Edexcel GCSE Combined Science Physics, Higher tier sample questions and answers (1SC0)
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65 sample questions and answers
Taken from every topic of Edexcel GCSE Combined Science Physics, Higher tier, specification 1SC0. The full guide has 1,449.
Paper 5, Paper 6
Key Concepts of Physics
30 questions in the guide, across 3 subtopics. More from this topic
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SI units in physics
Name the unit of time and give its symbol.
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Time is measured in seconds, symbol s. -
SI units in physics
Give the units of electric current, potential difference and resistance.
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Current is measured in amperes (A), potential difference in volts (V) and resistance in ohms (Ω). -
Multiples and sub-multiples of units
What do the prefixes centi and milli stand for?
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Centi means one hundredth (10⁻²) and milli means one thousandth (10⁻³). -
Multiples and sub-multiples of units
A radio station broadcasts at a frequency of 98 MHz. Give this frequency in hertz.
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98 MHz is 98 × 10⁶ Hz, which is 9.8 × 10⁷ Hz. -
Converting units, significant figures and standard form
A mass of 750 g is recorded on a balance. Give this mass in kilograms.
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750 g is 0.75 kg.
Paper 5
Motion and Forces
237 questions in the guide, across 14 subtopics. More from this topic
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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.
Paper 5
Conservation of Energy
103 questions in the guide, across 7 subtopics. More from this topic
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Gravitational potential and kinetic energy
Explain why only the vertical height, and not the distance travelled along a ramp, is used to calculate a change in gravitational potential energy.
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Gravitational potential energy depends on how far the object is raised against gravity, which is the vertical height. -
Gravitational potential and kinetic energy
Calculate the kinetic energy of a 0.4 kg ball moving at 5 m/s.
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KE = ½ × 0.4 × 5² = 5 J. -
Energy transfer diagrams and conservation of energy
State what the total width of all the output arrows of a Sankey diagram must equal.
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It must equal the width of the input arrow, because energy is conserved. -
Energy transfer diagrams and conservation of energy
A student says that a car's energy is used up when the car brakes. Explain why this statement is wrong.
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The energy is not used up but transferred to the thermal stores of the brakes and the surroundings. -
Energy stores and closed systems
Explain why a hammer head becomes warm after it has repeatedly struck a nail.
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Each impact transfers energy from the kinetic store of the hammer to the thermal stores of the hammer, the nail and the wood.
Paper 5
Waves
92 questions in the guide, across 6 subtopics. More from this topic
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What waves transfer, and the evidence for it
A loudspeaker fills a room with sound. Explain why the listener feels no wind coming from it.
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The air particles only vibrate to and fro about fixed positions, so energy crosses the room but the air itself does not. -
What waves transfer, and the evidence for it
Explain how dust suspended in front of a loudspeaker shows that sound does not carry air along with it.
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The dust jiggles backwards and forwards about one position instead of being blown steadily away from the loudspeaker. -
Frequency, wavelength, amplitude and period
Name the unit in which wavelength is measured.
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Wavelength is measured in metres, m. -
Frequency, wavelength, amplitude and period
State the relationship between the period and the frequency of a wave.
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The period is one divided by the frequency, so a higher frequency means a shorter period. -
Longitudinal and transverse waves
Name the two regions found in a longitudinal wave.
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Compressions, where the particles are pushed together, and rarefactions, where they are spread apart.
Paper 5
Light and the Electromagnetic Spectrum
104 questions in the guide, across 8 subtopics. More from this topic
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Properties of electromagnetic waves
Explain why light from a distant star reaches the Earth across empty space but the star's sound cannot.
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Light is an electromagnetic wave that travels through a vacuum, while sound needs particles to carry it. -
Investigating refraction in glass blocks
State the independent and dependent variables when refraction in a rectangular glass block is investigated.
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The angle of incidence is changed and the angle of refraction is measured. -
The groups of the electromagnetic spectrum
Name the group of the electromagnetic spectrum that lies between radio waves and infrared.
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Microwaves. -
The continuous spectrum, and what our eyes can detect
Compare the frequency of ultraviolet with the frequency of infrared.
