F.

4E (2023-2024)

HKCEE Past Paper MC Questions

1. 1991/II/2
Two blocks of equal mass are placed on a smooth
horizontal surface as shown above. A constant force
of 12 N is applied to block A so that the two blocks
move towards the right together. The force acting on A by B is…

A. zero B. 6 N to the left C. 6 N to the right D. 12 N to the left E. 12 N to the right

2. 1991/II/7
The diagram above shows the variation of the net force acting on an
object which is initially at rest. Which of the following velocity-time
graphs correctly describes the motion of the object?

3. 1991/II/9
A force F is applied to a block of mass 1 kg as shown above. The GREATEST
value of F for the block to remain at rest is 11 N. What would be the motion of the
block if F is not applied ?

A. remaining at rest B. sliding down with constant velocity

C. sliding down with an acceleration of 1 ms–2 D. sliding down with an acceleration of 5 ms–2
E. sliding down with an acceleration of 6 ms–2
4. 1991/II/10
A man of weight W stands inside a lift which is moving upwards with a constant speed. If the force
exerted by the floor on the man is R, which of the following statements is/are correct ?
(1) R is greater than W in magnitude
(2) R and W are in opposite directions
(3) R and W form an action and reaction pair according to Newton’s third law
A. (1) only B. (2) only C. (1) and (3) only D. (2) and (3) only E. (1), (2) and (3)

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5. 1992/II/8
Two identical blocks X and Y are connected by a light string
passing over a smooth pulley as shown above. The two blocks
are released from rest. After a while, the string breaks. Which
of the following correctly describes the motion of the blocks
immediately after the string breaks ?
X Y
A. stops moving accelerates at 5 ms–2
B. moves with constant velocity accelerates at 5 ms–2
C. accelerates at 5 ms–2 moves with constant velocity
D. moves with constant velocity accelerates at 10 ms–2
E. decelerates at 10 ms–2 accelerates at 10 ms–2

6. 1992/II/9
In the above diagram, blocks A and B are connected by a light
inextensible string and rest on a smooth horizontal table. The
masses of A and B are 2 kg and 3 kg respectively. Block A is pulled by a force of 2 N. Find the tension in
the string S.

A. 0.4 N B. 0.8 N C. 1.0 N D. 1.2 N E. 2.0 N

7. 1992/II/10
Which of the following pairs of forces F1 and F2 is/are action and reaction pair(s) according to
Newton’s third law of motion ?

A. (2) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (1) and (3) only E. (1), (2) and (3)

8. 1992/II/41
1st statement 2nd statement
An unbalanced force is needed to keep a body in motion Friction always opposes motion

9. 1993/II/42
1st statement 2nd statement
When an object rests on the floor, its weight and the When an object rests on the floor, its weight
force acting on it by the floor form an action and and the force acting on it by the floor are equal
reaction pair in magnitude and opposite in direction

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10. 1994/II/4
Two blocks X and Y of weights 2 N and 8 N respectively are suspended by two light
strings as shown above. A downward force of 4 N is applied to X. Find the
tensions T1 and T2 in the two strings.

T1 T2
A. 2N 8N
B. 4N 10 N
C. 4N 14 N
D. 6N 12 N
E. 6N 14 N

11. 1994/II/6
A man of mass 50 kg is standing in a lift. If the lift is falling freely, which of the following statements is/are
true?
(1) The weight of the man is 0 N
(2) The force acting on the floor of the lift by the man is 500 N
(3) The force acting on the man by the floor of the lift is 0 N
A. (1) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (2) and (3) only E. (1), (2) and (3)

12. 1994/II/42
1st statement 2nd statement
When two objects are released from rest at the same A greater gravitational force will be acting
height, the one with greater mass will take a shorter time on the object with greater mass
to reach the ground (Air resistance is negligible)

13. 1995/II/2
In the above diagram, the two blocks are connected by
a light string S. They move with uniform acceleration
of 2 ms–2 under the action of a constant force F. What
will the accelerations of the blocks become if S suddenly breaks ?

