Gravitational fields and orbits: Edexcel International A Level Physics questions

Every Edexcel International A Level Physics exam question on Gravitational fields and orbits (specification points 154–160), 2019–2025, with its mark scheme and examiner’s report.

All 72 questions on Gravitational fields and orbits, as a list

June 2025, Unit 5, Q1 (1 mark): Which of the following statements applies to both electric fields and gravitational fields? A Each field causes a force on all particles. B Each field can cause
June 2025, Unit 5, Q13(a) (3 marks): Calculate the change in gravitational potential energy of the satellite. 24 kg mass of Earth = 5.98 × 10 6 m radius of Earth = 6.37 × 10 (3) Change in gravitati
June 2025, Unit 5, Q13(b) (4 marks): The satellite is in orbit above the equator. Deduce whether the satellite would appear to be stationary above the surface of the Earth. period of rotation of Ea
June 2025, Unit 5, Q17(c) (2 marks): A solid sphere has the same diameter as the Gaia globe. Calculate the mass of the sphere that would give a value of g, at its surface, –1. of 9.8 N kg (2) Mass
January 2025, Unit 5, Q3 (1 mark): There is an electric field around a point charge and a gravitational field around a point mass. Which of the following is not correct? A Both fields are radial.
January 2025, Unit 5, Q9 (1 mark): Due to tidal action, the Moon is slowly moving away from the Earth. As the Moon moves away from the Earth, the gravitational force between the Earth and the Moo
January 2025, Unit 5, Q12 (3 marks): The graph shows how gravitational potential V varies with distance r from the centre of the Earth. 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 r / 108 m 0 –1.0 –2.0 V / 107 J kg–1 –3
January 2025, Unit 5, Q14(a) (3 marks): Show that the mass of the Sun is about 2 × 10 30 kg. radius of Earth’s orbit about Sun = 1.49 × 10 11 m 1 year = 3.15 × 10 7 s (3)
January 2025, Unit 5, Q14(b) (3 marks): A television programme claimed that the gravitational field strength at the surface of the Sun is 28 times the gravitational field strength at the surface of th
October 2024, Unit 5, Q5 (1 mark): The dashed circles on the diagram represent gravitational equipotentials about the planet Mars. The gravitational potential at X is –5.5 MJ kg –1. The gravitati
October 2024, Unit 5, Q18(a) (4 marks): Galileo made observations of the movement of these moons for 8 days. The largest moon is Ganymede. Deduce whether 8 days would have been enough time for Galileo
October 2024, Unit 5, Q18(b)(i) (2 marks): Show that the gravitational field strength at the surface of Ganymede is about 1.4 N kg –1. radius of Ganymede = 2640 km mass of Ganymede = 1.48 × 10 23 kg (2)
October 2024, Unit 5, Q18(b)(ii) (2 marks): The radius of Ganymede is about 50% larger than the radius of the Earth’s Moon. Explain what can be deduced about the mass of the Earth’s Moon from this informa
June 2024, Unit 5, Q6 (1 mark): The dwarf planet Pluto orbits the Sun in an elliptical orbit. The gravitational force of the Sun on Pluto varies as Pluto orbits the Sun. Pluto moves away from
June 2024, Unit 5, Q11 (2 marks): The diagram shows the Earth and some gravitational equipotential surfaces X, Y and Z. The difference in gravitational potential between X and Y is the same as t
June 2024, Unit 5, Q12 (3 marks): The planet Uranus has nearly thirty moons. Titania is the largest of these moons. The radius of Titania is 7.88 × 10 5 m. The mass of Titania is 3.40 × 10 21 kg
June 2024, Unit 5, Q18(a) (3 marks): One law related the orbital time T of a planet to its average distance r from the Sun. Show that 2 r 3 4π T 2 GM where M is the solar mass. (3)
June 2024, Unit 5, Q18(b)(i) (2 marks): A star in one of the outer arms of the galaxy is orbiting the centre of the galaxy. The star is 5.7 × 10 20 m from the centre of the galaxy. Show that the orbit
June 2024, Unit 5, Q18(b)(ii) (4 marks): The orbital period of the star is actually 6.0 × 10 The two values for the orbital period of the star do not agree. Deduce what this tells us about our galaxy.
