plumiPotential divider: AQA A‑Level Physics questions
AQA A-Level Physics past-paper questions on 3.5.1.5 Potential divider, 2008–2025, with mark schemes and examiner’s reports where available.
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All 47 questions on Potential divider, as a list
- June 2025, AS Paper 2, Q07 (1 mark): A long uniform metal wire XY is connected in parallel to two resistors M and N as shown. An ammeter connects the wire between M and N to a point P on XY. The re
- June 2024, AS Paper 2, Q09 (1 mark): A circuit contains a battery with an emf of 12 V and negligible internal resistance. At a certain light intensity, the LDR has a resistance of 480 Ω and the vol
- June 2024, AS Paper 2, Q26 (1 mark): A resistance wire XY of length 25 cm has constant cross-section. The wire is connected to a battery of emf 6.0 V and negligible internal resistance. What is the
- June 2023, Paper 1, Q03.3 (2 marks): C is set at 1 5 of the distance between A and B. The thickness of the conducting layer is uniform so the resistance between A and C is 25.0 Ω. Determine the vol
- June 2023, Paper 1, Q03.4 (4 marks): Figure 5 shows a variable resistor similar to the one shown in Figure 3 but with the following three manufacturing faults: • at P the conducting layer changes i
- June 2023, Paper 3A, Q02.3 (4 marks): Figure 5 shows two circuits that can be used to collect current–voltage data. Figure 5 The dc supply has an emf of 12 V and negligible internal resistance. The
- June 2023, Paper 3 Electronics, Q02.1 (3 marks): Figure 5 shows a circuit that contains two identical strain gauges A and B. The resistance of each strain gauge is 120.00 Ω when the strain is zero. R1 is a 560
- June 2023, Paper 3 Electronics, Q02.2 (2 marks): Explain the advantage of using strain gauge B rather than a 120.00 Ω resistor in the circuit. [2 marks]
- June 2023, AS Paper 2, Q30 (1 mark): Three resistors are connected in series with a 9.0 V battery of negligible internal resistance. The resistance of the variable resistor is varied from 0 to 3.0
- June 2023, AS Paper 2, Q31 (1 mark): The current–voltage characteristic between 0 and 6.0 V is required for a filament lamp. The lamp is connected in a circuit with a battery of emf 6.0 V and negli
- June 2022, AS Paper 1, Q08.6 (3 marks): A student wants to control the brightness of the lamp. He gives two reasons why the circuit in Figure 14 is better than the circuit in Figure 12 for controlling
- June 2022, AS Paper 2, Q02.2 (2 marks): When the voltmeter reading is zero: 3 1 2 4 = R R R R where R4 is the resistance of the copper wire between P and Q. Determine, in Ω m−1, the resistance per uni
- June 2022, AS Paper 2, Q02.5 (1 mark): Suggest one change to the circuit to make the voltmeter read zero for the same value of x as in Question 02.1. [1 mark]
- November 2021, Paper 1, Q06.2 (3 marks): The alarm sounds when the potential difference Vs across the LDR changes by more than 25% of the power supply emf. Discuss whether the circuit shown in Figure 1
- November 2021, Paper 1, Q29 (1 mark): Two resistors X and Y are connected in series with a power supply of emf 30 V and negligible internal resistance. The resistors are made from wire of the same m
- November 2020, Paper 1, Q27 (1 mark): In the circuit below, the voltmeter reading is zero. When the temperature of the thermistor T is increased, the voltmeter reading changes. Which change to the c
- November 2020, AS Paper 2, Q04.3 (2 marks): The PMT consists of an evacuated glass tube containing the photocathode, an anode and three metal electrodes, as shown in Figure 8. Figure 8 The electrodes, ano
- November 2020, AS Paper 2, Q33 (1 mark): The potential difference between points X and Y is V. What is the potential difference between P and Q? [1 mark] A zero B 3 V C 2 V D 2 3 V
- November 2020, AS Paper 2, Q34 (1 mark): The diagram shows a temperature-sensing circuit. The temperature of the thermistor is decreased. Which row shows the changes to the ammeter reading and the volt
- June 2019, Paper 1, Q24 (1 mark): A voltmeter has a resistance of 4.0 kΩ and reads 1.0 V for every scale division on the meter. A power supply of emf 20 V and negligible internal resistance is c
- June 2019, Paper 1, Q26 (1 mark): In the circuit below, the initial voltmeter reading is zero. The temperature of the negative temperature coefficient thermistor T is then increased. Which chang
- June 2019, AS Paper 2, Q02.4 (4 marks): One of the circuits A to D shown in Figure 4 was used to obtain the current–voltage data in Figure 3. The maximum resistance of resistor P is twice the resistan
