Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Physics · 4PH1 · Free · no account needed
The Universe and Gravity — exam questions
11 original Incandio exam-style questions on the Universe and Gravity, 25 marks, about 25 minutes of writing. Each one carries the command word, the tariff and the specification statement it assesses, exactly as a paper presents them. This is an original Incandio practice question, written to reflect the structure and demands of the qualification. It is not an official Pearson Edexcel past-paper question.
This is the practice set for The Universe and Gravity — the lesson that teaches it. Read the lesson first if the idea is new; come here when you want to find out whether you can turn it into marks. Completely free, no account needed to read.
What these questions ask of you
8 command words run through this set, and on Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Physics each one means something precise. Answering the wrong command is the commonest way a candidate who understands the lesson still loses the mark.
- Which (1 mark)
- one option chosen from the set given
- Name (1 mark)
- the correct quantity, unit or component
- State (1 mark)
- one precise fact or definition
- Calculate (1–5 marks)
- select the equation, substitute, evaluate — and state the unit Misread as: giving a bare number with no equation and no unit
- Explain (2–4 marks)
- the physics that causes it, set out as a line of reasoning Misread as: describing the change without giving the physical reason for it
- Describe (2–4 marks)
- developed, linked statements of what happens — including a named direction where one exists
- Suggest (1–3 marks)
- a plausible answer applying taught physics to an unfamiliar arrangement
- Give (1–2 marks)
- a short factual answer
Assessed on Paper 1 (4PH1/1P) and Paper 2 (4PH1/2P), against AO1, AO2, AO3.
Where these sit in the specification
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Physics (4PH1) — statements 8.2 · 8.3 · 8.1. Incandio is aligned to this specification; it is not published by, endorsed by or affiliated with Pearson, and it reproduces none of Pearson's wording.
The 11 questions
Answer them on paper, then open the lesson's exam practice to have them marked. The mark scheme, the accepted and rejected answers and the annotated model answer are in Incandio and are not printed here — an answer beside its question is not practice.
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A space agency prepared a briefing sheet for a mission that would visit several bodies in the solar system. It listed the gravitational field strength at the surface of each, and the weight a 70 kg astronaut would have there.
Table 1 — surface gravitational field strength Body g at the surface / N/kg Weight of a 70 kg astronaut / N Earth 10.0 700 The Moon 1.6 112 Mars 3.7 259 Jupiter (cloud tops) 25.0 to be found (a)
(1)Give
Give the gravitational field strength at the surface of Mars, using Table 1.
A space agency prepared a briefing sheet for a mission that would visit several bodies in the solar system. It listed the gravitational field strength at the surface of each, and the weight a 70 kg astronaut would have there.
Table 1 — surface gravitational field strength Body g at the surface / N/kg Weight of a 70 kg astronaut / N Earth 10.0 700 The Moon 1.6 112 Mars 3.7 259 Jupiter (cloud tops) 25.0 to be found gravitational field strength = ............................ N/kg
(b)
(3)Calculate
Calculate the missing weight in Table 1.
A space agency prepared a briefing sheet for a mission that would visit several bodies in the solar system. It listed the gravitational field strength at the surface of each, and the weight a 70 kg astronaut would have there.
Table 1 — surface gravitational field strength Body g at the surface / N/kg Weight of a 70 kg astronaut / N Earth 10.0 700 The Moon 1.6 112 Mars 3.7 259 Jupiter (cloud tops) 25.0 to be found missing weight = ............................ N
(c)
(3)Explain
Explain what Table 1 shows about the astronaut's mass as they travel between these bodies.
A space agency prepared a briefing sheet for a mission that would visit several bodies in the solar system. It listed the gravitational field strength at the surface of each, and the weight a 70 kg astronaut would have there.
Table 1 — surface gravitational field strength Body g at the surface / N/kg Weight of a 70 kg astronaut / N Earth 10.0 700 The Moon 1.6 112 Mars 3.7 259 Jupiter (cloud tops) 25.0 to be found (Total for Question 1 = 7 marks)
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(1)Which
Which list puts these in order of increasing size?
Order A galaxy, solar system, universe B solar system, galaxy, universe C universe, galaxy, solar system D solar system, universe, galaxy (Total for Question 2 = 1 mark)
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(1)Name
Name the galaxy that contains the solar system.
(Total for Question 3 = 1 mark)
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(1)State
State the two things that determine the gravitational field strength at the surface of a planet.
(Total for Question 4 = 1 mark)
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(3)Calculate
Calculate the weight of a 45 kg rover on the surface of Mars, where g is 3.7 N/kg.
............................ N
(Total for Question 5 = 3 marks)
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(3)Explain
Explain why an astronaut's weight changes when they travel from the Earth to the Moon but their mass does not.
(Total for Question 6 = 3 marks)
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(4)Describe
Describe the place of the solar system within the universe.
(Total for Question 7 = 4 marks)
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(3)Suggest
Suggest why the field strength differs so much between these two moons.
Two moons of the outer solar system — Ganymede, a moon of Jupiter, has a radius of 2630 km and a surface gravitational field strength of 1.4 N/kg. Titan, a moon of Saturn, has almost exactly the same radius, 2570 km, but a surface field strength of only 1.35 N/kg. Ganymede is made largely of rock and ice; Titan of ice with a thick atmosphere.
(Total for Question 8 = 3 marks)
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(2)Explain
Explain why the gravitational force on an object is weaker on the Moon than on the Earth.
(Total for Question 9 = 2 marks)
Have them marked, then defend the answer
Practice tells you the mark; teaching it back tells you whether you understand it. On Incandio a topic counts as mastered only once you have taught it and defended it.
- Mark these questions — 11 questions, marked on Incandio against the authored scheme, with the mistake you actually made named.
- Teach it — explain the Universe and Gravity to Ember, an AI pupil who does not have it yet and asks the awkward question.
- Defend it — argue it against Isaac Newton over three rounds, marked against descriptors you can read first.
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Back to the lesson
- The Universe and Gravity — From a moon to the whole universe in five steps, and why your weight would change on the way.
- All of Incandio Physics · Incandio Exam Practice