OCR GCSE Combined Science Physics, Foundation tier sample questions and answers (J250)
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40 sample questions and answers
Taken from every topic of OCR GCSE Combined Science Physics, Foundation tier, specification J250. The full guide has 1,084.
Paper 5 (Physics)
Electricity
161 questions in the guide, across 10 subtopics. More from this topic
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Charge, and producing static electricity
An object has more electrons than protons. What is the sign of its overall charge?
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Negative, because the negative charge is no longer balanced by the positive charge. -
Transfer of electrons in charging and discharging
A polythene rod is rubbed with a cloth and becomes negatively charged. Explain what has happened.
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Electrons have been transferred from the cloth onto the rod, giving the rod more electrons than protons. -
Current as a rate of flow of charge
A closed loop of copper wire on its own carries no current. Which condition is missing?
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There is no source of potential difference to push the charge round. -
Charge, current and time
A charge of 90 C passes a point in 30 s. What is the current?
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3 A, because 90 C ÷ 30 s = 3 A. -
Series and parallel circuits, and circuit symbols
A cell supplies two branches, one carrying 0.4 A and the other 0.6 A. What current comes out of the cell?
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1.0 A, because the branch currents add up to the current from the cell.
Paper 6 (Physics)
Energy
94 questions in the guide, across 6 subtopics. More from this topic
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Conservation of energy, and energy stores
A toy car is given a push along a bench and eventually stops. Account for its energy as a closed system.
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The energy in its kinetic store has been transferred to the thermal stores of the car, the bench and the air, so the total is unchanged. -
Conservation of energy, and energy stores
A constant force pushes a trolley along a smooth level track. Describe the change in the way energy is stored.
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The force does work on the trolley, filling its kinetic store as it speeds up. -
Energy changes on heating, and calculating them
A heavy box is dragged at a steady speed across a rough floor. Describe the energy change taking place.
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Work is done against friction, transferring energy to the thermal stores of the box, the floor and the surrounding air. -
Energy changes on heating, and calculating them
A heater draws a current of 5 A from a 230 V supply for 60 s. How much energy is transferred?
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69000 J. -
Energy of a moving body, a spring and a raised object
A trolley of mass 8 kg has 100 J in its kinetic store. What is its speed?
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5 m/s.
Paper 5 (Physics)
Forces
255 questions in the guide, across 15 subtopics. More from this topic
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Measuring distance and time, and calculating speed
A cyclist travels 450 m in 30 s. What is her average speed?
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450 ÷ 30 = 15 m/s. -
Converting units, and rates
Give the powers of ten for the prefixes deci, centi, milli, micro and nano.
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Deci is 10⁻¹, centi is 10⁻², milli is 10⁻³, micro is 10⁻⁶ and nano is 10⁻⁹. -
Distance-time and velocity-time graphs
A distance–time graph curves upwards, getting steeper and steeper. What is happening to the motion?
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The object is speeding up, because the gradient and therefore the speed is increasing. -
Average speed, and the equations of uniform motion
Describe how two light gates can be used to measure the acceleration of a trolley running down a ramp.
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Fix a card of known length to the trolley; each gate times how long the card takes to pass, giving a speed at each gate of card length ÷ time, and the time to travel between the gates is recorded, so acceleration = change in speed ÷ that time. -
Newton's first law
What three changes to an object's motion can a resultant force produce?
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It can make the object speed up, slow down, or change direction.
Paper 6 (Physics)
Global Challenges
145 questions in the guide, across 8 subtopics. More from this topic
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Typical speeds and everyday accelerations
What does an acceleration of 2 m/s² mean in words?
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The speed increases by 2 m/s during every second. -
Reaction time, stopping distance and the dangers of large decelerations
What is meant by the braking distance of a vehicle?
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The distance travelled while the braking force acts, from the brakes being applied until the vehicle stops. -
Stopping distance, acceleration and collision force calculations
Estimate the resultant force on a 1000 kg car that is accelerating at 4 m/s².
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4000 N. -
Energy resources, and trends in their use
Why is biofuel counted as renewable when burning it releases carbon dioxide?
