Simple harmonic motion: Edexcel International A Level Physics questions

Every Edexcel International A Level Physics exam question on Simple harmonic motion (specification points 143–147), 2019–2025, with its mark scheme and examiner’s report.

All 86 questions on Simple harmonic motion, as a list

June 2025, Unit 5, Q9 (1 mark): Which graph shows how the velocity of the object varies with time? A B C D
June 2025, Unit 5, Q10 (1 mark): Which graph shows how the acceleration of the object varies with time? A B C D
June 2025, Unit 5, Q11 (3 marks): The photograph shows a woman making a bungee jump. The woman was attached to a platform high above the ground by an elastic rope. platform elastic rope woman (S
June 2025, Unit 5, Q15(a) (2 marks): State the conditions for an object to oscillate with simple harmonic motion. (2)
June 2025, Unit 5, Q15(b) (4 marks): The graph shows how the vertical displacement y of the car body varies with time t. y / cm 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0 t / s 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 –1.0 –2.0 –3.0 Determine th
January 2025, Unit 5, Q11 (3 marks): A mass of 0.35 kg is hung from a spring. The mass is displaced vertically from its equilibrium position and released. The mass oscillates vertically with simple
January 2025, Unit 5, Q17(a) (2 marks): Explain how the graph shows that the mass is moving with simple harmonic motion. (2)
January 2025, Unit 5, Q17(b)(i) (5 marks): Calculate the maximum kinetic energy of the object. mass of object = 0.25 kg (5) Maximum kinetic energy of object =
January 2025, Unit 5, Q17(b)(ii) (2 marks): Sketch a graph on the axes below to show how the kinetic energy of the object varies with displacement x. You do not need to do any more calculations. (2) Kinet
October 2024, Unit 5, Q4 (1 mark): A simple pendulum consists of a mass attached to a string. The pendulum is set into simple harmonic motion. The acceleration of the mass is a and the displaceme
October 2024, Unit 5, Q6 (1 mark): A mass is hung on a spring. The mass is set into vertical oscillation with frequency of oscillation f. The mass on the spring is doubled. What is the new freque
October 2024, Unit 5, Q9 (1 mark): Which graph shows how the displacement of the object varies with t? A B C D
October 2024, Unit 5, Q10 (1 mark): Which graph shows how the velocity of the object varies with t? A B C D
October 2024, Unit 5, Q13 (5 marks): A student is investigating two simple pendulums. Each pendulum has the same mass. One pendulum has a length L. The other pendulum has a length L 2 . He hangs bo
October 2024, Unit 5, Q19(a)(ii) (4 marks): The spring balance can be used to determine the mass of a small animal without causing harm to the animal. The animal is placed in a bag. The bag is hung from t
June 2024, Unit 5, Q3 (1 mark): A mass-spring system is set into oscillation. The maximum kinetic energy of the mass is E. The amplitude of oscillation is then doubled. What is the new maximum
June 2024, Unit 5, Q9 (1 mark): Which graph shows how the acceleration of the object varies with t? A B C D
June 2024, Unit 5, Q10 (1 mark): Which graph shows how the displacement of the object varies with t? A B C D
June 2024, Unit 5, Q20(a) (2 marks): State what is meant by simple harmonic motion. (2)
June 2024, Unit 5, Q20(b)(ii) (4 marks): The dimensions of the lead box are 5.20 m by 5.20 m by 0.90 m. Calculate the stiffness of the spring system that attaches the lead box to the supports. density
January 2024, Unit 5, Q4 (1 mark): A mass is oscillating with simple harmonic motion. Which of the following statements about the acceleration of the mass is correct? A The acceleration is always
January 2024, Unit 5, Q7 (1 mark): A mass oscillates with simple harmonic motion. The mass has an angular velocity of –1 and a maximum velocity of 10 cm s –1. 2 rad s Which of the following gives
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, Q17(b) (5 marks): The spring was tested without oscillating. A force of 175 N was applied to the spring and the spring deformed by 28.9 cm. When no one was sitting in the chair,
January 2024, Unit 6, Q1(b)(ii) (3 marks): Determine the value of the mass. k = 30 N m –1 (3) Mass =
October 2023, Unit 5, Q10 (1 mark): A simple pendulum is displaced through a small angle then released. The frequency of oscillation is determined. The length of the pendulum is then doubled. By w
October 2023, Unit 5, Q20(a) (2 marks): Explain why the motion of the mass was simple harmonic motion. (2)
October 2023, Unit 5, Q20(b) (6 marks): Calculate the maximum velocity of the oscillating mass. (6) Maximum velocity of mass =
