plumiWork, energy and power: AQA A‑Level Physics questions
AQA A-Level Physics past-paper questions on 3.4.1.7 Work, energy and power, 2008–2025, with mark schemes and examiner’s reports where available.
Paper
All papers
Exam
All years
Calculations
Loading the question…
Open the full PDFLoading the question…
Open the full PDFQ05.2
The whole paper ↗
Loading the start of the question…
Loading the question…
Open the full PDFLoading the question…
Open the full PDFQ04.7
The whole paper ↗
Loading the start of the question…
Loading the question…
Open the full PDFQ03.4
The whole paper ↗
Loading the start of the question…
Loading the question…
Open the full PDFLoading the question…
Open the full PDFLoading the question…
Open the full PDFQ02.3
The whole paper ↗
Loading the start of the question…
Loading the question…
Open the full PDFQ04.4
The whole paper ↗
Loading the start of the question…
Loading the question…
Open the full PDFQ05.3
The whole paper ↗
Loading the start of the question…
Loading the question…
Open the full PDFQ05.4
The whole paper ↗Loading the start of the question…
Loading the question…
Open the full PDFLoading the question…
Open the full PDFLoading the question…
Open the full PDFQ07.2
The whole paper ↗Loading the question…
Open the full PDFQ07.3
The whole paper ↗Loading the question…
Open the full PDFLoading the question…
Open the full PDFLoading the question…
Open the full PDFQ03.1
The whole paper ↗
Loading the start of the question…
Loading the question…
Open the full PDFQ03.2
The whole paper ↗Loading the start of the question…
Loading the question…
Open the full PDF
All 75 questions on Work, energy and power, as a list
- June 2025, AS Paper 2, Q31 (1 mark): An aircraft flies horizontally with a constant velocity v. The aircraft is subject to a constant resistive force F. The aircraft engine has an efficiency of 10%
- June 2025, AS Paper 2, Q34 (1 mark): A car moves along a horizontal road at a constant speed of 15 m s−1. The car’s engine provides a constant thrust of 3800 N. The car then travels up a hill. The
- June 2024, Paper 1, Q05.2 (5 marks): In a second test, pulley P with O attached is released from A. P and O move along the cable to B. The change in height of the centre of mass of O between A and
- June 2024, Paper 1, Q26 (1 mark): A spring is compressed by a force F. The spring has stiffness k and its length changes by ΔL during the compression. When the force is removed the spring return
- June 2024, AS Paper 1, Q04.7 (3 marks): The car has a maximum power output of 95 kW. The maximum velocity of the car and trailer is 25 m s−1. At this velocity, the force D on the trailer is 3100 N. Th
- June 2024, AS Paper 2, Q03.4 (4 marks): A village combines the storage system with a wind turbine to provide energy. Figure 12 shows how the output power of the wind turbine varies with time during on
- June 2024, AS Paper 2, Q12 (1 mark): An electric pump forces water continually through a horizontal pipe at a speed of 4.0 m s−1. cross-sectional area of the pipe = 5.0 × 10−4 m2 density of water =
- June 2024, AS Paper 2, Q27 (1 mark): The electric motor of a lift raises a load of 750 N at a constant speed. The load moves through a vertical distance of 3.0 m in 1.5 s. As the load is being rais
- June 2023, Paper 1, Q02.3 (4 marks): At any point on the graph in Figure 1, the acceleration is given by: acceleration = speed × gradient of line When the car is at its maximum acceleration, the po
- June 2023, AS Paper 1, Q04.4 (3 marks): The bow has an efficiency of 0.82 The arrow leaves the bow in a horizontal direction with a velocity of 190 km h−1. Calculate m. [3 marks] m = kg
- June 2023, AS Paper 1, Q05.3 (2 marks): The battery stores 0.035 kW h of energy before a flight. The flight lasts for 39 s. The battery has a power output of 340 W during the flight. Determine the per
- June 2023, AS Paper 1, Q05.4 (3 marks): The helicopter has a maximum flight time of a few minutes due to the limited amount of energy stored in the battery. The battery accounts for about 15% of the h
- June 2023, AS Paper 2, Q33 (1 mark): A pellet of mass 25 g travelling horizontally at 40 m s−1 enters a fixed wooden block. The pellet stops after travelling a horizontal distance of 2.5 cm in the
