OCR GCSE Combined Science Physics, Higher 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, Higher tier, specification J250. The full guide has 1,222.
Paper 11 (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 12 (Physics)
Energy
101 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 11 (Physics)
Forces
320 questions in the guide, across 19 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. -
Vectors and scalars in motion
Which of speed and velocity is the vector, and what extra information does it carry?
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Velocity is the vector, and it carries the direction of travel as well as the size of the speed. -
Average speed, and the equations of uniform motion
A train covers 60 km at an average speed of 25 m/s. How long does the journey take?
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60000 ÷ 25 = 2400 s, which is 40 minutes. -
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. -
Resultant forces, and balanced forces
What does a resultant force do to an object that starts at rest?
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It makes the object begin to accelerate in the direction of the resultant.
Paper 12 (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 11 (Physics)
Magnetism and Magnetic Fields
89 questions in the guide, across 5 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 11 (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 12 (Physics)
Radioactivity
105 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 12 (Physics)
Waves in Matter
155 questions in the guide, across 12 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
Water waves travel at 0.2 m/s with a frequency of 4 Hz. What is their wavelength?
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The wavelength is 0.05 m, because 0.2 ÷ 4 = 0.05. -
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
Describe the energy transfer when sunlight falls on a solar cell.
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Light from the Sun is absorbed by the cell, which transfers the energy to an electrical circuit. -
What our eyes detect, and light as an electromagnetic wave
Roughly how much of the whole electromagnetic spectrum can we see?
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Only a very small part of it.
OCR GCSE Combined Science Physics, Higher tier Active Recall Guide
The other 1,182 questions, with the answers printed after each section.