Physics 9702 · AS & A Level
Non-uniform motion
99 practice questions on Non-uniform motion, with worked solutions and instant marking.
An object is dropped from rest in a vacuum. The graph shows how the velocity $v$ of the object changes with time $t$. Using the same scales, which graph represents the object falling in air?
Feb/March 2016
A mass attached to the end of a spring moves up and down, as shown, after being released at time $t = 0$. Which graph indicates how the velocity changes with time?
Feb/March 2019
If air resistance is ignored, a ball projected horizontally from a tower at velocity $v$ reaches the ground after $T$ seconds. However, when air resistance is included, which statement is correct?
Feb/March 2019
A person with mass $60\,\text{kg}$ is standing on accurate bathroom scales, set on the floor of an elevator (lift) in a tall building. At one particular moment, the bathroom scales show $58\,\text{kg}$. Which row could show the person’s direction of travel and the nature of the motion?
Feb/March 2020
The diagram presents graphs of different quantities plotted against time for an object released from a balloon that is stationary high in the atmosphere. Which statement could be correct?
Feb/March 2020
A skydiver, falling straight down through the air, opens his parachute. Which row gives the skydiver’s velocity immediately after the parachute opens?
Feb/March 2021
An object is dropped from rest in a vacuum. The graph shows how the velocity $v$ of the object varies with time $t$. Which graph, on the same scales, shows the object falling through air?
Feb/March 2022
Finish Fig. 2.1 by indicating for each listed quantity whether it is a vector or a scalar.
May/June 2010
A particle’s motion is represented by the velocity-time graph. The displacement of the particle is taken to be zero at $t = 0$. Point Q marks a point on its path. Which row in the table is correct?
May/June 2011
A sphere with radius $R$ is travelling through a fluid at a steady speed $v$. A frictional force $F$ acts on the sphere, and it is given by $F = 6\pi DRv$, where $D$ is a constant that depends on the fluid.
May/June 2011
A sphere is let go from rest in a viscous fluid. Which graph shows how the acceleration $a$ of the sphere varies with time $t$?
May/June 2012
A body is let go from rest and drops vertically through air of constant density. Which statement about the body's motion is correct?
May/June 2013
A car is at rest at traffic lights. When the lights turn green, the driver depresses the accelerator sharply. The resulting horizontal force on the car changes with time as shown. Which graph shows how the car’s speed varies with time?
May/June 2013
A sky diver descends straight down from a balloon that is not moving. She separates from the balloon at time $t=0$. By time $t=T$, terminal velocity has been reached. After the interval covered by the graphs, she opens her parachute. Which graph displays how the air resistance force $F$ varies with time $t$?
May/June 2013
A tennis ball is projected horizontally through the air from the top of a tall building. If the effect of air resistance is not negligible, what happens to the ball’s horizontal and vertical components of velocity?
May/June 2014
The graph illustrates how the speed of a raindrop falling vertically through air changes with time. Which statement is correct?
May/June 2014
A radio-controlled toy car moves in a straight line over a period of $15\,\text{s}$. The graph shows how the car’s velocity $v$ changes with time $t$. What is the toy car’s average velocity for the journey represented by the graph?
May/June 2014
The graph illustrates how the speed $v$ of a sprinter varies with time $t$ in a $100\,\text{m}$ race. What is the best estimate of the sprinter’s greatest acceleration?
May/June 2014
A sphere is let go and drops. Its starting acceleration decreases until it finally moves with a constant terminal velocity. Which displacement-time graph most accurately shows the sphere’s motion?
May/June 2015
A raindrop is released from rest and moves straight down through air. The graph shows how its speed varies with time. Which statement about the raindrop is correct?
May/June 2015
A body falling through a uniform gravitational field experiences air resistance. This air resistance increases until terminal velocity is attained. Which factor does not influence its terminal velocity?
May/June 2015
The way the velocity $v$ of a ball varies with time $t$ is shown in Fig.~2.1. The ball travels along a straight line from point $P$ at $t = 0$. The ball has a mass of $400\,\text{g}$.