October 2023, Unit 6, Q2(a) (2 marks): Show that the relationship between T and h can be written as 2 2 4π H 4π h 2 T g g (2)
October 2023, Unit 6, Q2(b) (6 marks): The student used a stopwatch to determine T. Describe a method, using the pendulum, to obtain a value for H. Your method should use a suitable graph. (6)
June 2023, Unit 5, Q10 (1 mark): A particle is undergoing simple harmonic motion. The graph shows how the velocity v varies with time t for the particle. v 0 t Which of the following graphs sho
June 2023, Unit 5, Q15(a) (4 marks): A baby’s heart was beating at 142 beats minute –1. The wall of the baby’s heart was moving with a maximum velocity of 22.0 mm s –1. Calculate the maximum displa
June 2023, Unit 5, Q15(b) (2 marks): The motion of the wall of the baby’s heart only approximates to simple harmonic. State what is meant by simple harmonic motion. (2)
June 2023, Unit 5, Q19(a) (4 marks): The student measures the time t for the mass to complete 30 oscillations. She repeats this measurement. Her measurements are given in the table. t1 / s t2 / s 1
June 2023, Unit 6, Q4(c)(i) (2 marks): Show that ρ is about 1200 kg m –3. D = 2.38 cm ± 0.01 cm T = 0.61 s ± 0.01 s m = 48.95 g (2)
January 2023, Unit 5, Q9 (1 mark): An object oscillates with simple harmonic motion. The period of oscillation is 0.65 s and the amplitude is 0.12 m. Which of the following expressions gives the
January 2023, Unit 5, Q10 (1 mark): The graph shows how the acceleration a varies with time t for a particle undergoing simple harmonic motion. a 0 t Which of the following graphs shows how the ve
January 2023, Unit 5, Q14(a) (1 mark): Add a line to the graph to show how the total energy of the mass‑spring system varies with displacement. (1)
January 2023, Unit 5, Q14(b) (4 marks): Determine the speed of the mass when its displacement from the equilibrium position is 1.0 cm. (4) Speed of mass =
January 2023, Unit 5, Q19(b) (5 marks): When a person of mass 65 kg steps into the car, the vertical height of the car above the road decreases by 2.5 cm. Resonance occurs when the speed bumps are spa
October 2022, Unit 5, Q8 (1 mark): A ‘seconds’ pendulum has a period of 2 seconds. Which of the following gives the length of the pendulum in metres? π 2 A 4 × 9.81 4 9.81 × B π 2 9.81 C π 2 9.81
October 2022, Unit 5, Q14(a) (3 marks): Determine the period T of the water level, in hours. (3) T = hours
October 2022, Unit 5, Q19(a) (2 marks): State the conditions necessary for an object to move with simple harmonic motion. (2)
October 2022, Unit 5, Q19(b)(i) (6 marks): Sketch a graph on the axes opposite to show how the velocity v of the bracket depends upon time t. Your graph should include velocity and time values. (6)
October 2022, Unit 5, Q19(b)(ii) (2 marks): Determine the maximum acceleration of the bracket. (2) Maximum acceleration of bracket =
October 2022, Unit 5, Q19(b)(iii) (1 mark): Suggest why the particles of paint in the can will experience a maximum acceleration that is different from the answer to (ii). (1)
June 2022, Unit 5, Q2 (1 mark): A mass is hung from a spring and set into vertical oscillation. The mass is then changed so that the frequency of oscillation doubles. The amplitude of the osci
June 2022, Unit 5, Q10 (1 mark): A mass oscillates with simple harmonic motion. The graph shows how the velocity v varies with time t for the mass. v t Which graph shows how the displacement y
June 2022, Unit 5, Q17(a) (2 marks): By pushing on the board, the man displaces the end of the board a small distance downwards. The man and the board then oscillate with approximate simple harmoni
June 2022, Unit 5, Q17(b)(ii) (3 marks): Calculate the frequency of oscillation of the man on the board. Ignore the mass of the board. (3) Frequency of oscillation =
June 2022, Unit 5, Q17(c) (3 marks): If the amplitude of oscillation is large enough, the man will lose contact with the board at a point above the equilibrium position. Explain why. (3)
January 2022, Unit 5, Q1 (1 mark): A mass oscillates with simple harmonic motion about a fixed point O. Which of the following statements about the motion of the mass is correct? A Its velocity i
January 2022, Unit 5, Q3 (1 mark): In the Pantheon in Paris there is a pendulum that takes 8.25 s to swing from one extreme position to the other. Which of the following expressions gives the len
January 2022, Unit 5, Q11 (4 marks): A mass is hung from a spring and set into vertical oscillation by displacing the mass 5 cm from its equilibrium position. The graph shows how the acceleration a
January 2022, Unit 5, Q17(b)(i) (3 marks): Calculate the maximum velocity of the coil. (3) Maximum velocity of the coil =
