Lesson 2.3.1

2.3.1 Free-body diagrams and Newton's first and second laws Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Physics, Unit 2

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 2.3.1, Free-body diagrams and Newton's first and second laws: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Physics (9PH0), Unit 2: Mechanics, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Newton's first law states that a body stays at rest or at constant velocity unless acted on by:

    • A frictional force only
    • Any single force, however small
    • A resultant (unbalanced) force
    • A gravitational force only

  2. Newton's second law is written as:

    • F = mv, where F is the applied force
    • F = ma, where F is the friction force
    • F = ma, where F is the resultant force
    • F = m/a, where F is the weight

  3. A free-body diagram for an object shows:

    • Only the forces that cause the object to move
    • Only the weight of the object
    • All the forces acting on the object, drawn as arrows from a point representing the object
    • The path the object follows over time

  4. A book rests at rest on a horizontal table. Which forces should its free-body diagram show?

    • Weight downwards and a horizontal push
    • Weight downwards and the normal contact force upwards, equal in size
    • Weight downwards only, because the book is at rest
    • Weight downwards and a larger upward force

  5. What is the weight of a 2.0 kg object on Earth, taking g = 9.8 N kg^-1?

    • 2.0 N
    • 4.9 N
    • 9.8 N
    • 19.6 N

  6. A resultant force of 3.0 N acts on a 1.5 kg object. What is its acceleration?

    • 0.5 m s^-2
    • 2.0 m s^-2
    • 1.5 m s^-2
    • 4.5 m s^-2

  7. Forces of 10 N east and 4 N west act on a 2 kg object. What is its acceleration?

    • 3 m s^-2 east
    • 7 m s^-2 east
    • 14 m s^-2 east
    • 5 m s^-2 west

  8. A 4.0 kg block is pulled at constant velocity against a friction force of 6 N. What is the applied force?

    • 6 N
    • 24 N
    • 0 N
    • 4 N

  9. A lift of mass 800 kg accelerates upwards at 1.0 m s^-2. Taking g = 9.8 m s^-2, what is the tension in the cable?

    • 8640 N
    • 7840 N
    • 9600 N
    • 800 N

  10. A car of mass 1200 kg accelerates at 2.5 m s^-2. What is the resultant force on it?

    • 30000 N
    • 1200 N
    • 3000 N
    • 480 N

  11. Which free-body diagram is correct for a ball thrown upwards, ignoring air resistance, while it is in the air?

    • A downward arrow for weight and an upward arrow labelled velocity
    • An upward arrow for the throw and a downward arrow for weight
    • An upward arrow for motion, with no weight shown
    • A single downward arrow labelled weight

  12. A block of mass 2.0 kg is on a frictionless slope at 30 degrees to the horizontal. What is the normal contact force, taking g = 9.8 m s^-2?

    • 9.8 N
    • 19.6 N
    • 8.5 N
    • 17 N

  13. Two masses of 3 kg and 2 kg are joined by a light string over a frictionless pulley. Taking g = 9.8 m s^-2, what is their acceleration?

    • 9.8 m s^-2
    • 4.9 m s^-2
    • 0.98 m s^-2
    • 1.96 m s^-2

  14. Two forces of 2.0 N act on a body at rest, both in the same direction. What happens to the body?

    • The body accelerates in the opposite direction.
    • The body stays at rest because the forces are equal.
    • The body accelerates in the direction of the forces, since the resultant is 4.0 N.
    • The body moves at constant velocity.

  15. A 60 kg person stands in a lift that accelerates downwards at 2.0 m s^-2. Taking g = 9.8 m s^-2, what is the normal contact force from the floor?

    • 588 N
    • 120 N
    • 468 N
    • 108 N

  16. Two perpendicular forces of 10 N and 6 N act on a 2.0 kg body. What is the magnitude of its acceleration?

    • 5.8 m s^-2
    • 8.0 m s^-2
    • 2.0 m s^-2
    • 3.0 m s^-2

  17. Which statement about Newton's first law is correct?

    • Constant velocity requires a constant resultant force.
    • An object at rest has no forces acting on it at all.
    • An object at rest has zero resultant force, although equal and opposite forces may act on it.
    • An object always moves in the direction of the largest force.

  18. A 1.0 kg object is pushed with a resultant force that increases steadily from 0 to 4.0 N over 2.0 s. What is its final acceleration?

    • 2.0 m s^-2
    • 4.0 m s^-2
    • 0.5 m s^-2
    • 8.0 m s^-2

  19. A 1500 kg car travels at constant velocity along a level road with resistive forces of 600 N. What is the driving force?

    • 2100 N
    • 1500 N
    • 600 N
    • 0 N

  20. A block of mass 5.0 kg is on a horizontal surface with a driving force of 20 N and a friction force of 5 N. What is the acceleration?

    • 5.0 m s^-2
    • 3.0 m s^-2
    • 2.0 m s^-2
    • 4.0 m s^-2

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