance change when the speed doubles from 30 mph to 60 mph.
(b)[1 mark]Explain why braking distance increases much more than thinking distance as speed increases.
Question 30
5 marks · Hard
Answer and see the solution →A student drops two objects of equal mass but different shapes (a smooth metal ball and a large feather) at the same time from the same height in a classroom. Assume air resistance is significant for the feather.
(a)[2 marks]State which object will reach the floor first and explain your answer.
(b)[3 marks]Describe, in terms of forces, what happens to the feather as it falls until it reaches its terminal velocity.