2 kg Block 4 kg Block
A. 6 ms–2 0 ms–2
B. 6 ms–2 2 ms–2
C. 2 ms–2 0 ms–2
D. 2 ms–2 2 ms–2
E. 0 ms–2 3 ms–2

14. 1995/II/6
A trolley is placed on a horizontal ground. A force F inclined at an angle
θ to the horizontal acts on the trolley. What is the horizontal component
of F that pulls the trolley towards the right ?

A. Fθ B. F sinθ C. F cosθ D. F / sinθ E. F / cosθ

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15. 1995/II/11

The above diagram shows a block resting on the ground. Which of the following pairs of forces is/are
action and reaction pair(s) according to Newton’s third law of motion?
(1) R and W (2) W and F (3) F and R

A. (1) only B. (2) only C. (3) only D. (1) and (2) only E. (2) and (3) only

16. 1996/II/3
Which of the following statements about mass and weight is incorrect?
A. Mass is measured in kilograms and weight in newtons
B. Mass is a scalar and weight is a vector
C. Mass is a measure of the inertia of an object and weight is a measure of the gravitational pull on it
D. The weight of an object at a particular place is proportional to its mass
E. Both the mass and weight of an object vary slightly at different places on the earth

17. 1996/II/5
Which of the following statements concerning the motion of an object is/are correct?
(1) A constant unbalanced force is needed to keep an object moving with uniform velocity
(2) An increasing unbalanced force is needed to keep an object moving with uniform acceleration
(3) An object may remain at rest if there is no unbalanced force acting on it
A. (2) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (1) and (3) only E. (1), (2) and (3)

18. 1996/II/8
A block remains at rest on an inclined plane as shown above. Which of
the following statements is/are true?
(1) The frictional force acting by the plane on the block is zero
(2) The normal reaction acting by the plane on the block is zero
(3) The resultant force acting on the block is zero
A. (2) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (1) and (3) only E. (1),(2) and (3)

19. 1996/II/10

The above diagram shows a man lifting a ball vertically upwards with uniform acceleration. Which of the
following correctly describes the relation between the magnitudes of the forces ?
A. F1 = F2 > F3 B. F1 = F3 > F2 C. F1 > F2 = F3 D. F1 > F2 > F3 E. F1 > (F2 + F3)

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20. 1997/II/3
A block is placed on a smooth inclined plane. A force P parallel to the inclined
plane is applied to the block so that the block moves up the plane. Which of the
following diagrams correctly shows all the forces acting on the block ?

21. 1997/II/9
Which of the following pairs of forces is/are action and reaction pair(s) according to Newton’s third law
of motion?
(1) The weight of a man standing on a chair and The force acting on the man by the chair
(2) The gravitational force acting on the earth and The gravitational force acting on the moon
by the moon by the earth
(3) The force exerted by a swimmer on the and The force exerted by the water to push the
water to push the water backward swimmer forward

A. (1) only B. (2) only C. (1) and (3) only D. (2) and (3) only E. (1), (2) and (3)

22. 1998/II/6
A broken–down car of mass 1000 kg is pulled by a
tow–truck and moves at a constant velocity 8 ms–1
along a horizontal road. It is known that the frictional
force acting on the car is 500 N. Find the tension in
the cable connecting the truck and the car.
A. 0 N B. 500 N C. 8 000 N D. 8 500 N E. 10 500 N

23. 1998/II/7
Two forces F1 and F2 act on a particle P shown above. If a third force F3
acts on P to keep it in equilibrium, find the magnitude of F3 .
A. 1.4 N B. 4.0 N C. 4.2 N D. 4.5 N E. 5.8 N

24. 1998/II/8
A girl in a lift uses a spring balance to measure the weight of an object. The reading of the spring
balance is 10 N when the lift is at rest. When the lift is moving, the reading of the spring balance
becomes 8 N. Which of the following describes the motion of the lift?
A. moving upwards with a uniform velocity B. moving downwards with a uniform velocity
C. moving upwards with an acceleration D. moving downwards with an acceleration
E. moving downwards with a deceleration

