Daily A Level Physics question archive
Free AS and A2 Daily MCQs from PhysicsUK. Questions appear here after a 7-day delay so pupils can practise with the answer and explanation available.
Nuclear physics (A2): activity, decay law (qual.), half-life
In a school lab, a GM tube measures background radiation at 40 s⁻¹. With a sealed source at a fixed distance, the initial total count rate is 1040 s⁻¹. Several hours later, under identical setup, the total count rate...
Foundations of Physics (M2)
In a lab rig, a mass is hung from a plate attached to the ceiling by two branches in parallel. Branch 1 is a single light spring of constant k. Branch 2 is two identical light springs, each of constant k, connected in...
Applied contexts: transformers/grid efficiency
Which statement must be true when a step-up transformer is used at a power station to send the same power over long transmission lines with fixed resistance to a distant city?
Projectile motion and suvat (Module 3)
A bench-top launcher in a physics lab fires a steel ball at a fixed speed u. With the barrel set to 30° above the horizontal, the ball lands back at the same height as launch. The launcher is then set to 60° with the...
Energy & power in DC circuits
An electric lab heater is powered by an ideal 12 V dc supply. When new, the heater's resistance is 6.0 Ω. After use, oxidation increases its resistance by 50% but the supply voltage remains 12 V. Which statement about...
Waves & optics (M4.2.2)
In a school lab, a green laser produces a double-slit interference pattern on a screen 2.0 m away. The double-slit slide is replaced with one where the slit separation is half the original, while slit widths and the...
Energy & power in DC circuits
A 3.0 V head torch originally uses a 0.60 W filament bulb. It is upgraded to a 1.2 W LED module, still powered by the same 3.0 V battery pack. For a continuous 30 min walk, which value is closest to the extra...
DC Circuits (M4)
In a lab test, a bench power supply is set to 6.0 V and connected to a resistor using long, thin leads. The current is 0.50 A. A voltmeter across just the resistor reads 5.8 V. Which statement must be true about the...
Electromagnetic induction (M6.3.2)
In a lab, a bar magnet’s north pole is pushed straight towards a flat coil. With a 200-turn coil and speed v, the peak induced emf is 3.0 V. The coil is then replaced by a 400-turn coil and the magnet is pushed at...
Mechanics & Materials (M3)
A football is kicked from level ground at 45° with initial speed u, giving a range R (air resistance negligible). On the next attempt, the same angle is used but the launch speed is increased by 20%. What happens to...
Kinematics: displacement–time
A cyclist travels along a straight cycle path. Displacement from the start is defined positive in the forward direction. From 0–20 s the displacement increases uniformly at 2.0 m/s; from 20–40 s it is constant; from...
Mechanics & Materials (M3)
A small car collides head-on with a much heavier lorry on a straight road. During the brief impact, which statement must be true?
AC generators & transformers (Module 6.3): efficiency and current/voltage ratios
In a school lab, a 12 V (rms) AC supply feeds an 80% efficient step-up transformer that provides 120 V (rms) to a small neon sign. The primary current is 2.0 A (rms). What is the secondary current (rms)?
Work, energy & power (M3)
A garden fountain pump draws a steady electrical power of 200 W and raises water to a spout 10 m above the reservoir. When running, the flow reaches a steady value. If only 50% of the input power goes into increasing...
Kepler's laws (Module 5.4)
A comet follows a highly elliptical orbit around the Sun. As it travels from its farthest point (aphelion) towards its closest approach (perihelion), which statement must be true?
Quantum (M4)
In a darkened lab, a student shines a monochromatic green LED onto a small photodiode. They increase the LED’s intensity using its driver, while keeping the colour exactly the same. Ignoring heating, which statement...
Medical imaging I: X-rays — attenuation & HVT (M6.2)
In a quality-control test of an X-ray beam at fixed kVp, two 8.0 mm-thick inserts are compared. For this beam, material A has a half-value thickness (HVT) of 2.0 mm and material B has an HVT of 4.0 mm. Which statement...
