OCR A Level Physics A · H556
Practice questions with answers
120 exam-style questions across 20 topics. Every answer shows the working and the mistakes that usually cost the mark.
Module 3
Forces and motion
6 questionsMotionA car travelling at 30 m s⁻¹ brakes with a constant deceleration of 6.5 m s⁻². Calculate t…
6 questionsForces in actionA uniform beam of weight 120 N and length 4.0 m rests on two supports. Support A is at the…
6 questionsWork, energy & powerA student pulls a suitcase 12 m along a level floor using a handle at 40° above the horizo…
6 questionsMaterialsA spring has a spring constant of 250 N m⁻¹ and obeys Hooke's law. Calculate the elastic e…
6 questionsNewton’s laws & momentumA 1200 kg car has a driving force of 3800 N and a total resistive force of 1250 N. Calcula…
Module 4
Electrons, waves and photons
6 questionsCharge & currentA current of 3.2 mA flows through a wire for 5.0 s. Calculate the number of electrons pass…
6 questionsEnergy, power & resistanceA kettle is rated at 2.4 kW on a 230 V supply. Calculate the resistance of its heating ele…
6 questionsElectrical circuitsA 12 Ω resistor and an 18 Ω resistor are connected in parallel. This combination is in ser…
6 questionsWavesA microwave oven uses radiation of frequency 2.45 GHz. Calculate the wavelength, in cm.
6 questionsQuantum physicsCalculate the energy, in eV, of a photon of wavelength 450 nm.
Module 5
Newtonian world and astrophysics
6 questionsThermal physicsA 2.0 kW immersion heater warms 2.0 kg of water for 90 s. The specific heat capacity of wa…
6 questionsCircular motionA 1100 kg car travels at 15 m s⁻¹ round a circular bend of radius 45 m. Calculate the cent…
6 questionsOscillationsA 0.25 kg mass hangs from a spring of spring constant 40 N m⁻¹. Calculate the period of sm…
6 questionsGravitational fieldsMars has a mass of 6.42 × 10²³ kg and a radius of 3.39 × 10⁶ m. Calculate the gravitationa…
6 questionsAstrophysics & cosmologyA star has radius 1.74 × 10⁹ m and surface temperature 5800 K. Treating it as a black body…
Module 6
Particles and medical physics
6 questionsCapacitorsA 470 μF capacitor is charged to 12 V. Calculate the charge stored, in mC.
6 questionsElectric fieldsTwo parallel plates 2.0 cm apart have a potential difference of 3.0 kV. Calculate the forc…
6 questionsElectromagnetismA straight wire of length 0.35 m carries a current of 4.5 A in a uniform magnetic field of…
6 questionsNuclear & particle physicsCobalt-60 has a half-life of 5.3 years. A source has an initial activity of 800 kBq. Calcu…
6 questionsMedical imagingAn X-ray beam passes through 4.0 cm of tissue with linear attenuation coefficient 0.28 cm⁻…