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Practice Examination – (August 2021)

Physics-Unit 1: Motion and Forces
Year: 12 Class: Time : 1 hour 30 minutes

: Total Marks

Instructions
• Use black ink or black ball-point pen.
• Fill in the boxes at the top of this page with your name, Quest. Marks
Class and subject teacher’s name. No
• Answer all questions. MCQ
• Answer the questions in the spaces provided 11
– there may be more space than you need.
12
• Show all your working in calculations and include units where
appropriate. 13
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Information 15
• The total mark for this paper is 80.
• The marks for each question are shown in brackets
16
– use this as a guide as to how much time to spend on each question. 17
• In questions marked with an asterisk (*), marks will be awarded for your 18
ability to structure your answer logically showing how the points that you
19
make are related or follow on from each other where appropriate.
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Advice 21
• Read each question carefully before you start to answer it.
• Try to answer every question.
• Check your answers if you have time at the end.

Total
Name of Setter Nadika J
 SECTION A
Answer ALL questions.
For questions 1–10, select one answer from A to D and put a cross next to the answer.
If you change your mind, put a line through the box and then
mark your new answer with a cross.
1) The force of air resistance F that acts on a car moving at speed v is given by F = kv2 where k is
a constant. What is the unit of k?
A. kg m–1
B. kg m–2 s2
C. kg m–2
D. kg m–2 s–2

2) A ball is thrown vertically upwards. Which row of the table correctly describes the
magnitude of the initial acceleration of the ball and the magnitude of the acceleration when it
is at its maximum height?

3) A freely falling object on Earth has a speed of 5.0 m s –1. After falling a further 20 m its speed
is
A. 15 m s–1
B. 20 m s–1
C. 25 m s–1
D. 45 m s –1

4) The graph shows how velocity varies with time for an object.

The total distance travelled by the object

in 4 s and the acceleration at 3 s are

A 60 m 5 m s-2
B 80 m 5 m s-2
C 60 m 0 m s-2
D 80 m 0 m s-2

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5) A person weighing 100 N stands on some bathroom scales in a lift. If the scales show a
reading of 110 N, which answer could describe the motion of the lift?
A Moving downwards and decelerating.
B Moving downwards with a constant velocity.
C Moving upwards and decelerating.
D Moving upwards with a constant velocity.

6) The diagram shows the forces acting on a picture, of weight W,

suspended by a cord. The tension in the cord is T
Which of the following expressions shows the correct relationship
between W and T?
A W = 2 T cos θ
B W = T cos θ
C W = T sin θ
D W = 2 T sin θ

7) A child goes down a slide. Which of the diagrams correctly represents the forces acting on
the child?

8) A student measures the time t taken for a ball bearing to fall different measured distances s
from rest. The student uses his measurements to plot a graph with a gradient equal to the
acceleration due to gravity g.
Which row of the table shows a graph with a gradient equal to g?

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9) An object is thrown horizontally from the roof of a building. Which pair of displacement–
time graphs correctly shows the vertical and horizontal components of displacement for the
object until it lands? Assume that there is no air resistance.

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10) A lift carries people from one floor up to the floor above. Which graph shows how the
acceleration of the lift varies with time for the complete journey? Assume that the upward
direction is positive.

(Total 10 Marks)

(TOTAL FOR SECTION A: 10 MARKS)

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 SECTION B
Answer ALL questions.

11) A skier is pulled up a hill by a rope at a steady velocity. The hill makes an angle of 12˚ with
the horizontal. The mass of the skier and skis is 73 kg. The diagram below shows three of
the forces acting on the skier.

(a) On the diagram, draw and label one other force acting on the skier. [1]

(b) Calculate the magnitude of the normal reaction acting on the skier. [2]
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(c) The total frictional force acting is 65 N. Determine the tension in the rope. [2]
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(Total for Question 11 = 5 marks)

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12) The photograph shows a sequence of images of a bouncing tennis ball.

A student plots the following graph and claims that it shows the vertical motion of the ball in
the photograph.

(a) Without carrying out any calculations describe how the following can be found from the
graph (2)
(i) the vertical distance travelled by the ball between 0.5 s and 1.0 s
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(ii) the acceleration at Y

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(b) The graph contains several errors in its representation of the motion of the ball.
Explain two of these errors. (4)
Error 1
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Error 2
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(Total for Question 12 = 6 marks)

13) (a) State what is meant by centre of gravity. (1)

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(b) The picture shows a snooker cue. It is made from wood of uniform density and takes the
form of a rod with decreasing diameter towards one end.

