MechanicsEdexcel International A Level Physics: Topic test

20 questions, 54 marks

Edexcel International A Level Physics

Mechanics topic test

Total 54 marks

Name

Class

Date

1
A stone is dropped from rest from a bridge into a river below. It takes 3.0 s to reach the water. Air resistance is negligible and the gravitational field strength is 9.81 N kg⁻¹.
(a)
What is the speed of the stone as it reaches the water?
[1 mark]
A15 m s⁻¹
B29 m s⁻¹
C44 m s⁻¹
D88 m s⁻¹
(b)
What is the height of the bridge above the water?
[1 mark]
A29 m
B88 m
C15 m
D44 m
(c)
Calculate the speed of the stone when it has fallen 20 m.
[2 marks]
Total for question 1: 4 marks
2
A train leaves a station and accelerates uniformly from rest at 0.50 m s⁻² for 40 s. It then travels at constant speed for 120 s before braking uniformly to rest in a further 20 s.
(a)
What is the maximum speed of the train?
[1 mark]
A20 m s⁻¹
B0.013 m s⁻¹
C80 m s⁻¹
D10 m s⁻¹
(b)
What is the magnitude of the deceleration of the train while it brakes?
[1 mark]
A0.50 m s⁻²
B20 m s⁻²
C1.0 m s⁻²
D400 m s⁻²
(c)
Calculate the average speed of the train over the whole journey.
[2 marks]
Total for question 2: 4 marks
3
An aircraft has an air speed of 200 m s⁻¹ when its nose points due north. A steady wind blows at 50 m s⁻¹ from the west (that is, towards the east).
(a)
Calculate the magnitude and direction of the velocity of the aircraft relative to the ground.
[3 marks]
(b)
The pilot wants the aircraft to travel due north relative to the ground. Calculate the angle west of north at which the nose must point, and the resulting speed relative to the ground.
[4 marks]
Total for question 3: 7 marks
4
A golfer strikes a ball of mass 0.046 kg on a level fairway. It leaves the club at 40 m s⁻¹ at 25° above the horizontal. Air resistance is negligible and the gravitational field strength is 9.81 N kg⁻¹.
(a)
Determine the maximum height reached by the ball and the horizontal distance it travels before landing.
[6 marks]
(b)
A commentator says that at the highest point of its flight the ball has no kinetic energy. Evaluate this statement, supporting your answer with a calculation of the kinetic energy of the ball at the highest point.
[6 marks]
Total for question 4: 12 marks
5
A crate of mass 40 kg rests on a rough horizontal floor. A person pushes it with a constant horizontal force of 180 N. The friction force on the crate from the floor is a constant 100 N.
(a)
What is the acceleration of the crate?
[1 mark]
A7.0 m s⁻²
B4.5 m s⁻²
C2.5 m s⁻²
D2.0 m s⁻²
(b)
Which force forms a Newton's third law pair with the 180 N force exerted by the person on the crate?
[1 mark]
AThe 180 N force exerted by the crate on the person
BThe 100 N friction force exerted by the floor on the crate
CThe weight of the crate
DThe normal contact force exerted by the floor on the crate
(c)
The crate starts from rest. Calculate the kinetic energy of the crate after it has been pushed 6.0 m.
[2 marks]
Total for question 5: 4 marks
6
A railway wagon of mass 8000 kg moves at 3.0 m s⁻¹ along a straight, level track and collides with a stationary wagon of mass 4000 kg. The wagons couple together and move off as one. Friction is negligible.
(a)
What is the speed of the coupled wagons immediately after the collision?
[1 mark]
A1.0 m s⁻¹
B1.5 m s⁻¹
C2.0 m s⁻¹
D3.0 m s⁻¹
(b)
How much kinetic energy is transferred to other forms in the collision?
[1 mark]
A6.0 kJ
B12 kJ
C24 kJ
D36 kJ
(c)
Explain, using Newton's laws of motion, why the momentum gained by the stationary wagon is equal to the momentum lost by the moving wagon.
[2 marks]
Total for question 6: 4 marks
7
A wheelbarrow is loaded so that the load has a weight of 400 N acting 0.40 m horizontally from the axle of the wheel. The weight of the barrow itself is 120 N and acts 0.60 m horizontally from the axle, on the same side as the load. The person lifts the handles with a vertical force F at a horizontal distance of 1.2 m from the axle, on the opposite side of the axle. The barrow is held in equilibrium with the handles raised.
(a)
Calculate the force F.
[3 marks]
(b)
Calculate the upward force exerted by the ground on the wheel, and explain why it is less than the combined weight of the barrow and load.
[4 marks]
Total for question 7: 7 marks
8
A cyclist and bicycle of total mass 90 kg climb a straight hill at a constant speed of 5.0 m s⁻¹. The road rises 1.0 m vertically for every 10 m travelled along it. The total resistive force from air and friction is 25 N. The gravitational field strength is 9.81 N kg⁻¹.
(a)
Determine the power that the cyclist must supply to the bicycle.
[6 marks]
(b)
The cyclist's body is 22% efficient at converting chemical energy into useful work. She climbs for 20 minutes at this constant power. A chocolate bar supplies 1.1 MJ of chemical energy. Evaluate whether one chocolate bar supplies enough energy for the climb.
[6 marks]
Total for question 8: 12 marks

End of questions

Written by the Exaim team, led by Shaun Daswani (Head of Upper Secondary, Improve ME Institute; MSc Financial Mathematics, Imperial College London; BSc, UCL) and Jason Daswani (operational lead, Improve ME Institute; LSE).