Aqa gcse higher tier physics paper 2 2025
What are vectors? - answers Quantities that have a magnitude and a direction
What are scalars? - answers Quantities that only have a magnitude
Examples of vectors - answers Force
Velocity
Displacement
Acceleration
Momentum
Examples of scalars - answers Speed
Distance
Mass
Temperature
Time
What are contact forces? - answers Forces that act when two objects are touching
What are non-contact forces? - answers Forces that act without the need for two objects
to be touching
Examples of contact forces - answers Friction
Air resistance
Tension in ropes
Normal contact force
Examples of non-contact forces - answers Magnetic force
Gravitational force
Electrostatic force
What is mass? - answers The amount of material an object is made of
It is the same value everywhere
Measured using a mass balance
What is weight? - answers The force acting on an object due to gravity
It depends on the strength of the gravitational field at the location of the object
Measured using a calibrated spring balance - newtonmeter
Equation for Weight - answers Weight (N) = Mass (kg) x Gravitational Field Strength
(N/kg)
W=mg
What is weight directly proportional to? - answers Mass
,What are free body diagrams? - answers Diagrams that show all the forces acting on an
object
What is the minimum number of forces acting on an object in real situations? - answers
At least 2 forces
What is the resultant force? - answers The single force that replaces multiple forces
acting at a single point
How is work done? - answers When a force moves an object through a distance, energy
is transferred and work is done on the object
Equation for 'Work Done' - answers Work done (J) = Force (N) x Distance (m)
W=Fs
What is 1J equal to? - answers 1Nm
What could happen when you apply a force to an object? - answers It may stretch,
compress or bend
What happens when an object is inelastically deformed? - answers The object won't
return to its original shape and length after the force has been removed
Equation for Force 1 - answers Force (N) = Spring Constant (N/m) x Extension (m)
F=ke
What is extension directly proportional to? - answers The force applied
F∝e
The stiffer the spring... - answers ...The greater the spring constant
What is the limit of proportionality? - answers The point at which extension is no longer
directly proportional to force
Equation for 'Moments' - answers Moment of a force (Nm) = Force (N) x Distance (m)
M=Fd
What is a moment? - answers The turning effect of a force
When will an object not turn? - answers When the object is balanced - the total
anticlockwise moment equals the total clockwise moment about a pivot
What affects the size of a moment? - answers 1) The size of the force applied - a larger
force will produce a larger moment
2) The perpendicular distance from the pivot to the line of action of the force - any angle
smaller than 90° will result in a smaller distance, thus a smaller moment
, What do levers do? - answers They increase the distance from the pivot at which the
force is applied
Do levers make it easier or harder to do work? - answers Easier to do work
What are gears and what do they do? - answers Circular discs with 'teeth' around their
edges
Their teeth interlock so that turning one causes another to turn in the opposite direction
They are used to transmit the rotational effect of a force from one place to another
What is pressure? - answers The force per unit area
Equation for Pressure - Surface of a fluid - answers Pressure (Pa) = Force normal to a
surface (N) / Area of that surface (m²)
p=F/A
What is the pressure of a fluid? - answers A force is exerted normal (at right angles) to
any surface in contact with the fluid
What is density? - answers A measure of the 'compactness' of a substance
Equation for Pressure - Liquid - answers Pressure (Pa) = Height of the column of liquid
(the depth)(m) x Density of the liquid (kg/m³) x Gravitational field strength (N/kg)
p=hρg
What is upthrust? - answers The force exerted on the bottom of the object is larger than
the force acting on the top of the object - the resultant force upwards on an object when
it is submerged in water
What is upthrust equal to? - answers The weight of fluid that has been displaced by the
object
Why do objects float? - answers The upthrust of the object is equal to the object's
weight, thus the force balances
It has a low density
Why do objects sink? - answers The object's weight is more than the upthrust
It has a high density
Low density - answers If an object is less dense than the fluid it is placed in, it weighs
less than the equivalent volume of fluid
It will displace a volume of fluid that is equal to its weight before it is completely