(i) On the picture, mark the position of the centre of gravity of the snooker cue. (1)

(ii) State a simple method to test if this is the correct position. (1)
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(Total for Question 13 = 3 marks)

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14) (a) Define moment of a force. [1]
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(b) An arrangement for lifting heavy loads is shown

A uniform metal beam AB is pivoted on a vertical wall at

A. The beam is supported by a wire joining end B to the
wall at C. The beam makes an angle of 30° with the wall
and the wire makes an angle of 60° with the wall.
The beam has length 2.8 m and weight of 500 N. A load
of 4000 N is supported from B. The tension in the wire is T. The beam is in equilibrium.
(i) By taking moments about A, show that T is 2.1 kN. [2]
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(ii) Calculate the vertical component Tv of the tension T. [1]

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(iii) State and explain why Tv does not equal the sum of the load and the weight of the beam
although the beam is in equilibrium. [2]
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(Total for Question 14 = 06 marks)

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15) The photograph shows a flygun.

The gun is fired at a fly on a wall 3.0 m away. The disc

leaves the gun horizontally at a velocity of 15 m/s.

(i) Calculate the velocity of the disc as it hits the wall. Ignore the effects of air resistance. (4)
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(ii) The fly is 20 cm below the horizontal level at which the gun is fired. Determine whether the
disc is close enough to hit the fly if it does not move. The disc has a radius of 3 cm. (3)
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(e) Suggest an advantage of the disc used over a solid disc. (1)
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(Total for Question 15 = 08 marks)

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16) The photograph shows an athlete performing a long jump.

At take-off his horizontal speed is 8.0 m s–1 and his vertical speed is 2.8 m s–1.
(a) Show that the total time the athlete spends in the air is about 0.6 s. Assume that his centre
of gravity is at the same height at take-off and landing. (3)
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(b) Calculate the horizontal distance jumped by the athlete. (2)

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(c) In reality, when the athlete lands his centre of gravity is 50 cm lower than its position at
take-off. Calculate the extra horizontal distance this enables the athlete to jump. (4)
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(Total for Question 16 = 09 marks)

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17) *

The diagram shows three passengers sitting on a train that is travelling at a high speed in the
direction shown. Seat belts are not used on trains. With reference to one of Newton’s laws of
motion, explain which seat is the safest seat for a passenger to be sitting on in the event of a
rapid deceleration. You may assume that the seats all remain fixed firmly to the floor and do
not break.
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(Total for Question 17 = 06 marks)

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18) A spider of mass ms is hanging from a thread of spider silk. A fly of mass mf is hanging
from another thread of silk below the stationary spider. The magnitudes of the tensions in each
thread of silk are T1 and T2 as shown in the diagram. The free-body force diagram for the fly is
also shown.

(a) (i) Complete the free-body force

diagram below for the spider. (2)

(ii) Write equations for the forces acting on the spider and for the forces acting on the fly. (2)
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(b) The spider produces more silk, so the length of the thread of silk above the spider increases.
The spider and the fly both accelerate towards the ground. Assuming that the mass of the silk is
negligible, calculate their acceleration.
ms= 6.5 × 10-4 kg mf = 8.0 × 10-5 kg T1= 1.9 × 10-3 N (3)
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(Total for Question 18 = 07 marks)

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19) Two forces act on a body. The free-body force diagram is shown.

Draw scaled vector diagram to determine the

resultant force acting on the body. (4)
(1 cm: 2.0 N)

(Total for Question 19 = 04 marks)

20) The photograph shows a solar-powered model boat built by some technology students.

This boat has a solar-powered fan attached. The fan

blows air towards the sail.

(a) The technology students explain to a physics

student that the fan exerts a force on the air and
the air then exerts an equal force on the sail to
drive the boat forwards.
Assume that these two forces are equal for the rest
of the question. The physics student tells them that
according to Newton’s laws of motion this will not
work.

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(i) Identify the Newton’s third law force that pairs with the force of the fan on the air. (1)
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(ii) The boat is placed in the water and the fan switched on. The
boat remains at rest. Add labelled arrows to the diagram below
to show the four forces acting on the boat in this situation. (2)

*(iii) Use Newton’s laws of motion to explain why the boat does not move horizontally. (3)
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(b) The physics student suggests that the boat is more likely to work if the fan is reversed to
point in the opposite direction. Explain this suggestion. (2)
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(Total for Question 20 = 08 marks)

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21) A student investigated the motion of a small rectangular panel. The panel was held above
the floor next to a measuring tape. The panel was released and, using a video camera on a
smartphone, its motion as it fell to the floor was recorded. Using the position of the panel at
regular time intervals the velocity of the panel was obtained.

The velocity-time graph shows the motion of the panel until it reaches the floor.

(a) Show that the panel was dropped from a height of approximately 5 m. (3)
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(b) (i) Use the graph to calculate the maximum acceleration of the panel. (2)
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(ii) Without further calculation sketch an acceleration-time graph for the panel on the axes
below. (3)

(Total for Question 21 = 08 marks)

END
TOTAL FOR SECTION B = 70 MARKS
TOTAL FOR PAPER = 80 MARKS

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