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Forces: GCSE Combined Science Physics practice questions

Foundation and Higher · Grade 5

A second set of questions on forces. They are different from the ones on the topic page. Try each, then open the answer and compare your working.

More questions

Question 1 Hard

A trolley of mass 7 kg accelerates at 3 m/s². Work out the resultant force.

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Answer: 21 N

  1. Resultant force = mass × acceleration.
  2. 7 × 3 = 21 N.

Question 2 Hard

Chris stretches a spring with a spring constant of 50 N/m. The extension is 0.25 m. Calculate the force. The spring is not past its limit of proportionality.

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Answer: 12.5 N

  1. force = spring constant × extension.
  2. 50 × 0.25 = 12.5 N.

Question 3 Hard

A car of mass 1000 kg is pushed forwards by a force of 5200 N. A resistive force of 200 N acts backwards. Calculate the acceleration.

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Answer: 5 m/s²

  1. Resultant force = 5200 − 200 = 5000 N.
  2. acceleration = resultant force ÷ mass = 5000 ÷ 1000 = 5 m/s².

Question 4 Hard

A trolley of mass 4 kg accelerates at 7 m/s². Work out the resultant force.

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Answer: 28 N

  1. Resultant force = mass × acceleration.
  2. 4 × 7 = 28 N.

Question 5 Hard

Which force acts towards the centre of a circle when a car goes round a bend?

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Answer: centripetal force

  1. Something must pull the car towards the centre.
  2. This is the centripetal force, supplied by friction.

Quick checks

Short questions with options. Choose one before you open the answer.

Check 1

What is a force?

  1. A push or a pull.
  2. A type of energy.
  3. A speed in a certain direction.
Show answer

A push or a pull. A push or a pull.

Check 2

What is the unit of force?

  1. The kilogram, kg
  2. The newton, N
  3. The joule, J
Show answer

The newton, N The newton, N.

Check 3

What is a vector?

  1. A quantity with size only
  2. Any quantity measured in newtons
  3. A quantity with size and direction
Show answer

A quantity with size and direction A quantity with both size and direction.

Check 4

Which of these quantities is a scalar: mass, force or acceleration?

  1. Mass
  2. Force
  3. Acceleration
Show answer

Mass Mass.

Check 5

In a force diagram, what does the length of an arrow show?

  1. The time the force acts for
  2. The size of the force
  3. The mass of the object
Show answer

The size of the force The size of the force. A longer arrow means a bigger force.

Check 6

Which of these is a contact force: friction, gravity or magnetic force?

  1. Gravity
  2. Magnetic force
  3. Friction
Show answer

Friction Friction.

Check 7

Which of these is a non-contact force: tension, gravity or air resistance?

  1. Gravity
  2. Tension
  3. Air resistance
Show answer

Gravity Gravity.

Check 8

What is tension?

  1. The push of a table on a book
  2. The pull in a stretched rope or string
  3. The force of gravity on an object
Show answer

The pull in a stretched rope or string The pulling force in a stretched rope, string or cable.

Check 9

What is the normal contact force?

  1. The pull of the Earth on an object
  2. The force that slows a sliding object
  3. The push of a surface on something resting on it
Show answer

The push of a surface on something resting on it The push of a surface on an object resting on it, at right angles to the surface.

Check 10

What is weight?

  1. The pull of gravity on an object
  2. The amount of matter in an object
  3. How much space an object takes up
Show answer

The pull of gravity on an object The force of gravity on an object, measured in newtons.

Check 11

What is the equation for weight?

  1. weight = mass ÷ gravitational field strength
  2. weight = mass × gravitational field strength
  3. weight = mass + gravitational field strength
Show answer

weight = mass × gravitational field strength weight = mass × gravitational field strength (W = m × g).

Check 12

What value of g should you take on Earth?

  1. 10 kg/N
  2. 1 N/kg
  3. 10 N/kg
Show answer

10 N/kg g = 10 N/kg.

Check 13

A 10 kg bag goes to the Moon. Which quantity changes: mass or weight?

  1. The weight
  2. The mass
  3. Both change
Show answer

The weight The weight changes. The mass stays the same.

Check 14

What is a resultant force?

  1. The biggest force acting
  2. The single force with the same effect as all the forces together
  3. The weight of the object
Show answer

The single force with the same effect as all the forces together The single force that has the same effect as all the forces acting on an object.

Check 15

A box is pushed right with 8 N and left with 3 N. What is the resultant force?

  1. 11 N to the right
  2. 5 N to the left
  3. 5 N to the right
Show answer

5 N to the right 5 N to the right.

Check 16

What does balanced forces mean?

  1. The resultant force is zero
  2. Only one force is acting
  3. The object must be at rest
Show answer

The resultant force is zero The forces are equal and opposite, so the resultant force is zero.

Check 17

A car travels at a steady speed on a straight road. What is the resultant force?

  1. The same as the driving force
  2. Zero
  3. It must be pointing backwards
Show answer

Zero Zero. The driving force and the resistive forces are balanced.

Check 18

What is the equation linking force, mass and acceleration?

  1. force = mass ÷ acceleration
  2. force = mass + acceleration
  3. resultant force = mass × acceleration
Show answer

resultant force = mass × acceleration resultant force = mass × acceleration (F = m × a).

