Lesson 3.1.3

3.1.3 Estimation of physical quantities Quiz: AQA Physics, Unit 1

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.1.3, Estimation of physical quantities: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Physics (7408), Unit 1: Measurements and their errors, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What does it mean to estimate a quantity to the nearest order of magnitude?

    • Rounding the value to the nearest whole number
    • Expressing the value as the nearest power of ten
    • Writing the value to three significant figures
    • Giving the value as the decimal part of its standard form

  2. What is the typical height of an adult human to the nearest order of magnitude?

    • 0.1 m
    • 10 m
    • 1 m
    • 100 m

  3. To the nearest order of magnitude, what is the radius of the Earth?

    • 10^7 m
    • 10^6 m
    • 10^5 m
    • 10^8 m

  4. What is the nearest order of magnitude of the mass of an electron?

    • 10^-30 kg
    • 10^-31 kg
    • 10^-27 kg
    • 10^-24 kg

  5. What is the approximate order of magnitude of the density of air at room conditions?

    • 1000 kg m^-3
    • 1 kg m^-3
    • 10 kg m^-3
    • 0.001 kg m^-3

  6. To the nearest order of magnitude, what is the Sun-Earth distance?

    • 10^9 m
    • 10^13 m
    • 10^11 m
    • 10^8 m

  7. Assuming the heart beats about once per second, what is the nearest order of magnitude of the number of beats in 70 years?

    • 10^9
    • 10^6
    • 10^7
    • 10^12

  8. Light travels across a room of width 5 m. What is the nearest order of magnitude of the time taken?

    • 10^-8 s
    • 10^-4 s
    • 10^-6 s
    • 10^-10 s

  9. A typical adult has a mass of 70 kg. What is its nearest order of magnitude?

    • 10^1 kg
    • 10^0 kg
    • 10^2 kg
    • 10^3 kg

  10. A car of mass 1000 kg moves at 20 m/s. What is the nearest order of magnitude of its kinetic energy?

    • 10^6 J
    • 10^3 J
    • 10^4 J
    • 10^5 J

  11. A 70 kg person has a weight of about 700 N. What is the nearest order of magnitude of the weight?

    • 10^4 N
    • 10^3 N
    • 10^2 N
    • 10^1 N

  12. How much power is needed to lift a 70 kg person by 3 m in 1 s, to the nearest order of magnitude?

    • 10^3 W
    • 10^1 W
    • 10^2 W
    • 10^4 W

  13. A snail moves at about 1 mm per second. What is its speed in m/s to the nearest order of magnitude?

    • 10^-1 m/s
    • 10^-3 m/s
    • 10^-2 m/s
    • 10^-4 m/s

  14. A student walks at 1.4 m/s for one hour. What is the nearest order of magnitude of the distance walked?

    • 10^3 m
    • 10^2 m
    • 10^4 m
    • 10^5 m

  15. A current of 1 A flows past a point. What is the nearest order of magnitude of the number of electrons passing per second?

    • 10^19
    • 10^20
    • 10^18
    • 10^16

  16. What is the approximate number of seconds in a year, to one significant figure?

    • 3 × 10^3 s
    • 3 × 10^7 s
    • 3 × 10^5 s
    • 3 × 10^9 s

  17. A room measures 4 m by 5 m by 3 m and air has a density of 1.2 kg m^-3. What is the nearest order of magnitude of the mass of air in the room?

    • 10^1 kg
    • 10^4 kg
    • 10^2 kg
    • 10^3 kg

  18. Why is a mass of 70 kg written to the nearest order of magnitude as 10^2 kg rather than 10^1 kg?

    • Because all masses above 50 kg round up
    • Because log10(70) is about 1.85, which rounds to 2
    • Because the mass has two significant figures
    • Because 70 is exactly halfway between 10 and 100

  19. A computer draws 300 W for 10 hours. What is the nearest order of magnitude of the energy used in joules?

    • 10^8 J
    • 10^7 J
    • 10^5 J
    • 10^6 J

  20. Visible light has a wavelength of about 500 nm. What is the nearest order of magnitude of its wavelength in metres?

    • 10^-7 m
    • 10^-6 m
    • 10^-5 m
    • 10^-9 m

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