Q1
ORIGINAL
A scale drawing uses to represent . Describe the arrow that represents a force of acting vertically downwards.
[2 marks]
Total for this question: 2
All AQA GCSE Physics topic questions
AQA GCSE Physics · Topic 4.5
Forces questions
Practice questions covering forces from this specification. Every question below is the real AQA question as it is printed on the paper, with its mark scheme.
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Questions to attempt
6 questions on Forces, each with its mark scheme and worked method. Reveal the answer when you have had a go.
- Q2ORIGINALA magnet attracts an iron pin across a small gap. Describe the force interaction between the magnet and the pin.
[2 marks]
Total for this question: 2
- Q3ORIGINALA sample has mass . Its weight is at location A and at location B. Calculate the gravitational field strength at each location.
[3 marks]
Total for this question: 3
- Q4ORIGINALA model boat is pulled forwards by . Water resistance is and air resistance is , both backwards. Determine the resultant force on the boat.
[2 marks]
Total for this question: 2
- Q5ORIGINALA winch lifts a load vertically through using a constant upward force of . Calculate the work done and identify the energy store that increases.
[3 marks]
Total for this question: 3
- Q6ORIGINALWithin its linear region, a spring extends by when a force of is applied. Calculate the spring constant and predict the extension produced by .
[3 marks]
Total for this question: 3
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Printable question pack — 4.5 ForcesAll 268 questions across 25 specification points — 262 more than the 6 above — with the full mark scheme. Guest accessible · browser print.Real past-paper questions
86 questions shown as printed, 10 reference-only · newest series first
Question and mark-scheme extracts © AQA. Reproduced for educational use; the original paper is linked on every question. Contact hello@oscarsongtutoring.co.uk for removal.
AQA 8463 · June 2025 · Paper 2F · Q2 · 10 marks
10 marks
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[02.2] Just over 90% of the students were able to use the work done equation correctly. Those that did not get full marks tended to put an additional step into the calculation by dividing the answer 68 000 000 by 4; the number of engines in total. Occasionally a student would attempt to convert the number calculated into standard form. Whilst not being penalised, this was not required.
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A very long train has four engines pulling trucks filled with coal. Each engine exerts 850 000 N forwards.
AQA 8463 · June 2025 · Paper 2F · Q4 · 11 marks
11 marks
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[04.6] Only just over 20 % of the students scored full marks for using the graph of distance against speed to find the stopping distance. The correct distances were often identified from the graph. However, these were then either subtracted from each other, divided or multiplied rather than added. © 2025 AQA
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Cars X and Y have the same shape and engines producing the same maximum forward force, but X has greater mass.
AQA 8463 · June 2025 · Paper 2F · Q7 · 5 marks
5 marks
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[07.2] The correct resultant moment was selected by just over 80 % of the students.
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A number balance has a beam rotating about a pivot. Identical-weight tags can be hung from numbered pegs.
AQA 8463 · June 2025 · Paper 2F · Q8 · 10 marks
10 marks
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[08.2] Just fewer than 80 % of the students choose the correct equation for calculating speed.
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In a thunderstorm, lightning produces visible light waves and sound waves.
AQA 8463 · June 2025 · Paper 2F · Q9 · 10 marks
10 marks
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[09.5] This was not successfully answered, with only about 2 % of the students scoring both marks and a further 13 % scoring one mark. The 1st mark point was for stating or giving a clear description of inelastic deformation. Of those who were awarded marks most of them described how the spring had reached or passed its limit of proportionality.
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A student investigated how force applied to a spring affects its length by increasing hanging mass and measuring spring length.
AQA 8463 · June 2025 · Paper 2F · Q10 · 4 marks
4 marks
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[10.4] Just fewer than 30 % of the students scored all three marks. Many of the students took only one value from the graph rather than a corresponding pair of values and so scored 0. Those that used a pair of correct values often then used them the wrong way round when calculating the gradient.
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A student investigated a gravity ball dropped repeatedly from measured heights. A button starts its stopwatch and impact stops it.
AQA 8463 · June 2025 · Paper 2H · Q1 · 10 marks
10 marks
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[1.3] A straightforward substitution, rearrangement and evaluation to calculate the time was completed successfully by almost all of the students. A few examples of incorrect rearrangement resulted in an answer of 0.025. Many students adopted good practice and showed both the substitution and rearrangement stages.
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In a thunderstorm, lightning produces visible light waves and sound waves.
AQA 8463 · June 2025 · Paper 2H · Q2 · 10 marks
10 marks
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[2.3] There were many good responses relating to improving the arrangement of the apparatus. These included using a ruler with a better resolution. A large number of the students suggested making the ruler "straight", which was insufficient, given that rulers are straight. Those who expressed this as vertical, parallel to the spring or similar were awarded the mark. Clamping the ruler was often quoted in relation to making sure the zero-mark lined up with either the top or bottom of the spring. Some of the students did not appreciate that this question was asking about the arrangement of the apparatus, as shown in the diagram. These students wrote answers in terms of taking repeat measurements and calculating a mean.