Kinematics (M3.1.1)
In a lab, a motion sensor records a trolley that starts from rest, speeds up uniformly to 2.4 m/s in 2.0 s, then immediately slows uniformly to rest taking 4.0 s. The velocity–time graph is a straight-line rise...
Electric circuits & sensors (Module 4)
A light sensor is made by placing an LDR in series with a fixed resistor across a 5.0 V supply. The output voltage V_out is taken across the fixed resistor (from the junction to ground). As the room gets brighter, what...
Internal resistance & terminal pd (Module 4)
A bench power supply has an emf of 12.0 V and an internal resistance of 0.25 Ω. A student increases the current drawn from 2.0 A to 4.0 A by changing the external load. What happens to the terminal potential difference...
High level GCSE electricity, Potential dividers and sensor circuits, Meter loading (qualitative and simple quantitative)
A student tests a light sensor circuit powered by 5.0 V: a 10 kΩ fixed resistor is in series with an LDR to 0 V, and a voltmeter with 20 kΩ input resistance is connected across the LDR to read V_out at the junction....
Electricity (M4)
A student powers one small torch bulb from a 6 V battery. They then add a second identical bulb in parallel with the first using short, negligible-resistance wires. Assume the bulbs behave like simple resistors over...
Transformers, energy & efficiency (M6.4)
A bench transformer has 1200 turns on the primary and 60 on the secondary. It is connected to 240 V rms and powers a 12 V halogen lamp drawing 2.0 A rms at its rated brightness. The transformer is 80% efficient under...
Archimedes’ principle (M3.2)
A wooden block floats in fresh water. A 1 kg sealed metal tool can either be placed gently on top of the block (remaining above the water) or suspended from the block by a light string so the tool is fully submerged...
Thermal physics I (M5)
In a lab, identical 0.50 kg samples of water and an unknown liquid X are heated by the same immersion heater for the same time. Both start at 20 C. After heating, the water is at 25 C while liquid X is at 28 C. Assume...
Waves & Optics: Refraction and TIR (Module 4)
A narrow laser beam travels inside a glass block (refractive index 1.50) and strikes the glass–air boundary from the glass side. As the angle of incidence inside the glass is slowly increased, at roughly what angle to...
Quantum II: photoelectric effect; stopping potential; work function; de Broglie wavelength (intro)
In a lab, a clean metal photocathode with threshold frequency f0 is illuminated by monochromatic light of frequency 1.20 f0 and intensity I. The magnitude of the reverse potential needed to reduce the photocurrent to...
Practical skills: uncertainties & data handling (Modules 1–2)
A student estimates the acceleration a of a trolley down a shallow ramp from measurements of distance s and time t using a = 2s/t^2. They record s = 0.80 m with a metre rule (resolution 1 mm) and t ≈ 1.2 s with a...
Waves & Optics (M4)
Two identical loudspeakers are driven in phase at frequency f0 in a large hall. At a fixed listening point P the distances to the speakers differ by 1.5 m, and a deep minimum in sound intensity is heard at P. You now...
Mechanics & Materials (M3)
On a dry test track the same car makes two emergency stops using the same brakes so the braking force is effectively constant. From 15 m/s it comes to rest in 20 m (braking distance only). From 30 m/s, what is the...
DC circuits: potential dividers and sensors (Revision weeks 1–6)
A light sensor uses a 9 V supply with a fixed 10 kΩ resistor in series with a light-dependent resistor (LDR). The output voltage is measured across the LDR. When the light level on the LDR increases, which statement...
Applied contexts: sensor circuits (M4.3)
An automatic night‑light uses a 5.0 V supply and a potential divider with an LDR to +5 V and a fixed 10 kΩ resistor to ground. The output voltage V_out (to a microcontroller) is taken across the 10 kΩ resistor. In...
Quantum (M4)
In a vacuum photoelectric experiment, a clean metal surface is illuminated by monochromatic light of fixed frequency well above the threshold. The anode is held sufficiently positive to collect all emitted electrons....