- June 2023, AS Paper 2, Q34 (1 mark): The graph shows the variation of force with distance between a proton and a neutron. The shaded area represents [1 mark] A acceleration. B impulse. C rate of ch
- June 2022, AS Paper 1, Q07.2 (2 marks): The useful power output of the cyclist is 310 W. The cyclist has a steady speed of 1.63 m s−1. Assume that air resistance is negligible at this speed. Calculate
- June 2022, AS Paper 1, Q07.3 (3 marks): Discuss how her useful power output when taking the path in Figure 9 compares with her useful power output in Question 07.2. [3 marks]
- June 2022, AS Paper 2, Q27 (1 mark): A climber wears a harness attached to a rope. The rope passes through a brake. There is friction between the rope and the brake. The climber uses the brake to d
- June 2022, AS Paper 2, Q28 (1 mark): A solar panel powers a pump for a water feature. Solar energy is incident on the solar panel at a rate of 1.5 W. Water from the bottom container is continually
- November 2021, AS Paper 1, Q03.1 (1 mark): Calculate the work done in bringing P to rest. [1 mark] work done = J
- November 2021, AS Paper 1, Q03.2 (2 marks): P travels a distance of 2.9 cm in a straight line inside the block before coming to rest. The resultant force on P varies as it penetrates the block. Calculate
- November 2021, AS Paper 1, Q03.4 (3 marks): In another test, a spherical particle Q is fired at a right angle to the surface of an identical block. Q has the same mass as P and is travelling at the same s
- November 2021, AS Paper 1, Q05.3 (3 marks): Figure 12 shows the bottom of the hull with a drag reduction system in operation. Air bubbles are introduced into the water below the hull. This reduces the wor
- November 2021, AS Paper 2, Q04.4 (4 marks): The motor is connected to a 110 V dc supply that has negligible internal resistance. The maximum operating current in the motor is 5.0 A. The efficiency of the
- November 2021, AS Paper 2, Q11 (1 mark): An object of mass m is accelerated from rest to a velocity v by a constant resultant force F. What is the work done on the object during this acceleration? [1 m
- November 2020, Paper 1, Q06 (1 mark): [multiple choice] Mechanical power [1 mark] A is a vector quantity. B is measured in J. C has base units of kg m2 s−3. D can be calculated from force × distance
- November 2020, Paper 1, Q23 (1 mark): An electric motor lifts a load of weight W through a vertical height h in time t. The potential difference across the motor is V and the current in it is I. Wha
- November 2020, AS Paper 2, Q25 (1 mark): The drag force on a boat is kv2, where v is the speed and k = 64 kg m−1. The boat’s engine has a useful power output of 8000 W. What is the maximum speed of the
- June 2019, Paper 1, Q05.4 (3 marks): The steel safety barrier deforms during the collision. For the barrier to pass the test, the test vehicle should not move more than 1.5 m towards the other carr
- June 2019, Paper 1, Q17 (1 mark): An electric vehicle is driven by a motor which produces a constant driving force. The vehicle travels from rest along a straight horizontal road. Friction and a
- June 2019, Paper 1, Q18 (1 mark): Which is a correct statement about mechanical power? [1 mark] A It is a vector quantity. B It is measured in J. C In fundamental units, its unit is kg m2 s–3 D
- June 2019, Paper 1, Q27 (1 mark): An electric motor lifts a load of weight W through a vertical height h in time t. The potential difference across the motor is V and the current through it is I
- June 2019, AS Paper 1, Q03.5 (3 marks): The designers also claim that the loaded cage reaches a maximum speed of at least 90 km h−1. Calculate, in J, the kinetic energy of the loaded cage when it trav
- June 2019, AS Paper 2, Q04.2 (3 marks): The boat and trailer are initially at rest. In the first 200 ms the boat and trailer are raised through a vertical height of 3.3 × 10–2 m and the speed increase
- June 2019, AS Paper 2, Q13 (1 mark): What is the approximate average kinetic energy of a cyclist in a race? [1 mark] A 10 J B 10 kJ C 10 MJ D 10 TJ
