P3 1

Exam-style questions
Name:

Class:

Turning forces
1

(a) What is meant by the centre of mass of an object?

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(1)

(b) The drawing shows a thin sheet of card. There are holes in the card at A and B.

Describe how you would find the centre of mass of the sheet of card.
Include a diagram with your answer.
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2

(6)

The diagram shows a painter standing on a plank. The plank rests on two supports.

The weight of the painter is 700 N. He is standing 2 m from support A.

(a) Calculate the moment of his weight about support A.
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AQA Science Nelson Thornes Ltd 2006

P3 1

(4)
1

P3 1
Exam-style questions
Continued
(b) The painter moves along the plank away from support A.
State and explain what happens to the moment of his weight about support A.
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3

(2)

A teacher is talking to her class about circular motion. She demonstrates with a bung fastened to
a piece of rubber tubing that she swings around in a horizontal circle.

The diagram below shows an overhead view of the bung.

(a) (i) In which direction, A, B, C or D, does the centripetal force act?

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(ii) The teacher lets go of the tubing at the instant shown in the diagram.
In which direction, A, B, C or D, does the bung move?
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AQA Science Nelson Thornes Ltd 2006

P3 1

(2)

P3 1
Exam-style questions
Continued
(b) What will happen to the centripetal force if the teacher:
(i) uses a bung with a smaller mass?
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(ii) swings the bung more slowly?
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(iii) swings the bung on a shorter piece of tubing?
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(3)

(c) In each case in part (b) she keeps all the other variables constant, apart from the variable
under investigation.
(i) What do we call the variables that are kept constant in an investigation?
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(1)

(ii) What is the general name for the variable under investigation?
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4

(1)

There are many satellites orbiting the Earth in circular paths.

(a) (i) What force provides the centripetal force that allows satellites to maintain their circular
orbits?
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(1)

(ii) A satellite moving at a steady speed in a circular orbit is continuously accelerating.

Explain why.
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(2)

(b) Some satellites are in geostationary orbits.

(i) What is meant by a geostationary orbit?
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(1)

(ii) What is the time period of a geostationary orbit?

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(1)

(iii) What type of satellite is usually put into a geostationary orbit?

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AQA Science Nelson Thornes Ltd 2006

P3 1

(1)