Quantum physics (Module 4.2): photoelectric effect
In a school lab, a clean metal surface in a vacuum tube is illuminated with monochromatic UV light of wavelength 365 nm. The stopping potential needed to reduce the photocurrent to zero is measured as 0.80 V. Using hc...
Waves I: progressive waves; c = fλ; superposition; phase; intensity ∝ amplitude² (qual.)
Two identical loudspeakers are driven by the same signal (so they are coherent and in phase). At a microphone P, the path difference from the two speakers is exactly one-third of the wavelength of the tone. Which...
Waves & Optics (M4)
A small loudspeaker emits sound equally in all directions in an open field. At a distance r, a microphone measures sound intensity I and pressure amplitude p. If the microphone is moved to 3r and air absorption is...
AS Mechanics: Equilibrium and moments
A uniform 2.0 m wooden shelf of mass 10 kg is hinged to a wall at the left end and held horizontal by a light cable attached at the right end, making 30° above the horizontal. A 15 kg toolbox sits on the shelf...
Waves II: stationary waves; harmonics; boundary conditions; string/air column examples
In a lab sonometer, a steel string of length L is fixed at both ends and under tension T. It is driven at a clear third-harmonic resonance with frequency f3. A light clamp is then added exactly at the midpoint to hold...
Nuclear II: mass–energy; binding energy per nucleon; fission/fusion contexts (qual.)
Which estimate is closest to the energy released per event when a U-235 nucleus undergoes fission into two medium-mass fragments? A lab chart shows the average binding energy per nucleon rises from about 7.6 MeV in...
Waves II: stationary waves; harmonics; boundary conditions; string/air column examples
In a lab, a 0.75 m air column is closed at one end and driven by a loudspeaker at the open end. Strong resonances are observed at 230 Hz and then at 690 Hz. The cork is removed so the tube is now open at both ends; the...
Practical Skills & Data (M1)
A student investigates whether the electrical power P delivered to a small heater is proportional to the square of the current I through it. They obtain two readings: at I = 0.40 A, P = 1.9 W; at I = 0.80 A, P = 7.6 W....
Intensity vs photon rate (Quantum I)
Two monochromatic LEDs each illuminate the same small photodiode with equal intensity (same power per unit area). LED G emits green light at wavelength 500 nm; LED V emits violet light at 400 nm. Which statement must...
Forces and Motion (M3): Work, energy and power, Electrons, Waves and Photons (M4): Energy, power and resistance; Electrical circuits
A 6.0 V DC motor lifts a small toolbox vertically at steady speed. With a 0.50 kg load the current is 0.80 A. The lifting speed is kept the same when the load is increased to 0.75 kg. Assume the motor’s efficiency...
Archimedes’ principle (M3.2)
A cylindrical fishing float stands upright in fresh water with 75% of its volume submerged. It is then placed in a liquid that is 1.2 times as dense as fresh water. Assuming the float does not absorb liquid and its...
Foundations of Physics (M2)
A camping heater is marked 60 W at 12 V. For a short test it is powered from a 6.0 V DC supply. Assuming its resistance does not change significantly at the lower temperature, which is the best estimate of the power it...
Momentum & impulse; conservation of momentum (1D)
On a low-friction track, a 0.50 kg ball moving at +6.0 m s⁻¹ collides head-on with a 1.50 kg cart initially at rest. Two trials are run with identical setup: Trial 1 the ball sticks to the cart; Trial 2 the ball...
Waves & Optics (M4)
A clean zinc surface in vacuum is illuminated in turn by two monochromatic LEDs, each adjusted to deliver the same power per unit area onto the metal. LED A emits light at 5.0×10^14 Hz; LED B emits at 1.0×10^15 Hz. The...
Fields: Gravitational, Electric & Magnetic (M5/M6)
In a lab, a student measures the electric field strength E at various distances r from the centre of a small isolated charged sphere. They want to test whether E follows an inverse‑square dependence on r (assume no...