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25. 1998/II/9
Which of the following phenomena can be explained by Newton’s first law of motion?
(1) A passenger in a car tends to move forward when the car suddenly stops
(2) A coin and a feather fall with the same acceleration in a vacuum
(3) A gun recoils when it fires a bullet
A. (1) only B. (2) only C. (1) and (3) only D. (2) and (3) only E. (1), (2) and (3)

26. 1999/II/2
A 2 kg steel sphere and a 1 kg wooden sphere are initially held at the same level above the ground and
then released from simultaneously. Assume air resistance is negligible. Which of the following
statements about the two spheres at any instant before they reach the ground is/are correct?
(1) The speeds of the two spheres are equal
(2) The accelerations of the two spheres are equal
(3) The gravitational forces acting on the two spheres are equal
A. (1) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (2) and (3) only E. (1), (2) and (3)

27. 1999/II/4
A block is sliding down a friction compensated runway as shown
above. Which of the following statements is/are correct?
(1) The speed of the block is increasing
(2) The normal reaction acting by the runway on the block is increasing
(3) The net force acting on the block is zero
A. (1) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (2) and (3) only E. (1),(2) and (3)

28. 1999/II/5
A light rope is fixed at two poles with ends A and B at the same level.
A T –shirt of weight 2 N is hung at the midpoint C of the rope. The
rope depresses such that ACB = 150º. Find the tension in rope.
A. 1.0 N B. 2.0 N
C. 3.9 N D. 7.7 N
E. It cannot be determined since the length of the rope is not given

29. 1999/II/42
1st statement 2nd statement
If a block is moving with constant velocity on a According to Newton’s first law of motion, a net
rough horizontal surface, there must be a net force force is required to maintain a body’s motion at
acting on the block constant velocity

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30. 2000/II/5
An astronaut lands on the moon and finds that his weight is about one–sixth of that on earth. Which of
the following deductions is/are correct?
(1) If he throws an object upwards on the moon, it will reach a higher level than throwing the
object with the same speed on earth
(2) If he release an object on the moon, it will take a shorter time to reach the ground than
releasing the object from the same height on earth
(3) The maximum weight he can lift on the moon is greater than on earth
A. (1) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (2) and (3) only E. (1),(2) and (3)

31. 2000/II/6
Three forces of magnitude F1, F2 and 10 N act on object as show above. If the
object is in equilibrium, find F2.
A. 5.0 N B. 8.7 N C. 11.5 N
D. 17.3 N E. 20.0 N

32. 2000/II/7
A block is placed on a rough inclined plane and then projected upwards
along the plane. After reaching the highest point, the block slides down
along the plane. Which of the following graphs shows the time variation
of the velocity v of the block?

33. 2000/II/8
A uniform steel ball lies at rest on a horizontal ground and just touches a vertical wall as
shown above. Which of the following diagrams shows all the forces acting on the ball ?
(W = gravitational force acting on the ball, R = normal reaction from the ground,
F = friction acting by the ground on the ball, N = normal reaction from the wall)

34. 2000/II/9
A block is placed on a rough horizontal ground and a horizontal force acts
on the block. If the magnitude of the force, F, is increased gradually, which
of the following graphs shows the reaction between F and acceleration a of the block ?

