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NCEA Level 3 Physics — practice by topic

Browse 40 questions across 2 Physics topics. Choose what you want to revise, then open a question to check its answer and worked solution.

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Physics topics

Circular and Rotational Motion (28)Newton's Law of Gravitation (12)

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How is rotational motion defined?Read the answer and worked solution →How is angular speed defined?Read the answer and worked solution →What is tangential velocity?Read the answer and worked solution →A clock tower's clock has a radius of 1.0 m. Through what angle does the hour hand rotate going from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.?Read the answer and worked solution →

Worked practice questions

How is rotational motion defined?

  1. Circular motion of an object about its axis of rotation
  2. Any motion where the object speeds up over time
  3. Motion that always follows a straight line
  4. Motion where the velocity never changes
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Correct answer: A. Circular motion of an object about its axis of rotation

1. Rotational motion is defined around an axis, not by whether speed or velocity is changing. 2. The motion traces a circular path around that axis of rotation. 3. A car speeding up along a straight road is not rotating, even though its speed is changing. _Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 6 "Circular and Rotational Motion", section 6.1 Angle of Rotation and Angular Velocity_

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How is angular speed defined?

  1. The rate at which the radius of curvature changes
  2. The rate at which the angle of rotation changes
  3. The total angle swept out over an object's whole lifetime
  4. The distance an object covers divided by its mass
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Correct answer: B. The rate at which the angle of rotation changes

1. Angular speed answers how fast an object is rotating, not how far it has moved in a straight line. 2. It is defined as omega = delta theta / delta t. 3. An object sweeping a greater angle in the same time has a greater angular speed. _Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 6 "Circular and Rotational Motion", section 6.1 Angle of Rotation and Angular Velocity_

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What is tangential velocity?

  1. The linear velocity of a point on a rotating object
  2. The average angular velocity over a full revolution
  3. The velocity component pointing toward the center
  4. The velocity of the axis of rotation itself
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Correct answer: A. The linear velocity of a point on a rotating object

1. A point on a spinning object still has an ordinary linear velocity at each instant. 2. That instantaneous linear velocity, tangent to the circular path, is the tangential velocity. 3. It differs from centripetal acceleration, which points toward the center rather than along the path. _Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 6 "Circular and Rotational Motion", section 6.1 Angle of Rotation and Angular Velocity_

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