- June 2019, AS Paper 2, Q27 (1 mark): A car of mass 1000 kg accelerates uniformly from rest to a speed of 25.0 m s–1 in 50.0 s. The car is travelling along a horizontal road. What is the average use
- June 2018, AS Paper 2, Q03.1 (2 marks): Show that the velocity of an alpha particle with kinetic energy 8.1 × 10–13 J is approximately 2 × 107 m s–1 specific charge of an alpha particle = 4.81 × 107 C
- June 2018, AS Paper 2, Q03.2 (2 marks): The alpha particles travel through air in straight lines with a range of 3.5 cm Calculate the average force exerted on an alpha particle as it is stopped by the
- June 2018, AS Paper 2, Q21 (1 mark): A car’s engine produces a useful output power of 6.5 × 104 W The car of mass 950 kg is moving up a hill at a steady speed. The slope of the hill is 12° to the h
- June 2018, AS Paper 2, Q27 (1 mark): Objects P and Q are initially at rest at time t = 0 The same resultant force F is applied to P and Q for time T. The mass of P is 10 times greater than the mass
- June 2017, Paper 1, Q04.3 (3 marks): Solar cells convert solar energy to useful electrical energy in the road sign with an efficiency of 4.0%. The solar-cell supply used by the engineer has a total
- June 2017, AS Paper 1, Q03.1 (3 marks): Show that the average power output of the battery during the journey is about 100 W. [3 marks]
- June 2017, AS Paper 1, Q03.2 (2 marks): During the journey, forces due to friction and air resistance act on the wheelchair and its user. Assume that all the energy available in the battery is used to
- June 2017, AS Paper 1, Q03.4 (2 marks): Calculate the maximum speed of the wheelchair and its user when travelling up this hill when the power output of the battery is 100 W. Assume that the resistive
- June 2017, AS Paper 1, Q03.5 (4 marks): Explain how and why the maximum range of the wheelchair on level ground is affected by • the mass of the user • the speed at which the wheelchair travels. [4 ma
- June 2017, AS Paper 2, Q04.3 (3 marks): Determine the length of time the ion propulsion unit operated before all of the 79 kg of xenon was used up. mass of xenon atom = 2.18 × 10–25 kg [3 marks] time
- June 2017, AS Paper 2, Q04.4 (3 marks): Ion propulsion units could use helium ions instead of xenon ions. An ion of helium-4 (He+) has a much higher specific charge than an ion of xenon-131 (Xe+). Bot
- June 2016, AS Paper 2, Q04.2 (1 mark): Only 6% of the energy from the decay is used to generate electricity. Calculate the rate at which energy is transferred from the decay of plutonium-238 on Curio
- June 2016, AS Paper 2, Q04.5 (2 marks): The alternative to using an RTG is to use a solar panel. A typical solar panel installation on a house roof in the UK provides about 1000 kW h of electricity ea
- June 2016, AS Paper 2, Q24 (1 mark): What is represented by the area under a force–displacement graph? [1 mark] A rate of change of kinetic energy B change in momentum C work done D acceleration
- June 2016, AS Paper 2, Q25 (1 mark): Which of the following is not a unit of power? [1 mark] A N m s–1 B J s C W D kg m2 s–3
- June 2016, AS Paper 2, Q27 (1 mark): In a test a 500 kg car travelling at 10 m s–1 hits a wall. The front 0.30 m of the car crumples as the car is brought to rest. What is the average force on the
- Specimen, Paper 1, Q04.1 (4 marks): The speed of an air rifle pellet is measured by firing it into a wooden block suspended from a rigid support. The wooden block can swing freely at the end of a
- Specimen, Paper 1, Q23 (1 mark): A car exerts a driving force of 500 N when travelling at a constant speed of 72 km h −1 on a level track. What is the work done in 5 minutes? [1 mark] A 3.0 × 1
- Specimen, Paper 1, Q26 (1 mark): An electric motor of input power 100 W raises a mass of 10 kg vertically at a steady speed of 0.5 m s −1. What is the efficiency of the system? [1 mark] A 5% B
- June 2016, PHYA2 (old spec), Q4(b)(ii) (1 mark): The block travels 1.2 m after leaving the spring before coming to rest. Show that the frictional force between the block and the table top is about 1.8 N. [1 ma
- June 2015, PHYA2 (old spec), Q3(d) (2 marks): The vehicle now accelerates to a constant speed of 55 m s–1. The useful power output of the motors is 22 kW at this speed. Calculate the horizontal resistive fo
