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AS Daily A Level Physics question

2026-03-28 OCR A Forces and Motion (Module 3) OCR-A Module 3.1.1 Kinematics — equations of motion (suvat) OCR-A Module 3.1.2 Projectile motion — horizontal and vertical components

In a lab, a student fires a small steel ball from a tabletop launcher at 45° to the horizontal. The first shot has a speed of 12 m/s; the second shot is 24 m/s at the same angle and height. Air resistance is negligible. Compared with the first shot, what happens to the maximum height reached by the second?

  1. A It is unchanged, because the launch angle is the same.
  2. B It is four times larger, because the vertical component doubles and height depends on its square. (correct)
  3. C It is twice as large, because doubling speed doubles the upward time only.
  4. D It is eight times larger, because doubling speed doubles both vertical speed and time.

Answer

The correct answer is B.

Correct: B — It is four times larger, because the vertical component doubles and height depends on its square. A The angle being the same does not fix the height; doubling the launch speed doubles the vertical component, so height increases. B Doubling u doubles u_y, and maximum height scales with u_y^2, giving a factor of (2)^2 = 4. C Height does not scale linearly with time; although time to the top doubles, the correct relation gives four times the height, not two. D Using s ≈ u×t here is invalid under constant downward acceleration; the correct dependence on u_y^2 gives 4×, not 8×.

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