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A student investigated how force applied to a spring affects the spring's length. The student increased hanging mass, calculated force and measured spring length.
AQA 8463 · June 2025 · Paper 2H · Q3 · 4 marks
4 marks
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[3.1] Just over half of the students were able to correctly calculate the uncertainty. Those who did not were able to find the mean or the range and gain one mark.
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A student investigated a gravity ball dropped from different heights. A button starts its stopwatch and impact with the floor stops it.
AQA 8463 · June 2025 · Paper 2H · Q5 · 10 marks
10 marks
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[5.1] Students answered this free-body diagram question well with just over 60 % gaining both marks. Some students failed to realise that the air resistance should be represented by a smaller arrow than the one given in the diagram. Some students had drawn the dot again with labels added to their dot. Other arrows were occasionally added stating 'gravity' alongside weight.
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In a world-record attempt, a skydiver jumped from 40 km above Earth.
AQA 8463 · June 2025 · Paper 2H · Q6 · 13 marks
13 marks
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[6.3] Just over 40 % of the students gained full marks for this multi-step calculation. Those who did mostly chose to use the equations of motion method before substituting their value of acceleration into F=ma. Very few students approached the problem from the kinetic energy method. The method using the average velocity was commonly used. However, very few students realised the necessity to use average velocity in their solution and were as a result a factor of two out in their final answer. This method also highlights that many students do not know which equations relate to constant velocity, and which relate to changing velocity. © 2025 AQA
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Cars X and Y are identical except that X has greater mass.
AQA 8463 · June 2025 · Paper 2H · Q8 · 9 marks
9 marks
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[8.1] Student responses for this question were poor. 'Outwards' was a very common and insufficient response to this question. Some students added arrows to the diagram to support their answer, but this was not seen regularly and was often done without care.
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A jar contains oil above vinegar, with a piece of garlic floating at the boundary between the two liquids.
AQA 8463 · June 2024 · Paper 2F · Q3 · 5 marks
5 marks
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[03.4] Most of the students identified the correct relationship between the two factors. Those that did not score this mark said the factors were ‘directly proportional’, or that as one decreased the other decreased.
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A student investigated how trolley mass affects acceleration while keeping the pulling force constant.
AQA 8463 · June 2024 · Paper 2F · Q5 · 4 marks
4 marks
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[05.5] Many students scored this mark about doing work against gravity.
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A person completed a walk, then ran the same route on another day.
AQA 8463 · June 2024 · Paper 2F · Q9 · 12 marks
12 marks
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[09.3] A well answered calculation of force, with 74% of students gaining all 3 marks. Some students tried to convert the units.
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A child uses a baby walker and pushes it across a floor. Toy gears A and B are mounted on the walker.
AQA 8463 · June 2024 · Paper 2H · Q2 · 12 marks
12 marks
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[02.3] 95% of students scored all 3 marks for this calculation of force. There were some errors rearranging.
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A child uses a baby walker and pushes it across a floor. Toy gears A and B are mounted on the walker.
AQA 8463 · June 2024 · Paper 2H · Q3 · 13 marks
13 marks
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[03.4] This is always a difficult topic for students. Many students recognised that galaxy A is travelling faster. A large number of students didn’t clearly state the light spectra were showing red-shift or that the galaxies were moving away from us, so were unable to achieve the first and / or the second mark points. Students who stated the light spectra were showing red-shift often went on to achieve all 3 marks (17%).
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The solar system contains the Sun and other objects. Star masses: Arcturus 2.2 × 10³⁰ kg; Betelgeuse 2.2 × 10³¹ kg; Cygni A 1.4 × 10³⁰ kg; Sun 2.0 × 10³⁰ kg.
AQA 8463 · June 2024 · Paper 2H · Q4 · 12 marks
12 marks
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[04.5] 95% of students gained at least 2 marks in this calculation of wavelength. Converting was sometimes unclear, often being done at the end rather than the beginning of the working, preventing students gaining all 3 marks. .
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A submarine descends into the Mariana Trench. Earthquakes produce P-waves and S-waves, which arrive at seismometers at different times.
AQA 8463 · June 2024 · Paper 2H · Q5 · 9 marks
9 marks
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[05.3] Very few students (0.94%) scored full marks for a description of how to calculate acceleration with the given data. Very few appreciated the necessity to use the maximum velocity in the calculation and did not gain the second mark point as a result. Many students merely quote two formulae, often simply using symbols and not quoting the correct subject of the formula. Describing a calculation, rather than performing one, appears to be a skill that few students have practised.
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A student investigated trolley acceleration against resultant force using a trolley pulled along a runway by a string and mass hanger.
AQA 8463 · June 2024 · Paper 2H · Q7 · 9 marks
9 marks
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[07.4] 30% of students scored full marks on this multi-step calculation of distance. These students tended to use the preferred method, or the first alternative method, given on the mark scheme. 45% scored 3 marks, usually because they used the final velocity instead of the mean velocity in distance = speed × time, so could not access the final 3 marks.