Check 19

A resultant force of 12 N acts on a 3 kg object. What is the acceleration?

  1. 4 m/s²
  2. 36 m/s²
  3. 9 m/s²
Show answer

4 m/s² 4 m/s², because 12 ÷ 3 = 4.

Check 20

Why does an empty trolley speed up faster than a full one for the same push?

  1. The full trolley has less friction
  2. It has less mass, so the same force gives more acceleration
  3. The empty trolley has more weight
Show answer

It has less mass, so the same force gives more acceleration With less mass, the same force gives a bigger acceleration (a = F ÷ m).

Check 21

What is the equation for work done?

  1. work done = force ÷ distance
  2. work done = force + distance
  3. work done = force × distance
Show answer

work done = force × distance work done = force × distance moved in the direction of the force.

Check 22

What is the unit of work done?

  1. The joule, J
  2. The newton, N
  3. The watt, W
Show answer

The joule, J The joule, J.

Check 23

A student says: a book on a table has no forces on it because it is not moving. What is wrong?

  1. Nothing is wrong. Still objects have no forces.
  2. Weight and the push of the table act and they are balanced
  3. Only the weight acts, and the table is too strong to move
Show answer

Weight and the push of the table act and they are balanced Two forces act, weight down and the normal contact force up. They are balanced.

Check 24

Why does carrying a bag along a level path do no work on the bag?

  1. Because the bag has no weight
  2. Because walking is not a force
  3. The upward force is at right angles to the movement
Show answer

The upward force is at right angles to the movement The upward force from your arms is at right angles to the movement.

Check 25

State Newton's first law of motion.

  1. If the resultant force is zero, the velocity does not change.
  2. An object always slows down unless it is pushed.
  3. Resultant force = mass × acceleration.
Show answer

If the resultant force is zero, the velocity does not change. If the resultant force on an object is zero, a stationary object stays stationary and a moving object keeps moving at the same velocity.

Check 26

A car drives at a steady 20 m/s along a straight road. What do you know about the forces on it?

  1. The driving force is bigger than the resistive forces.
  2. The driving force equals the resistive forces.
  3. There are no forces on the car.
Show answer

The driving force equals the resistive forces. The forces are balanced. The driving force equals the resistive forces, so the resultant force is zero.

Check 27

State Newton's third law.

  1. The bigger object pushes harder on the smaller one.
  2. Force = mass × acceleration.
  3. The forces two interacting objects exert on each other are equal and opposite.
Show answer

The forces two interacting objects exert on each other are equal and opposite. Whenever two objects interact, the forces they exert on each other are equal and opposite.

Check 28

A book rests on a table. What force pairs with the weight of the book?

  1. The book pulling the Earth upwards.
  2. The table pushing up on the book.
  3. The book pushing down on the table.
Show answer

The book pulling the Earth upwards. The pull of the book on the Earth, upwards.

Check 29

Why do the two forces in a Newton's third law pair not cancel out?

  1. They are different sizes.
  2. They point in the same direction.
  3. They act on different objects.
Show answer

They act on different objects. They act on different objects.

Check 30

A small car and a lorry crash head on. How do the forces they exert on each other compare?

  1. The lorry pushes harder because it is heavier.
  2. They are equal and opposite.
  3. The car pushes harder because it is lighter.
Show answer

They are equal and opposite. They are equal and opposite. The car accelerates more because it has less mass.

Check 31

Higher tier. What is inertia?

  1. The tendency to stay at rest or keep a steady velocity.
  2. The force that slows a moving object down.
  3. The energy stored in a moving object.
Show answer

The tendency to stay at rest or keep a steady velocity. The tendency of an object to stay at rest or to keep moving at a steady velocity.

Check 32

Higher tier. What is a free body diagram?

  1. A diagram of every object in a situation.
  2. One object with an arrow for each force on it.
  3. A graph of force against distance.
Show answer

One object with an arrow for each force on it. A diagram of one object on its own, with an arrow for every force acting on it.

Check 33

What is the centre of mass of an object?

  1. The point where the object is heaviest.
  2. The point where the object touches the ground.
  3. The point where its weight can be taken to act.
Show answer

The point where its weight can be taken to act. The single point where the weight of the object can be taken to act.

Check 34

A mass doubles. What happens to its weight on Earth?

  1. It doubles.
  2. It halves.
  3. It stays the same.
Show answer

It doubles. It doubles, because weight is directly proportional to mass.

Check 35

What instrument measures weight?

  1. A balance that compares masses.
  2. A newton meter.
  3. A ruler.
Show answer

A newton meter. A newton meter, which is a calibrated spring balance.

Check 36

How is the joule linked to the newton and the metre?

  1. 1 J = 1 N ÷ m
  2. 1 J = 1 N + 1 m
  3. 1 J = 1 N m
Show answer

1 J = 1 N m 1 joule = 1 newton-metre.

Check 37

What force keeps an object moving in a circle? (Higher tier)

Show answer

A resultant force towards the centre, called the centripetal force.

Check 38

Why does an object moving in a circle at a steady speed accelerate? (Higher tier)

Show answer

Its direction keeps changing, so its velocity changes.

Check 39

What is equilibrium? (Higher tier)

Show answer

The forces are balanced and the resultant force is zero, so the vector diagram of the forces closes.

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