Cambridge & Pearson Edexcel Past Paper Questions
Browse 35,704 questions from Cambridge O-Level & A-Level and Pearson Edexcel IGCSE & IAL exams. Click any question to practice.
Which row describes the circumstances under which forces act on a charged particle in a uniform electric field?
The resistance of a thermistor depends on its temperature, and the resistance of a light-dependent resistor (LDR) depends on the illumination. Unde...
In terms of energy transfer W and charge q, what are the definitions of potential difference (p.d.) and electromotive force (e.m.f.)?
In each arrangement of resistors, the ammeter has a resistance of 2 Ω. Which arrangement gives the largest reading on the ammeter when the same pot...
A source of e.m.f. of 9.0 mV has an internal resistance of 6.0 Ω. It is connected across a galvanometer of resistance 30 Ω. What will be the curren...
The resistors P, Q and R in the circuit have equal resistance. [Figure 34.1] The battery, of negligible internal resistance, supplies a total power...
What is the unit of resistivity?
The grid shows a number of nuclides arranged according to the number of protons and the number of neutrons in each. A nucleus of the nuclide ⁷₃Li d...
The following represents a sequence of radioactive decays involving two α-particles and one β-particle. ²¹⁷₈₅At → α → V → α → W → β → X What is the...
What are the correct descriptions of a γ-ray and a β-particle?
What is not conserved in nuclear processes?
Stress has the same SI base units as
To check calculations, the units are put into the following equations together with the numbers. Which equation must be incorrect?
In making reasonable estimates of physical quantities, which statement is not correct?
The uncertainty in the value of the momentum of a trolley passing between two points X and Y varies with the choice of measuring devices. Measureme...
The time-base on a cathode-ray oscilloscope is set at 6 ms/cm. A trace consisting of two pulses is recorded as shown in the diagram. [Figure 5.0]
A bullet is fired horizontally with speed v from a rifle. For a short time t after leaving the rifle, the only force affecting its motion is gravit...
A particle moves in the manner shown by the velocity-time graph. The displacement of the particle has been measured so that it is zero at t = 0. Po...
A tennis ball falls freely, in air, from the top of a tall building. Which graph best represents the variation of distance s fallen with time t?
A small glider moves along a friction-free horizontal air track as shown below. At each end of the air track there is a perfectly elastic buffer. W...
A force F is applied to a freely moving object. At one instant of time, the object has velocity v and acceleration a. Which quantities must be in t...
The momentum of an object changes from 160 kg m s⁻¹ to 240 kg m s⁻¹ in 2 s. What is the mean resultant force on the object during the change?
A car accelerates in a straight line. A graph of the momentum of the car is plotted against time. What is evaluated by finding the gradient of the ...
A stone is projected horizontally in a vacuum and moves along the path shown. [Figure 14.0] X is a point on this path. XV and XH are vertical and h...
The diagrams all show a pair of equal forces acting on a metre rule. Which diagram shows forces that provide a couple and zero resultant force?
A uniform rod XY of weight 10.0 N is freely hinged to a wall at X. It is held horizontal by a force F acting from Y at an angle of 30° to the horiz...
The diagram shows two fixed pins, Y and Z. A length of elastic is stretched between Y and Z and around pin X, which is attached to a trolley. X is ...
An electric motor produces 120 W of useful mechanical output power. The efficiency of the motor is 60%. Which row is correct?
A hammer with 10 J of kinetic energy hits a nail and pushes it 5.0 mm into a plank. Both the hammer and nail come to rest after the collision. What...
The diagram shows two vessels, P and Q, both with sides inclined at 45°. Vessel P tapers outwards and vessel Q tapers inwards, as shown. Both vesse...
Two solid substances P and Q have atoms of mass M_P and M_Q respectively. They have n_P and n_Q atoms per unit volume. The density of P is greater ...
The table summarises some descriptions of evaporation. Which row of the table is correct?
The behaviour of a wire under tensile stress may be described in terms of the Young modulus E of the material of the wire and of the force per unit...
The diagram shows the structure of part of a mattress. The manufacturer wants to design a softer mattress (one which will compress more for the sam...
In which order of magnitude are the frequencies of electromagnetic waves in the visible spectrum?
A transverse progressive wave is set up on a string. The graph shows the variation with time of displacement for a point on this string. [Figure 26...
If a wave can be polarised, it must be
In which situation does diffraction occur?
The diagrams show the arrangement of apparatus for a Young's slits experiment and also part of the pattern formed on the screen with a ruler placed...
The diagram shows two parallel metal plates connected to a d.c. power supply through a resistor. [Figure 30.0] There is a uniform electric field in...
In each electric field diagram, a positively charged particle is moved from X to Y. In which diagram would the particle experience an increasing re...
What describes the electric potential difference between two points in a wire that carries a current?
A cylindrical piece of a soft, electrically-conducting material has resistance R. It is rolled out so that its length is doubled but its volume sta...
A source of electromotive force (e.m.f.) E has a constant internal resistance r and is connected to an external variable resistor of resistance R. ...
Which graph best represents the way in which the current I through a thermistor depends upon the potential difference V across it?
Safety on railways is increased by using several electrical switches. In the diagram, switches P, Q, R, S and T control the current through a green...
The diagram shows a fixed resistor and a light-dependent resistor (LDR) in series with a constant low-voltage supply. When the LDR is in the dark, ...
The diagram shows a d.c. circuit. [Figure 38.0] What is the resistance between the points P and Q due to the resistance network?
The uranium nucleus ²³⁸U undergoes α-decay, producing nucleus X. Nucleus X undergoes β-decay, producing nucleus Y. For nucleus Y, what are the valu...
Radon-220 is radioactive and decays to polonium-216 with the emission of an α-particle. The equation for the radioactive decay is shown. ²²⁰Rn -> ²...