AQA A-Level Physics Paper 1 Sample 2023
This paper tests the core measurement and mechanics skills that separate candidates who can apply physics principles from those who just memorize them. You'll face realistic problems in measurements and errors, forces and motion, and energy concepts—the same three areas that appear in most A-Level papers and consistently trip up students who haven't practised enough. Inside you'll find 15 questions mixing multiple-choice, true/false, and fill-in-the-blank formats across Year 12 A-Level difficulty. By the time you finish, you'll spot common errors like confusing precision with accuracy, misapplying Newton's laws in circular motion, or forgetting the sign conventions in work and energy—and you'll know exactly how to avoid them on exam day.
Questions in this quiz
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- Question 1
A student measures the length of a metal rod five times using a metre rule. The readings are 52.3 cm, 52.4 cm, 52.2 cm, 52.5 cm, and 52.4 cm. What is the mean length and the absolute uncertainty in the measurement?
- Question 2
A scientist measures the mass of a sample to be 25.34 g using an electronic balance precise to ±0.01 g. The percentage uncertainty in this measurement is closest to:
- Question 3
True or False: A measurement is systematic if it gives the same result every time it is repeated under identical conditions.
- Question 4
An alpha particle consists of:
- Question 5
A nucleus of uranium-238 undergoes alpha decay. The daughter nucleus has mass number A and atomic number Z. Which of the following correctly describes A and Z?
- Question 6
An object of mass 2 kg is pulled along a horizontal surface by a rope inclined at 30° to the horizontal. The tension in the rope is 10 N and the coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.2. Calculate the net horizontal force (to 1 decimal place):
- Question 7
True or False: An object moving in a circular path at constant speed has zero acceleration.
- Question 8
A ball is thrown vertically upward with an initial speed of 20 m/s. Taking g = 10 m/s² and ignoring air resistance, what is the maximum height reached above the launch point?
- Question 9
A 1500 kg car accelerates from rest to 25 m/s in 10 seconds on a horizontal road. The kinetic energy gained by the car is:
- Question 10
A person of mass 60 kg climbs a vertical ladder to a height of 5 m in 8 seconds. The average power output is (take g = 10 m/s²):
- Question 11
Two objects collide head-on on a frictionless surface. Object A (mass 2 kg) moves at 6 m/s to the right, and object B (mass 4 kg) moves at 3 m/s to the left. After the collision, they stick together. Calculate the velocity of the combined mass (to 1 decimal place, taking rightward as positive):
- Question 12
A block of mass 5 kg is pulled up a frictionless slope inclined at 30° to the horizontal by a force of 35 N applied parallel to the slope. What is the acceleration up the slope? (Take g = 10 m/s²)
- Question 13
A student records the time period of a pendulum using a stopwatch with a resolution of 0.1 s. The measured time period is 2.0 s. What is the absolute uncertainty in this measurement?