The Physics Question Bank

Use a sharp pencil and a ruler. Draw forces as straight arrows starting from the object, with the length showing the size of the force. Tap 🔍 See examples to see how the diagram usually looks – pictures online vary, so if one disagrees with the instructions, follow the instructions. ← All key diagrams

48. Free body diagram: book on a table
Draw a rectangle for the book. From its centre, draw an arrow pointing down labelled “weight (W = mg)” and an arrow of the same length pointing up labelled “normal contact force”. Write underneath: “forces balanced – resultant force = 0 N”.
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49. Free body diagram: car at constant speed
Draw a simple car shape. Draw four arrows from its centre: forwards labelled “driving force”, backwards (same length) labelled “air resistance + friction”, down labelled “weight” and up (same length) labelled “normal contact force”. Write: “constant speed – all forces balanced, resultant force = 0”.
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50. Scale drawing of a resultant force (HT)
Choose a scale, e.g. 1 cm = 1 N. Draw a horizontal arrow 4 cm long (4 N). From its tip, draw a vertical arrow 3 cm long (3 N). Draw a third arrow from the start of the first arrow to the tip of the second – this is the resultant. Measure it (5 cm = 5 N) and measure the angle with a protractor. Label: “scale”, “4 N”, “3 N”, “resultant = 5 N”.
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51. Resolving a force (HT)
Draw a box being pulled by a rope at 30° above the horizontal. Draw the pulling force as an arrow along the rope. Using dashed lines, draw a horizontal arrow and a vertical arrow that form a right-angled triangle with the pulling force. Label: “horizontal component – moves the box along”, “vertical component – partly lifts the box”, “30°”.
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52. Contact and non-contact forces
Draw two columns. Under “contact forces”, draw small sketches with arrows for friction (a block sliding on a surface), air resistance (a parachute), tension (a rope) and normal contact force (a book on a table). Under “non-contact forces”, draw gravity (an apple falling), magnetic force (two magnets) and electrostatic force (a charged balloon).
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53. Force and extension practical
Draw a clamp stand with a spring hanging from the clamp. Draw a vertical metre ruler clamped next to the spring and a mass hanger on the bottom of the spring. Draw a horizontal pointer on the bottom of the spring lining up with the ruler. Label: clamp stand, spring, ruler, pointer, masses. Write: “extension = new length − original length”, “read the ruler at eye level”.
🔍 See examples  ·  📋 Required practical page

54. Force–extension graph
Draw axes with “extension (m)” on the x-axis and “force (N)” on the y-axis. Draw a straight line from the origin, then make it start to curve. Mark the point where it starts to curve. Label: “straight section – extension directly proportional to force (F = ke)”, “limit of proportionality”, “gradient = spring constant k”.
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55. Balanced seesaw – moments (S only)
Draw a horizontal plank balanced on a triangle (the pivot). Draw a large person 1.5 m to the left and a small person 2.0 m to the right. Draw weight arrows down from each person: 400 N and 300 N. Label the distances from the pivot. Write: “anticlockwise moment = 400 × 1.5 = 600 Nm”, “clockwise moment = 300 × 2.0 = 600 Nm”, “balanced – principle of moments”.
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56. Gear system (S only)
Draw a small circle with teeth around its edge meshing with a larger circle with teeth. Draw a curved arrow on each: clockwise on the small gear and anticlockwise on the large gear. Label: “driving gear (small)”, “driven gear (large)”, “gears turn in opposite directions”, “larger gear turns more slowly with a bigger moment”.
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57. Pressure increases with depth (S only)
Draw a tall container of water with three small holes in the side: one near the top, one in the middle and one near the bottom. Draw curved jets of water coming out: a short jet from the top hole and the longest jet from the bottom hole. Label: “pressure increases with depth”, “p = hρg” (HT).
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58. Upthrust on a submerged object (S only)
Draw a block fully under water in a container. Draw short arrows pointing inwards on the top and sides, and longer arrows pointing up on the bottom. Next to it, draw a free body diagram: “weight” down and “upthrust” up. Label: “more pressure on the bottom surface than the top → resultant upward force (upthrust)”, “floats if upthrust = weight”.
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59. Distance–time graph shapes
Draw axes with “time (s)” and “distance (m)”. Draw a journey in four sections and label each: a straight sloping line (“constant speed”), a flat line (“stationary”), a steeper straight line (“faster constant speed”), and a curve getting steeper (“accelerating”). Label: “gradient = speed”.
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60. Velocity–time graph
Draw axes with “time (s)” and “velocity (m/s)”. Draw a line sloping up from the origin, then a flat section, then a line sloping down to zero. Lightly shade the area under the graph. Label: “accelerating”, “constant velocity”, “decelerating”, “gradient = acceleration”, “area under graph = distance travelled”.
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61. Acceleration practical
Draw a bench with a trolley on it. Attach a string from the trolley over a pulley clamped to the end of the bench, down to a hanging mass. Draw two light gates along the bench above the trolley’s path, connected to a data logger. Label: trolley, bench, pulley, string, hanging mass (accelerating force), light gates, data logger.
🔍 See examples  ·  📋 Required practical page

62. Skydiver at each stage
Draw four skydivers in a row. (1) Just after jumping: long weight arrow down, tiny air resistance arrow up – “accelerates”. (2) Faster: weight arrow the same, air resistance arrow longer – “acceleration decreases”. (3) Arrows equal – “terminal velocity”. (4) Parachute open: air resistance arrow much longer than weight – “slows down”. Keep the weight arrow the same length in every drawing.
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63. Skydiver velocity–time graph
Draw axes with “time (s)” and “velocity (m/s)”. Draw a curve rising steeply from the origin and levelling off (first terminal velocity). Then draw a sharp drop (parachute opens) that levels off at a lower velocity (second terminal velocity). Finally draw a drop to zero (landing). Label each section.
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64. Stopping distances
Draw three horizontal bars for 30 mph, 50 mph and 70 mph. Split each bar into two parts: a lighter part for thinking distance and a darker part for braking distance. Make the thinking distance grow steadily and the braking distance grow much faster as speed increases. Label: “stopping distance = thinking distance + braking distance”, “thinking – reaction time”, “braking – friction, road and tyres”.
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65. Collision – momentum (HT)
Draw two “before” and “after” boxes. Before: a 2 kg trolley moving right at 4 m/s towards a stationary 2 kg trolley. After: both trolleys stuck together moving right at 2 m/s. Under each, write the momentum: “before = 2 × 4 = 8 kg m/s”, “after = 4 × 2 = 8 kg m/s”. Label: “total momentum before = total momentum after”.
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66. Newton’s third law pair – rocket
Draw a rocket pointing upwards with exhaust gases coming out of the bottom. Draw one arrow on the gases pointing down, labelled “rocket pushes gases down”, and one arrow on the rocket pointing up, labelled “gases push rocket up”. Make the arrows the same length. Label: “equal and opposite forces acting on different objects”.
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Check your drawings: Forces topic page  |  Motion graph activities  |  Required practicals  |  Teach the topic: Forces