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A 240 000 kg train travels at 60 m/s. A constant braking force of 270 000 N stops it. Questions also concern the effect of alcohol on stopping distance.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2F · Q1 · 5 marks
5 marks
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[01.1] 76% of students correctly identified the extension of the spring.
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A student investigated the spring constant of a spring by hanging masses from it.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2F · Q2 · 12 marks
12 marks
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[02.2] The majority of the students identified the correct relationship between the speed and the braking distance. Those that didn’t described the graph rather than mentioning braking distance or speed, or used incorrect phrases eg ‘directly proportional’.
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A car's stopping distance is its braking distance plus thinking distance. A student also used a ruler-drop test to investigate reaction time.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2F · Q5 · 4 marks
4 marks
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[05.4] The majority of students calculated the distance correctly
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Microwaves are electromagnetic waves used in mobile-phone communication.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2F · Q7 · 2 marks
2 marks
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[07.6] 74% of students understood why it is important that scientific observations are peer reviewed.
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The Hubble Space Telescope orbits Earth and detects visible-light spectra from distant galaxies.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2F · Q9 · 17 marks
17 marks
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[09.3] Many students scored zero as they had selected the incorrect box. The reason had to state greatest/highest temperature, or the liquid was the hottest. A higher temperature or hotter liquid was insufficient to gain this mark. 21% of students scored both marks.
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A student compares infrared emission from black and silver flasks, then compares absorption by equal metal cubes: matt white temperature rise 3.0 °C; shiny white 2.0 °C; matt black 6.5 °C; shiny black 4.0 °C. Each cube has a square base 0.12 m by 0.12 m.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2F · Q10 · 2 marks
2 marks
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[10.6] A minority of students attempted to draw a smooth curve and extrapolate this to the 10km line. Those who did generally obtained full marks by using the graph correctly, with 12% of students scoring both marks. A number of students miscalculated the scale on the graph and quoted incorrect values from their line. It was more common to see a straight line, which often allowed the award of 1 mark for a correct reading of the value.
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An aeroplane taxis to a runway and then takes off. Air resistance and friction act during the journey.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2H · Q1 · 17 marks
17 marks
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[01.5] The most common response related to the matt black surface and the shiny white surface. This was awarded 1 mark. Some did mention that black was the best absorber but failed to adequately describe the relative absorbance of matt versus shiny surfaces, as they did not explain this only applied for the same colour surface. In addition, some gave their response in terms of emission or reflection of IR radiation, both of which scored zero. Only 3% of students successfully gave both conclusions.
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A student compares infrared emission from black and silver flasks, then compares absorption by equal metal cubes: matt white temperature rise 3.0 °C; shiny white 2.0 °C; matt black 6.5 °C; shiny black 4.0 °C. Each cube has a square base 0.12 m by 0.12 m.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2H · Q2 · 2 marks
2 marks
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[02.4] Students did not appear to understand the concept of a contact force, often quoting gravity as one. In addition, they gave forces already quoted in the question as answers.
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An aeroplane taxis to a runway and then takes off. Air resistance and friction act during the journey.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2H · Q3 · 6 marks
6 marks
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[03.2] 87% of students gained all 4 marks on this question. There were not many incorrect readings of velocity from the graph, and the most common error was usually 14.5 m/s. Those who did not score all the marks had made mathematical errors, such as incorrect rearranging.
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A car has a handbrake lever. The driver may be distracted before emergency braking, and braking heats the brakes.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2H · Q5 · 10 marks
10 marks
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[05.3] 96% of students scored both mars for calculating the force.
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A bumper car collides with a barrier as a closed system. It has a flexible bumper.
AQA 8463 · June 2023 · Paper 2H · Q6 · 9 marks
9 marks
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[06.4] 6% of students gained full marks for this explanation. students scored a mark for the 2nd or 3rd marking point, and it was unusual to have to consider the award of the compensation mark. A significant number of students thought that galaxies A and B were emitting radiation with a greater wavelength than that emitted by the Sun.
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The Hubble Space Telescope orbits Earth and uses microwaves to communicate.
AQA 8463 · June 2022 · Paper 2F · Q2 · 4 marks
4 marks
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[02.7] Surprisingly, since the largest force arrow is shown pointing upwards, just under half of the students gave the correct answer of ‘up’.
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Hailstones fall through air and eventually reach terminal velocity.
AQA 8463 · June 2022 · Paper 2F · Q4 · 9 marks
9 marks
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[04.1] The correct answer was chosen by approximately 65% of the students.
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Five identical oranges have total mass 1.1 kg. One orange's weight acts through a marked point. A balance uses a spring that extends by 0.015 m when a force of 6.0 N acts. Take g = 9.8 N/kg.
