Cambridge & Pearson Edexcel Past Paper Questions

The speed of radio waves is c. A radio station transmits waves with a wavelength λ. What is the frequency of the transmission?

Light is incident on a mirror and is reflected as shown. What is the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection?

Light is incident on one face of a glass block at an angle of incidence of 40°. The glass block is in air. The refractive index of the glass is 1.4...

In a short-sighted eye, light from distant objects is not focused on the retina. Where is this light focused and what type of lens is needed to cor...

Below are four statements about the uses of electromagnetic radiation. Gamma rays are used in medical treatment. Infra-red waves are used in sunbed...

Two straight electrical conductors are parallel to one another. Each carries a current, one into the plane of the paper and one out of the plane of...

A polythene rod is rubbed with a duster. The duster then attracts small pieces of paper. Are the rod and the duster charged or uncharged?

The voltage/current graph for a filament lamp is shown. The voltage across the lamp increases. What happens to the temperature of the lamp and the ...

A 12V battery is connected across a parallel arrangement of two resistors. What is the reading on the ammeter?

The circuit shown is set up and then all the switches are closed. One switch is now opened and all the lamps are lit. Which switch is opened?

A lamp connected to a 12V supply converts energy at a rate of 36 W. How much energy will be converted in 10s?

What causes the fuse to blow in a mains electrical circuit?

A current-carrying wire is placed between the poles of a magnet. What is the direction of the force on the wire due to the current?

A simple d.c. motor consists of a coil that rotates between the poles of a permanent magnet. The turning effect is increased by winding the coil on...

A current is produced when a wire is moved between two magnets as shown. Which device uses this effect?

Why is a transformer used to connect a generator in a power station to a long-distance transmission line?

Which electrical component is used to store charge?

The radioactive isotope radium-226 may be shown as ⁸⁸²²⁶Ra. How many protons does an atom of radium contain?

When dealing with radioactive materials there are possible dangers. Which statement is correct?

An isotope X is radioactive and has a half-life of 4 years. A sample initially contains 8000 atoms of X. After how many years will the sample conta...

Forces of 3 N and 4 N act as shown in the diagram. Which diagram shows the resultant R of these two forces?

A micrometer is used to measure the diameter of a uniform wire. What is done to obtain an accurate answer?

The speed-time graph for a falling skydiver is shown below. As he falls, the skydiver spreads out his arms and legs and then opens his parachute. W...

A particle P is moving in a horizontal circle about O. P moves at constant speed. Which statement is true?

A body slides down a frictionless slope as shown. As the body presses on the surface, the surface pushes back on the body. The force of the surface...

Paper is sold in packets labelled 80 g/m². This means that a sheet of paper of area 10000 cm² has a mass of 80 g. The thickness of each sheet is 0....

Which chair is the least stable if the child moves?

A brick of weight 80 N stands upright on the ground as shown. What is the pressure it exerts on the ground?

An airtight container holds a fixed mass of gas. Its pressure and volume are measured on four occasions when the temperature is 20°C. The results a...

Energy is released in some power stations and in the Sun by either nuclear fission or nuclear fusion. Which type of nuclear reaction applies in eac...

The diagram shows a girl lifting a box of weight 50 N from a low shelf to a high shelf. How much work is done on the box?

The diagram shows the energy transfer through a machine. The machine is 50% efficient. Which equation is correct?

A glass beaker contains water. When the centre of the base of the beaker is heated, a convection current is set up. Which statement explains this?

Two identical metal plates are painted, one matt (dull) white and the other matt black. These are placed at equal distances from a radiant heater a...

Using an electric kettle, 200 g of water at 100 °C is converted into steam at 100 °C in 300 seconds. The specific latent heat of steam is 2250 J/g....

When a gas in a container of fixed volume is heated, the pressure of the gas increases. Which statement explains this?

A ripple tank is used to show wave behaviour. The dipper vibrates up and down at a constant frequency. What happens to the frequency and to the spe...

A wave has a frequency of 10 kHz. Which pair of values of its speed and wavelength is possible?

Which characteristics describe an image formed by a vertical plane mirror?

A ray of light meets the face of a glass block at an angle of 30° as shown. The refractive index of the glass is 1.5. What is the angle of refracti...

The diagram shows a thin converging lens of focal length f. Where must an object be placed to produce a real image in the position shown?

Which wave property has the same value for all X-rays travelling in air?

Which range is the approximate range of audible frequencies for a human?

Which row correctly compares the speeds of sound in air, liquid and solid?

A guitar string is made to vibrate. What makes the pitch of the note rise?

A teacher sticks a magnet to the top surface of a match-box cover. The bottom surface is placed in a small tray of iron paperclips. As the match-bo...

The diagrams show a small compass close to a strong bar magnet. Which diagram shows the correct compass direction?

A positively-charged rod is held close to, but not touching, an isolated metal sphere. Which diagram shows the charges that are induced on the sphere?

A lightning flash carries 40 C of charge and lasts for 5.0 ms. What is the average current in the flash?

Which of the following is equivalent to 1 V?