May/June 2015
A tennis ball is let go from rest at the top of a tall building. Which graph most accurately shows how the acceleration $a$ of the ball changes with time $t$ as it falls, assuming that air resistance has a noticeable effect?
May/June 2016
The values of a vehicle’s displacement, velocity and acceleration can be worked out from graphs showing its motion. In many cases, either the area under these graphs or the gradient of the graphs is used. What would not provide a value for a displacement, a velocity or an acceleration?
May/June 2017
At time $t = 0$, an object is released from a tall building. Air resistance is significant. Three graphs are drawn with time on the horizontal axis: - the object's height above the ground - the object's speed - the magnitude of the resultant force acting on the object Which quantities are X, Y and Z?
May/June 2017
A ball is started moving at P on a frictionless surface. It travels upward along slope PQ, continues over the level section QR and then moves down slope RS. Which graph could show how the ball’s speed $v$ varies with time $t$ as the ball travels from P to S?
May/June 2017
A driver brings a car to rest in time $t$ by steadily increasing the overall braking force acting on it. The graph shows the resultant force on the car. Which graph shows how the car’s speed changes over this period?
May/June 2017
A sky-diver drops straight down from a helicopter and then reaches a constant (terminal) velocity. The graph indicates how the sky-diver’s speed $v$ changes with time $t$. Which graph shows how the distance $d$ fallen by the sky-diver varies with time $t$?
May/June 2018
At time $t = 0$, a sky-diver leaves a balloon that is stationary. During the descent, her speed and the air resistance both increase until the air resistance force is equal to her weight. Which graph best indicates how displacement $s$ changes with time $t$ for the sky-diver’s motion?
May/June 2018
A child riding on a sledge moves down a steep hill and then continues in a straight path up an ice-covered slope, as shown in Fig. 3.1. The sledge goes past point A with speed $18\,\text{m s}^{-1}$ at time $t = 0$ and later stops at point B. The child then uses a brake on the sledge at point B. The brake is unable to hold the sledge still, so it immediately begins sliding back down the slope towards A. Fig. 3.2 shows how the velocity $v$ of the sledge changes with time $t$ from $t = 0$ to $t = 24\,\text{s}$.
May/June 2018
A stone is released from a high building. Air resistance is important. The dashed curve shows how the distance fallen changes with time. A second stone has the same dimensions but a lower mass and is released from the same building. Which curve shows the motion of the second stone?
May/June 2019
A car moves along a straight horizontal road. The graph illustrates how the car’s velocity $v$ changes with time $t$ during $6.0\,\text{s}$ of its journey. The car’s brakes are applied during the interval from $t = 1.0\,\text{s}$ to $t = 4.0\,\text{s}$. How far is the car moved in the time when the brakes are applied?
May/June 2019
A skydiver leaves an aeroplane and drops straight down through the air. Which graph shows how the skydiver’s vertical velocity $v$ changes with time $t$?
May/June 2019
The graph illustrates the way quantity $P$ changes with quantity $Q$ for a body falling straight down in a uniform gravitational field with air resistance. Which pair of quantities could $P$ and $Q$ stand for?
May/June 2021
Define acceleration in physics.
May/June 2021
A car moves anticlockwise around a horizontal circular road with radius $12\,\text{m}$, as illustrated. It takes $4.0\,\text{s}$ for the car to go from position P to position Q. What is the magnitude of the car’s average velocity for the trip from P to Q?
May/June 2022
A stone S and a foam rubber ball R are two identical spheres with the same volume. They are let go from rest at time $t = 0$ and descend vertically through the air. Each one reaches terminal velocity. Which graph best represents how the speed $v$ of the stone and of the rubber ball changes with time $t$?
May/June 2022
A person is standing at the edge of a tall cliff beside the sea. The person throws a stone straight upwards. Air resistance acts on the stone. The stone later lands in the sea. Which velocity-time graph best represents the stone’s motion from the moment it is released until it reaches the sea?
May/June 2022
Define velocity in words.
May/June 2022
A small ball is resting at the surface of a liquid oil in a container. The ball is let go from rest and moves downward through the oil. The ball has velocity $v$. A viscous (drag) force $F$ acts on the ball. Which graph could represent how $F$ varies with $v$?
