IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 1

A jet aircraft is taking off from an international airport. Its mass, including passengers and fuel is 150,000
kg.
Its take-off speed is 100 ms-1. The maximum thrust of its engines is 500,000 N.

(a) Using the equation Kinetic Energy (joules) = mv2 ,calculate the kinetic energy at the moment of
take-off.
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(b) Name the two main forces acting on the plane at take-
off.
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(c) We can assume there are no forces of resistance and the engines maintain maximum thrust.
Using the equation Work done (joules) = force distance, calculate the minimum length of runway
needed for
take-off.
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TOTAL / 7
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 2

Alice pulls per brother Simon on a sledge. She pulls with a force of 100 N and the friction force between
sledge
and ground is 20 N.
(a) What is the resultant force on the sledge?

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...... [1]
(b) How much work does she do in pulling the sledge 20m?

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3m

(c) Alice pulls the sledge up a hill of vertical height 3m.

(i) If the sledge and Simon together weigh 100 N, use the
equation:
Potential Energy (joule) = force vertical height
to calculate their potential energy at the top of the
hill.
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...... [1]
(ii) Alice lets go of the sledge. Explain what happens in terms of the energy
changes.
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TOTAL / 7
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 3

The diagram below shows a skydiver during three stages of the parachute jump. Stage 1 and 2 shows the
skydiver during free fall long after the skydiver has left the plane. Stage 3 shows the skydiver after the
parachute has been open for some time.

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

In Stage 1 the skydiver is travelling at a constant

speed.
(a) State the name for this steady speed.

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...... [1]
(b) State the names of the forces on the skydiver in stage
1.
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In Stage 2 the skydiver increases his speed by tilting
downwards.
(c) Explain how tilting downwards has altered the forces acting on the
skydiver.
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(d) The table below shows readings from the parachutists altimeter (an instrument for measuring the
height
above the ground) during the descent. The altimeter was later found to be inaccurate at times. At 15
seconds
into the jump the parachutist tilts downwards.
TIME HEIGHT
(SECS) (METRES)
0 2000
5 1860
10 1600
15 1300
20 770
25 580
30 500
35 420
40 450
45 300
50 250
55 200
60 175

(Continued...)
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 3 CONTINUED

(i) Construct a graph of the information. [4]

(ii) Use the graph to determine the average speed between 10-15
seconds.
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TOTAL / 10
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 4

Michael Johnson won the 200m at the 1996 Olympic Games in a new World record time of
19.32s.
(a) Write down the equation you could use to work out his average speed in the
race.
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...... [1]
(b) Calculate his average speed.

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(c) He reached a velocity of 7.5 m/s 2 seconds after the start of the race.
How far had he run in the first 2s? (You may assume he accelerates at a constant
rate.)

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(d) What was his average acceleration 2s after the start of the
race?
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TOTAL / 9
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 5

The graph below shows the distance travelled (m) against time (s) for Alecia and Dina who are riding
their bikes
to school .
Dina Alecia
2000

1500
P Q
1000

500

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800

(a) How far is it to school?

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...... [1]
(b) Who sets off at the faster speed?

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...... [1]
(c) Explain what has happened at the section marked
PQ.
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...... [1]
(d) Work out Dinas speed for the first 400 seconds.

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(e) What happens at point X?

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(f) Who arrives at school first?

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(g) What is Alecias average speed for the whole journey?

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TOTAL / 9
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 6

A child steps out in the path of a car in a busy street.

27 m/s

speed m/s

0
1.2s 5.4s
time/s

The graph shows how the speed of the car changes from the moment the driver
sees
the child until the car safely stopped before the child was harmed.
(a) What is the driver's reaction time in seconds?

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...... [1]
(b) Calculate the deceleration of the car while the brakes are being
applied.
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(c) Calculate the distance travelled by the car from the moment the driver saw the
child.
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TOTAL / 10
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 7

The world's strongest man pulled a lorry along and crossed the finish line in
30s.

Speed Time s
m/s
0 0
0.5 5
0.75 10
1.25 15
2.0 20
3.0 30

(a) Plot a graph of speed (m/s) (vertical axis) against time (s) (horizontal [3]
axis).

(Continued...)
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 7 CONTINUED

(b) (i) Calculate his average acceleration in the first 5s.

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(ii) Calculate his average acceleration in the last 5s (between 25 and
30s).
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(iii) Explain why there is a difference.

