Physics Exam — Newton's Laws, Speed, Gravity and Pressure
Review the fundamentals of mechanics: what a force is and how it is measured, Newton's three laws, the difference between mass and weight, average speed, gravity, friction, pressure and Archimedes' principle. Multiple-choice questions with detailed explanations.
Mechanics is the branch of physics that studies motion and its causes, and it's often a student's first real encounter with the scientific method: it's not enough to observe that something moves — you have to measure, predict and check. Isaac Newton formalised his three laws in 1687 in the Principia Mathematica, and they remain the foundation of all classical physics taught up to university level.
The exam follows the concepts in the order they're usually taught: first what a force is and how it's measured in Newtons, then the crucial difference between mass (amount of matter, constant) and weight (gravitational force, which varies by planet), Newton's three laws with everyday examples, and finally average speed, friction, pressure and Archimedes' principle — the reason a steel ship floats even though the metal alone would sink.
Review these concepts with the questions below: each one comes with a full explanation, so it works both for practice and for understanding why each formula works.
Physics & Chemistry · Primary & Secondary
Mass (kg) is the amount of matter and does not change. Weight (N) is the gravitational force on that mass and varies with location — 6× less on the Moon.
1st: inertia — objects resist change. 2nd: F = m × a. 3rd: action-reaction — every force has an equal and opposite counterpart. These three laws describe all everyday motion.
P = F/A (Pascals). The smaller the area, the greater the pressure. Archimedes' principle explains why steel ships float and how submarines control their depth.
"A Year 9 student applies F = m × a to work out that a 5 kg object pushed with 20 N accelerates at 4 m/s². The exam makes the formula concrete."
Tricks and techniques to master this topic faster:
Unit check: force in Newtons (N), mass in kg, acceleration in m/s². Always verify units.
Weight = mass × g. Use g ≈ 10 m/s² in school calculations for simplicity.
In action-reaction pairs, the forces act on DIFFERENT bodies — they never cancel each other.
Pressure tip: a knife cuts because its thin blade concentrates all the force on a tiny area.
If you are studying Forces and Motion, these curriculum topics complement each other:
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