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35. 2000/II/42
1st statement 2nd statement
When one of a pair of action and reaction forces A pair of action and reaction forces acts on the
is removed, the other force will also disappear same body

36. 2001/II/3
A stone is thrown vertically upwards. Assuming air resistance is negligible, which of the following
statements is/are correct?
(1) The acceleration of the stone decreases throughout the upward motion
(2) The net force acting on the stone becomes zero when the stone reaches the highest point
(3) The total energy of the stone remains unchanged throughout the motion
A. (1) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (2) and (3) only E. (1), (2) and (3)

37. 2001/II/4
A coin is placed on a piece of cardboard resting on a glass as shown above. If
the cardboard is flicked off sharply with a finger, the coin will drop into the
glass. What does this experiment demonstrate?
A. The coin will fall with uniform acceleration under the action of gravity
B. The acceleration of the coin is proportional to the applied force
C. Action and reaction always occur in pairs.
D. Momentum is conserved in a collision
E. The coin has a tendency to maintain its state of rest

38. 2001/II/5
A block on a rough horizontal table is acted on by two horizontal
forces of magnitudes 10 N and 2 N as shown. It remains at rest on
the table. If the force of magnitude 10 N is removed, find the
resultant force acting on the block.

A. zero B. 2N C. 6N D. 8N E. 10 N

39. 2001/II/7

A student uses a friction–compensated runway to study Newton’s second law of motion. The variation
of the acceleration a of the trolley with the force F applied parallel to the runway is shown above. If the
experiment is repeated with the runway making a larger angle of inclination with the horizontal, which
of the following graphs (in dotted lines) represents the expected result ?

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40. 2001/II/9
Which of the following pairs of forces is/are action and reaction pair(s)
according to Newton’s third law of motion?

(1) The gravitational force exerted by the earth The gravitational force exerted by the man
and
on the man on the earth
(2) The pulling force exerted by the man on the The friction exerted by the ground on the
and
suitcase suitcase
(3) The gravitational force exerted by the earth The normal reaction exerted by the ground
and
on the suitcase on the suitcase

A. (1) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (2) and (3) only E. (1), (2) and (3)

41. 2002/II/4
The following are statements written by three students about Newton’s first law of motion.
(1) A stationary object will remain in a state of rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force.
(2) An object undergoing uniform motion will maintain its motion unless acted on by an unbalanced
force.
(3) An unbalanced force is required to maintain the motion of an object at uniform velocity.
Which of the above statements is/are correct ?
A. (2) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (1) and (3) only

42. 2002/II/5
Which of the following objects are under the action of an unbalanced force at the instant shown in the
diagrams ?

A. (1) and (2) only B. (1) and (3) only C. (2) and (3) only D. (1), (2) and (3)

43. 2002/II/6
A block of mass 0.5 kg slides down a rough inclined plane with
an acceleration of 3 m s–2. If the plane is inclined at 30° to the
horizontal, find the friction between the block and the plane.

A. 1N B. 1.5 N C. 2.8 N D. 4N

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44. 2002/II/7
John, of mass 80 kg, is standing on a weighing scale in a lift. At a certain instant, the reading of the
weighing scale is 600 N. Which of the following statements about John at this instant is/are correct?
(1) The gravitational force acting on John is 600 N
(2) The force exerted by the weighing scale on John is 200 N
(3) John is accelerating downward at a rate of 2.5 ms–2

A. (2) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (1) and (3) only

45. 2002/II/9
A block of weight 100 N is placed on a smooth horizontal table. A vertical
force of 60 N and a horizontal force of 30 N are applied to the block as
shown. Find the magnitude of the resultant force acting on the block.
A. 30 N B. 40 N C. 50 N D. 67 N

46. 2003/II/5
A block of mass m slides down an inclined plane with uniform velocity.
What is the net force acting on the block?
A. mg B. mg sinθ C. mg cosθ D. zero

47. 2003/II/6
The figure shows a ride in an amusement park. A passenger is fastened to a seat which
is then raised to the top of a vertical pole. At time t = 0, the seat is released from rest
and falls freely. After 3 s, the seat is brought to rest at a point P near the ground.
Which of the following graphs best shows the relation between the gravitational force
acting on the passenger W and t ?