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TOTAL / 9
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 8

In the 1996 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Linford Christie won the 100m race in
9.96s.
(a) Write down the equation for calculating his average
speed.
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(b) (i) Calculate Linford Christie's average speed for the 100m
race.
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(ii) In the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens, the 100m race was won by Thomas Burke in
12.0s.
Calculate his average speed.
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(iii) Suggest one reason why the winning time is less in 1996.

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(c) (i) The 100m freestyle swimming event in 1996 was won by Alexander Popov in
40.02s.
Calculate his average speed.
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(ii) Suggest why this time is greater than Linford Christie's time for running the 100m
race.
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TOTAL / 9
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 9

A bus leaves a bus stop, and its motion along a straight road is shown in the
graph.

b
X
20 s
Speed/

a c

d
10
e

Z
0 10 20 4050 60
30 70 80 90
Time/ s

(a) Describe what is happening in region b of the graph.

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(b) Using the equation: acceleration = change in velocity , calculate the acceleration of the bus in
region a.
time taken
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(c) At point X, the bus driver sees slow moving traffic ahead. Explain what is happening in regions c, d
and e.
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(d) Suggest what is happening at point Z.

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TOTAL / 12
 IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 10

Shina dives from a diving board into a swimming pool. The vertical and horizontal displacements of her
centre
of mass are shown in the graph.
0.9

0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
Distance
/m
-0.1

-0.2

-0.3

-0.4

-0.5

-0.6

-0.7
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
Time/ s

(Continued...)
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 10 CONTINUED

(i) Find the maximum height of Shinas centre of mass above the
board.
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(ii) Find the time taken to reach this height.

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(iii) Find the vertical distance from the top of the dive to the water
surface.
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(b) Shinas mass is 40 kg. Using the equation Work Done (joule) = force distance, calculate the work
done
against gravity from the board to the highest point.
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TOTAL / 5
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 11

Louise weighs 420N. She runs upstairs.

3 metres

Her power when running up the stairs is given by:

power (watts) = energy transferred
time
You may also need to use the equation potential energy (joules) = force vertical
height.

(a) Calculate Louises power when running up the stairs in 3

seconds.
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(b) As she reaches the top, she hears the telephone ringing and runs back down again. What
happens to
the potential energy she gained when she climbed the stairs?
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(c) Louise carries a box of weight 140N up the stairs. How much extra work does she do when
climbing
the stairs than she would without the box?
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(d) How long would it take her to climb the stairs carrying the box using the same power as in
part (a)?
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TOTAL / 7
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 12

A bungee jumper falls from rest on a bridge. His speed over time is shown in the
table.
time (s) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
speed (ms-1) 10 20 30 40 50 60 47 0
A B

(a) (i) Plot a graph of speed against time. [2]

(Continued...)
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 12 CONTINUED

(i) What happens between points A and B?

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(ii) Calculate the average deceleration between points A and B.

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(ii) What is causing this deceleration?

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(c) (i) Calculate the acceleration between 2 and 4 seconds into the
jump.
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(ii) What is causing this acceleration?

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TOTAL / 10
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 13

Mary drives her car from Wyton to work in Inbury each day. Her journey is described in the
graph.
On the first day it follows the line marked 1.

Wyton
10
C

8
1 2
Distance
/s 6

4
A B

Inbury
0 2 4 6 8 10
Time/ s

(a) How far away is Inbury from Wyton?

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(b) Calculate the speed of the car between Wyton and Inbury on day
1.
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(c) On the second day, the motion of the car follows line 2.

(i) What happens between A and B ?

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(ii) Calculate the new speed between B and C.

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(d) If a speed restriction of 60 kmh-1 was imposed, how long would it take for Mary to get to
work if
every day was like day 2?
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TOTAL / 9
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 14

Here is some information about the speed of a car during its

journey.
Speed m/s Time s
0 0
5 10
10 20
15 30
20 40
20 50
20 60

(a) Plot a graph of speed m/s (vertical axis) against time s (horizontal [3]
axis).

(Continued...)
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 14 CONTINUED

(b) How far does the car travel in the first 30s of its journey?

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(c) Describe the motion of the car for the rest of its journey (the next
30s).
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(d) At 60s, the driver starts to brake and the car stops after a further 15s (a total of
75s).
(i) Draw this deceleration on your graph. [1]

(ii) Calculate the deceleration of the car between 60 and 75s.

