Pearson Edexcel International GCSE
Physics — Topic 1 Paper 3
Forces and Motion · specification 1.1, 1.3–1.24
Time allowed: 30 minutes
Total marks: 25
Candidate name:
Centre / class:
Answer all questions. You may use a calculator. Take $g = 10\,\text{N/kg}$. Show your working.
1
The velocity–time graph shows a trolley moving along a straight runway.
(a) Describe the motion of the trolley between $5.0\,\text{s}$ and $8.0\,\text{s}$.
[1]
(b) Calculate the acceleration between $0$ and $5.0\,\text{s}$.
[2]
(c) Calculate the distance travelled in the $13\,\text{s}$ shown on the graph.
[3]
(Total for Question 1 = 6 marks)
2
A trolley of mass $2.5\,\text{kg}$ is pulled along a bench by a force of $8.0\,\text{N}$. A frictional force of $3.0\,\text{N}$ acts in the opposite direction.
(a) Calculate the resultant force on the trolley.
[2]
(b) Calculate the acceleration of the trolley.
[2]
(c) A car travels at $20\,\text{m/s}$. The driver’s reaction time is $0.70\,\text{s}$ when alert and $1.4\,\text{s}$ when tired. The braking distance is $30\,\text{m}$ in both cases.
(i) Calculate the thinking distance when the driver is alert.
[1]
(ii) Explain why tiredness increases the stopping distance but does not change the braking distance.
[2]
(Total for Question 2 = 7 marks)
3
A raindrop falls from a cloud. It reaches a terminal velocity before it hits the ground. A steel ball of the same diameter, dropped from the same height, has a larger terminal velocity.
(a) Name the two forces that act on the raindrop as it falls through the air.
[2]
(b) Explain why the raindrop reaches a terminal velocity, and suggest why the steel ball’s terminal velocity is larger.
[4]
(Total for Question 3 = 6 marks)
4
A student is asked to investigate how extension varies with applied force for a helical spring, a metal wire and a rubber band.
(a) Describe one safety precaution and one way to reduce a measurement error in this experiment.
[2]
(b) The student’s spring results are shown.
| Force / N | 0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 6.0 | 8.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extension / cm | 0 | 3.0 | 6.0 | 9.0 | 13.5 |
(i) Use the linear region to calculate $k$ in N/m.
[2]
(ii) The rubber band returns to its original length when the load is removed, but its force–extension graph is curved from the start. Explain whether the rubber band shows elastic behaviour and whether it obeys Hooke’s law.
[2]
(Total for Question 4 = 6 marks)
END OF PAPER 3