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UCE (O-Level) Newton's laws — practice questions

Explore 10 free Newton's laws questions in UCE (O-Level) Physics. Open each question or exercise to read its content, reference answers and available explanation.

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Newton's laws questions and exercises with answers

Showing questions 1–10 of 10.

Which everyday example is a non-contact force?Read the answer and worked solution →A tray lies still on a flat table. In which direction does the force that the table exerts on the tray act?Read the answer and worked solution →A heavy crate is pushed steadily but does not budge. Which force is opposing the push?Read the answer and worked solution →A box is already sliding across a rough floor. The person pushing it pushes harder. What happens to the magnitude of the kinetic friction?Read the answer and worked solution →What name is given to the property that makes an object keep doing what it is already doing?Read the answer and worked solution →In Newton's second law, how is the acceleration of a body related to its mass?Read the answer and worked solution →A person stands on a bathroom scale inside a lift. The lift begins to accelerate downwards and the person feels lighter. Which force has become smaller?Read the answer and worked solution →A fly hits the windscreen of a moving car. Compared with the force the fly exerts on the windscreen, the force the windscreen exerts on the fly is:Read the answer and worked solution →Which statement is true of the two forces in a Newton's third law action-reaction pair?Read the answer and worked solution →Sort contact from non-contactRead the answer and worked solution →

Worked practice questions

Which everyday example is a non-contact force?

  1. The pull of gravity
  2. The push of a hand
  3. The pull of a rope
  4. The force of the wind
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Correct answer: A. The pull of gravity

1. A contact force must touch the object before it can change anything about it. 2. A non-contact force does not have to touch an object to cause a change. 3. Gravity acts across empty space, which is why the Earth can pull the Moon. 4. Hands, ropes and wind all have to be in contact with the object before they act. _Source: Siyavula Physical Sciences Grade 11 (Everything Science, CC BY 4.0), Chapter 2: Newton's laws_

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A tray lies still on a flat table. In which direction does the force that the table exerts on the tray act?

  1. Parallel to the surface
  2. Perpendicular to the surface
  3. Along the line of motion
  4. Opposite to the applied push
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Correct answer: B. Perpendicular to the surface

1. The force a surface exerts on an object resting on it is called the normal force. 2. The normal force is always perpendicular, that is at a right angle, to the surface. 3. Forces that act parallel to a surface are frictional forces, not normal forces. 4. On a flat table the normal force happens to point straight up, but on a tilted table it tilts with the surface. _Source: Siyavula Physical Sciences Grade 11 (Everything Science, CC BY 4.0), Chapter 2: Newton's laws_

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A heavy crate is pushed steadily but does not budge. Which force is opposing the push?

  1. Kinetic friction
  2. Normal reaction
  3. Static friction
  4. Applied tension
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Correct answer: C. Static friction

1. Friction opposes motion and acts parallel to the surface the object rests on. 2. Static friction acts while the object is still stationary, and kinetic friction acts while it is moving. 3. The crate has not moved, so the friction acting on it is static friction. 4. Static friction can grow until it reaches a maximum value, after which the crate finally slides. _Source: Siyavula Physical Sciences Grade 11 (Everything Science, CC BY 4.0), Chapter 2: Newton's laws_

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