Practise 28 exam-style questions on Contact and non-contact forces for AQA GCSE Physics. Write your answer as you would in the exam and get it marked in seconds against the mark scheme, point by point, with an AI tutor on hand if you get stuck.
28 questions
1–6 marks each
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20 questions, marked as you go
Sample questions with model answers
Here are 4 of the questions in this topic, each with a model answer, an explanation of why it earns the marks and the mark scheme an examiner would use.
Question 1
2 marks
State what is meant by a force.
Model answer
A force is a push or a pull that acts on an object because of its interaction with another object.
Explanation
Forces always come from an interaction between two objects - a hand and a door, the Earth and a ball, a magnet and a nail. That is why forces always come in pairs: each object in the interaction experiences a force.
Mark scheme
1 mark
a push or a pull (acting on an object)
1 mark
due to an interaction with another object
allow caused by another object / between two objects
Question 2
2 marks
A student pulls a suitcase with a force of 40 N.
Her friend says that "40 N" is not a complete description of the force.
Explain why her friend is correct.
Model answer
Force is a vector quantity, so it has a direction as well as a magnitude. A complete description must include the direction, for example 40 N horizontally to the right.
Explanation
The same 40 N force has very different effects depending on its direction - pulling the suitcase forwards, backwards or upwards. That is why forces are drawn as arrows, whose length shows the size and whose direction shows which way the force acts.
Mark scheme
1 mark
force is a vector (quantity)
allow force has magnitude and direction
1 mark
so the direction of the force must also be given
allow any example, e.g. 40 N to the right / 40 N at 30° above the horizontal
Question 3
3 marks
A car tows a trailer along a level road using a rope. The rope is taut.
Describe the forces that the rope exerts on the car and on the trailer.
Model answer
The rope is in tension. It pulls the trailer forwards and pulls the car backwards. The two forces are equal in size and act in opposite directions. Tension is a contact force, because the rope is attached to both vehicles.
Explanation
A taut rope pulls inwards on the objects at both of its ends. This is why the car's engine has to provide a bigger driving force when towing: part of it is needed to overcome the backward pull of the rope.
Mark scheme
1 mark
the rope pulls the trailer forwards
max 3
1 mark
the rope pulls the car backwards
1 mark
the two forces are equal in size
1 mark
the forces are tension / contact forces
Question 4
4 marks
A student rubs a plastic rod with a cloth. When she holds the rod just above some small pieces of paper, the pieces of paper jump up and stick to the rod.
Explain why the pieces of paper move up to the rod.
Model answer
Rubbing the rod with the cloth transfers electrons, so the rod becomes charged. The charged rod attracts the pieces of paper with an electrostatic force. This is a non-contact force, so it acts across the gap between the rod and the paper. The upward electrostatic force on each piece of paper is bigger than its weight, so the paper moves up to the rod.
Explanation
Electrostatic forces act between charged objects without them touching. The paper moves upwards only because the electrostatic force beats the gravitational force (weight) on it - both are non-contact forces, acting in opposite directions.
Mark scheme
1 mark
the rod becomes (electrically) charged (by friction with the cloth)
allow electrons are transferred between the rod and the cloth
1 mark
there is an electrostatic force of attraction between the rod and the paper
1 mark
the electrostatic force is a non-contact force / acts across the gap
1 mark
the upward electrostatic force on the paper is greater than the weight of the paper
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