IB IB Physics 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the SI unit of force in IB Physics?
- Joule
- Newton (Correct answer)
- Watt
- Pascal
Correct answer: Newton
The Newton (N) is the SI unit of force, defined as the force that gives a 1 kg mass an acceleration of 1 m/s².
Question 2: Which equation correctly represents Newton's Second Law of Motion?
- F = mv
- F = m/a
- F = ma (Correct answer)
- F = mv²
Correct answer: F = ma
Newton's Second Law states that the net force on an object equals its mass multiplied by its acceleration (F = ma).
Question 3: A ball is thrown horizontally from a cliff. Which quantity remains constant throughout its flight, ignoring air resistance?
- Vertical velocity
- Speed
- Horizontal velocity (Correct answer)
- Kinetic energy
Correct answer: Horizontal velocity
With no air resistance, no horizontal force acts on the ball, so the horizontal velocity component remains constant throughout the flight.
Question 4: What value of gravitational field strength (g) is given in the IB Physics data booklet?
- 9.0 m/s²
- 9.8 m/s²
- 10.0 m/s²
- 9.81 m/s² (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 9.81 m/s²
The IB Physics data booklet specifies g = 9.81 m/s² as the standard acceleration due to gravity at Earth's surface.
Question 5: Which of the following is a vector quantity?
- Speed
- Mass
- Temperature
- Displacement (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Displacement
Displacement is a vector quantity because it has both magnitude and direction, unlike speed, mass, and temperature which are scalars.
Question 6: At the highest point of a projectile's trajectory, what is true about the velocity?
- Total velocity is zero
- Only horizontal component is zero
- Only vertical component is zero (Correct answer)
- Both components are zero
Correct answer: Only vertical component is zero
At the highest point, the vertical component of velocity is zero because the projectile momentarily stops moving upward, but the horizontal component remains unchanged.
Question 7: What does the area under a velocity–time graph represent?
- Acceleration
- Force
- Displacement (Correct answer)
- Power
Correct answer: Displacement
The area under a velocity–time graph equals displacement because displacement is the integral of velocity with respect to time.
IB IB Physics 1
What is the SI unit of force in IB Physics?