AQA 8463 · June 2022 · Paper 2F · Q6 · 6 marks
6 marks
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[06.4] Few of the students seemed to understand what is meant by ‘sea level’. As a consequence, they were not able to read a correct value from the graph. Only about 25% of students scored the mark.
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Earth has radius 6400 km and is surrounded by an atmosphere. A mountain lake has surface area 2000 m² and atmospheric force 188 000 000 N on its surface.
AQA 8463 · June 2022 · Paper 2F · Q7 · 16 marks
16 marks
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[07.2] The answers were split 50/50 between parallel and perpendicular.
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Sound travels as longitudinal waves at 330 m/s. At a concert, loudspeaker B is farther from a technician than loudspeaker A; distance A is 13.2 m.
AQA 8463 · June 2022 · Paper 2F · Q8 · 13 marks
13 marks
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[08.1] Many of the students were able to give one factor but only about one quarter went on to score both marks. A significant number of the students gave vague answers such as ‘weather’ and so scored zero.
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An electric super-car accelerates from rest. Its maximum acceleration is 20 m/s². In a separate run it accelerates at 10 m/s² over 605 m. At maximum speed, air resistance is 4000 N over a 7.5 km journey.
AQA 8463 · June 2022 · Paper 2H · Q3 · 11 marks
11 marks
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[03.3] Nearly all of the students scored 1 mark with about half of the students scoring both marks. The third option was a common wrong answer.
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Speed cameras 1.5 km apart measure a car's average speed on a curved, non-straight road with speed limit 20 m/s.
AQA 8463 · June 2022 · Paper 2H · Q4 · 6 marks
6 marks
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[04.3] About 80% of the students scored this mark.
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A hailstone falls from a cloud and eventually reaches terminal velocity.
AQA 8463 · June 2022 · Paper 2H · Q5 · 9 marks
9 marks
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[05.4] About half of the students knew that the spring would go back to its original length / shape but few stated that the spring deformed elastically. Describing the spring as ‘elastic’ is not the same as ‘elastically deformed’.
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A balance measures five identical tomatoes with total mass 0.425 kg. Its spring compresses by 0.015 m under a 6.0 N force. Take g = 9.8 N/kg.
AQA 8463 · June 2022 · Paper 2H · Q8 · 12 marks
12 marks
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[08.3] Most of the students scoring 3 marks used the ratio method to calculate the force. A few calculated the density of the water and then calculated the force. Those students scoring 1 mark usually did so by incorrectly calculating force but then correctly rounding to 3 significant figures. A small but significant number of the students were unable to round their answer to 3 significant figures. Use of statistics Statistics used in this report may be taken from incomplete processing data. However, this data still gives a true account on how students have performed for each question.
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A 0.25 m by 0.10 m diving brick rests at the bottom of a pool. Its top is 2.50 m below the surface and water exerts 637 N downward on that top face. Take g = 9.8 N/kg. In a second pool, the same face experiences 618 N at 2.50 m depth and is later at 49.9 m depth.
AQA 8463 · November 2021 · Paper 2F · Q2 · 4 marks
4 marks
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A cyclist applies a 150 N force at a perpendicular distance of 0.24 m from the pedal axle. From a velocity–time graph, the cyclist's velocity rises from 0 to 5.8 m/s in 20 s.
AQA 8463 · November 2021 · Paper 2F · Q4 · 6 marks
6 marks
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A student investigates the force needed to hold a trolley stationary on ramps of different angles. Before any force is applied, the newtonmeter reads +0.5 N. A long ramp and a short ramp both reach the same van-floor height. A 160 N force moves a wheelchair 2.5 m along the long ramp.
AQA 8463 · November 2021 · Paper 2F · Q6 · 6 marks
6 marks
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At the Sun's surface a 2.5 kg mass weighs 750 N. A life-cycle diagram for a Sun-like star has two missing stages between the main-sequence and black-dwarf stages.
AQA 8463 · November 2021 · Paper 2F · Q7 · 10 marks
10 marks
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A bar magnet is used to introduce magnetic fields. An electromagnet above a conveyor separates steel cans from aluminium cans. A conveyor moves a can 3.3 m at 1.7 m/s.
AQA 8463 · November 2021 · Paper 2F · Q8 · 14 marks
14 marks
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A 1600 kg car experiences a mean braking force of 7200 N. In its hydraulic brake, a 60 N force acts on a piston while the fluid pressure is 120 000 Pa.
AQA 8463 · November 2021 · Paper 2F · Q9 · 14 marks
14 marks
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A student investigates force and extension for a spring. One plotted point is 5.00 N at 0.125 m extension. A second spring has spring constant 13 N/m and extension 20 cm.
AQA 8463 · November 2021 · Paper 2H · Q1 · 14 marks
14 marks
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Part 01.1 asked students to explain factors and not simply list them. However, this is what many of the students did. Another common error was to explain factors affecting thinking distance rather than as asked, braking distance. The required equations were well known and the calculation required to answer 01.3 was often given correctly. Reading values from a graph proved difficult with only about half of the students answering 01.4 correctly.Less than 50% of the students scored full marks in part 01.6. Generally only those students completing the calculation correctly scored the unit mark. However many of the students did score the mark for correctly giving a calculated incorrect numerical answer in standard form.
