Forces
AQA GCSE Physics revision on Forces. Aligned to the AQA GCSE Physics 8463 specification. This bank has 35 practice questions on this topic.
Sample questions (3 of 35)
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Question 1
The unit of force is the...
- A) Joule
- B) Newton
- C) Watt
- D) Pascal
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Answer: Newton
Named after Isaac Newton. 1 newton is the force needed to accelerate 1 kg at 1 m/s^2. Energy = joule (J), power = watt (W), pressure = pascal (Pa). On Earth, 1 kg weighs about 9.8N (the force of gravity on it). Mass is in kg, weight is in N - common GCSE confusion.
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Question 2
F = m x a means...
- A) Force = mass + acceleration
- B) Force = mass x acceleration
- C) Force = mass / acceleration
- D) Mass = force x acceleration
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Answer: Force = mass x acceleration
If you apply 10N to a 2kg trolley, acceleration = 10/2 = 5 m/s^2. Used everywhere in mechanics. Force is in newtons (N), mass in kilograms (kg), acceleration in m/s^2. Rearranging: m = F/a, a = F/m. Larger force OR smaller mass = greater acceleration.
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Question 3
Weight on Earth is calculated as...
- A) Mass x 9.8
- B) Mass + 9.8
- C) Mass / 9.8
- D) Mass^2
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Answer: Mass x 9.8
Weight is the FORCE of gravity on an object. W = mg, where g = 9.8 m/s^2 on Earth (often rounded to 10 for easy maths). A 1 kg bag of sugar weighs ~10 N. On the Moon, g ~ 1.6 m/s^2 - your mass stays the same, but you weigh 1/6 as much. Mass = how much matter; weight = the gravity force on it.
Want to test yourself on the remaining cards for this topic?
32 more questions on Forces — plus mistakes tracking and spaced repetition across the whole Physics spec.