- June 2013, PHYA2 (old spec), Q1(b)(ii) (3 marks): Calculate the percentage efficiency of the winch system used to launch the glider. Assume the kinetic energy of the glider after the launch is negligible. effic
- January 2013, PHYA2 (old spec), Q2(b)(ii) (1 mark): At D the snowboarder has reached a constant velocity. She moves a distance of 2.0m at constant velocity between D and E. Calculate the work done against resisti
- January 2013, PHYA2 (old spec), Q3(c) (2 marks): In order to maintain a constant velocity of 15ms–1 downhill, the cyclist applies the brake. The power developed by the braking force is 2.8 kW. Calculate the to
- January 2012, PHYA2 (old spec), Q1(a) (2 marks): The average tension in the cable is 170kN. Show that, when the ship travels 1.0km, the work done by the sail on the ship is 1.3 × 108J. (2 marks)
- January 2012, PHYA2 (old spec), Q1(b)(i) (2 marks): Calculate the power developed by the sail. answer = W (2 marks)
- January 2012, PHYA2 (old spec), Q1(b)(ii) (2 marks): Calculate the percentage of the ship’s power requirement that is provided by the wind when the ship is travelling at this speed. The power output of the engines
- June 2011, PHYA2 (old spec), Q3(a)(iv) (3 marks): The efficiency of the rollercoaster acceleration system is 20%. Calculate the average power input to this system during the acceleration. answer = W (3 marks)
- June 2011, PHYA2 (old spec), Q4(b) (3 marks): The horses move at a constant speed of 0.91ms–1. Calculate the combined power output of the two horses. Give your answer to an appropriate number of significant
- June 2011, PHYA2 (old spec), Q4(c) (1 mark): During the Industrial Revolution in the 19th Century, James Watt became well known for developing and improving steam engines to replace horses. He defined the
- January 2011, PHYA1 (old spec), Q4(b)(i) (3 marks): An alpha particle of mass 6.6 × 10–27 kg has a kinetic energy of 9.6 × 10–13 J. Show that the speed of the alpha particle is 1.7 × 107 ms–1. (3 marks)
- January 2011, PHYA2 (old spec), Q1(b)(ii) (3 marks): The person causes a compression of 0.28m in a time of 1.5s. Use the graph in part (a) to calculate the average power developed. answer = W (3 marks)
- June 2010, PHYA2 (old spec), Q1(e) (2 marks): The maximum power of the motorcycle is 7.5kW and it has a maximum speed of 26 m s–1, when travelling on a level road. Calculate the total horizontal resistive f
- June 2010, PHYA2 (old spec), Q4(e) (6 marks): On her next jump the gymnast decides to reach a height above position B. Describe and explain, in terms of energy and work, the transformations that occur as sh
- January 2010, PHYA2 (old spec), Q7(a)(iii) (2 marks): It has been predicted that the turbine would produce an electrical power output of 10MW in these wind conditions. Calculate the percentage efficiency of the tur
- June 2009, PHYA2 (old spec), Q1(a)(iii) (3 marks): The work done by the cyclist when pedalling downhill is 2400 J. Account for the difference between the loss of gravitational potential energy and the gain of ki
- January 2009, PHYA2 (old spec), Q2(b)(ii) (3 marks): The ship is moving at a constant velocity of 8.3 m s –1 and the horizontal component of the force of the cable on the ship acts in the direction in which the sh
- June 2008, PA02 (2008 spec), Q6(c) (4 marks): 6 (c) After an impact the hammer and the pile move so that the pile sinks into the ground to a depth of 0.25 m. Calcuate 6 (c) (i) the loss of kinetic energy of
- June 2008, PA02 (2008 spec), Q6(d) (2 marks): 6 (d) The process is repeated several times and each time the hammer is raised 4.5 m above the pile. Suggest why the extra depth of penetration is likely to dec
- June 2008, PA10 (2008 spec), Q2(b) (6 marks): 2 (b) On a certain day, the output power of the solar cell panel varied as shown on the graph. output power /W time of day 2 (b) (i) Use the graph to show that
Questions, mark schemes and examiner’s reports are © AQA, from their published past papers. Plumi isn’t affiliated with any exam board. Want whole papers? AQA A-Level Physics past papers.
The Plumi iPad app also offers exam-style questions with AI feedback on your handwritten working.