January 2024, Unit 5, Q6 (1 mark): The planet Mercury orbits the Sun in an elliptical orbit. As a result, the speed of Mercury varies as it orbits the Sun. Which row of the table shows how the sp
January 2024, Unit 5, Q10 (1 mark): The Earth has 10 times the mass of Mars and twice the radius of Mars. The gravitational field strength at the surface of the Earth is gE. The gravitational fiel
January 2024, Unit 5, Q12 (4 marks): A simple pendulum has a period of 2.00 s on Earth. Calculate what the period would be if the pendulum was on the planet Venus. mass of Venus = 4.87 × 10 24 kg r
January 2024, Unit 5, Q16(b) (4 marks): Calculate the time, in years, that Pluto takes to make one complete orbit of the Sun. 7 s 1 year = 3.15 × 10 30 kg mass of Sun = 1.99 × 10 (4) Time for one orbi
January 2024, Unit 5, Q17(a) (2 marks): Astronauts in orbit about the Earth are sometimes described as ‘weightless’, although they do experience a weight force. Explain why astronauts may be described
October 2023, Unit 5, Q6 (1 mark): The Moon is gradually moving away from the Earth. The gravitational potential at the Earth due to the Moon, and the gravitational force between the Earth and th
October 2023, Unit 5, Q7 (1 mark): A small satellite of mass 122 kg is orbiting the Earth. The satellite is orbiting at a height above the surface of the Earth equal to the radius of the Earth. W
October 2023, Unit 5, Q17(a) (2 marks): Calculate the gravitational field strength at the surface of Makemake. (2) Gravitational field strength at surface =
October 2023, Unit 5, Q17(b) (6 marks): The average distance of Makemake from the Sun is similar to the average distance of the dwarf planet Pluto from the Sun. A website states: “The time taken by Ma
October 2023, Unit 5, Q18(a) (4 marks): Calculate the force between the asteroid and the Earth at the closest distance. You may assume the asteroid is a sphere. asteroid diameter = 5.65 m asteroid den
October 2023, Unit 5, Q18(b) (3 marks): Calculate the change in gravitational potential energy of the asteroid if it had fallen to the surface of the Earth from a height of 3590 km. Assume that the ma
June 2023, Unit 5, Q4 (1 mark): A satellite of mass m is on the Earth’s surface. The satellite is moved into a circular orbit of height h above the Earth. The mass of the Earth is M and the ra
June 2023, Unit 5, Q8 (1 mark): Mars has approximately 8 times the mass of the Moon. Mars has twice the diameter of the Moon. The value of g on the surface of the Moon is 1.6 N kg –1. What is
June 2023, Unit 5, Q21(b) (3 marks): Scientists have observed an Earth-type planet in orbit around Ross-154. The radius of the orbit is 0.096 AU. Calculate the time for this planet to make one orbi
January 2023, Unit 5, Q12(a) (2 marks): Show that the escape velocity v for a planet of mass M and radius r is given by the expression 2 GM v = r (2)
January 2023, Unit 5, Q12(b)(i) (2 marks): Show that the escape velocity for a mass at the Earth’s surface is about 1.1 × 10 4 m s –1. mass of Earth = 5.98 × 10 24 kg radius of Earth = 6.36 × 10 6 m (2)
January 2023, Unit 5, Q20(a) (4 marks): A physicist planned to investigate the gravitational force using lead spheres identical to the ones used in Cavendish’s original experiment. One of the spheres
January 2023, Unit 5, Q20(b)(i) (2 marks): Show that m 3 kg –1 s –2 is a correct unit for G. (2)
January 2023, Unit 5, Q20(b)(ii) (2 marks): The physicists concluded that their value for G was within reasonable agreement with the standard value of G. Evaluate the validity of their conclusion. G = 6.6
January 2023, Unit 5, Q21(b) (5 marks): Humans would not be able to survive on a planet with a gravitational field strength 4 times greater than the gravitational field strength at the surface of the
October 2022, Unit 5, Q7 (1 mark): A space shuttle of mass m is returning to Earth of mass M. The space shuttle falls from a height R above the Earth, where R is equal to the radius of the Earth.
October 2022, Unit 5, Q17(a)(i) (2 marks): Show that the gravitational force exerted on Ceres by the Sun is about 7 × 1017 N. mass of Sun = 1.99 × 1030 kg (2)
October 2022, Unit 5, Q17(a)(ii) (4 marks): Determine the time T, in years, for Ceres to make one complete orbit about the Sun. 1 year = 3.15 × 107 s (4) T = years
October 2022, Unit 5, Q17(b) (3 marks): Mercury is the smallest planet in our solar system. The gravitational field strength gm at the surface of Mercury is 3.7 N kg–1. It is claimed that the gravitat
June 2022, Unit 5, Q4 (1 mark): A communications satellite has a mass of 935 kg. The satellite has an orbital radius four times the radius of the Earth. Which of the following gives the gravit
June 2022, Unit 5, Q6 (1 mark): The gravitational field strength at the surface of the Earth is g. Another planet has the same density as the Earth, but twice the radius of the Earth. What is
June 2022, Unit 5, Q16(a)(i) (3 marks): Show that T is related to r by the expression: T 2 µ r3 (3)
June 2022, Unit 5, Q16(a)(ii) (5 marks): When planets align as they orbit the Sun they are said to be ‘in opposition’. The diagram shows the Earth and Jupiter in opposition. NOT TO SCALE Sun Earth Jupi
June 2022, Unit 5, Q16(b) (3 marks): The distance of Jupiter from the Sun varies from 7.4 × 1011 m to 8.2 × 1011 m. Calculate the change in gravitational potential energy of Jupiter as it moves fro
January 2022, Unit 5, Q16(a)(i) (3 marks): The graph shows how astronomers expect v to vary with r. v r Explain how the expression gives the variation of v with r shown in the graph. (3)
January 2022, Unit 5, Q18(a) (3 marks): The table shows data for Earth and Mars. Planet T / s R / m Earth 3.16 × 107 1.50 × 1011 Mars 5.93 × 107 2.28 × 1011 Show that, for Earth and for Mars, K has a
January 2022, Unit 5, Q18(b) (3 marks): Kepler’s law of harmonies was derived later by Newton. Newton applied his law of gravitation to a planet moving in an approximately circular orbit around the Su
January 2022, Unit 5, Q18(c) (2 marks): Jupiter is the most massive planet in the solar system and has many moons. Kepler’s law of harmonies applies to the orbiting moons. However, the value of K for
October 2021, Unit 5, Q2 (1 mark): A helium nucleus approaches a gold nucleus. An electric force and a gravitational force act on each nucleus. Which statement about these forces is not correct?