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TOTAL / 11
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 15

A car starts up and travels along the road

Here is a table showing how the speed of the car
changed.
SPEED (m/s) TIME (s)
0 0
3 1
6 2
9 3
12 4
15 5
16 6

(a)(i) Plot a graph of speed in m/s (vertical axis) against time in s (horizontal [3]
axis).

(Continued...)
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 15 CONTINUED

(ii) Calculate the acceleration of the car over the first 5 seconds.

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(iii) How far does the car travel in the first 5 seconds?

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Velocity

Time

(b)(i) Mark on the graph CV when the car is travelling at constant

velocity.
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(ii) Mark D when the car is decelerating.

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TOTAL / 11
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 16

A car moves along a dry road.

The driver sees danger ahead. It takes her 0.6s to react before braking.
This is
called her reaction time. In this time the car travels 15m.
(a) Calculate the speed of the car during the 0.6s it takes the driver to react to the danger
ahead.
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(b) The distance travelled before braking is the thinking
distance.
Total stopping distance for the car = thinking distance + braking
distance
The total stopping distance at this speed is 63m. What is the braking distance of the
car?
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(c) (i) What effect does driving on a wet road have on the driver's reaction
time?
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(ii) What other two factors besides speed affects the braking distance of a
car?
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TOTAL / 7
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 17

Kris and Joshua are racing their remote-controlled model cars down a flat road. Information on their
motion is
shown in the table.
Kris: distance (m) Kris: time (s) Joshua: distance (m) Joshua: time (s)
4 1 3 1
8 2 6 2
12 3 9 3
16 4 12 4
20 5 15 5

(a) Plot a graph of distance against time for both [3]

cars.

(Continued...)
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 17 CONTINUED

(i) Calculate the average speed of both for the 5

seconds.
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(ii) Whose car travelled faster?

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(c) Joshuas car veers off course and collides with a wall. Describe the energy changes which
take
place during the collision.
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TOTAL / 8
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 18

Karl is taking his Driving Theory test soon.

He has written out this table of stopping distances.

SPEED (mph) STOPPING DISTANCE(m)

30 23
40 36
50 45
60 73
70 96

(a) Plot a graph of speed (mph) (vertical axis) against stopping distance (m) (horizontal [3]
axis).

(Continued...)
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 18 CONTINUED

(b) Karl has got one of the stopping distances wrong. At which speed has he made a
mistake?
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(c) At 30 mph, the thinking distance is 9m and the braking distance 14m. Explain carefully what is
meant by:
(i) thinking distance.

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(ii) braking distance.

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(d) These stopping distances are called the shortest distances in the Highway Code.
Suggest two things which may make the stopping distance at that speed longer than in Karl's table.

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TOTAL / 8
IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 19

Bungee jumping is a very popular sport in New Zealand. People jump of high bridges with elastic cord
tied to
their feet. The diagram shows three stages of a bungee jump.

2. Bouncing
back up
1. Start
(moving 3. End
down) (stationary)

(a) Name the force that pulls the jumper down.

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...... [1]
(b) State the size of this force throughout the jump.

Choose from:- Increases decreases stays the same.

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At only some stages of the bungee jump there is a tension force in the elastic
cord.
(c) For each of the three questions you should describe whether the gravity and tension forces are
balanced
or unbalanced.
Cross out the wrong answer.

(i) At the start the forces are balanced/unbalanced. [1]

(ii) When bouncing upwards the forces are balanced/ unbalanced. [1]

(iii) When stationary at the end the forces are balanced/ [1]
unbalanced.
(d) Apart from making the object stay still describe one other effect balanced forces can have on an
object.
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...... [1]
(e) Describe the motion of the bungee jumper in stages 1 and 2. For each stage state in which
direction
the resultant force acts.
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TOTAL
/ 10
 IGCSE PHYSICS MOTION

QUESTIONSHEET 20

A speed of a train is plotted against time.

50

A B
40 x x

Speed
m/s 30

20

10

C
0 x
0 50 100 150 200 300
250
Time/ s

(a) What is the maximum speed of the train?

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(b) (i) Describe the movement of the train between points A and
B.
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(ii) Describe the movement of the train between points B and C.

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(c) Were the brakes applied at point A, B or C?

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(d) How far did the train travel between A and B?

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TOTAL / 8