IGCSE Physics | Practice Test | 25 Questions
Write down the definition of speed.
Write down the definition of velocity and explain how it differs from speed.
Write down the equation for speed and state the unit of each quantity in the equation.
State the approximate value of $g$, the acceleration of free fall near the surface of the Earth. Include the unit.
On a distance–time graph, what does a horizontal (flat) line tell you about the motion of an object?
On a speed–time graph, a straight line slopes downward from a positive value to zero. What is the object doing?
What physical quantity is represented by the area under a speed–time graph?
Write down the definition of acceleration, state the equation used to calculate it, and give the unit of acceleration. Supplement
Define terminal velocity. State the condition (in terms of forces) that causes a falling object to reach terminal velocity. Supplement
On a speed–time graph, how can you tell the difference between constant acceleration and changing (non-constant) acceleration? Supplement
A car travels 200 m in 8 s. Calculate its speed.
A cyclist moves at a constant speed of 6 m/s. Calculate the distance the cyclist travels in 45 s.
A ball rolls at a speed of 3 m/s and covers a distance of 27 m. Calculate the time taken.
A bus travels 12 km in 20 minutes. Calculate the average speed of the bus in m/s.
A distance–time graph shows a straight line from the point (0 s, 0 m) to the point (5 s, 30 m). Calculate the speed of the object.
A speed–time graph shows a horizontal line at $v = 8$ m/s from $t = 0$ s to $t = 10$ s. Calculate the distance travelled by the object.
A speed–time graph shows a straight line from (0 s, 0 m/s) to (6 s, 12 m/s). Calculate the distance travelled by the object.
A motorcycle accelerates from 10 m/s to 30 m/s in 5 s. Calculate the acceleration. Supplement
A train decelerates from 40 m/s to 10 m/s in 6 s. Calculate the acceleration. State whether your answer is positive or negative and explain what the sign tells you. Supplement
A speed–time graph shows a straight line from (0 s, 4 m/s) to (10 s, 14 m/s). Calculate the distance travelled during this time.
A speed–time graph for a car journey shows three phases:
- Phase 1 — from $t = 0$ s to $t = 5$ s: speed increases from 0 to 20 m/s (straight line)
- Phase 2 — from $t = 5$ s to $t = 15$ s: speed is constant at 20 m/s
- Phase 3 — from $t = 15$ s to $t = 20$ s: speed decreases from 20 m/s to 0 (straight line)
(a) Describe the motion of the car in each of the three phases.
(b) Calculate the acceleration of the car during Phase 1. Supplement
(c) Calculate the total distance travelled during the entire journey.
A speed–time graph for an accelerating object shows a straight line from the point (2 s, 6 m/s) to the point (8 s, 18 m/s). Calculate the acceleration of the object. Supplement
An object is released from rest and falls freely under gravity with no air resistance.
(a) State the acceleration of the object.
(b) Calculate the speed of the object after 4 s. Supplement
(c) On the axes below, sketch the speed–time graph for this free fall from $t = 0$ to $t = 4$ s. Label both axes with values. Supplement
A stone is dropped from rest through the air. Air resistance acts on the stone as it falls. Supplement
(a) State the two forces acting on the stone as it falls.
(b) Initially, the stone accelerates rapidly. As time passes, the acceleration decreases. Explain why this happens.
(c) The stone eventually reaches terminal velocity. Describe the motion of the stone at terminal velocity, and state the relationship between the two forces at this point.
A parachutist jumps from an aircraft and falls through the air. Supplement
(a) At the moment of jumping, the air resistance is very small. Explain why the parachutist accelerates rapidly downward.
(b) As the parachutist falls faster, explain what happens to the air resistance and how this affects the acceleration.
(c) State the condition, in terms of forces, for the parachutist to reach terminal velocity.
(d) After reaching terminal velocity, the parachutist opens the parachute. The air resistance immediately becomes much greater than the weight. State the sign (positive or negative) of the acceleration at this moment and describe what happens to the parachutist’s speed.
