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AQA GCSE Physics — Forces flashcards

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Topic 5 of AQA GCSE Physics: vectors, weight, resultant forces, work, springs, moments, fluid pressure, motion graphs, Newton's laws, terminal velocity, stopping distances and momentum, with Higher Tier and separate-science content marked.

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Learn deck · part of AQA GCSE Physics · written against: AQA GCSE Physics (8463) specification, version 1.1; Higher Tier and separate-science-only cards marked on the front. Updated 2026-10-10.

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  1. What is the difference between a scalar quantity and a vector quantity?
    A scalar has magnitude only; a vector has magnitude and direction.
    Forces › Forces and Their Interactions
  2. Which of these are vector quantities: speed, velocity, distance, displacement, force, mass?
    Velocity, displacement and force.

    Why: each needs a direction to be fully described; speed, distance and mass do not.
    Forces › Forces and Their Interactions
  3. Sort these into contact and non-contact forces: friction, gravitational force, tension, magnetic force, air resistance, electrostatic force.
    • Contact: friction, tension, air resistance.
    • Non-contact: gravitational, magnetic and electrostatic forces.
    Forces › Forces and Their Interactions
  4. What is weight, and what causes it near the Earth?
    Weight is the gravitational force on an object; near the Earth it comes from the gravitational field surrounding the Earth.
    Forces › Forces and Their Interactions
  5. What is the weight of a 60 kg student on Earth? (g = 9.8 N/kg)
    588 N

    Why: W=mg=60×9.8=588W = mg = 60 \times 9.8 = 588 N.
    Forces › Forces and Their Interactions
  6. An astronaut of mass 70 kg stands on the Moon, where g = 1.6 N/kg. What are her mass and her weight there?
    Mass 70 kg (unchanged); weight 112 N.

    Why: mass is the amount of matter, but weight depends on the field strength: W=70×1.6=112W = 70 \times 1.6 = 112 N.
    Forces › Forces and Their Interactions
  7. What is an object's centre of mass?
    The single point at which the object's weight can be taken to act.
    Forces › Forces and Their Interactions
  8. How are the weight and the mass of an object related?
    Weight is directly proportional to mass (W ∝ m), with g as the constant.

    Why: double the mass in the same field and the weight doubles.
    Forces › Forces and Their Interactions
  9. What is meant by the resultant force on an object?
    The one force that could replace all the forces on the object and have exactly the same effect.
    Forces › Forces and Their Interactions
  10. A box is pushed to the right with 30 N while friction acts to the left with 12 N. What is the resultant force?
    18 N to the right.

    Why: forces along the same line in opposite directions are subtracted.
    Forces › Forces and Their Interactions

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About these cards

Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.

Checked against:

  • Topic outline and equation list follow the AQA GCSE Physics (8463) specification, version 1.1 (outline only; no specification text reproduced).
  • OpenStax College Physics 2e, consulted as a reference; no text copied.
  • Also checked against the AQA GCSE Biology required practical handbook, version 5.3 (July 2025), NASA's Moon Fact Sheet (NSSDCA; a U.S. government work) and the CODATA 2022 value for standard gravity (reference only; no text copied).

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