Lesson R1

R1 Forces and Newton's first law Quiz: AQA Maths, Unit 12

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson R1, Forces and Newton's first law: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Maths (7357), Unit 12: Mechanics, written with Revision Ninja.

Host it live on the board and students join with a game code on their own devices, or revise alone with Free Play. The answers are revealed in the game.

Host this setFree Play

The 20 questions

  1. Newton's first law states that a body:

    • Accelerates in proportion to the force applied
    • Stays at rest or moves with constant velocity unless acted on by a resultant force
    • Needs a force to keep moving at constant velocity
    • Exerts an equal and opposite force on any other body

  2. Which statement best describes a force?

    • A vector quantity that can change the motion of a body
    • A scalar that always causes motion
    • A quantity measured only in kilograms
    • The product of mass and velocity

  3. A 10 N weight rests on a table and the normal reaction is 10 N. What is the resultant force on it?

    • 0 N
    • 5 N
    • 10 N
    • 20 N

  4. A car moves at constant velocity on a straight road under a driving force of 500 N. What is the resistive force?

    • 0 N
    • 500 N
    • 1000 N
    • 250 N

  5. A particle is at rest. Which must be true?

    • The resultant force on it is zero
    • Its acceleration is positive
    • Its mass is zero
    • There are no forces acting on it

  6. Which situation is an example of inertia?

    • A passenger lurches forward when a bus brakes suddenly
    • A ball speeds up when pushed down a slope
    • A spring stretches under a load
    • A heavy object falls faster through air

  7. Forces of 3 N east and 4 N north act on a particle. What is the magnitude of the resultant?

    • 12 N
    • 1 N
    • 7 N
    • 5 N

  8. Two forces of 5 N act in the same direction on a particle. What is the resultant?

    • 10 N
    • 5 N
    • 0 N
    • 7.1 N

  9. A particle at rest is acted on by 4 N east and 9 N west. What is the resultant force?

    • 4 N east
    • 5 N west
    • 13 N west
    • 5 N east

  10. A spacecraft drifts in deep space with no forces acting on it. What is its motion?

    • Decreasing speed until it stops
    • Constant acceleration in a curve
    • Constant velocity in a straight line
    • At rest

  11. A particle is in equilibrium under forces 2 N east, 3 N north and a third force F. What is the magnitude of F?

    • 5 N
    • 2.5 N
    • sqrt(13) N, about 3.6 N
    • 1 N

  12. The forces (3i + 4j) N and (-i + 2j) N act on a particle. What is the magnitude of the resultant, to 1 decimal place?

    • 4.5 N
    • 8.0 N
    • 6.3 N
    • 2.8 N

  13. Three coplanar forces of 5 N each act at 120 degrees to each other on a particle in equilibrium. Why is this possible?

    • Each force is perpendicular to the others
    • Their vector sum is zero
    • All three forces point in the same direction
    • The sum of their magnitudes is zero

  14. Forces (2i - j) N and (ai + 3j) N have resultant (4i + 2j) N. What is a?

    • 4
    • 6
    • -2
    • 2

  15. A particle moves with velocity (3i + 4j) m s^-1 and the resultant force on it is zero. What is its velocity after 10 s?

    • 3i - 4j m s^-1
    • 3i + 4j m s^-1
    • 0 m s^-1
    • 30i + 40j m s^-1

  16. A box slides at constant velocity across a rough floor when pulled by a 40 N horizontal force. What is the friction force?

    • 80 N
    • 40 N
    • 0 N
    • 20 N

  17. Two forces of 10 N act on a particle with an angle of 60 degrees between them. What is the magnitude of the resultant, to 1 decimal place?

    • 10.0 N
    • 20.0 N
    • 17.3 N
    • 14.1 N

  18. A particle is in equilibrium under three forces, two of which are 6 N each at 90 degrees. What is the magnitude of the third force, to 1 decimal place?

    • 3.0 N
    • 8.5 N
    • 12.0 N
    • 6.0 N

  19. An aeroplane flies at constant velocity in level flight. Which set of forces is consistent with this?

    • All four forces are unequal
    • Thrust equals drag and lift equals weight
    • Lift is greater than weight and thrust is zero
    • Thrust is greater than drag and lift is less than weight

  20. Which statement about a particle with zero resultant force is correct?

    • Its velocity is always zero
    • Its acceleration is zero
    • Its speed must be zero
    • Its mass must be zero

All AQA Maths quizzes