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A 1600 kg car experiences a mean braking force of 7200 N. In its hydraulic brake, a 60 N force acts on a piston while the fluid pressure is 120 000 Pa.
AQA 8463 · November 2021 · Paper 2H · Q2 · 14 marks
14 marks
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Students seemed unfamiliar with the term ‘elastically deformed’ and in 02.1 described an object that was ‘inelastically deformed’. When describing a method to obtain given results, students must include what measuring instruments are used, how each quantity is obtained and the interval and range of the given results. Most of the students understood the term ‘risk assessment’. Answers to part 02.5 that simply stated ‘positive correlation’ or ‘extension increases with force’ were insufficient to gain credit. A minority of the students gave a very succinct answer worth two marks. In part 02.6 the most common errors were a failure to convert 20 cm to metres or failing to square the extension.
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A student investigates force and extension for a spring. One plotted point is 5.00 N at 0.125 m extension. A second spring has spring constant 13 N/m and extension 20 cm.
AQA 8463 · November 2021 · Paper 2H · Q7 · 6 marks
6 marks
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In part 07.1, few students could name a force. Most of the students gave answers such as ‘energy’, momentum’ and ‘speed’. Once again reading a correct value from a graph proved difficult and prevented many of the students from scoring full marks. Despite part 07.3 using both the word ‘force’ and the word ‘moment’ few of the answers used either word and so scored no marks. Clear working out in part 07.4 allowed some students to gain some credit even when the final answer was wrong. An approach that was often seen was to first calculate time and then acceleration. However, those doing this tended to use the final velocity, instead of the average velocity. The final part produced few totally correct answers. Common errors included: showing the wrong direction, or not indicating the direction, of the resultant force; inaccurate scale drawing; no indication of what angle was being given; and giving a calculated answer with no vector diagram attempted.
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A bicycle accelerates from rest to 2.4 m/s over 18 m. Its drivetrain contains pedals, gears and a chain.
AQA 8463 · November 2021 · Paper 2H · Q9 · 13 marks
13 marks
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Whilst many of the students could quote Fleming’s Left Hand rule, few were able to apply it in order to explain how to predict the direction of the copper rod given in Figure 16. In part 09.2 an answer ‘bigger magnet’ is not necessarily the same as a ‘stronger magnet’ and neither is ‘changing the current’ necessarily the same as ‘increasing the current’. In part 09.3 whilst there were few answers scoring all six marks many of the students gained partial credit by showing their working out clearly. A very common error was not to convert 4 g to kg. Concluding Remarks The paper presented to the students was broadly similar to that seen in previous series. Many of the errors made by the students were similar to those seen in previous series. The failure to be able to accurately present information requiring recall from the specification (AO1), for example understanding the term ‘elastically deformed’ or describing the difference between a transverse wave and a longitudinal wave was commonly seen. Incorrect recall of equations stopped many students from scoring marks in calculations. Students often seemed to be unsure what the command word in a question meant. For example being asked to ‘Explain’ an application of Fleming’s Left Hand rule is not the same as ‘Describe’. Areas of the specification that were particularly poorly answered were sections 4.7 (Magnetism and Electromagnetism), 4.8 (Space physics) and 4.6.2.5 (Lenses). Vector diagrams did not appear to be well understood. Many of the students now understand the importance of showing clear working out when completing a calculation. This is crucial in the more complex calculations. Similar to previous series a significant number of the students were unable to read values from graphs accurately and failed to realise when numerical values were not given in standard SI units.
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A 0.050 m wire carrying 1.7 A is perpendicular to a 0.30 T magnetic field. The 4.0 g wire is free to move for 0.15 s. Current is out of the page and the magnetic field points downwards.
AQA 8463 · November 2020 · Paper 2F · Q1 · 12 marks
12 marks
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A student drops four equal-mass shapes of modelling clay through the same distance in oil and compares fall times.
AQA 8463 · November 2020 · Paper 2F · Q5 · 11 marks
11 marks
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A floating magnet's north pole moves around a fixed bar magnet. An electromagnetic door lock uses a solenoid, iron bolt and spring.
AQA 8463 · November 2020 · Paper 2F · Q7 · 15 marks
15 marks
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An aircraft moves at constant velocity. Its engine expels air backward; flight and landing data are used for speed, acceleration and work calculations.
AQA 8463 · November 2020 · Paper 2F · Q9 · 13 marks
13 marks
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The Sun is a stable main-sequence star. Light travels 1.5×10¹¹ m from Sun to Earth at 3.0×10⁸ m/s. Massive stars form heavy elements.