May/June 2023
A box in air moves down a rough slope from point P to point Q with its speed getting greater. The slope surface applies a frictional force of constant magnitude to the box. During the journey from P to Q, the magnitudes of its acceleration and the total resistive force on it change. Which row shows these changes?
May/June 2023
Two balls with the same shape and size but different masses are falling through the same liquid. For each ball, the combined drag force and upthrust on it is equal to its weight. Which statement about the two balls is correct?
May/June 2023
A football is kicked so that it travels straight up through the air. How do the air resistance and the resultant force on the ball change as it rises vertically?
May/June 2024
The graph illustrates how the speed of a raindrop falling straight down through air changes with time. Which statement is correct?
May/June 2024
A stone is dropped from rest and descends a large distance through air. Which graph could represent how the acceleration $a$ of the stone changes with time $t$?
May/June 2025
Two spheres are dropped from rest from the same height above the ground. Each sphere attains terminal velocity. One sphere has a greater density than the other sphere, and the two spheres have the same volume. Which statement is correct when both spheres are moving at terminal velocity?
May/June 2025
A skydiver is moving downwards vertically at terminal velocity as their parachute opens fully. Which statement describes the skydiver’s motion in the first few seconds after the parachute opens fully?
May/June 2025
A ball is projected horizontally through still air from the top of a very tall building. Air resistance acts on the ball. What happens to the horizontal and to the vertical components of the ball’s velocity?
Oct/Nov 2010
A ball is projected horizontally through still air from the top of a very tall building. Air resistance acts on the ball. What happens to the horizontal component and to the vertical component of the ball’s velocity?
Oct/Nov 2010
A tennis ball is dropped from rest at the top of a tall building. Which graph best shows how the acceleration $a$ of the ball changes with time $t$ as it falls, assuming that the effect of air resistance is not negligible?
Oct/Nov 2011
A body descending in a uniform gravitational field experiences air resistance. The air resistance increases until terminal velocity is attained. Which factor has no effect on its terminal velocity?
Oct/Nov 2011
Which path indicates a possible motion of an electron in the electric field shown?
Oct/Nov 2011
The graph below shows how the distance $s$ travelled by a body changes with time $t$. What does the graph show about the body’s motion?
Oct/Nov 2011
A tennis ball is dropped from rest from the roof of a high building. Which graph most accurately shows how the acceleration $a$ of the ball changes with time $t$ as it falls, if air resistance cannot be ignored?
Oct/Nov 2011
Fig. 2.1 shows how the car’s velocity $v$ varies with time $t$. At $t = 0$, the driver notices an obstacle in the road. A little later, the driver applies the brakes. The car then moves in two stages, as shown in Fig. 2.1.
Oct/Nov 2011
For an object with cross-sectional area $A$ moving at speed $v$ through a fluid of density $\rho$, the drag force $D$ is given by $D = \frac{1}{2} C \rho A v^2$, where $C$ is a constant. Show that $C$ has no unit.
Oct/Nov 2012
Define power in a single sentence.
Oct/Nov 2012
An aircraft has an average speed of $600\ \text{km h}^{-1}$ on the outward journey and $400\ \text{km h}^{-1}$ on the return journey for the same distance. What is the average speed for the whole journey?
Oct/Nov 2013
A person is making a journey on a motorway covering a total of $200\,\text{km}$. The first $90\,\text{km}$ is completed at an average speed of $80\,\text{km h}^{-1}$. What average speed is needed for the remaining distance if the person is to arrive at the destination in a total time of $2$ hours $00$ minutes?
Oct/Nov 2013
Define the term velocity.
Oct/Nov 2013
Which statement concerning molecules in a gas is correct?
Oct/Nov 2014
A student is investigating Brownian motion. With a microscope, she sees smoke particles inside a glass container, lit by a strong light. The smoke particles follow a zig-zag path, with their speed and direction continually changing. What will happen to the smoke particles if the air in the container is heated?
Oct/Nov 2014
The diagram displays a velocity-time graph for a mass moving up and down at the end of a spring. Which point shows the velocity of the mass when it is at the lowest point in its motion?
