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A2 Daily A Level Physics question

2026-04-26 OCR A Mechanics & Materials (M3) Module 3: Forces and motion — 3.1 Motion (kinematics, equations of motion) Module 3: Forces and motion — 3.1 Projectile motion (no air resistance, same launch/landing height)

In a lab, a ball launcher fires a steel ball from bench height at a fixed angle to the horizontal. Air resistance is negligible, and the ball lands back at the same height. The technician increases the launch speed from 10 m/s to 20 m/s without changing the angle. What happens to the horizontal range, and why?

  1. A It doubles, because the ball travels twice as fast horizontally.
  2. B It increases by a factor of about 1.4, because the time of flight increases but not by much.
  3. C It increases by a factor of 4, because both the horizontal speed and the flight time double. (correct)
  4. D It stays the same, because the angle determines the range at a given height.

Answer

The correct answer is C.

Correct: C — It increases by a factor of 4, because both the horizontal speed and the flight time double. A Doubling speed does not just double range: time of flight also doubles at fixed angle, so 2 × 2 = 4, not 2. B The √2 factor confuses squared dependence: range scales with speed squared at fixed angle, not with the square root. C At fixed angle, horizontal speed ∝ v and time of flight ∝ v, so range ∝ v × v = v²; doubling v gives 4× range. D Range depends on both angle and speed; keeping angle the same does not fix the range when speed changes.

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