Cambridge & Pearson Edexcel Past Paper Questions

Coherent light of constant wavelength is incident normally on a double slit. Interference fringes are formed on a screen that is a fixed distance f...

Light of wavelength 690 nm passes through a diffraction grating with 300 lines per mm, producing a series of bright spots (maxima) on a screen. [Fi...

A fine mist of oil droplets is sprayed into air. As the oil droplets leave the nozzle of the spraying device they can become electrically charged. ...

The potential difference across a metal wire is kept constant. The length l and the diameter d of the wire are both varied. The type of metal is ke...

A student sets up a circuit. The circuit diagram shows how the positive and negative terminals of a voltmeter are connected to the circuit. The vol...

Some resistors and a battery of electromotive force (e.m.f.) E and negligible internal resistance are connected in series, as shown. [Figure 34.1] ...

Kirchhoff's first law is a consequence of the conservation of which physical quantity?

The diagram shows a network of resistors. Each resistor has a resistance of 6.0 Ω. [Figure 36.1] What is the total resistance of the network betwee...

In the circuit shown, a battery of negligible internal resistance is connected in series with a pair of fixed resistors R₁ and R₂. [Figure 37.1] Th...

Two nuclides are different isotopes of the same element. Which statement about the nuclides is correct?

The charge-to-mass ratio r of a particle is given by the equation shown. r = charge on particle / mass of particle The value of r is determined for...

A physical quantity consists of a magnitude and a unit. Which row does not show a correct combination of a quantity and its unit?

A small car travels in a town. What is a reasonable estimate of the kinetic energy of the car?

A solid bar has a square cross-section. Its length is measured as 50.0±0.2cm and its width is measured as 2.00±0.01 cm. These values are used to ca...

The graph shows how the acceleration of an object moving in a straight line varies with time. [Figure 4.1] The object starts from rest. Which graph...

A stone falls vertically from rest. Air resistance is negligible. What is the speed of the stone when it has fallen through a distance of 0.40 m?

A ball is thrown horizontally off a tall building. The ground is horizontal. Air resistance is negligible. Which statement about the motion of the ...

A moving object strikes a stationary object. The collision is inelastic. The objects move off together. Assume that the two objects form an isolate...

The graph shows how a quantity Y varies with a quantity X for an object falling vertically at its terminal velocity towards the surface of the Eart...

A ball of mass 2.0 kg travels horizontally with a speed of 4.0 ms⁻¹. The ball collides with a wall and rebounds in the opposite direction with a sp...

Two train carriages each of mass 5000 kg roll toward one another on a horizontal frictionless track. One is travelling at a speed of 2.00 ms⁻¹ and ...

Which single condition must apply for an object to be in equilibrium?

A kite is in equilibrium at the end of a string, as shown. [Figure 12.1] The kite has three forces acting on it: the weight W, the tension T in the...

Four forces act about a point P, as shown. [Figure 13.1] The forces act in the same plane and produce no resultant moment about point P. What is th...

A rectangular block of lead of density 1.13 × 10⁴ kg m⁻³ has sides of length 12.0 cm, 15.0 cm and 10.0 cm. What is the maximum pressure the block c...

A model car travels at a constant velocity of 12 ms⁻¹ in a straight horizontal line. The input power to the engine of the car is 800 W. The efficie...

Which statement represents the principle of conservation of energy?

A barrel of mass 50 kg is loaded onto the back of a lorry 1.6 m high by pushing it up a frictionless plank 3.4 m long. [Figure 18.1] What is the mi...

What is a unit for stress?

Four solid steel rods equally support an object weighing 10 kN. Each rod is of length 2.0 m and cross-sectional area 250 mm². The weight of the obj...

The graph shows how the length of a spring varies with the force applied to it. Two areas P and Q are labelled. [Figure 22.1] Which area represents...

A horizontal beam of vertically polarised light of amplitude A is incident normally on a polarising filter. The transmission axis of the filter is ...

A progressive longitudinal sound wave moves through air. The diagram shows the positions of the air particles along part of the wave at one instant...

An electromagnetic wave in free space has a frequency of 3.0 × 10¹⁶ Hz. Which row gives the principal region of this wave and an example of an elec...

A source of sound emits waves of a constant frequency. The source moves at a constant speed in a straight line relative to a stationary observer. W...

What could describe the time-base of a cathode-ray oscilloscope (CRO)?

What happens when two waves superpose at a point?

An electromagnetic wave is diffracted as it passes through a single slit. The width of the slit is larger than the wavelength of the wave. Which ch...

The diagram shows visible light incident normally on a diffraction grating. [Figure 30.1] A pattern of intensity maxima forms on the screen. A line...

There is a current in a resistor for a short time interval. Which statement about the total charge that passes through the resistor is correct?

An electric current of 12 A is in a wire of length 0.35 m. The average drift speed of the free electrons (charge carriers) in the wire is 5.0 × 10⁻...

Three resistors are connected to a cell of negligible internal resistance. Which circuit has a combined resistance of 100 Ω?

Each of Kirchhoff's laws is a statement based on the conservation of a physical quantity. Which quantity is conserved in each law?

A cell with electromotive force (e.m.f.) 1.50 V delivers a current of 0.26 A to a resistor of resistance 5.0 Ω connected between its terminals. Wha...

What is not a quark flavour?

How many down quarks are in a nucleus of hydrogen-3, ³H?

An isotope of boron decays to beryllium by β⁺ emission. Which particle is emitted in addition to the β⁺ particle?

What is a reasonable estimate of the weight of an adult human?

What describes a set of data with a high precision?

A ball is released from rest. The distance the ball falls and the time the ball takes to fall that distance are both measured. The percentage unce...