Oct/Nov 2014
A cheetah and an antelope are $100\,\text{m}$ apart. After the cheetah sees the antelope, it runs towards it. The antelope responds to the cheetah after one second and moves straight away from the cheetah. It takes both animals $2\,\text{s}$ to attain their top speeds. The graph illustrates how the speeds of the two animals change with time. How far apart are the animals, $17\,\text{s}$ after the cheetah began running?
Oct/Nov 2015
A beach-ball is dropped straight down from a high hotel window. Air resistance is not negligible. Which graph shows how the acceleration $a$ of the ball varies with time $t$?
Oct/Nov 2016
A car is at rest at traffic lights. When the lights turn green, the driver depresses the accelerator pedal sharply. The resulting horizontal force on the car changes with time as shown. Which graph shows how the car’s speed varies with time?
Oct/Nov 2016
A low-mass ball is descending vertically through air. The graph shows how the resistive force $F_R$ varies with time $t$. At what times is the ball’s speed zero, when is its speed greatest, and when is its acceleration zero?
Oct/Nov 2016
The graph shows the vertical velocity of a parachutist during the first $20\,\text{s}$ of her jump. Approximately how far does she descend before opening the parachute?
Oct/Nov 2016
A beach-ball drops straight down from a window high up in a hotel. Air resistance is not negligible. Which graph shows how the acceleration $a$ of the ball varies with time $t$?
Oct/Nov 2016
A stone is let go from rest and drops through a large distance in air. Which graph might represent how the acceleration $a$ of the stone changes with time $t$?
Oct/Nov 2017
A tennis ball is launched horizontally into the air from the top of a tall building. The effect of air resistance is not negligible. What happens to the ball’s horizontal and vertical velocity components?
Oct/Nov 2018
A rigid, hollow sphere is placed far below the water surface and then set free from rest. An upthrust acts on it and drives it upwards towards the surface of the water. Which graph most accurately shows how its upward velocity $v$ varies with time $t$?
Oct/Nov 2018
At time $t = 0$, a parachutist starts from rest and drops straight down from a hot-air balloon. She descends for a certain distance before she opens her parachute. Which graph most accurately represents how the parachutist’s speed $v$ changes with time $t$?
Oct/Nov 2018
A tennis ball is let go from rest at time $t = 0$ and then drops through air for a long period. Which graph of displacement $s$ against time $t$ shows the motion of the ball most accurately?
Oct/Nov 2019
A car moving along a horizontal road has a maximum useful output power of $P$. The overall resistive force on the car is $kv^2$, where $v$ is the car’s speed and $k$ is a constant. Which equation is correct when the car is moving at maximum speed?
Oct/Nov 2019
A student rides a bicycle uphill from home to a shop, and this takes $10$ minutes. The student then remains in the shop for $5$ minutes, before cycling back home downhill at twice the original speed. Which graph could represent how the cyclist’s distance travelled changes with time?
Oct/Nov 2020
The graph illustrates how quantity P changes with quantity Q for an object that has been falling through air for a long period in a uniform gravitational field. What might P and Q represent?
Oct/Nov 2020
An object travels along a straight line. The graph illustrates how the object's velocity $v$ changes with time $t$. When $t = 0$, the object is at point X. What is the displacement of the object from point X at time $t = 0.80\,\text{s}$?
Oct/Nov 2020
A skydiver exits a motionless balloon and descends straight down over a large distance. Which graph best shows how the skydiver’s acceleration $a$ changes with the distance $s$ she has travelled as she falls through the air?
Oct/Nov 2021
The graph illustrates the parachutist’s vertical velocity during the first $20\,\text{s}$ of her jump. Approximately how far does she descend before the parachute opens?
Oct/Nov 2022
A snowflake and a raindrop are suspended in still air. They begin to fall from rest at the same instant and from the same height, which is far above the ground. The snowflake and the raindrop each contain the same mass of water. Assume that neither evaporation nor melting takes place. Also assume that, at any given speed, the drag force on the snowflake is larger than the drag force on the raindrop. Which statement about the snowflake and the raindrop is correct?
