OCR GCSE Physics A (Gateway)
OCR GCSE Physics A P2.1 Motion Exam Questions
Free OCR GCSE Physics A exam questions for P2.1 Motion, with a mark scheme for every pack. Covers scalars and vectors, distance, displacement, speed, velocity, acceleration, distance-time and velocity-time graphs and uniform acceleration equations.
P2.1 Motion exam questions
1 question pack of real past exam questions, each with its mark scheme. Do not stop after a few: answer as many as you can without notes, then mark every answer with the mark scheme. The more questions you do, the more quickly you will spot how examiners ask about each idea.
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About OCR GCSE Physics A P2.1 Motion
P2.1 begins the P2 Forces chapter of OCR Gateway Physics A. It introduces scalar and vector quantities and how to describe motion using distance, displacement, speed, velocity and acceleration. You need to calculate average speed and acceleration, recall typical everyday speeds, and interpret distance-time and velocity-time graphs, including finding speed from a tangent to a curve and distance from the area under a velocity-time graph. The equation v^2 - u^2 = 2as is used for uniform acceleration. It links forward to P2.2 Newton's laws and P8.1 Physics on the move. Examiners frequently set graph questions and multi-step acceleration calculations.
What you need to know
- Scalars and vectors Scalars have size only (distance, speed, time, mass); vectors have size and direction (displacement, velocity, acceleration, force).
- Speed and velocity Distance travelled = speed x time. Velocity is speed in a stated direction. Typical speeds: walking about 1.5 m/s, cycling about 6 m/s, cars on a road about 13 to 30 m/s.
- Acceleration Acceleration = change in speed / time taken, measured in m/s^2. Deceleration is negative acceleration. Acceleration due to gravity near the Earth's surface is about 10 m/s^2.
- Distance-time graphs The gradient is speed. A curved line shows changing speed; draw a tangent to find the speed at an instant.
- Velocity-time graphs The gradient gives acceleration; the area under the graph gives distance travelled.
- Uniform acceleration (final speed)^2 - (initial speed)^2 = 2 x acceleration x distance (v^2 - u^2 = 2as).
Common mistakes in P2.1 Motion
- Treating speed and velocity as the same. Velocity includes direction, so an object moving in a circle at constant speed has changing velocity.
- Using the area under a distance-time graph. The area under a velocity-time graph gives distance.
- Forgetting to square the speeds in v^2 - u^2 = 2as, or forgetting to take the square root at the end.
- Reading a horizontal line on a velocity-time graph as stationary. It means constant velocity.
- Using total time including stops wrongly. Average speed uses total distance divided by total time.
Try three P2.1 Motion exam-style questions
1. A car accelerates uniformly from rest to 24 m/s over a distance of 72 m. Calculate its acceleration. (3 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
v^2 - u^2 = 2as; 24^2 - 0 = 2 x a x 72; a = 576 / 144 = 4.0 m/s^2.
2. A cyclist accelerates uniformly from rest to 10 m/s in 5.0 s. Calculate the distance travelled. (2 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Area under velocity-time graph = 1/2 x 5.0 x 10; = 25 m.
3. Describe how to find the speed of an object at a particular time from a curved distance-time graph. (2 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Draw a tangent to the curve at that time; calculate the gradient of the tangent (change in distance / change in time).
P2.1 Motion FAQs
What does OCR GCSE Physics A (Gateway Science) P2.1 Motion cover?
It covers scalars and vectors, speed, velocity, acceleration, typical speeds, motion graphs and the uniform acceleration equation.
Which paper is P2.1 examined on?
Topics P1 to P4 are assessed on Paper 1 (Foundation) or Paper 3 (Higher), alongside practical skills.
What equations do I need for Motion?
Learn distance = speed x time and acceleration = change in speed / time, and be able to use v^2 - u^2 = 2as.