AQA 8463 · November 2020 · Paper 2H · Q2 · 13 marks
13 marks
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[02.3] This calculation was generally well done. There were errors made with the standard form and in the rearranging of the equation.
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The Sun is stable; light travels 1.5×10¹¹ m from Sun to Earth at 3.0×10⁸ m/s. Massive stars form heavy elements.
AQA 8463 · November 2020 · Paper 2H · Q4 · 14 marks
14 marks
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[04.6] It was not always clear if the students were writing about the spring or the solenoid. The most common way of scoring one mark was for ‘increasing the current’ or a correct description of how this could be achieved. Answers simply in terms of ‘increasing the magnetic field’ were insufficient for credit to be awarded.
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A door has a concave security lens and an electromagnetic lock with solenoid, iron bolt and spring.
AQA 8463 · November 2020 · Paper 2H · Q5 · 8 marks
8 marks
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[05.1] Approximately 60% of students understood the meaning of ‘conservation of momentum’.
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Hockey player A (78 kg, 7.5 m/s right) collides with player B (91 kg, 5.5 m/s left); they move together right. Pads contain foam.
AQA 8463 · November 2020 · Paper 2H · Q6 · 24 marks
24 marks
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[06.3] The most frequent correct answer was to state that radio waves are transverse and sound waves are longitudinal. Another popular correct answer was the idea of radio waves being able to travel through a vacuum / space. Comparisons of wavelength / frequency did not gain any marks due to the overlapping range of wavelength and frequency of radio waves and sound waves.
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A remote-controlled car receives radio waves of frequency 320 MHz. Its distance-time curve passes approximately through (t s, d m): (0,0), (5,0.15), (10,0.55), (15,1.5), (20,2.8), (25,4.5), (30,6.4), with a continuously increasing gradient. A tangent to the curve at 20 s passes approximately through (10 s,0.2 m) and (30 s,5.8 m).
AQA 8463 · June 2019 · Paper 2F · Q1 · 7 marks
7 marks
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[01.2] Only 3% of the students scored zero with nearly 85% of the students identifying the description of the motion to score both marks.
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An athlete starts a 100 m race. The distance-time curve passes approximately through (t s, d m): (0,0), (1,2), (2,7), (3,13), (4,20), (5,30), (6,40), (7,50), (8,60), (9,70), (10,80), (11,90), (12,100), (13,110), (14,118), (15,123), (16,125), joined smoothly. J labels the interval about 1.3–2.7 s; K labels 7.3–8.7 s; L labels 13.4–14.7 s.
AQA 8463 · June 2019 · Paper 2F · Q3 · 11 marks
11 marks
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[03.3] Just under half of the students recognised that the arrows should point in the same direction and made the correct choice.
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A bar magnet is horizontal with its south pole on the left and north pole on the right; one compass is immediately to the left of the magnet and another is immediately to its right. A coat fastening uses two facing magnets. A current-carrying coil and an electromagnet lifting an iron bar are investigated. The spring-extension curve has approximate anchors (current A, extension cm): (0,0), (0.2,0.5), (0.4,1.0), (0.6,1.5), (0.8,2.0), (1.0,2.5), (1.2,3.0), (1.4,3.2), (1.6,3.2).
AQA 8463 · June 2019 · Paper 2F · Q6 · 8 marks
8 marks
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[06.4] Virtually all of the students that scored a mark in part 06.3 went on to score both marks for the calculation.
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Train journey: A accelerates uniformly 0–20 m/s in 40 s; B travels at 20 m/s for 260 s; C decelerates uniformly to rest in 60 s.
AQA 8463 · June 2019 · Paper 2F · Q7 · 12 marks
12 marks
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[07.1] Just over 80% of the students correctly identified the crate as the object not likely to rotate.
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A balance device is a horizontal bar pivoted near its centre with a pointer that is vertical when balanced. The device's weight acts through centre X on one side; a rice basket hangs on the other side at selectable positions P–S, with P furthest from the pivot.
AQA 8463 · June 2019 · Paper 2F · Q10 · 12 marks
12 marks
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[10.3] Just over 83% of the students scored all three marks.
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A driver sees a hazard and brakes to stop a vehicle.
AQA 8463 · June 2019 · Paper 2H · Q3 · 12 marks
12 marks
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[03.2] Nearly all of the students were able to recall this equation. Those students who did not score the mark just seemed to put an equal and a multiply sign in the quantity order of the stem or rearranged incorrectly.
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A driver sees a hazard and brakes to stop a vehicle.
AQA 8463 · June 2019 · Paper 2H · Q6 · 8 marks
8 marks
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[06.2] Although the context may be different this was basically a question asking student to explain a safety feature. The imprecise use of language meant that there were very few full mark answers. Some answers had the idea of the increased time but missed the ‘to stop’ part. Students that did score a mark often did so for the idea of the reduced force on foam or the increased force on concrete. Many less effective responses referred to the density of foam versus concrete or that foam is soft due to air pockets which absorb force. A lot of answers referred to energy changes.