Oct/Nov 2022
A parachutist starts from rest while dropping from a balloon. The graph shows how the parachutist’s vertical velocity varies with time. In which region is the air resistance force much greater than the parachutist’s weight?
Oct/Nov 2022
The graph illustrates how the velocity $v$ of an object travelling along a straight line changes with time $t$ for $t = 0$ to $t = T$. Which graph could show the displacement $s$ of the object over the interval from time $t = 0$ to $t = T$?
Oct/Nov 2022
A metal ball is released into a viscous liquid during an experiment. The ball’s terminal velocity in the liquid is then measured. The experiment is carried out four times. In each repeat, one of the following is altered. 1 the density of the metal of the ball 2 the height from which the ball is released 3 the density of the liquid 4 the depth of the liquid Which two changes, on their own, change the terminal velocity of the ball in the liquid?
Oct/Nov 2023
An object is dropped from a helicopter that is stationary and eventually attains terminal velocity. What occurs to the object's acceleration from the moment it leaves the helicopter until it reaches terminal velocity?
Oct/Nov 2023
A high-altitude balloon is motionless in air at rest. As illustrated in Fig. 2.1, a solid sphere hangs from the balloon by a string. The volume of the balloon is $7.5\,\text{m}^3$. The combined weight of the balloon, string and sphere is $65\,\text{N}$. The upthrust on the string and sphere is negligible.
Oct/Nov 2023
A traveller covers a total distance of $200\,\text{km}$ on a motorway and completes the first $90\,\text{km}$ at an average speed of $80\,\text{km h}^{-1}$. What average speed is required for the rest of the journey if the traveller is to arrive at the destination in a total time of $2$ hours $60$ minutes?
Oct/Nov 2024
A toy parachute is released from a bridge and descends vertically through the air. The graph plots the distance travelled by the parachute against time. Which part of the graph indicates when the parachute is at terminal velocity?
Oct/Nov 2024
Two identical balls are launched vertically upwards from ground level with the same initial velocity. Ball X moves in a vacuum, whereas ball Y moves in air. Which statement about the motion of the balls is correct?
Oct/Nov 2024
The diagram illustrates a stationary wave on a stretched spring at one particular moment. Two particles on the spring, P and Q, are marked. Which statement correctly describes the vibrations of P and Q?
Oct/Nov 2025
A ball is kept above the ground and then let go. It drops to the ground and rebounds several times. The graph shows how the ball’s velocity $v$ changes with time $t$. Four points on the graph are marked P, Q, R and S. Which statement is not correct?
Oct/Nov 2025
A sphere is released from rest and falls through air. The graph illustrates how the sphere’s velocity changes with time. Which diagram represents the forces acting on the sphere when its velocity is the one at point P on the graph?
Oct/Nov 2025
A skydiver descends with a steady velocity. She then deploys her parachute. The graph displays how her velocity changes with time. Which of the following statements about the skydiver's motion are correct?
Oct/Nov 2025
A student links two loudspeakers to a signal generator. While the student moves from P to Q, he observes that the sound gets louder and quieter over and over again. What makes the loudness of the sound change?
Oct/Nov 2025
A velocity-time graph for an object is shown. Which expression determines the object’s total displacement?
Oct/Nov 2025
A dolphin moves at a speed of $16.0\,\text{m s}^{-1}$ straight towards a stationary underwater microphone. The dolphin produces sound with a frequency of $122\,\text{kHz}$. The speed of sound in water is $1480\,\text{m s}^{-1}$. What frequency of sound is detected by the microphone?
Oct/Nov 2025
The diagram illustrates a stationary wave on a stretched spring at one moment. Two particles on the spring, P and Q, are marked. Which statement correctly describes the vibrations of P and Q?
Oct/Nov 2025
A ball is kept above the ground and then let go. It drops to the ground and rebounds a number of times. The graph illustrates how the ball’s velocity $v$ changes with time $t$. Four points on the graph are marked P, Q, R and S. Which statement is not true?
Oct/Nov 2025
A transverse progressive wave moves along a string. The graph illustrates how the string’s displacement varies with distance at time $t=0$. Which graph shows how the velocity of point P on the string varies with time?
Oct/Nov 2025