Lesson T2.1.3

T2.1.3 Relative motion Quiz: KS3 Physics, Unit 2

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

In partnership with Revision Ninja

Lesson T2.1.3, Relative motion: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 Physics (National Curriculum), Unit 2: Motion and forces, 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. What is relative motion?

    • The motion of an object only when it is stationary
    • The motion of one object as seen from another moving object
    • The motion of two objects that are never moving
    • The motion of an object compared with its mass

  2. Two cars travel in the same direction at 20 m/s and 15 m/s. How fast does the faster car appear to move as seen by the slower car?

    • 20 m/s
    • 35 m/s
    • 5 m/s
    • 15 m/s

  3. Two trains travel towards each other at 30 m/s and 20 m/s. What is their closing speed?

    • 25 m/s
    • 10 m/s
    • 600 m/s
    • 50 m/s

  4. A passenger sits still on a moving train. Relative to the seat, what is the passenger's speed?

    • Half the train's speed
    • Twice the train's speed
    • Zero
    • The speed of the train

  5. A train at 40 m/s and a second train at 10 m/s both travel in the same direction. What is the first train's speed relative to the second?

    • 50 m/s
    • 0 m/s
    • 10 m/s
    • 30 m/s

  6. A car is travelling at 25 m/s and passes a stationary cyclist. How fast does the car pass the cyclist?

    • 12.5 m/s
    • 50 m/s
    • 0 m/s
    • 25 m/s

  7. Two cars travel in the same direction. Car A is 30 m/s and car B is 30 m/s. What is the relative speed of car B as seen from car A?

    • 30 m/s
    • 60 m/s
    • 0 m/s
    • 15 m/s

  8. A train passes a platform. If the train travels at 20 m/s and a person walks along the train at 2 m/s in the same direction, what is the person's speed relative to the platform?

    • 40 m/s
    • 18 m/s
    • 2 m/s
    • 22 m/s

  9. A car overtakes a lorry. Which measurement helps you find how long it takes to pass the lorry?

    • The mass of the car and the lorry, which is needed to find the time taken
    • The colour of the lorry, which affects how quickly the car can pass it
    • The relative speed and the length of the lorry
    • The temperature of the road, which changes the speed of the car as it passes

  10. Two boats move in opposite directions on a river. Boat A moves at 6 m/s and boat B at 4 m/s. What is their relative speed?

    • 10 m/s
    • 24 m/s
    • 5 m/s
    • 2 m/s

  11. A runner runs at 5 m/s in the same direction as a conveyor belt moving at 2 m/s. What is the runner's speed relative to the ground?

    • 10 m/s
    • 2.5 m/s
    • 3 m/s
    • 7 m/s

  12. Why does relative motion matter when describing a journey?

    • Relative motion only applies to forces
    • The speed of an object never depends on the observer
    • A moving observer and a moving object can see different speeds
    • Relative motion only applies to objects that are not moving

  13. A bus travelling at 15 m/s overtakes a bicycle moving at 5 m/s in the same direction. What is the bus's speed relative to the bicycle?

    • 20 m/s
    • 75 m/s
    • 3 m/s
    • 10 m/s

  14. A car is moving north at 20 m/s and another car is moving south at 20 m/s. What is their closing speed?

    • 40 m/s
    • 0 m/s
    • 20 m/s
    • 10 m/s

  15. Two trains are on parallel tracks. Train X moves at 25 m/s and train Y at 25 m/s in the same direction. What do passengers in X see when looking at Y?

    • Y appears to move at 12.5 m/s
    • Y appears to move backwards at 25 m/s
    • Y appears to move at 50 m/s
    • Y appears to be stationary

  16. A cyclist moves at 6 m/s. A car in the same direction moves at 14 m/s. How long does the car take to gain 40 m on the cyclist?

    • 2.5 s
    • 54 s
    • 20 s
    • 5 s

  17. Which statement about relative speed is correct?

    • Relative speed is the same as mass
    • Relative speed depends on the chosen reference object
    • Relative speed is always zero
    • Relative speed does not depend on the direction of travel

  18. A passenger walks towards the front of a train moving at 30 m/s. The passenger walks at 1 m/s relative to the train. What is the passenger's speed relative to the ground?

    • 31 m/s
    • 29 m/s
    • 1 m/s
    • 30 m/s

  19. Two cars leave a junction in opposite directions. Car A travels at 12 m/s and car B at 18 m/s. After 10 s, how far apart are they?

    • 30 m
    • 120 m
    • 300 m
    • 180 m

  20. A bird flies at 8 m/s in the same direction as a wind blowing at 3 m/s. What is the bird's speed relative to the ground?

    • 24 m/s
    • 11 m/s
    • 5 m/s
    • 8 m/s

All KS3 Physics quizzes