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An 80 kg adult has more inertia than a 40 kg child. A raw egg dropped on soft foam does not break. A 32 kg child stops in 180 ms under an average 800 N force.
AQA 8463 · June 2019 · Paper 2H · Q8 · 12 marks
12 marks
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[08.4] Only around 40% of the students scored any marks on this question. Few of the students described the lower density of the air correctly, with most simply stating there were fewer particles. Very few related the lower air resistance to being able to accelerate longer before reaching terminal velocity. The majority of the students simply stated that the skydiver would accelerate for longer because they were falling from a greater height, which was not creditworthy.
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A skydiver jumps from 4000 m and falls vertically. The distance-time curve starts at (0 s, 0 m), has an increasing gradient through approximately (3 s, 40 m), (7 s, 200 m) and (8 s, 250 m), then becomes a straight line through (12 s, 450 m). The partial free-body diagram at 3 s shows only an upward arrow from the skydiver labelled air resistance.
AQA 8463 · June 2019 · Paper 2H · Q9 · 11 marks
11 marks
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[09.2] Just over 60% of the students gave the correct answer.
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Hearing ranges: cat 55 Hz–77 kHz, chicken 125 Hz–2 kHz, dog 20 Hz–30 kHz, gerbil 56 Hz–60 kHz, horse 55 Hz–33 kHz. Ultrasound pulse display shows crack echo 8 μs after transmitted pulse (four 2 μs intervals). Sound speed in aluminium 6300 m/s. A moving-coil microphone has diaphragm attached to coil in a magnetic field.
AQA 8463 · June 2019 · Paper 2H · Q10 · 8 marks
8 marks
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[10.1] There were a number of good answers here, though some students referred to momentum instead of moment, or work done = force × distance. A few students wrote about the distance between the rope and the spring (or the ramp) instead of the pivot.
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A horse-lorry ramp pivots at a hinge. The rope's line of action is farther from the hinge than the handle. With ramp horizontal: ramp-weight moment=924 N m; its weight acts 0.15 m from hinge; spring extension=0.250 m.
AQA 8463 · June 2018 · Paper 2F · Q6 · 8 marks
8 marks
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[06.5] 43% of the students were able to calculate the correct answer to this question.
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Four equal-volume blocks A-D float at different submerged fractions; block C has the smallest submerged fraction. A 2.5 kg lifebuoy floats.
AQA 8463 · June 2018 · Paper 2F · Q9 · 6 marks
6 marks
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[09.1] Nearly 90% of the students were able to complete the calculation correctly but far fewer (34%) knew the correct unit for pressure.
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A vertical-sided container has three vertically aligned side holes. Water paths are drawn only for the top and bottom holes: each starts horizontally and curves down to the same ground line; the top-hole path lands closer to the container, while the bottom-hole path lands farther away. No path is drawn from the centre hole. A container is packed with touching marbles. A large arrow points downward onto the top layer; smaller arrows point outward through both side walls and downward through the base.
AQA 8463 · June 2018 · Paper 2F · Q10 · 8 marks
8 marks
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[10.1] Many of the students found the velocity-time graph difficult to interpret and relate to the motion of the ball, with many stating the ball was going upwards at an angle between A and B. However about 50% of students correctly stated that the ball accelerated between points A and B on the graph, however very few of these recognised that a straight line velocity- time graph represents a uniform acceleration and so failed to score the second mark available. Comments such as ‘the ball accelerates at a constant speed’ did not score a mark.
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A dropped ball's velocity-time graph consists of straight segments from A (0.00 s, 0.0 m/s) to B (0.70 s, +7.0 m/s), a vertical change to C (0.70 s, -5.0 m/s), then from C to D (1.20 s, 0.0 m/s). Air resistance is ignored.
AQA 8463 · June 2018 · Paper 2F · Q11 · 16 marks
16 marks
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[11.4] 24% were able to write the correct equation.
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Spring results: force N/extension cm = 0/0.0, 2/3.5, 4/8.0, 6/12.5, 8/16.0, 10/20.0.
AQA 8463 · June 2018 · Paper 2H · Q1 · 8 marks
8 marks
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[01.2] Just over 70% of the students understood that the ball would be moving upwards.
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A dropped ball's velocity-time graph consists of straight segments from A (0.00 s, 0.0 m/s) to B (0.70 s, +7.0 m/s), a vertical change to C (0.70 s, -5.0 m/s), then from C to D (1.20 s, 0.0 m/s). Air resistance is ignored.
AQA 8463 · June 2018 · Paper 2H · Q2 · 16 marks
16 marks
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[02.3] Nearly all students plotted the two data points accurately. However some students did not draw the line with adequate precision and so scored only one mark.
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Spring data: force N/extension cm = 0/0.0, 2/3.5, 4/8.0, 6/12.5, 8/16.0, 10/20.0.