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Ultraviolet has the higher frequency, because it lies nearer the gamma ray end of the spectrum. -
Absorption, transmission and the velocity of electromagnetic waves
State how the speed of an electromagnetic wave in glass compares with its speed in a vacuum.
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It travels more slowly in the glass than in a vacuum.
Paper 5
Radioactivity
201 questions in the guide, across 16 subtopics. More from this topic
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The atom and the size of atoms
Why is almost all the mass of an atom concentrated in its nucleus?
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Protons and neutrons are nearly two thousand times more massive than electrons, and both sit in the nucleus. -
Relative masses and charges of subatomic particles
How does a positron compare with an electron?
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A positron has the same tiny mass as an electron but the opposite, positive charge. -
Forming ions, and how the atomic model changed
Describe the plum pudding model of the atom.
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It pictured an atom as a ball of positive charge with negative electrons dotted through it. -
Background radiation and detecting radioactivity
Name three natural sources of background radiation that originate on Earth.
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Rocks and soil, building materials such as granite, and food and drink. -
Beta-minus and beta-plus decay
Which nuclei are likely to decay by β⁻ emission?
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Nuclei that have too many neutrons compared with their number of protons.
Paper 6
Energy - Forces Doing Work
98 questions in the guide, across 7 subtopics. More from this topic
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Energy stores and energy transfer diagrams
Describe the change in energy stores as a bouncing ball rises after hitting the ground.
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Energy is transferred from the elastic potential store of the squashed ball to its kinetic and gravitational potential stores. -
Energy stores and energy transfer diagrams
Explain why the total energy of a sealed, insulated box of moving marbles does not change as the marbles collide.
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No energy crosses the boundary, so the energy simply moves between kinetic and thermal stores inside the box. -
Changing a system's energy, and measuring work done
Explain why pushing a car and switching on an electric heater are both described as changing the energy of a system.
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Both transfer energy into the system, one through a force doing work and the other by heating. -
Changing a system's energy, and measuring work done
Give the unit in which work done is measured.
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The joule, J. -
Work done and the energy changes it causes
Explain why no work is done on a bag that is carried horizontally at a steady height.
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The upward force supporting the bag acts at right angles to the motion, so there is no movement in the direction of that force.
Paper 6
Forces and Their Effects
44 questions in the guide, across 4 subtopics. More from this topic
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Contact and non-contact forces
Give an example of two objects interacting through an electrostatic field.
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A charged plastic rod attracts small polystyrene balls without touching them. -
Contact and non-contact forces
Give two examples of contact forces.
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The normal contact force from a surface and friction between two surfaces. -
Vectors and scalars, and reducing friction
Explain why speed is a scalar quantity but velocity is a vector quantity.
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Speed states only how fast something moves, whereas velocity also states the direction of motion. -
Vectors and scalars, and reducing friction
Describe what happens to the friction force at a door hinge after oil is applied to it.
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The friction force becomes smaller. -
Resolving forces and free body diagrams
Describe what a scale vector diagram of the forces on an object looks like when that object is in equilibrium.
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The arrows drawn end to end form a closed shape that returns to the starting point.
Paper 6
Electricity and Circuits
270 questions in the guide, across 20 subtopics. More from this topic
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The atom, and drawing circuit diagrams
Why is almost all the mass of an atom concentrated in a tiny part of its volume?
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The protons and neutrons carry nearly all the mass and are packed into the nucleus, which is far smaller than the whole atom. -
Potential difference and the voltmeter
A charge of 1 C passes through a resistor and 6 J are transferred. What is the potential difference across the resistor?
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The potential difference is 6 V, because 6 J are transferred for each coulomb. -
Resistance and the equation V = IR
What unit is resistance measured in, and what is its symbol?
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Resistance is measured in ohms, symbol Ω. -
Designing circuits to test components
How can a circuit be used to show that a diode conducts in one direction only?
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The current is measured with the diode one way round and then with its connections reversed, and it is almost zero one way round. -
Light-dependent resistors and thermistors
Name one everyday device that uses a light-dependent resistor to respond to changing light levels.
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An automatic outdoor lighting circuit or a camera light meter uses a light-dependent resistor.