48. 2003/II/7
A uniform cube of weight 600 N is held in equilibrium in the air by four identical
cables as shown above. If each cable makes an angle of 20º with the vertical, find
the tension in ach cable.
A. 150 N B. 160 N C. 412 N D. 439 N

49. 2003/II/8
A car accelerates at 3 ms–2 along a straight horizontal road. A child of mass 10 kg
is sitting on a safety seat inside the car. Find the magnitude of the resultant force
exerted by the safety seat on the child.
A. 30 N B. 100 N C. 104 N D. 130 N

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50. 2003/II/12
A child is sitting on a chair as shown above. Which of the following pairs of forces
is/are (an) action and reaction pair(s) ?

(1) The gravitational force exerted by The normal reaction exerted by the
and
the earth on the child chair on the child
(2) The force exerted by the child on The normal reaction exerted by the
and
the chair chair on the child
(3) The force exerted by the chair on The gravitational force exerted by the
and
the ground earth on the chair

A. (1) only B. (2) only C. (1) and (3) only D. (2) and (3) only

51. 2004/II/2
An object weights 60 N on the Earth and 10 N on the moon. Which of the following statements are correct ?
(1) The mass of the object on the Earth is 6 kg
(2) The mass of the object on the moon is 1 kg
(3) The acceleration due to gravity on the moon is one-sixth that on the Earth
A. (1) and (2) only B. (1) and (3) only C. (2) and (3) only D. (1), (2) and (3)

52. 2004/II/4
An object is acted on by three forces F1, F2 and F3 in suitable directions such that it remains at rest. Which
of the following combinations of the magnitude of the forces is/are possible ?

F1 F2 F3
(1) 3N 4N 5N
(2) 3N 4N 7N
(3) 3N 5N 9N
A. (2) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (1) and (3) only

53. 2004/II/5

Two bocks, of masses m1 and m2 (m1 > m2), are connected by a light inextensible string and placed on a
smooth horizontal surface. Let T1 and T2 be the tensions in the string when a horizontal force of magnitude
F is applied to the blocks as shown in Figure (a) and (b) respectively. Which of the following relationships
are correct ?
(1) T1 > T2
(2) T1 / m1 = T2 / m2
(3) T1 + T2 = F
A. (1) and (2) only B. (1) and (3) only C. (2) and (3) only D. (1), (2) and (3)

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54. 2004/II/7
A block is initially at rest on a smooth horizontal table and is pulled by a constant
horizontal force. The figure shows the relationship between the physical quantities
y and x. Which of the following combinations of y and x is impossible ?
y x y x
A. displacement of the block square of time B. velocity of the block time
C. square of velocity of the block displacement of the block D. acceleration of the block time
55. 2004/II/8
The photograph shows a sucker sticking a hook to a vertical wall. Which of
the following forces balances the gravitational force acting on the sucker
and hook by the Earth ?
A. the friction between the sucker and the wall
B. the force exerted by the air molecules on the sucker
C. the normal reaction exerted by the wall on the sucker
D. the gravitational force acting on the Earth by the sucker and hook

56. 2005/II/3
A block remains at rest on a rough inclined plane. Which of the following
diagrams shows all the forces acting on the block ?
W = gravitational force acting on the block
R = normal reaction exerted by the inclined plane on the block, and F = friction acting on the block

57. 2005/II/4
A 1 kg block is pulled by a horizontal force of 5 N and moves with an
acceleration of 2 ms–2 on a rough horizontal plane. Find the frictional
force acting on the block.
A. zero B. 2N C. 3N D. 7N

(For Questions 58 and 59)

Two blocks X and Y are connected by a light string passing
over a smooth puller as shown below. The mass of X is
greater than that of Y. The blocks are released from rest.
58. 2005/II/28
Which of the following pairs of physical quantities are not equal while the blocks are in motion ?
A. the speed of the blocks
B. the magnitude of the accelerations of the blocks
C. the magnitude of the resultant forces acting on the blocks
D. the magnitude of the forces exerted by the string on the blocks