AQA 8463 · June 2018 · Paper 2H · Q4 · 7 marks
7 marks
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[04.3] This question was well done with nearly 90% of the students calculating a correct numerical answer. However only 50% knew the unit for pressure.
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A communicating vessel has four connected open tubes of different shapes and sizes. Tube 1 contains water to a marked height; tubes 2-4 are shown without completed free-surface lines. A swimmer moves from depth 0.50 m to 1.70 m; seawater density 1030 kg/m³, g=9.8 N/kg.
AQA 8463 · June 2018 · Paper 2H · Q6 · 11 marks
11 marks
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[06.1] Most students knew there should be two arrows in opposite directions and there was evidence of attempts by most to use a ruler and to make the arrows the same length. Most put arrow heads on their lines. A small number of students did not know that the arrows should start from the same point and drew them on a diagram of the boat. Most students added a label but only 50% of the students used ‘upthrust’. Incorrect labels included gravity, water resistance, buoyancy, air resistance, drag and upward pressure.
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A stationary boat floats. Free-body diagram gives downward weight 25 kN. Tow rope on dinghy has horizontal 150 N forward and vertical 50 N upward components.
AQA 8463 · June 2018 · Paper 2H · Q8 · 11 marks
11 marks
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[08.1] Just over half the students wrote answers that were worthy of some credit but often only gained a single mark, which was usually for a match to the third marking point. It was very unusual to see acceleration mentioned. Frequent incorrect answers were in terms of variations in the radius of the satellite's orbit, despite it being shown as circular in Figure 14. Other students commented on the physical geography of the Earth having an effect on the orbit or the velocity being affected by the Earth’s magnetic field. A few students stated that the satellite was falling on the right hand side and getting faster as a result.
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A satellite in circular orbit changes velocity direction. Orbit-length graph gives 42 100 km at altitude 300 km. Speed=7.73 km/s. Bode predicted vs actual radii (million km): Mercury 60/58, Venus105/108, Earth150/150, Mars240/228, Jupiter780/778, Saturn1500/1430.
AQA 8463 · sample1 · Paper 2F · Q5 · 8 marks
8 marks
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Ripple-tank water waves are shown in cross-section about a dashed equilibrium line. J is a horizontal double arrow between adjacent crests; K is a vertical double arrow from equilibrium to a crest; L is a vertical double arrow from crest to trough. The waves have wavelength 1.2 cm and frequency 18.5 Hz.
AQA 8463 · sample1 · Paper 2F · Q7 · 6 marks
6 marks
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A skier is on a slope descending to the right. From a common point on the skier, A points down the slope to the right parallel to the surface; B points vertically downward; C points up and right perpendicular to the surface; D points up the slope to the left parallel to the surface. A drag-lift cable extends up the slope to the left from the skier's hands. The resultant pulling force is 300 N over 45 m. On descent, velocity is 13 m/s at 50 s and then the skier decelerates uniformly to rest over 15 s.
AQA 8463 · sample1 · Paper 2F · Q8 · 5 marks
5 marks
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A balanced see-saw has child B exerting 280 N at a perpendicular distance 0.9 m from the pivot.
AQA 8463 · sample1 · Paper 2F · Q9 · 11 marks
11 marks
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A stationary child balances on a pogo stick. Child weight=343 N, g=9.8 N/kg. The spring compresses elastically from 30 cm to 23 cm.
AQA 8463 · sample1 · Paper 2F · Q10 · 14 marks
14 marks
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A car initially has equal forward and resistive horizontal forces. Later it accelerates from 9 m/s to 18 m/s in 6 s. Car mass=1120 kg and driver mass=80 kg.
AQA 8463 · sample1 · Paper 2H · Q7 · 9 marks
9 marks
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CERN reported neutrinos travelling 730 000 m at 300 007 400 m/s, apparently faster than light. Later, a timing error was found: every recorded time was 60 ns less than the actual time.
AQA 8463 · sample1 · Paper 2H · Q8 · 8 marks
8 marks
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A scale drawing shows a curved train route from A to B, a north arrow, and a scale bar of 1 cm = 5 km. Relative to A at drawing coordinate (0,0), B is at approximately (6.63 cm east, 3.52 cm north). A separate velocity-time curve is approximately (0 s,5 m/s), (100,5), (200,10), (250,20), (300,25), (400,28.5), (500,29.5), joined smoothly.
AQA 8463 · sample1 · Paper 2H · Q10 · 10 marks
10 marks
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Atmospheric pressure falls with altitude; Figure 17 gives 20 kPa at 12 km. An aircraft cabin is at 70 kPa and a window has area 810 cm<sup>2</sup>. Figure 18 shows the window bowed outward and seated in a wider frame, with higher pressure inside and lower pressure outside.
AQA 8463 · sample1 · Paper 2H · Q12 · 8 marks
8 marks
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A current balance has wire X in a magnetic field. X is 5 cm long and carries 1.5 A. A balancing weight produces a clockwise moment 4.8×10<sup>−4</sup> N m about a pivot 8 cm from X.
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