October 2021, Unit 5, Q3 (1 mark): The gravitational field strength at the surface of the Moon is one sixth of that at the surface of the Earth. A simple pendulum has a period T at the surface of
October 2021, Unit 5, Q20(c) (3 marks): As the Sun continues its evolution, its mass will decrease. It is estimated that at its largest radius, the mass of the Sun will have decreased significantly. E
October 2021, Unit 5, Q21(a)(i) (2 marks): Show that the gravitational potential at this height is about −5.5 × 107 J kg−1. mass of Earth = 5.98 × 1024 kg radius of Earth = 6360 km (2)
October 2021, Unit 5, Q21(a)(ii) (2 marks): Hence calculate the increase in gravitational potential energy when the satellite is placed in orbit. satellite mass = 4990 kg gravitational potential at the Ea
October 2021, Unit 5, Q21(b) (5 marks): It is claimed that a satellite in orbit at a height of 8.50 × 105 m would make 15 orbits of the Earth every 24 hours. Assess the validity of this claim. (5)
October 2021, Unit 5, Q21(c) (2 marks): It is suggested that the satellite could be placed in an equatorial orbit at a radius of 42 200 km. With this radius the satellite would have an orbital period
June 2021, Unit 5, Q5 (1 mark): The gravitational field strength on the surface of Mercury is gM. Callisto, a moon of Jupiter, has the same radius as Mercury but only one third of its density.
June 2021, Unit 5, Q16(a) (3 marks): Calculate the orbital time of a Starlink satellite. (3) Orbital time of satellite =
June 2021, Unit 5, Q16(b) (3 marks): Explain why satellites in low Earth orbits have a smaller orbital time than satellites in higher Earth orbits. (3)
June 2021, Unit 5, Q16(c) (3 marks): The satellites were launched into orbit using rockets able to make multiple space flights. Calculate the minimum kinetic energy required to raise the satellite
January 2021, Unit 5, Q7 (1 mark): A small satellite of mass 245 kg is orbiting the Earth. The radius of the orbit is equal to twice the radius of the Earth. The weight of the satellite in its or
January 2021, Unit 5, Q11 (2 marks): The Earth is 9.3 times more massive than Mars. The gravitational field strength at the surface of the Earth is 2.6 times greater than at the surface of Mars. Ca
January 2021, Unit 5, Q16(b) (2 marks): Recent photographs from the Hubble Space Telescope show that NGC 6052 actually consists of two galaxies that are colliding. (Source: © Nasa) The galaxies are ac
January 2021, Unit 5, Q17(a)(i) (4 marks): A textbook claims that for astronauts in Salyut 1, there would be a sunrise 16 times every day. Assess the validity of this claim. 1 day = 8.64 ´ 104 s (4)
January 2021, Unit 5, Q17(a)(ii) (3 marks): Salyut 1 made almost three thousand orbits before falling back to Earth. Calculate the change in gravitational potential energy of Salyut 1 as it fell back to E
October 2020, Unit 5, Q11 (2 marks): Electrostatic forces and gravitational forces can both be modelled by the idea of a field. Give one similarity and one difference between electric fields and gr
October 2020, Unit 5, Q15(a) (3 marks): Show that g obeys an inverse square law. (3)
October 2020, Unit 5, Q15(b)(i) (1 mark): The change in gravitational potential energy ∆Egrav of a mass m when it experiences a vertical displacement Δh can be calculated using the expression ∆Egrav = m
October 2020, Unit 5, Q15(b)(ii) (3 marks): Calculate the change in gravitational potential energy of the satellite. mass of the Earth = 6.0 × 1024 kg RE = 6.4 × 106 m mass of satellite = 3.5 × 103 kg (3)

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