GCSEPhysicsEdexcelExam Questions1. Key Concepts of Physics1.1 Expressing Quantities & SI Units

Expressing Quantities & SI Units (Edexcel GCSE Physics)

Exam Questions

1 hour11 questions
Easy
Medium
Hard
1a
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State the correct SI unit for time.

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1b
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Which of the following is the correct unit for mass?

square   A   N

square   B   kg

square   C   N/kg

square   D   N kg

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1c
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State the quantity that has the SI unit metres (m).

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1d
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Temperature is often measured using the Celsius scale. However, °C is not the SI unit for temperature.

State the SI unit for temperature.

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2a
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Which power of 10 correctly describes the prefix milli-?

 

square   A   10 to the power of negative 6 end exponent

square   B   10 to the power of negative 3 end exponent

square   C   10 cubed

square   D   10 to the power of 6

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2b
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Use scientific notation to express 6 μC in C.  

6 μC =  .................................... C

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2c
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Standard stopwatches measure time in milliseconds (ms).

Calculate the number of milliseconds in one minute. 

1 minute =  .................................... ms

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3a
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In an exam, a student was asked to give their answer to 3 significant figures.

The student gave the following answer:

t space equals space 1470 space straight s

State whether you agree that the student was correct, and explain your answer.

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3b
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Convert the student's answer from part (a) into minutes.  

1470 s =  .................................... minutes

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3c
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State your answer to part (b) to 1 significant figure.

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1a1 mark
State the unit for energy.

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1b1 mark

The unit for energy is a derived unit.

State the SI base units for the unit of energy.

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1c3 marks

A beaker containing 0.513 kg of water was heated by 18.4°C.

The specific heat capacity of water is 4200 J/kg °C.

Calculate the amount of energy transferred to the water. 

Give your answer to 2 significant figures.

Use the equation

straight capital delta E space equals space m c straight capital delta theta
 
 
 
energy transferred =  .................................... J

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1d1 mark
Convert your answer to part (c) into kJ.

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2a3 marks
Figure 1 shows an incomplete table of prefixes.

Complete the table by filling in the missing information.

 Figure 1
Prefix Abbreviation Order of magnitude
giga   109
mega M  
kilo k  
    10−2
  μ  
    10−9

 

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2b4 marks

A gamma wave has a wavelength of 950 nm.

Calculate its frequency.

The speed of light in a vacuum is 3.00 cross times 10 to the power of 8 space straight m divided by straight s

Use the equation

v space equals space f space cross times space lambda
 
 
 
frequency =  .................................... Hz

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2c1 mark
Give your answer to part (b) in MHz.

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2d1 mark
State the SI base units for Hz.

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3a2 marks

Newton's second law of motion describes the relationship between force, F, mass, m, and acceleration, a. 

The derived unit for force is the newton (N).

Using Newton's second law, determine the SI base units of force.

The equation for Newton's second law is

F space equals space m space cross times space a
 
 
 
SI base units of force =  .................................... 

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3b3 marks

A penny of mass 2.47 g was dropped from a height.

Calculate the downward force acting on the penny. 

The acceleration in free fall is 9.81 m/s2

Give your answer to 3 significant figures.

 
 
 
force =  .................................... N

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3c1 mark
Give your answer to part (b) using a suitable prefix.

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3d2 marks

The temperature on that day was 28.3°C.

Give the temperature in kelvin.

 
 
temperature =  .................................... K

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4a3 marks

Express the following numbers in scientific notation

 
(i)
491
(1)
(ii)
54 070
(1)
(iii)
2 310 000
(1)

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4b3 marks

Express the following numbers in scientific notation

 
(i)
0.011
(1)
(ii)
0.000503
(1)
(iii)
0.0000045
(1)

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4c3 marks

Express the following numbers in their original form

 
(i)
4.031 × 103
(1)
(ii)
6.7 × 106
(1)
(iii)
7.71 × 10−5
(1)

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4d2 marks
Calculate the number of seconds in a leap year.
 
 
 
number of seconds in leap year =  .................................... s

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5a4 marks

The wave equation describes the relationship between wave speed, c, frequency, f, and wavelength, lambda.

UV rays travel at the speed of light and have a frequency of  900 cross times 10 to the power of 12 space Hz.

Calculate the wavelength of the UV ray in nm.

The speed of light, c space equals space 3.00 cross times 10 to the power of 8 space straight m divided by straight s

Use the equation

c space equals space f space cross times space lambda
 
 
 
wavelength =  .................................... nm

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5b2 marks

UV rays travel from the Sun to the Earth in 500 ms.

(i)
State the relevant SI base unit for time.

(1)

(ii)
Convert 500 ms into the SI base unit.
(1)
 
 
 
500 ms =  .................................... unit ....................................

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5c2 marks

A light-year is the distance that light travels in a year.

Calculate the number of seconds in one year.

Give your answer to 2 significant figures and in scientific notation.

 
 
 
one year =  .................................... s

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5d4 marks

Calculate the value of 1 light-year in m.

Use your answer from part (c) to help you.

Give your answer to 2 significant figures.

The speed of light in a vacuum, v space equals space 3.00 cross times 10 to the power of 8 space straight m divided by straight s

 
 
 
1 light-year =  .................................... m

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1a
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Which row of the table correctly shows the prefixes in order of increasing value?

 
  square  A μ c M k
  square  B G n c m
  square  C k n G M
  square  D n μ m k

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1b
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Which product pair of prefixes has the greatest magnitude?

square   A   nano × mega 

square   B   micro × giga 

square   C   nano × kilo 

square   D   milli × giga 

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1c
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Convert the following measurements into SI units using scientific notation.

i)
9.3 MJ to J
[1]
ii)
7.4 kW to W
[1]
iii)
10 mm to m
[1]

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2a
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The newton is a derived unit. It is derived from the SI base units of kg m/s2.

Deduce the SI base units for power.

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2b
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A 1.2 GN force was applied across a distance of 32.4 cm. 

Calculate the work done.

Give your answer in standard form to 3 significant figures.

 
 
 
work done =  .................................... J

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2c
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The time taken for the 1.2 GN force to move a distance of 32.4 cm was 89.5 ms.

Calculate the energy transferred per unit time.

Give your answer in GW to 2 significant figures.

 
 
 
energy transferred per unit time =  .................................... GW

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3a
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Which of the following are the SI base units for gravitational field strength?

square   A   N

square   B   m/s2

square   C   N/kg

square   D   kg2/m/s2

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3b
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Which of the following are the SI base units for pressure?

square   A   kg/m2

square   B   kg/m2 s2

square   C   kg/m s2

square   D   kg m2/s2

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3c
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The volt can be expressed as joules per coulomb, where 1 C = 1 A s.

Which of the following are the correct SI base units for resistance?

square   A   J/A s

square   B   N m/A s

square   C   kg m/s2

square   D   kg m2/A2 s3

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