Motion & ForcesEdexcel GCSE Physics: Topic test

20 questions, 54 marks

Edexcel GCSE Physics

Motion & Forces topic test

Total 54 marks

Name

Class

Date

1
A delivery drone flies in a straight line between two warehouses. Its onboard logger records that it travels 1200 m in 80 s at a constant speed, then accelerates uniformly from 15 m/s to 25 m/s over the next 5.0 s.
(a)
What is the drone's constant speed during the first 80 s of its flight?
[1 mark]
A15 m/s
B20 m/s
C0.067 m/s
D1200 m/s
(b)
What is the drone's acceleration while it speeds up from 15 m/s to 25 m/s over 5.0 s?
[1 mark]
A8 m/s²
B2 m/s²
C5 m/s²
D0.5 m/s²
(c)
Calculate the distance travelled by the drone during the 5.0 s it spends accelerating from 15 m/s to 25 m/s. Then state the drone's overall average speed for the whole 85 s flight described above, to 3 significant figures.
[2 marks]
Total for question 1: 4 marks
2
A warehouse forklift truck of mass 1200 kg (including its load) accelerates from rest to 3.0 m/s in 4.0 s while moving in a straight line across the warehouse floor. The forklift then lifts a separate crate of mass 150 kg vertically at a constant speed using its hydraulic mast.
(a)
What is the forklift's acceleration while it speeds up from rest to 3.0 m/s in 4.0 s?
[1 mark]
A12 m/s²
B1.33 m/s²
C0.75 m/s²
D0.19 m/s²
(b)
What resultant force is needed to produce this acceleration in the 1200 kg forklift?
[1 mark]
A450 N
B1800 N
C90 N
D900 N
(c)
Calculate the weight of the 150 kg crate, and explain why the forklift's mast must exert an upward force equal to this weight while lifting the crate at a constant speed.
[2 marks]
Total for question 2: 4 marks
3
Two ice skaters, Amir (mass 70 kg) and Chloe (mass 50 kg), stand at rest together on frictionless ice, then push apart. Immediately after pushing apart, Amir moves backwards at 1.5 m/s. In a separate incident on the same rink, a skater of mass 60 kg moving at 4.0 m/s collides with and grabs onto a stationary skater of mass 40 kg, and the two move off together.
(a)
Using conservation of momentum, calculate Chloe's velocity immediately after the two skaters push apart.
[3 marks]
(b)
Calculate the common velocity of the two skaters immediately after the 60 kg skater collides with and grabs onto the stationary 40 kg skater. State what type of collision this is, and explain whether kinetic energy is conserved in this type of collision.
[4 marks]
Total for question 3: 7 marks
4
A conveyor belt in a parcel sorting warehouse carries a parcel of mass 25 kg at a constant speed of 2.0 m/s towards the end of the belt, where it is brought to rest by a stop. In one test, a padded stop brings the parcel to rest in 0.20 s. In a second test with an unpadded, rigid stop, the same parcel is brought to rest in just 0.02 s.
(a)
For the padded stop, calculate the parcel's change in momentum and the average force exerted on it, showing your working. Then explain, using Newton's second law expressed in terms of momentum, why a longer stopping time reduces the force needed.
[6 marks]
(b)
Calculate the average force exerted on the parcel by the unpadded, rigid stop. Use both of your force answers to explain why packages are more likely to be damaged by a rigid stop than a padded one, referring to the relationship between force, time and momentum change.
[6 marks]
Total for question 4: 12 marks
5
An electric scooter rider travels at 8.0 m/s along a flat car park. Upon seeing a pedestrian step out, the rider takes 0.60 s to react before applying the brakes, and the scooter then decelerates uniformly, coming to rest 12.5 m after the brakes are first applied.
(a)
What is the rider's thinking (reaction) distance before the brakes are applied?
[1 mark]
A13.3 m
B4.8 m
C0.48 m
D8.6 m
(b)
What is the scooter's total stopping distance, from the moment the rider sees the pedestrian to the moment it comes to rest?
[1 mark]
A17.3 m
B12.5 m
C7.7 m
D22.1 m
(c)
State two factors, other than the rider's reaction time, that could increase the scooter's braking distance in this situation, and briefly explain how each has its effect.
[2 marks]
Total for question 5: 4 marks
6
A roller coaster carriage starts from rest at the top of the first drop. A data logger records that after 4.0 s the carriage is travelling at 28 m/s, having accelerated uniformly. The carriage then travels at this constant speed for the next 6.0 s along a level section of track.
(a)
What is the carriage's acceleration during the 4.0 s drop?
[1 mark]
A112 m/s²
B0.14 m/s²
C24 m/s²
D7.0 m/s²
(b)
What distance does the carriage travel during the 6.0 s it spends at constant speed?
[1 mark]
A4.7 m
B34 m
C168 m
D84 m
(c)
Calculate the distance travelled by the carriage during the 4.0 s drop, given that it accelerates uniformly from rest to 28 m/s.
[2 marks]
Total for question 6: 4 marks
7
A tower crane on a construction site lifts a steel girder of mass 800 kg from the ground. The crane's motor accelerates the girder upwards from rest to 0.60 m/s in 3.0 s, then continues to raise it at this constant speed.
(a)
Calculate the girder's acceleration during the first 3.0 s, and the resultant (unbalanced) force needed to produce this acceleration.
[3 marks]
(b)
Calculate the girder's weight, and hence state the total upward force the crane's cable must exert on the girder while it accelerates upwards, explaining your reasoning using Newton's second law.
[4 marks]
Total for question 7: 7 marks
8
A safety testing facility drops a crash-test dummy of mass 75 kg so that it hits each of two different landing surfaces at a speed of 6.0 m/s. On a rigid concrete surface, the dummy is brought to rest in 0.05 s. On a padded gymnastics crash mat, the same dummy is brought to rest in 0.40 s.
(a)
Calculate the dummy's change in momentum on impact, and the average force exerted on it by the concrete surface, showing your working. Explain, in terms of momentum and time, why this force is so large.
[6 marks]
(b)
Calculate the average force exerted on the dummy by the padded crash mat. Use your two force answers to explain why crash mats and airbags are designed to extend the time over which an impact happens, linking your explanation to Newton's second law.
[6 marks]
Total for question 8: 12 marks

End of questions