Forces: past paper questions

Where the questions come from

• Question 2May/June 2026, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  A heavy sack is suspended from a ceiling by a rope. The sack is then pulled to one side and held stationary. Which vector diagram represents the forces acting on the sack in its new position?

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• Question 5Oct/Nov 2025, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  The diagram shows an athlete doing press-ups on a floor. The athlete is using both hands. The area of contact of each hand with the floor is $S$.

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• Question 3Oct/Nov 2024, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  The bob of a simple pendulum is pulled horizontally by a force that is equal to weight $W$ of the bob. Which diagram shows the angle between the pendulum thread and the vertical?

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• Question 7May/June 2026, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  A box is pulled up a slope as shown. There is friction between the box and the slope. In which direction does friction act on the box?

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• Question 5Oct/Nov 2023, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  The diagram shows how the length of a spring changes when a load of $10\text{ N}$ is suspended from it. The $10\text{ N}$ load is replaced by a $20\text{ N}$ load. What is the new length of the spring?

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• Question 8Oct/Nov 2025, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  The table shows how the extension of a spring varies with load. | load / N | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | extension / cm | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 20 | 27 | 38 | Between which two loads is the limit of proportionality?

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• Question 10Oct/Nov 2024, paper 11Multiple choice1 mark

  As a cyclist uses the brakes on a bicycle, energy is transferred from the kinetic store to the thermal store. What causes the transfer of energy?

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• Question 9May/June 2026, paper 11Multiple choice1 mark

  Force $F_1$ and force $F_2$ are a Newton’s third law pair of forces. Force $F_1$ is a gravitational force that acts on object O. Which type of force is force $F_2$, and what is the object that it acts on?

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• Question 11Oct/Nov 2024, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  The extension of a spring is measured as the load stretching it is increased. The graph shows the results. Which point is the spring's limit of proportionality?

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• Question 10May/June 2026, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  A load–extension graph is plotted for a spring. Which point marks the limit of proportionality for this spring?

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• Question 11May/June 2026, paper 11Multiple choice1 mark

  Which quantity is a measure of the turning effect of a force?

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• Question 38Oct/Nov 2025, paper 11Multiple choice1 mark

  The planets in the Solar System orbit the Sun. Which statement is correct?

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• Question 6Oct/Nov 2023, paper 12Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  A student drops, from rest, a light ball in air. The ball experiences some air resistance as it falls. What happens to the velocity and to the acceleration of the ball during the first few seconds after release?

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• Question 2Oct/Nov 2025, paper 12Multiple choice1 mark

  Two forces act on an object. $1.5\text{ N}$ acts vertically upwards and $2.0\text{ N}$ acts horizontally. What is the magnitude of the resultant force?

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• Question 7Oct/Nov 2023, paper 12Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  The stopping distance of a car travelling at a certain speed is measured in four different situations. • on a dry road with new tyres • on a dry road with old, worn tyres • on a wet road with new tyres • on a wet road with old, worn tyres The results are shown.

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• Question 8Oct/Nov 2025, paper 12Multiple choice1 mark

  Which list contains only quantities that can be changed by a force?

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• Question 8Oct/Nov 2024, paper 12Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  An object falls vertically through the air. Which diagram represents the forces acting on the object?

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• Question 9May/June 2026, paper 12Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  The diagram shows a bottle containing air, water and sand. More sand is added to the bottle. This affects the position of the centre of gravity of the bottle and its contents.

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• Question 9Oct/Nov 2023, paper 12Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  The International Space Station orbits the Earth. Which arrow shows the direction of the force on the International Space Station when it is at point X?

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• Question 1May/June 2026, paper 21Structured8 marksHas a diagram

  A bus starts a journey with a uniform acceleration for the first 20 s. State what is meant by ‘uniform acceleration’.

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• Question 10Oct/Nov 2025, paper 12Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  An object is at rest on a table. The length of the arrows in the free-body diagrams represent the magnitude and the direction of the forces acting on the object. Which diagram shows the free-body diagram for the object?

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• Question 9Oct/Nov 2023, paper 21Structured12 marksHas a diagram

  The planet Venus orbits the Sun at a constant speed of $3.5\times {10}^4\text{ m/s}$ and takes a time $T_{\text{V}}$ to complete one orbit.

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• Question 2May/June 2026, paper 22Structured7 marksHas a diagram

  A heavy stone is placed on a plank of wood to make a diving board as shown in Figure 2.1. The point P is a pivot. The weight of the stone is $650\text{ N}$, and the weight of the plank is $200\text{ N}$.

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• Question 11Oct/Nov 2025, paper 12Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  The load–extension graph for a spring is shown. What does point X show?

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• Question 1Oct/Nov 2024, paper 21Structured8 marksHas a diagram

  A trolley of mass $0.20\text{ kg}$ is at rest on a frictionless surface. A block of wood is attached to the trolley. The volume of the block of wood is $0.0012{\text{ m}}^3$, and the density of the wood is $650{\text{ kg/m}}^3$.

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• Question 3Oct/Nov 2023, paper 22Structured8 marksHas a diagram

  A plane, irregular lamina has a mass of $50\text{ g}$. It hangs from a nail that passes through a small hole H near to the edge of the lamina. The nail acts as a pivot and the lamina can swing about it.

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• Question 1Oct/Nov 2024, paper 22Structured10 marksHas a diagram

  A jet ski is a type of boat that carries one or two people and travels at high speed on water. Fig. 1.1 shows a student riding on a jet ski. A high-speed jet of water is forced backwards out of the back of the jet ski by a pump inside the jet ski.

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• Question 3Oct/Nov 2023, paper 41Structured14 marksHas a diagram

  A student investigates the indentation made by a glass ball in the surface of modelling clay. Describe briefly how to use the apparatus in Fig. 3.1 to determine the diameter of the glass ball.

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• Question 5May/June 2024, paper 11Multiple choice1 markHas a diagram

  An object slides down a frictionless slope as shown. As the object presses on the surface, the surface pushes back on the object. In which direction does the surface push back on the object?

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• Question 4Oct/Nov 2023, paper 41Essay6 marksHas a diagram

  A student investigates the factors affecting the bend angle $\theta$ of a metal strip. The student places a thin, straight metal strip on two supports and attaches a mass of weight $W$ to the middle of the strip. The metal strip bends as shown in Fig. 4.1.

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