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59. 2005/II/29
Which of the following pairs of forces is an action and reaction pair ?
A. The force exerted by the string on X and The force exerted by the string on Y
B. The force exerted by the string on Y and The force exerted by Y on the string
C. The gravitational force exerted on Y and The force exerted by X on the horizontal surface
D. The gravitational force exerted on Y and The force exerted by the string on Y
60. 2005/II/30
Kelvin is standing on a balance inside a lift. The table shows the readings of the balance in three situations.
Motion of the lift Reading of the balance
Moving upwards with a uniform speed R1
Moving downwards with a uniform speed R2
Moving upwards with an acceleration R3
Which of the following relationships is correct ?
A. R1 = R2 > R3 B. R3 > R1 = R2 C. R1 > R2 > R3 D. R3 > R1 > R2

61. 2005/II/32
A fish is hung on a light string as shown above. If the tension in the string is 10 N,
find the total weight on the fish and the hook.
A. 10 sin 70º N B. 10 cos 70º N C. 20 sin 70º N D. 20 cos 70º N

62. 2005/II/44
1st statement 2nd statement
When a parachutist is falling with a uniform velocity When a parachutist is falling with a uniform
velocity in air, the acceleration of the parachutist is in air, the gravitational force acting on the
zero parachutist is zero

63. 2006/II/2
Many traffic accidents on highways are associated with inertia. Which of the following traffic regulations
can reduce the risk of traffic accidents due to inertia ?
(1) Passengers should wear seat belts
(2) Vehicles should not be overloaded
(3) People should not drive over the speed limit
A. (1) and (2) only B. (1) and (3) only C. (2) and (3) only D. (1), (2) and (3)

64. 2006/II/4
A car stopped after emergency braking. The skid mark left by the car was 22.3 m long. Assume that the
friction between the road and tyres was 0.65 times that of the weight of the car. Estimate the speed of
the car when it began to skid
A. 5.38 ms–1 B. 12.0 ms–1 C . 16.2 ms–1 D. 17.0 ms–1

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65. 2006/II/6
An electric fan is installed at one end of a trolley and a card is
fixed at the one end with the plane of the card facing the fan. What
happens to the trolley when the electric fan is turned on ?
A. The trolley remains stationary B. The trolley moves to the right
C. The trolley moves to the left D. The trolley moves to and fro along the ground

66. 2006/II/8
If Peter stands with his feet on a weighing scale placed on level ground, his weight measured by the
scale is W. What would be the reading on the scale if he
exerts a downward force F on a table top with his hands
while he is still standing on the same scale as shown
above ?
A. W B. W+F C. W–F D. F

67. 2006/II/29
An acrobat is standing in the middle of a cable as shown. The angle θ is less than 60º which of the
following relations between the tension T of the cable and the weight W of the acrobat is correct ?
(Neglect the weight of the cable)
A. T > W
B. W >T> W/ 2
C. T= W/ 2
D. T< W/ 2

68. 2006/II/30
A bow is pulled horizontally to create a tension of 50 N on its string as
shown in the figure. What is the net horizontal force acting on the arrow
when it is released ?
A. 32.1 N B. 38.3 N C. 64.3 N D. 76.6 N
69. 2006/II/31
A student performed an experiment to investigate the factors affecting the acceleration on a trolley
carrying different loads. The table below shows the data recorded:

Trial Net Force / N Total mass of the loaded trolley / kg Acceleration / ms–2
(i) 2 2 1
(ii) 2 1 2
(iii) 2 0.5 4
(iv) 4 2 2
(v) 4 4 1
(vi) 8 2 4
Which trials can the student use to deduce the relationship between the acceleration and the net force
acting on the trolley ?
A. (i),(ii) and (iii) B. (i), (iv) and (vi) C. (ii), (iv) and (v) D. (iii),(v) and (vi)

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70. 2006/II/44
1st statement 2nd statement
When a woman stands on a scale inside a lift and The gravitational force acting on a woman the
lifts moving downwards with deceleration, the standing inside a lift becomes greater when the
reading on the scale becomes greater lift is moving downwards with deceleration