Materials (M3.3)
In a lab test, a 5.0 N weight is hung from a single light spring and the extension is 3.0 cm. The same weight is then hung from two identical springs arranged side by side (in parallel) supporting the weight together....
Materials: practical methods (Young modulus)
In a lab to determine the Young modulus of a metal wire by adding masses and measuring its extension, you want to reduce the percentage uncertainty in the extension reading without changing the measuring scale or the...
Waves & Optics (Module 4)
A laser illuminates two identical narrow slits to form an interference pattern on a distant screen. At the centre of the screen (a bright fringe), the measured light intensity with both slits open is I0. One slit is...
Fields: Gravitational, Electric & Magnetic (M5/M6)
In a lab e/m experiment, an electron beam of fixed speed enters a region of uniform magnetic field at right angles and traces a circular arc on a fluorescent screen. The coil current is increased so the magnetic flux...
Kinematics (displacement–time graphs)
A fitness tracker records a runner’s displacement from the start along a straight path. During one 10 s interval, the displacement–time graph is a straight line sloping downwards (time on the x-axis, displacement on...
DC Circuits (M4)
In a lab test, a 1000 μF capacitor is charged to 6.0 V, then allowed to discharge through a resistor while a data logger records the voltage. In trial 1 the resistor is 1.0 kΩ; in trial 2 it is 2.0 kΩ. Students measure...
Electrons, Waves and Photons (M4): DC circuits
In a lab, a 9.0 V supply is connected to two 100 kΩ resistors in series. A digital multimeter with 1.0 MΩ input resistance is connected across the upper 100 kΩ resistor to measure its potential difference. Which...
Nuclear physics (M6.4): mass–energy and binding energy; fission/fusion (qual.)
An R&D team compares two fuels for a compact power source: (i) deuterium–tritium fusion, 2H + 3H → 4He + n, and (ii) fission of 235U to typical mid‑mass fragments. Take average binding energy per nucleon for the...
Quantum physics (M4.5)
In a school photoelectric-effect experiment with a clean photocathode, monochromatic light of wavelength 400 nm gives a stopping potential of 0.80 V at a certain intensity. The light is then changed to 360 nm while the...
Electric fields: Coulomb; uniform fields; E = V/d; potential & equipotentials; motion of charges (qual.)
Two parallel horizontal conducting plates are separated by a distance d in a vacuum. A constant potential difference V is applied across the plates, creating a uniform electric field. A small sphere with a fixed...
Quantum (M4)
In a school electron diffraction tube, electrons are accelerated from a heated filament through a potential difference of 150 V towards a thin graphite target. The potential difference is then increased to 600 V with...
Medical Imaging (M6)
In a simple X-ray projection, adjacent region S is 6.0 cm of soft tissue only; region B is 4.0 cm of soft tissue plus 2.0 cm of bone. The half-value thickness (HVT) is 3.0 cm for soft tissue and 1.5 cm for bone. The...
Forces and motion (M3): Equilibrium and moments
A cyclist tightens a bolt using a 0.10 m Allen key by pushing with a 50 N force at right angles to the key. They then switch to a 0.25 m key and push with the same 50 N at right angles. What is the new turning effect...
Dynamics: forces, terminal velocity; friction & drag (qualitative)
A skydiver of fixed mass descends at terminal speed with a medium parachute. They then switch to a larger parachute with four times the canopy area; air density and conditions are unchanged. Assuming air resistance is...
DC Circuits (M4)
In a lab investigation of a light sensor, a student makes a potential divider with a 10 kΩ fixed resistor in series with an LDR across a 6.0 V supply. The output V_out is measured across the LDR using a digital...
Nuclear I (Module 6)
In a school lab, a GM tube at fixed distance records a background of 20 counts per minute (cpm). With a sealed iodine-131 source in place at the same geometry, the total count rate at t = 0 is 340 cpm. The isotope’s...
