KS3 Forces Practice Exam Questions

1. There are two types of forces: contact and non-contact.

a. Place one tick in each row to show whether the named force is a contact force or a non-
contact force.
[7]

Force Contact Non-Contact

friction
air resistance
gravitational
upthrust
magnetic
reaction
electrostatic

b. Select one word from the list below to complete the sentence. [1]

space fields gravity zones
Non-contact forces act in , a special area where an object can experience a force.

c. List three things that forces can do to an object. [3]

Change the of the object.
Change the of the object.
Change the of the object.

2. The diagram shows a sailing boat pulling out of a harbour.

direction of travel

B D
A

a. Give the letter of the arrow that represents upthrust. [1]

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 KS3 Forces Practice Exam Questions
b. Which force is represented by arrow B? Tick one box.
air resistance
gravity
reaction
driving force [1]

c. When the boat is travelling at a constant speed in the direction shown, which two forces
must be balanced?
Give two letters. [2]
and

d. As the boat passes out of the harbour, it accelerates (speeds up). One force is now larger
than the other forces.
Give the letter of the force that is now the largest. [1]

3. A skateboarder is investigating the effect that different surfaces have on the motion of a
skateboard. They move a ramp onto different surfaces and measure the distance that the
skateboard travels from the bottom of the ramp.

The table shows their results.

Surface Distance Travelled (m)

Repeat 1 Repeat Repeat 3 Mean
concrete path 8.1 8.5 8.0 8.2
paving slabs 7.5 7.4 7.6
wooden decking 6.7 7.3 7.0 7.0
grass 1.0 1.2 0.9 1.0
artificial grass 3.1 3.2 3.0 3.1
sand 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4

a. Name the independent variable in this investigation. [1]

b. Complete the table by calculating the mean distance the skateboarded travelled on
paving slabs.
[1]

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 KS3 Forces Practice Exam Questions
c. Name a resistive force that acts on the skateboard. [1]

d. State two things that will happen to the skateboard as a result of the forces acting on it.
1.
2. [2]
The skateboarder compared the speed of the skateboard on concrete and on artificial grass.

e. On which surface did the skateboard slow down the quickest?

artificial grass
concrete [1]
f. Explain why. [3]

4. A student measures the weight of their school bag using the equipment shown below.

a. Name this piece of equipment. [1]

b. Look at the diagram below.

What is the weight of the bag? [1]

10N

15N

20N

25N

30N

35N

40N

45N

50N

Weight = N
c. Write down the equation that links gravitational field strength, mass and weight. [1]

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 KS3 Forces Practice Exam Questions
d. A second student measures the mass of their school bag as 2.3kg.
The gravitational field strength on Earth is 10N/kg.
Calculate the weight of the bag on Earth. Give the unit of measurement. [2]



Weight = Unit
e. The gravitational field strength on the Moon is 1.6N/kg. Explain what would happen to
the mass and weight of a bag if it was taken to the Moon.
Mass would
because
Weight would
because [4]

5. A student uses a spring to work out the weight of an apple. He sets up his equipment as
shown below.

a. Write out the equation that links extension, force and spring constant. [1]

b. The spring constant of the spring is 27N/m. The extension of the spring is 0.07m.
Calculate the weight of the apple. Give the unit of measurement. [2]




Weight = Unit

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 KS3 Forces Practice Exam Questions
c. The student continues to add apples to the spring. It reaches its elastic limit once five
apples have been added.
What is meant by the term ‘elastic limit’? [1]


d. On the grid below, sketch the shape of the graph produced by the student’s investigation.

Extension (m)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Number of Apples
[3]

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KS3 Forces Practice Exam Questions Answers
1. There are two types of forces: contact and non-contact.

a. Place one tick in each row to show whether the named force is a contact force or a non-
contact force.
[7]

Force Contact Non-Contact

friction 
air resistance 
gravitational 
upthrust 
magnetic 
reaction 
electrostatic 

b. Select one word from the list below to complete the sentence. [1]

space fields gravity zones
Non-contact forces act in fields, a special area where an object can experience a force.

c. List three things that forces can do to an object. [3]

Change the speed of the object.
Change the direction of the object.
Change the shape of the object.
2. The diagram shows a sailing boat pulling out of a harbour.

