OCR GCSE Physics A, Foundation tier sample questions and answers (J249)
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40 sample questions and answers
Taken from every topic of OCR GCSE Physics A, Foundation tier, specification J249. The full guide has 1,303.
Paper 1
Electricity
169 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, and electric fields
Why are the charges on the two objects always equal in size and opposite in sign after rubbing?
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No charge is created or destroyed; the electrons one object gains are exactly the electrons the other object loses. -
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 2
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 1
Forces
309 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. -
Force and the time taken to change velocity
Why does taking longer to bring a moving object to rest reduce the force acting on it?
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The same change of velocity spread over a longer time gives a smaller acceleration, and force is mass × acceleration.
Paper 2
Global Challenges
195 questions in the guide, across 11 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. -
Estimating stopping distances and the forces in a collision
Explain why braking distance grows so much faster than speed.
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The energy in the car's kinetic store depends on the square of its speed, so at double the speed four times as much energy must be removed by the same braking force, over four times the distance. -
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 1
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 1
Matter
178 questions in the guide, across 9 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. -
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. -
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. -
Conservation of mass in changes of state
What happens to the total mass of a substance when it melts, and why?
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The mass is unchanged, because exactly the same particles are still present and none are created or destroyed. -
Heating a system, and specific heat capacity
A beaker of water is heated steadily. Its temperature rises until it boils and then stops rising. Explain why.
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Before boiling the energy raises the kinetic energy of the particles, but at the boiling point it separates the particles instead, so the temperature holds steady.
Paper 2
Radioactivity
131 questions in the guide, across 9 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. -
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. -
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. -
Electron energy levels, and radiation from atoms
What charge does an atom have once it has lost an outer electron?
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It has a positive charge, because it then has more protons than electrons. -
Half-life and the randomness of decay
What is meant by saying that radioactive decay is random?
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Every undecayed nucleus has the same chance of decaying in the next moment, and nothing can be done to make a particular one decay.
Paper 2
Waves in Matter
172 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. -
Sound crossing a boundary; reflection, transmission and absorption
In which state of matter does sound normally travel fastest?
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In solids, because the particles are closest together and pass the vibration on most quickly. -
Modelling waves with ripples and sound
If air really did travel with a sound wave, what would you notice when someone spoke to you across a room?
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You would feel a steady stream of air arriving from the speaker. -
Frequency and wavelength across the spectrum
An infrared wave has a wavelength of 10 μm, which is 1 × 10⁻⁵ m. What is its frequency?
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Its frequency is 3 × 10¹³ Hz, because 3 × 10⁸ ÷ 1 × 10⁻⁵ = 3 × 10¹³.
OCR GCSE Physics A, Foundation tier Active Recall Guide
The other 1,263 questions, with the answers printed after each section.