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The crops or waste it is made from can be regrown, and growing plants absorb carbon dioxide, so the resource is replaced as it is used. -
The national grid, and step-up and step-down transformers
What is a substation used for?
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It houses transformers that lower the potential difference so the electricity can be distributed locally.
Paper 5 (Physics)
Magnetism and Magnetic Fields
55 questions in the guide, across 3 subtopics. More from this topic
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Permanent and induced magnets, and magnetic poles
Describe the field lines in the gap when a north pole and a south pole are placed facing each other.
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They run straight across the gap from the north pole to the south pole, linking the two magnets together. -
Permanent and induced magnets, and magnetic poles
Why is a steel paperclip attracted to a bar magnet whichever pole is offered to it?
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The paperclip becomes an induced magnet with the pole nearest the magnet always opposite to it, so the force is always attraction. -
Magnetic fields, and the dipping compass
How does a plotting compass show the direction of a magnetic field at a point?
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Its needle turns until the north end points along the field line at that point. -
Magnetic fields, and the dipping compass
Explain why the behaviour of a dipping compass is evidence that the Earth's field comes from inside the planet.
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The needle points down into the ground, so the field lines must run into the Earth itself rather than come from something outside it. -
The magnetic effect of a current, and solenoids
What two things decide the strength of the magnetic field at a point near a straight current-carrying wire?
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The size of the current and the distance from the wire.
Paper 5 (Physics)
Matter
146 questions in the guide, across 7 subtopics. More from this topic
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How the atomic model changed, and the structure of the atom
Why do accepted scientific models such as the model of the atom change over time?
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New experimental evidence appears that the existing model cannot explain, so the model has to be revised or replaced. -
How the atomic model changed, and the structure of the atom
What is a hypothesis?
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A proposed explanation for an observation, based on scientific knowledge, from which a prediction can be made and tested by experiment. -
The size of atoms, and defining density
Why are the sizes of atoms usually written in standard form?
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Their size is about 1 × 10⁻¹⁰ m, which written out in full as a decimal would be a long and awkward number. -
The size of atoms, and defining density
Two objects have the same volume but different masses. Which has the greater density?
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The one with the greater mass, because density is mass per unit volume. -
Density of the states of matter, and density calculations
How is the density relationship rearranged to find volume?
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Volume is equal to mass divided by density.
Paper 6 (Physics)
Radioactivity
97 questions in the guide, across 7 subtopics. More from this topic
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Protons, neutrons and isotopes
What is an isotope?
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An isotope is an atom of an element that has the usual number of protons but a different number of neutrons. -
Protons, neutrons and isotopes
When a nucleus is written in the conventional way, what does the atomic number tell you?
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It gives the number of protons in the nucleus, which identifies the element. -
Unstable nuclei and the emissions they give out
What is the charge on an alpha particle?
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It has a charge of +2, because it carries two protons and no electrons. -
Unstable nuclei and the emissions they give out
How do the mass and charge of a nucleus change when it emits gamma radiation?
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Neither changes, because gamma emission removes only energy from the nucleus. -
Balancing nuclear equations
Which two totals must be the same on both sides of a nuclear decay equation?
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The total mass number and the total charge must be the same on each side.
Paper 6 (Physics)
Waves in Matter
131 questions in the guide, across 10 subtopics. More from this topic
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Amplitude, wavelength, frequency and period
How does the amplitude of a wave relate to the energy it transfers?
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A wave of larger amplitude transfers more energy. -
The wave equation
What does the velocity of a wave tell you?
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It tells you the distance the wave travels each second. -
Transverse and longitudinal waves
What are the two kinds of region found along a longitudinal wave called?
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Compressions and rarefactions. -
Modelling waves with ripples and sound
Describe how two microphones and a timer can be used to measure the speed of sound in a laboratory.
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Place the microphones a measured distance apart in line with the source and record the time between the sound reaching each one, then divide the separation by that time. -
Electromagnetic waves as transverse, and energy transfer
In an electromagnetic wave, in what direction are the oscillations?
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At right angles to the direction in which the wave is travelling.
OCR GCSE Combined Science Physics, Foundation tier Active Recall Guide
The other 1,044 questions, with the answers printed after each section.