- June 2018, Paper 1, Q04.3 (5 marks): Determine the value of R that the student should select. Give your answer to an appropriate number of significant figures. [5 marks] value of R = Ω
- June 2018, Paper 1, Q04.4 (2 marks): State and explain the effect on the output pd of increasing the temperature of the thermistor. [2 marks]
- June 2017, Paper 1, Q28 (1 mark): The circuit shown is used to supply a variable potential difference (pd) to another circuit. Which graph shows how the pd supplied V varies as the moving contac
- June 2017, Paper 1, Q29 (1 mark): In this resistor network, the emf of the supply is 12 V and it has negligible internal resistance. What is the reading on a voltmeter connected between points X
- June 2017, AS Paper 2, Q34 (1 mark): The figure shows a light dependent resistor (LDR) and fixed resistor R connected in series across a cell. The internal resistance of the cell is negligible. Whi
- June 2016, AS Paper 1, Q04.6 (2 marks): A voltmeter is connected between points A and B in the circuit and R3 stays at 1.2 Ω. Explain, without calculation, why the reading on the voltmeter does not ch
- June 2016, AS Paper 2, Q32 (1 mark): A potential divider circuit consists of a battery connected across a thermistor and variable resistor in series. Which of the following causes the potential dif
- Specimen, Paper 3 Electronics, Q01.3 (2 marks): The circuit is tested by immersing the copper strips in the water, and bringing them closer together until the alarm sounds. Vth for the MOSFET in Figure 1 is 2
- June 2014, PHYA1 (old spec), Q7(a) (6 marks): Data have to be obtained so that a graph can be plotted to show how the reading on the voltmeter varies with temperature between 0ºC and 100ºC. Design an experi
- June 2014, PHYA1 (old spec), Q7(b) (3 marks): The experiment you designed in part (a) is repeated with the voltmeter connected across R instead. State and explain how the readings on the voltmeter would be
- June 2013, PHYA1 (old spec), Q7(a)(i) (2 marks): Calculate the current in the circuit. current A (2 marks)
- June 2013, PHYA1 (old spec), Q7(a)(ii) (2 marks): Calculate the reading on the voltmeter. voltmeter reading V (2 marks)
- June 2013, PHYA1 (old spec), Q7(b) (2 marks): State and explain what happens to the reading on the voltmeter if the intensity of the light incident on the LDR increases. (2 marks)
- June 2013, PHYA1 (old spec), Q7(c) (3 marks): For a certain application at a particular light intensity the pd across R needs to be 0.75V. The resistance of the LDR at this intensity is 5.0kΩ. Calculate the
- January 2013, PHYA1 (old spec), Q6(b) (3 marks): A high-resistance voltmeter is used to measure the potential difference (pd) between points A–C, D–F and C–D in turn. Complete the following table indicating th
- January 2013, PHYA1 (old spec), Q6(c)(i) (2 marks): A–C (2 marks)
- January 2013, PHYA1 (old spec), Q6(c)(ii) (2 marks): D–F (2 marks)
- June 2012, PHYA1 (old spec), Q7(b) (3 marks): In the circuit shown in Figure 4 R2 is replaced with a thermistor. State and explain what will happen to the reading on the voltmeter as the temperature of the
- January 2011, PHYA1 (old spec), Q7(b) (3 marks): The temperature of the thermistor is increased so that its resistance decreases. State and explain what happens to the pd across the 1200 Ω resistor. (3 marks)
- June 2010, PHYA1 (old spec), Q5(b)(i) (1 mark): Calculate the pd across the thermistor. answer = V (1 mark)
- January 2009, PHA3W (2008 spec), Q4(b) (5 marks): 4 (b) Discuss how the ammeter reading and the voltmeter reading would change if the temperature of the thermistor were reduced. You may be awarded additional ma
- June 2008, PHA3W (2008 spec), Q3(b) (3 marks): 3 (b) The two resistors have the following values R1 = 400 Ω, R2 = 80 Ω. Draw on Figure 4 the waveform which would be seen on the screen of oscilloscope 2 if th
- June 2008, PHA3W (2008 spec), Q4(a) (1 mark): 4 (a) The circuit in Figure 6 shows R1 and T connected in series to a 12 V battery of negligible internal resistance. Figure 6 At a certain temperature the resi
- June 2008, PHA3W (2008 spec), Q4(b) (5 marks): 4 (b) A second resistor, R2, having the same resistance as R1 is connected in series with a switch across the thermistor, as shown in Figure 7. The temperature
- January 2008, PHA3W (2008 spec), Q3(a) (5 marks): (a) (i) Draw the circuit diagram of an experimental arrangement which could be used to collect the data necessary to produce this graph. Your circuit should inc
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