January 2022, Unit 5, Q17(b)(ii) (1 mark): State the position of the coil when the velocity is a maximum. (1)
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, Q5 (1 mark): A mass oscillates with simple harmonic motion with a frequency of 0.5 Hz. The amplitude of the oscillation is 0.3 m. Which of the following is an expression for
October 2021, Unit 5, Q10 (1 mark): A mass oscillates with simple harmonic motion. The graph shows how the acceleration a of the mass depends upon displacement x from the equilibrium position. a /
October 2021, Unit 5, Q18(a)(ii) (2 marks): A baby is placed in the crib and the spring extends to bring the system to equilibrium. The crib is displaced through a small vertical displacement and released
October 2021, Unit 5, Q18(a)(iii) (2 marks): The baby has a mass of 7.25 kg. Calculate the period of oscillation of the crib. mass of crib = 2.55 kg stiffness of spring = 350 N m−1 (2) Period of oscillatio
October 2021, Unit 5, Q18(b) (2 marks): The maximum mass that the spring can support before being damaged is 25.0 kg. Explain why the instructions state that the maximum mass is only 15.0 kg. (2)
October 2021, Unit 6, Q2(a) (3 marks): Determine the time period T for the whole oscillation when h = 0.25 m. l = 1.00 m (3) T =
October 2021, Unit 6, Q2(b) (6 marks): A student suggests that an approximate relationship between T and h is given by π 2 2 = g (2l − h) T Devise a plan to test the validity of the relationship usin
June 2021, Unit 5, Q9 (1 mark): An object oscillates with simple harmonic motion. The period of oscillation is 0.55 s and the amplitude is 0.25 m. Which of the following shows a correct calcul
June 2021, Unit 5, Q14(a)(i) (2 marks): Add a line to the graph to show how the displacement of the bob varied with time during the same time interval. (2)
June 2021, Unit 5, Q14(a)(ii) (3 marks): Determine the length of the simple pendulum. (3) Length of simple pendulum =
June 2021, Unit 5, Q17(a) (2 marks): Explain why the mass moves with simple harmonic motion. (2)
June 2021, Unit 5, Q17(b)(i) (2 marks): Show that the stiffness k of the spring is about 26 N m−1. (2)
June 2021, Unit 5, Q17(b)(ii) (6 marks): The student used a stopwatch to determine the frequency of oscillation f of the mass m. She repeated this procedure for four more values of m and obtained the f
June 2021, Unit 6, Q3(b)(i) (6 marks): Plot a graph of log T against log M on the grid opposite. Use the additional columns in the table to record your processed data. (6)
June 2021, Unit 6, Q3(b)(ii) (5 marks): The student predicts that the relationship between T and M is given by M T = 2π k where k is the spring constant. Discuss the validity of this prediction. (5)
June 2021, Unit 6, Q3(b)(iii) (3 marks): Determine the value of k. (3) k =
January 2021, Unit 5, Q9 (1 mark): Which graph shows how the displacement of the object varies with t ? A B C D
January 2021, Unit 5, Q10 (1 mark): Which graph shows how the velocity of the object varies with t ? A B C D
January 2021, Unit 5, Q13(b)(i) (2 marks): Calculate the length of a simple pendulum that swings from one extreme position to the other in 1.00 s. (2) Length =
January 2021, Unit 5, Q13(b)(ii) (1 mark): Suggest a disadvantage of basing the metre on the length of a ‘seconds pendulum’. (1)
January 2021, Unit 5, Q18(a) (2 marks): State what is meant by simple harmonic motion. (2)
January 2021, Unit 5, Q18(b)(i) (3 marks): Show that the amplitude of the motion of the wing tip is about 1.5 mm. (3)
January 2021, Unit 5, Q18(b)(ii) (2 marks): Calculate the maximum acceleration of the wing tip. (2) Maximum acceleration of wing tip =
January 2021, Unit 6, Q1(a) (3 marks): Describe how the time period of the oscillations should be measured to make the readings as accurate as possible. (3)
October 2020, Unit 5, Q5 (1 mark): A simple pendulum takes 1.00 s to swing from one extreme position to the other. Which of the following expressions gives the length of the pendulum? (1.00) × 9.
October 2020, Unit 5, Q9 (1 mark): A student hangs a mass from the end of a spring and sets the mass into vertical oscillation. The period of oscillation of the mass is T. The student then hangs
October 2020, Unit 5, Q20(a) (2 marks): State the conditions for a mass to undergo simple harmonic motion. (2)
October 2020, Unit 5, Q20(b) (5 marks): Calculate the maximum kinetic energy of the oscillating mass. (5) Maximum kinetic energy =
October 2020, Unit 5, Q20(c) (2 marks): The graph shows how the displacement of the oscillating mass varies over two cycles. Displacement 0 Time Add to the graph to show how the kinetic energy of the

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