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Motion

  • 5 subtopics
  • 15 things to know
  • Papers 1 and 3

What Motion covers

Kinematics: describing motion in words and graphs, the equations for constant acceleration, free fall and stopping distances, and the independence of horizontal and vertical motion in a projectile.

Where it is assessed

Papers 1 and 3

Forces and motion, examined on Modelling Physics and Unified Physics.

Check the OCR specification ↗

The 5 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Numbers

How can you find the instantaneous acceleration of an object from a velocity–time graph, what does the area under the graph represent, and what is the first equation of motion for constant acceleration?

Key term

What is stopping distance, and what are thinking distance and braking distance?

Evaluation

How are the velocities at each light gate calculated?

Key term

Which kinematic quantities are related by the equation v = u + at?

Process

What measurement is taken for the fall distance in the trapdoor method?

Numbers

What value of acceleration is used in the kinematic equations for an object in free fall near Earth's surface?

Key term

Describe the velocity and acceleration of a projectile in the horizontal direction (ignoring air resistance).

Key term

What is meant by instantaneous speed?

Key term

Under what conditions can the equations of motion be applied to a falling object?

Key term

State the first equation of motion for constant acceleration and define each symbol.

Key term

How does average speed differ from instantaneous speed?

Key term

Define acceleration.

Evaluation

What advantage do air-track gliders offer when investigating motion?

Key term

Define the acceleration of free fall, g.

Key term

Describe how video techniques can be used to investigate motion.

Take Motion further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

  • Average speed vs Instantaneous speed

    Average speed: total path length divided by the total time taken. Instantaneous speed: the speed at one particular moment, found from the gradient of a tangent.

  • Gradient of a displacement-time graph vs Gradient of a velocity-time graph

    Gradient of a displacement-time graph: the velocity at that point. Gradient of a velocity-time graph: the acceleration at that point.

  • Area under a velocity-time graph vs Area under an acceleration-time graph

    Area under a velocity-time graph: the displacement travelled. Area under an acceleration-time graph: the change in velocity.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Define displacement.

    Model answer

    Displacement is the distance moved in a specified direction from a reference point; it is a vector quantity.

  2. 2

    Why is displacement classified as a vector rather than a scalar?

    Model answer

    Because displacement has both magnitude and direction, specifying not just how far an object has moved but also in which direction from the reference point.

  3. 3

    What is meant by instantaneous speed?

    Model answer

    Instantaneous speed is the rate of change of distance at a particular instant in time.

  4. 4

    How does average speed differ from instantaneous speed?

    Model answer

    Average speed is calculated over an entire journey using total distance and total time, whereas instantaneous speed refers to the speed at one specific moment.

  5. 5

    Define average speed.

    Model answer

    Average speed is the total distance travelled divided by the total time taken.

  6. 6

    Calculate the average speed when total distance = 360 m, total time = 17 s.

    Model answer

    Average speed = 360 ÷ 17 = 21.2 m s⁻¹.

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Practical Skills in the Written Papers
The Practical Endorsement
Physical Quantities and Units
Making Measurements and Analysing Data

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Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

A wave.
longitudinaltransversestationary

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Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AForce is a vector quantity.
BDistance is a scalar quantity.
CVelocity is a vector quantity.

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Density means mass per unit volume.
TrueFalse

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Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Motion revision questions

What does Motion cover in OCR A-Level Physics A?
5 subtopics: displacement, speed, velocity and acceleration, motion graphs and the equations of motion, measuring g and investigating motion experimentally, free fall, reaction time and stopping distance and projectile motion. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
How is Motion organised?
By the OCR H556 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.

Every question in Motion, on a schedule.

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