Paper 6
Magnetism and the Motor Effect
89 questions in the guide, across 8 subtopics. More from this topic
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Magnetic poles, permanent and induced magnets
Explain why attraction to a magnet does not show that an iron nail has been magnetised.
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An unmagnetised piece of iron is attracted to a magnet as well. -
Uses of magnetic materials
Explain why the core of an electromagnet is made of iron rather than steel.
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Iron magnetises strongly and loses almost all its magnetism as soon as the current is switched off. -
The magnetic field around a bar magnet
State where the magnetic field of a bar magnet is strongest.
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It is strongest at the poles. -
Plotting compasses and the Earth's magnetic field
Describe what a row of plotting compasses shows when they are placed on a bench far from any magnet.
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They all settle pointing the same way, along the Earth's magnetic field. -
The magnetic effect of an electric current
State what happens to the magnetic field around a straight wire when the direction of the current is reversed.
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The field lines circle the wire in the opposite direction.
Paper 6
Electromagnetic Induction
39 questions in the guide, across 4 subtopics. More from this topic
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Factors affecting an induced potential difference
Describe how the direction of the induced current changes when a magnet is pulled out of a coil instead of pushed into it.
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The induced current flows in the opposite direction. -
Factors affecting an induced potential difference
Explain why a force must be applied to push a magnet into a coil that is part of a complete circuit.
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The induced current makes a magnetic field that repels the approaching magnet, so it must be pushed against that field. -
How a transformer works
State the purpose of the iron core in a transformer.
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It carries the changing magnetic field from the primary coil across to the secondary coil. -
How a transformer works
State what a transformer does to an alternating voltage.
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It changes the size of the voltage, making it either larger or smaller. -
The national grid, and step-up and step-down transformers
State the effect of transferring electrical energy at high voltage on the efficiency of the transmission network.
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The efficiency is higher, because less of the energy is wasted heating the cables.
Paper 6
Particle Model
96 questions in the guide, across 8 subtopics. More from this topic
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Kinetic theory and differences in density
Explain why a solid keeps a fixed shape while a liquid takes the shape of its container.
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Solid particles are held in fixed positions by strong forces, while liquid particles are free to move past each other. -
Calculating density, and investigating it
Calculate the mass of 0.25 m³ of water, which has a density of 1000 kg/m³.
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Mass = 1000 × 0.25 = 250 kg. -
Changes of state and internal energy
State what happens to the total mass of a substance when it melts.
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It stays the same, because mass is conserved during a change of state. -
Specific heat capacity
Give the main difference between specific heat capacity and specific latent heat.
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Specific heat capacity concerns a temperature change with no change of state, while specific latent heat concerns a change of state at constant temperature. -
Specific latent heat and thermal insulation
Melting 2.0 kg of a solid at its melting point requires 6.8 × 10⁵ J. Calculate its specific latent heat of fusion.
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Specific latent heat = 6.8 × 10⁵ ÷ 2.0 = 3.4 × 10⁵ J/kg.
Paper 6
Forces and Matter
46 questions in the guide, across 3 subtopics. More from this topic
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Elastic and inelastic distortion
Describe the forces needed to bend a metre rule that is supported at both ends.
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An upward force at each end together with a downward force in the middle, acting in opposing directions. -
Elastic and inelastic distortion
Give one everyday example of an elastic distortion.
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Stretching a rubber band, which springs back to its original length when released. -
Spring constant, and linear and non-linear behaviour
A force of 12 N stretches a spring by 0.040 m. Calculate the spring constant.
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Spring constant = 12 ÷ 0.040 = 300 N/m. -
Spring constant, and linear and non-linear behaviour
Describe how a graph of force against extension changes once the behaviour of a spring becomes non-linear.
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The line curves away from the straight part instead of continuing straight. -
Work done in stretching a spring
State the independent and dependent variables when investigating how the extension of a spring depends on the applied force.
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The force applied is the independent variable and the extension is the dependent variable.
Edexcel GCSE Combined Science Physics, Higher tier Active Recall Guide
The other 1,384 questions, with the answers printed after each section.