Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Physics · 4PH1 · Free · no account needed
Resultant Force, Friction and F = ma — exam questions
10 original Incandio exam-style questions on Resultant Force, Friction and F = ma, 24 marks, about 24 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 Resultant Force, Friction and F = ma — 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
6 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
- Suggest (1–3 marks)
- a plausible answer applying taught physics to an unfamiliar arrangement
- Determine (1–4 marks)
- a value obtained by combining a reading or gradient with a relationship
Assessed on Paper 1 (4PH1/1P) and Paper 2 (4PH1/2P), against AO1, AO2.
Where these sit in the specification
Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Physics (4PH1) — statements 1.15 · 1.16 · 1.17. 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 10 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 loaded sledge of total mass 42 kg is pulled along level ground by a rope. The rope pulls with a horizontal force of 180 N. Friction between the sledge and the ground opposes the motion with a force of 96 N.
(a)
(2)Calculate
Calculate the resultant horizontal force on the sledge.
A loaded sledge of total mass 42 kg is pulled along level ground by a rope. The rope pulls with a horizontal force of 180 N. Friction between the sledge and the ground opposes the motion with a force of 96 N.
............................ N
(b)
(2)Calculate
Calculate the acceleration of the sledge.
A loaded sledge of total mass 42 kg is pulled along level ground by a rope. The rope pulls with a horizontal force of 180 N. Friction between the sledge and the ground opposes the motion with a force of 96 N.
acceleration of the sledge = ............................ m/s²
(c)
(3)Explain
More cargo is loaded onto the sledge while the rope keeps pulling with the same 180 N force. Explain the effect this has on the acceleration of the sledge.
A loaded sledge of total mass 42 kg is pulled along level ground by a rope. The rope pulls with a horizontal force of 180 N. Friction between the sledge and the ground opposes the motion with a force of 96 N.
(Total for Question 1 = 7 marks)
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(1)Which
Which of these is the correct unit for resultant force?
Unit A kilogram (kg) B newton (N) C metre per second squared (m/s²) D joule (J) (Total for Question 2 = 1 mark)
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(1)State what is meant by
State what is meant by the resultant force on an object.
(Total for Question 3 = 1 mark)
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(3)Calculate
A trolley of mass 2.4 kg has a resultant force of 7.8 N acting on it. Calculate its acceleration.
acceleration = ............................ m/s²
(Total for Question 4 = 3 marks)
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(3)Calculate
A resultant force of 340 N gives a crate an acceleration of 0.85 m/s². Calculate the mass of the crate.
mass of the crate = ............................ kg
(Total for Question 5 = 3 marks)
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(3)Explain
A heavy crate on a concrete floor needs a bigger push to start it moving than to keep it moving at a steady speed once it has started. Explain why the crate then keeps a steady speed rather than speeding up.
(Total for Question 6 = 3 marks)
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(2)Suggest
A curling stone slides across ice for over 30 metres before stopping. Suggest why it travels so much further than an identical stone pushed with the same force across a carpet.
(Total for Question 7 = 2 marks)
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(4)Determine
Two tugs pull a barge of mass 24 000 kg along a straight canal. One pulls forwards with 5400 N and the other forwards with 3900 N. The water resists the motion with a force of 7100 N. Determine the acceleration of the barge.
acceleration of the barge = ............................ m/s²
(Total for Question 8 = 4 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 — 10 questions, marked on Incandio against the authored scheme, with the mistake you actually made named.
- Teach it — explain Resultant Force, Friction and F = ma 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
- Resultant Force, Friction and F = ma — Why a moving object stops, what really happens when you add forces up, and the one equation that connects force to motion.
- All of Incandio Physics · Incandio Exam Practice