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WalesPhysics

Unit 2: Forces and motion

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How are distance, speed and acceleration defined, and how do motion graphs describe movement?

Speed, velocity and acceleration, the equations of motion, and reading distance-time and velocity-time graphs.
A focused answer to WJEC GCSE Physics topic 2.1 on distance, speed and acceleration, covering the difference between speed and velocity, the acceleration equation, the equation of motion, and how to read distance-time and velocity-time graphs.
9 min answer →

What is momentum, and how is it conserved in collisions and explosions?

Momentum, the equation momentum equals mass times velocity, and conservation of momentum in collisions and explosions.
A focused answer to WJEC GCSE Physics topic 2.4 on momentum, covering the momentum equation, the conservation of momentum, how momentum applies to collisions and explosions, and the link between force, change in momentum and safety features.
9 min answer →

How do Newton's laws relate force, mass and acceleration, and what is terminal velocity?

Newton's laws of motion, the equation force equals mass times acceleration, weight, balanced forces and terminal velocity.
A focused answer to WJEC GCSE Physics topic 2.2 on Newton's laws, covering balanced and unbalanced forces, the equation force equals mass times acceleration, the difference between mass and weight, inertia, and terminal velocity.
9 min answer →

What affects the stopping distance of a vehicle, and how do safety features reduce injury?

Thinking distance, braking distance and stopping distance, the factors that affect them, and how vehicle safety features work.
A focused answer to WJEC GCSE Physics on stopping distances, covering thinking distance, braking distance, total stopping distance, the factors that affect each, the energy transfer in braking, and how crumple zones, airbags and seatbelts reduce injury.
9 min answer →

How are work, energy and power calculated, and how does a spring store energy?

Work done, power, kinetic and gravitational potential energy, energy conservation, and Hooke's law for springs.
A focused answer to WJEC GCSE Physics topic 2.3 on work and energy, covering work done, power, kinetic and gravitational potential energy, the conservation of energy, and Hooke's law for the extension of a spring.
9 min answer →