Waves & Optics (M4)
In a lab, two air columns each of length L are set up: Tube A is open at both ends, and Tube B is closed at one end. Tube B is adjusted to its next resonance above its fundamental (second resonance). Which harmonic of...
Electric fields: potential & equipotentials (M6)
In a lab, two large parallel metal plates are connected to a power supply, creating a uniform electric field between them. A small positive test charge is moved very slowly by an external force along a path that lies...
Momentum & impulse
A 0.50 kg lab trolley travels at +2.0 m/s along a low-friction track and collides head-on with an interchangeable end bumper. For both bumpers, the contact time is 0.10 s. With soft bumper S the trolley sticks and...
Thermal physics I: internal energy; specific heat; energy changes; heating curves (qual.)
Two 0.10 kg samples at the same initial temperature are heated in the lab by identical 50 W immersion heaters for exactly 2 minutes with no energy losses. One is aluminium (c ≈ 900 J kg−1 K−1) and the other is water (c...
Mechanics & Materials (M3)
A skydiver is falling steadily at terminal speed in a spread‑eagle position. They quickly tuck into a narrower shape, keeping the same mass and altitude. Immediately after tucking, which statement about the net force,...
Medical Imaging (M6)
A CT technologist considers raising the tube potential from 80 kV to 120 kV for a quality‑control phantom. In water, the half‑value thickness increases from 3.0 cm at 80 kV to 4.5 cm at 120 kV. For a ray path of 9.0 cm...
Waves & Optics (Module 4.1)
A red laser (fixed frequency) illuminates a double-slit, forming clear fringes on a screen a fixed distance away. The entire apparatus (laser, slits and screen) is then submerged in water without moving any parts....
Uncertainty propagation (no calculus)
In a required practical to determine g using a simple pendulum, a student measures the length L with a 2% uncertainty and the period T with a 1% uncertainty (from timing many swings). Using that g is proportional to...
Foundations of Physics (M2)
In a lab tracking experiment, the displacement s of a trolley along a straight track is plotted against time t. The graph has three sections: 0–3 s: s increases linearly from 0 m to +6 m; 3–5 s: s remains constant at...
Kinematics (displacement–time)
In a lab, a trolley moves along a straight track while a motion sensor records its displacement from the start against time. The displacement–time graph is piecewise straight: from 0–6 s it rises linearly; from 6–8 s...
Uncertainties & percentage errors (AS Practical Skills)
In a lab test of a small winch, a student estimates its power using P = m g h / t. They use m = 0.200 kg measured with a balance of ±0.001 kg, h = 0.600 m found as the difference between two metre-rule readings each...
Practical skills (M1): Required practicals & data handling; uncertainty propagation (no calculus)
In a lab to determine the resistivity of a metal wire, a student measures: length L = 1.000 m with a metre rule (±1 mm), resistance R from a V–I graph (current kept low; about 3% uncertainty in the slope), and diameter...
Mechanics & Materials (M3)
In a lab drop test, a steel ball is released from rest and falls vertically under gravity (take g = 9.81 m s−2; air resistance negligible). From a certain height, the average fall time is 0.50 s. The technician wants...
Cross-topic problem solving (mechanics <-> circuits energy; graphs & modelling)
In a lab, a mass is allowed to fall through height h, turning a small generator that charges a capacitor. For a given setup, students vary h and measure the final capacitor voltage V after the mass comes to rest. Their...
Cross-topic problem solving (mechanics ↔ circuits energy; graphs & modelling)
In a lab test, a 6.0 V DC supply powers a small winch to raise a 1.2 kg mass vertically. Over 5.0 s the mass rises 2.0 m at approximately constant speed. The current from the supply is 1.8 A for the first 3.0 s and 1.2...
DC Circuits (M4)
A data logger reads V_out from the junction of a potential divider to ground. The divider uses a fixed 10 kΩ resistor and a light-dependent resistor (LDR). The LDR’s resistance decreases as light increases. Which...