direction of travel

B D
A

a. Give the letter of the arrow that represents upthrust. [1]

A

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 KS3 Forces Practice Exam Questions Answers
b. Which force is represented by arrow B? Tick one box.
air resistance 
gravity
reaction
driving force [1]

c. When the boat is travelling at a constant speed in the direction shown, which two forces
must be balanced?
Give two letters. [2]
B and D

d. As the boat passes out of the harbour, it accelerates (speeds up). One force is now larger
than the other forces.
Give the letter of the force that is now the largest. [1]
D

3. A skateboarder is investigating the effect that different surfaces have on the motion of a
skateboard. They move a ramp onto different surfaces and measure the distance that the
skateboard travels from the bottom of the ramp.

The table shows their results.

Surface Distance Travelled (m)

Repeat 1 Repeat Repeat 3 Mean
concrete path 8.1 8.5 8.0 8.2
paving slabs 7.5 7.4 7.6 7.5
wooden decking 6.7 7.3 7.0 7.0
grass 1.0 1.2 0.9 1.0
artificial grass 3.1 3.2 3.0 3.1
sand 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4

a. Name the independent variable in this investigation. [1]

type of surface

b. Complete the table by calculating the mean distance the skateboarded travelled on
paving slabs.
[1]
7.5 + 7.4 + 7.6 = 22.5
22.5 ÷ 3 = 7.5
Accept correct answer if written in the table.

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 KS3 Forces Practice Exam Questions Answers
c. Name a resistive force that acts on the skateboard. [1]
Any one from:
friction
air resistance

d. State two things that will happen to the skateboard as a result of the forces acting on it.
1. The skateboard will slow down.
2. The wheels will heat up. [2]
The skateboarder compared the speed of the skateboard on concrete and on artificial grass.

e. On which surface did the skateboard slow down the quickest?

artificial grass 
concrete [1]
f. Explain why. [3]
Award one mark for each of the following:
There is more friction on the artificial grass
Artificial grass is rougher than concrete
Artificial grass will grip the wheels of the skateboard more.
4. A student measures the weight of their school bag using the equipment shown below.

a. Name this piece of equipment. [1]

newton meter

b. Look at the diagram below.

What is the weight of the bag? [1]

10N

15N

20N

25N

30N

35N

40N

45N

50N

Weight = 20N

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 KS3 Forces Practice Exam Questions Answers
c. Write down the equation that links gravitational field strength, mass and weight. [1]
weight = mass × gravitational field strength
d. A second student measures the mass of their school bag as 2.3kg.
The gravitational field strength on Earth is 10N/kg.
Calculate the weight of the bag on Earth. Give the unit of measurement. [2]
2.3kg × 10N/kg = 23N
Weight = 23 (1) Unit N (1)
An answer of 23N with no working scores 2 marks.
Allow error carried forward from part c. Award full marks if the equation given in
part c. has been used correctly.
e. The gravitational field strength on the Moon is 1.6N/kg. Explain what would happen to
the mass and weight of a bag if it was taken to the Moon.
Mass would stay the same (1)
because it is not affected by the gravitational field strength. (1)
Weight would decrease (1)
because the gravitational field strength on the moon is lower. (1) [4]

5. A student uses a spring to work out the weight of an apple. He sets up his equipment as
shown below.

a. Write out the equation that links extension, force and spring constant. [1]
force = spring constant × extension

b. The spring constant of the spring is 27N/m. The extension of the spring is 0.07m.
Calculate the weight of the apple. Give the unit of measurement [2]
27N/m × 0.07m = 1.89N
Weight = 1.89 (1) Unit N (1)
An answer of 1.89N with no working scores 2 marks.
Allow error carried forward from part a. Award full marks if the equation given in
part a. has been used correctly.

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 KS3 Forces Practice Exam Questions Answers
c. The student continues to add apples to the spring. It reaches its elastic limit once five
apples have been added.
What is meant by the term ‘elastic limit’? [1]
The spring will no longer go back to its original shape.
d. On the grid below, sketch the shape of the graph produced by the student’s investigation.

Extension (m)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Number of Apples
[3]
Award one mark for each of the following:
a line that starts at the origin
straight line between 0 and 5 apples
line curves after 5 apples

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