Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Physics · 4PH1 · Free · no account needed
Acceleration and the Velocity–Time Graph — exam questions
12 original Incandio exam-style questions on Acceleration and the Velocity–Time Graph, 30 marks, about 30 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 Acceleration and the Velocity–Time Graph — 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
9 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
- State what is meant by (1–2 marks)
- the 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
- Determine (1–4 marks)
- a value obtained by combining a reading or gradient with a relationship
- Design (4–6 marks)
- a workable method: variables, control, measurement, repeats
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 1.6 · 1.10 · 1.7 · 1.9 · 1.8. 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 12 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 train leaves a station, travels at a steady speed, and then brakes to a stop at the next station. Its velocity was recorded throughout.
Figure 1 — velocity against time for the train's journey. Plotted as a line; the graph is drawn in Incandio and the readings are below. Time / s Velocity / m/s 0 0 20 12 40 24 80 24 120 24 150 12 180 0 (a)
(1)Give
Give the maximum velocity reached by the train, using Figure 1.
A train leaves a station, travels at a steady speed, and then brakes to a stop at the next station. Its velocity was recorded throughout.
Figure 1 — velocity against time for the train's journey. Plotted as a line; the graph is drawn in Incandio and the readings are below. Time / s Velocity / m/s 0 0 20 12 40 24 80 24 120 24 150 12 180 0 ............................ m/s
(b)
(2)Describe
Describe the motion of the train shown in Figure 1 between 120 s and 180 s.
A train leaves a station, travels at a steady speed, and then brakes to a stop at the next station. Its velocity was recorded throughout.
Figure 1 — velocity against time for the train's journey. Plotted as a line; the graph is drawn in Incandio and the readings are below. Time / s Velocity / m/s 0 0 20 12 40 24 80 24 120 24 150 12 180 0 (c)
(3)Calculate
Calculate the acceleration of the train during the first 40 s, using Figure 1.
A train leaves a station, travels at a steady speed, and then brakes to a stop at the next station. Its velocity was recorded throughout.
Figure 1 — velocity against time for the train's journey. Plotted as a line; the graph is drawn in Incandio and the readings are below. Time / s Velocity / m/s 0 0 20 12 40 24 80 24 120 24 150 12 180 0 ............................ m/s²
(d)
(3)Determine
Determine the total distance travelled by the train, using Figure 1.
A train leaves a station, travels at a steady speed, and then brakes to a stop at the next station. Its velocity was recorded throughout.
Figure 1 — velocity against time for the train's journey. Plotted as a line; the graph is drawn in Incandio and the readings are below. Time / s Velocity / m/s 0 0 20 12 40 24 80 24 120 24 150 12 180 0 ............................ m
(Total for Question 1 = 9 marks)
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(1)Which
Which is the correct unit for acceleration?
Unit A m/s B m/s² C N D s (Total for Question 2 = 1 mark)
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(1)State what is meant by
State what is meant by the acceleration of an object.
(Total for Question 3 = 1 mark)
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(3)Calculate
A cyclist speeds up from 3.0 m/s to 11.0 m/s in 4.0 s. Calculate her acceleration.
acceleration = ............................ m/s²
(Total for Question 4 = 3 marks)
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(3)Calculate
A car accelerates from rest at 3.0 m/s² over a distance of 54 m. Calculate its final velocity.
final velocity = ............................ m/s
(Total for Question 5 = 3 marks)
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(2)Explain
Explain what a horizontal line on a velocity–time graph tells you about the motion.
(Total for Question 6 = 2 marks)
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(2)Describe
Describe how the distance travelled can be found from a velocity–time graph.
(Total for Question 7 = 2 marks)
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(3)Suggest
A velocity–time graph for a falling ball has a gradient that gets smaller and smaller. Suggest what this shows about the motion.
(Total for Question 8 = 3 marks)
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(6)Design
A trolley runs down a ramp. Design an experiment to find out whether its acceleration is constant.
(Total for Question 9 = 6 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 — 12 questions, marked on Incandio against the authored scheme, with the mistake you actually made named.
- Teach it — explain Acceleration and the Velocity–Time Graph to Ember, an AI pupil who does not have it yet and asks the awkward question.
- Defend it — argue it against Nicole Oresme over three rounds, marked against descriptors you can read first.
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Back to the lesson
- Acceleration and the Velocity–Time Graph — What acceleration actually measures, why its unit looks strange, and how one graph gives you both acceleration and distance.
- All of Incandio Physics · Incandio Exam Practice