Edexcel GCSE Physics, Higher tier sample questions and answers (1PH0)
Guide overview All topics Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
45 sample questions and answers
Taken from every topic of Edexcel GCSE Physics, Higher tier, specification 1PH0. The full guide has 2,063.
Paper 1, Paper 2
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).
Paper 1
Motion and Forces
249 questions in the guide, across 15 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.
Paper 1
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.
Paper 1
Waves
139 questions in the guide, across 9 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. -
Frequency, wavelength, amplitude and period
Name the unit in which wavelength is measured.
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Wavelength is measured in metres, m. -
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 1
Light and the Electromagnetic Spectrum
194 questions in the guide, across 13 subtopics. More from this topic
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Reflection, refraction and total internal reflection
Define total internal reflection.
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Total internal reflection is when light meeting a boundary from inside the denser material is entirely reflected back and none escapes. -
Why objects appear coloured
State the colour a white shirt appears when it is lit only by red light.
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It appears red, because red is the only colour available for it to reflect. -
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.
Paper 1
Radioactivity
304 questions in the guide, across 23 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
A neutral atom has 15 protons. How many electrons does it have?
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It has 15 electrons. -
Types of ionising radiation
Which type of nuclear radiation is an uncharged particle thrown out of the nucleus?
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Neutron radiation.
Paper 1
Astronomy
129 questions in the guide, across 10 subtopics. More from this topic
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Weight and gravitational field strength on other bodies
State the two properties of a planet that determine the gravitational field strength at its surface.
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The mass of the planet and its radius, which sets how far the surface is from the planet's centre. -
The Solar System and the order of the planets
Name one dwarf planet in our Solar System.
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Pluto. -
How ideas about the Solar System and ways of observing it have changed
How were the shapes of the planets' paths corrected after the first Sun-centred model was proposed?
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Perfectly circular paths were replaced by slightly elliptical orbits, which matched the observed positions of the planets far better.
Paper 2
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.
Paper 2
Forces and Their Effects
72 questions in the guide, across 6 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.
Paper 2
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.
Paper 2
Static Electricity
65 questions in the guide, across 4 subtopics. More from this topic
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Charging by friction, and attraction and repulsion
Explain why an acetate rod and a cloth must be rubbed together rather than simply touched once to charge the rod.
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Rubbing brings the surfaces into close contact many times, so far more electrons are transferred. -
Charging by friction, and attraction and repulsion
State what happens when two negatively charged spheres are brought close together.
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They repel each other. -
Electrostatic phenomena and earthing
Explain why a balloon charged by rubbing sticks to a wall that has no overall charge.
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The balloon repels like charges deeper into the wall, leaving an opposite charge on the surface that attracts the balloon.
Paper 2
Magnetism and the Motor Effect
96 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.
Paper 2
Electromagnetic Induction
81 questions in the guide, across 8 subtopics. More from this topic
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Inducing a current by moving a magnet
Explain why a current flows in a coil only while a magnet is being moved into it.
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A potential difference is induced only while the magnetic field passing through the coil is changing. -
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. -
Alternators and microphones
Describe how the output of a dynamo changes during one complete rotation of its coil.
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It rises to a peak and falls to zero twice, but it never reverses direction.
Paper 2
Particle Model
125 questions in the guide, across 10 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.
Paper 2
Forces and Matter
108 questions in the guide, across 8 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. -
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. -
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 Physics, Higher tier Active Recall Guide
The other 2,018 questions, with the answers printed after each section.