Motion and Forces | Edexcel GCSE Combined Science Physics, Higher tier (1SC0)
Motion and Forces
- 237 questions
- 14 subtopics
- Paper 5
- Paper 5
Motion and Forces is examined in Paper 5, Physics 1.
It covers scalar and vector quantities, examples of vectors and scalars, and velocity, speed, distance, time and distance-time graphs, acceleration and the equation v squared minus u squared, velocity-time graphs and free fall, measuring speed in the laboratory, and typical everyday speeds, Newton's first law, and investigating force, mass and acceleration, Newton's second and third laws, weight, mass and gravitational field strength, circular motion and centripetal force, inertial mass and momentum, collisions, and force as the rate of change of momentum, reaction time, stopping distance and large decelerations and factors affecting stopping distance and reaction time.
Sample questions from Motion and Forces
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Scalar and vector quantities
What is meant by a vector quantity?
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A vector quantity has both a magnitude and a specific direction. -
Examples of vectors and scalars, and velocity
A cyclist travels at 6 m/s due east. State the cyclist's velocity.
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The velocity is 6 m/s due east. -
Acceleration and the equation v squared minus u squared
What does a negative value of acceleration tell you about an object?
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It means the object is slowing down, which is a deceleration. -
Velocity-time graphs and free fall
A sprinter reaches 8 m/s from rest in 2 s. Estimate the acceleration and compare it with free fall.
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The acceleration is 4 m/s², which is less than half the acceleration in free fall. -
Newton's first law, and investigating force, mass and acceleration
In the trolley investigation into force, mass and acceleration, how is the accelerating force applied to the trolley?
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A hanging mass on a string over a pulley pulls the trolley, and the weight of that mass provides the force. -
Newton's second and third laws
State the principle of conservation of momentum.
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When no external force acts, the total momentum before a collision equals the total momentum after it. -
Circular motion and centripetal force
A car drives around a roundabout at a steady 8 m/s. Compare its speed and its velocity during the turn.
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The speed stays at 8 m/s, but the velocity changes because the direction changes. -
Inertial mass and momentum
Calculate the momentum of a 60 kg runner moving at 5 m/s.
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60 × 5 = 300 kg m/s.
The 14 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Scalar and vector quantities | Scalar and vector quantities, why mass, temperature and time are scalars, drawing a vector as an arrow, equal forces that cancel, distance versus displacement, speed versus velocity, and negative vector values. | 16 |
| Examples of vectors and scalars, and velocity | Which of distance, displacement, speed, velocity, acceleration, force, mass, weight, momentum and energy are scalars and which are vectors, then velocity as speed in a stated direction. | 11 |
| Speed, distance, time and distance-time graphs | The average speed equation and calculations with it, why a journey speed is an average, and what gradients, horizontal lines, curves and tangents on a distance–time graph show. | 14 |
| Acceleration and the equation v squared minus u squared | The acceleration equation and its unit, calculating acceleration, deceleration, final velocity and time, and using (final velocity)² − (initial velocity)² = 2 × acceleration × distance to find speeds, decelerations and distances. | 13 |
| Velocity-time graphs and free fall | What the gradient and the area under a velocity–time graph give, reading acceleration and deceleration from the line, the 10 m/s² acceleration of free fall, and straight-line graphs of the form y = mx + c, with v = u + at as an example. | 19 |
| Measuring speed in the laboratory, and typical everyday speeds | Measuring speed with light gates or a metre rule and stopwatch, typical speeds for walking, running, cycling, cars, wind and sound, then accuracy, precision, repeatable and reproducible results, and random, systematic and zero errors. | 20 |
| Newton's first law, and investigating force, mass and acceleration | Newton's first law and resultant force, forces on objects at rest or at constant velocity, the trolley investigation into force, mass and acceleration with its variables, errors and safety, and writing hypotheses, plotting graphs and drawing conclusions. | 26 |
| Newton's second and third laws | Force = mass × acceleration and calculations with it, how acceleration depends on force and mass, Newton's third law and its equal and opposite force pairs, conservation of momentum in collisions between trolleys and balls, and the proportionality symbol ∝. | 19 |
| Weight, mass and gravitational field strength | Weight as a gravitational force, weight = mass × gravitational field strength with calculations on Earth, the Moon and Mars, the difference between mass and weight, measuring weight with a newtonmeter, and what 10 N/kg means. | 18 |
| Circular motion and centripetal force | Why velocity changes in circular motion at constant speed, what a centripetal force is and where it acts, and gravity, friction and tension as the forces providing it. | 11 |
| Inertial mass and momentum | Inertial mass as a measure of how hard it is to change velocity and as force divided by acceleration, then momentum as mass × velocity, its unit kg m/s, calculations with it and why it is a vector. | 12 |
| Collisions, and force as the rate of change of momentum | Momentum in coupling trucks, snooker balls, skaters and a recoiling rifle, force as change in momentum over time, and how crumple zones and air bags lengthen that time. | 11 |
| Reaction time, stopping distance and large decelerations | Measuring reaction time with a ruler drop or a computer, thinking, braking and stopping distance, why large decelerations injure, seat belts, skidding and hot brakes, estimating braking forces, then mean, range, uncertainty, anomalies, median and mode. | 29 |
| Factors affecting stopping distance and reaction time | How speed, mass, road conditions and worn brakes or tyres affect stopping distance, how tiredness, alcohol, drugs and distractions lengthen reaction time, and showing reaction times in frequency tables, histograms, bar charts and scatter diagrams, with correlation and causation. | 18 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
Edexcel GCSE Combined Science Physics, Higher tier Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 1,449 questions with their answers.