submerged
What are vectors? - answers Quantities that have a magnitude and a direction
What are scalars? - answers Quantities that only have a magnitude
Examples of vectors - answers Force
Velocity
Displacement
Acceleration
Momentum
Examples of scalars - answers Speed
Distance
Mass
Temperature
Time
What are contact forces? - answers Forces that act when two objects are touching
What are non-contact forces? - answers Forces that act without the need for two objects
to be touching
Examples of contact forces - answers Friction
Air resistance
Tension in ropes
Normal contact force
Examples of non-contact forces - answers Magnetic force
Gravitational force
Electrostatic force
What is mass? - answers The amount of material an object is made of
It is the same value everywhere
Measured using a mass balance
What is weight? - answers The force acting on an object due to gravity
It depends on the strength of the gravitational field at the location of the object
Measured using a calibrated spring balance - newtonmeter
Equation for Weight - answers Weight (N) = Mass (kg) x Gravitational Field Strength
(N/kg)
W=mg
What is weight directly proportional to? - answers Mass
,What are free body diagrams? - answers Diagrams that show all the forces acting on an
object
What is the minimum number of forces acting on an object in real situations? - answers
At least 2 forces
What is the resultant force? - answers The single force that replaces multiple forces
acting at a single point
How is work done? - answers When a force moves an object through a distance, energy
is transferred and work is done on the object
Equation for 'Work Done' - answers Work done (J) = Force (N) x Distance (m)
W=Fs
What is 1J equal to? - answers 1Nm
What could happen when you apply a force to an object? - answers It may stretch,
compress or bend
What happens when an object is inelastically deformed? - answers The object won't
return to its original shape and length after the force has been removed
Equation for Force 1 - answers Force (N) = Spring Constant (N/m) x Extension (m)
F=ke
What is extension directly proportional to? - answers The force applied
F∝e
The stiffer the spring... - answers ...The greater the spring constant
What is the limit of proportionality? - answers The point at which extension is no longer
directly proportional to force
Equation for 'Moments' - answers Moment of a force (Nm) = Force (N) x Distance (m)
M=Fd
What is a moment? - answers The turning effect of a force
When will an object not turn? - answers When the object is balanced - the total
anticlockwise moment equals the total clockwise moment about a pivot
What affects the size of a moment? - answers 1) The size of the force applied - a larger
force will produce a larger moment
2) The perpendicular distance from the pivot to the line of action of the force - any angle
smaller than 90° will result in a smaller distance, thus a smaller moment
, What do levers do? - answers They increase the distance from the pivot at which the
force is applied
Do levers make it easier or harder to do work? - answers Easier to do work
What are gears and what do they do? - answers Circular discs with 'teeth' around their
edges
Their teeth interlock so that turning one causes another to turn in the opposite direction
They are used to transmit the rotational effect of a force from one place to another
What is pressure? - answers The force per unit area
Equation for Pressure - Surface of a fluid - answers Pressure (Pa) = Force normal to a
surface (N) / Area of that surface (m²)
p=F/A
What is the pressure of a fluid? - answers A force is exerted normal (at right angles) to
any surface in contact with the fluid
What is density? - answers A measure of the 'compactness' of a substance
Equation for Pressure - Liquid - answers Pressure (Pa) = Height of the column of liquid
(the depth)(m) x Density of the liquid (kg/m³) x Gravitational field strength (N/kg)
p=hρg
What is upthrust? - answers The force exerted on the bottom of the object is larger than
the force acting on the top of the object - the resultant force upwards on an object when
it is submerged in water
What is upthrust equal to? - answers The weight of fluid that has been displaced by the
object
Why do objects float? - answers The upthrust of the object is equal to the object's
weight, thus the force balances
It has a low density
Why do objects sink? - answers The object's weight is more than the upthrust
It has a high density
Low density - answers If an object is less dense than the fluid it is placed in, it weighs
less than the equivalent volume of fluid
It will displace a volume of fluid that is equal to its weight before it is completely
submerged