71. 2007/II/3
Two blocks, A and B, of masses 1 kg and 3 kg respectively, are
placed on a horizontal smooth surface as shown below. A
horizontal constant force of 12 N is applied to block A so that
the two blocks move to the right with uniform acceleration.
What is the magnitude of the contact force between A and B ?
A. 3N B. 4N C. 8N D. 9N

72. 2007/II/5
A horse pulls a block along a rough horizontal road and moves with a uniform velocity. Which of the
following correctly describes the directions of the friction from the ground acting on the horse and the
block ?
Horse Block
A. backward forward
B. backward backward
C. forward forward
D. forward backward

73. 2007/II/6
A child is standing on a weighing scale as shown above. Which of the following pairs of forces is/are (an)
action and reaction pair(s) ?
(1) The force exerted by the child on The force exerted by the scale on the
and
the scale child
(2) The gravitational force exerted by The force exerted by the scale on the
and
the Earth on the child child
(3) The gravitational force exerted by The gravitational force exerted by the
and
the Earth on the scale Earth on the child

A. (1) only B. (2) only C. (1) and (3) only D. (2) and (3) only

74. 2007/II/27
1st statement 2nd statement
A smaller force is required to push an object along The weight of an object is less on Moon than that
a smooth horizontal surface at same acceleration on Earth
on Moon than that on Earth. Assume that air
resistance is negligible

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75. 2007/II/30
In the above figure, a 1 kg block is suspended by a string under the
ceiling. The block is pulled by a 3 N horizontal force such that it makes
angle θ to the vertical. Which of the following descriptions is correct ?
(The tension of the string is denoted as T)

θ T
A. θ < 30º 13 N > T > 10 N
B. θ < 30º T > 13 N
C. θ > 30º 13 N > T > 10 N
D. θ > 30º T > 13 N

76. 2008/II/5
Two blocks A and B of the same mass on a horizontal surface are
connected by a string as shown above. Two horizontal forces of
10 N and 4 N are acting on A and B respectively. Assume all contact surfaces are smooth. What is the
magnitude of the tension in the string ?
A. 3 N B. 6 N C. 7 N D. 14 N

77. 2008/II/7
A block is placed on a table resting on the ground as
shown in Figure (a) above. Figure (b) shows the
forces acting on the block and the table respectively.
Let F1 = weight of the block
F2 = force exerted by the block on the table
F3 = force exerted by the table on the block
Which of the following statements are correct ?
(1) F1 and F2 represent the same force
(2) F1 and F3 balance each other
(3) F2 and F3 form an action-reaction pair
A. (1) and (2) only B. (1) and (3) only C. (2) and (3) only D. (1), (2) and (3)

78. 2008/II/30

A bob is hung by a string from the ceiling of a train. At a certain instant, the bob is inclined to the east as
shown in the figure. Which of the following descriptions about the motion of the train at this instant is/are
possible ?
(1) It is moving to the east and decelerating
(2) It is moving to the west and accelerating
(3) It start to move to the east from rest
A. (1) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (2) and (3) only

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79. 2008/II/32
John performs a bungee jump from a bridge above a river. He (assumed to be a
particle) is tied to the bridge at A with an elastic cord. He falls from rest at A.
When he reaches B, the elastic cord starts to stretch. John is momentarily at rest
at C and then bounces up. Which of the following descriptions about the
motion of John is/are correct ?
(1) From A to B, John is under free falling
(2) From B to C, the gravitational potential energy of John increases
(3) At C, there is no net force acting on John
A. (1) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (2) and (3) only

80. 2008/II/33
A block of mass m slides down along a rough inclined plane with constant
acceleration a as shown above. What are the friction and the normal reaction
acting on the block ?
Friction Normal Reaction Friction Normal Reaction
A. mg sinθ + ma mg sinθ B. mg sinθ – ma mg cosθ
C. mg cosθ + ma mg sinθ D. mg cosθ – ma mg cosθ
81. 2009/II/3
A ball of mass 0.5 kg resting on a horizontal ground is kicked by a player. The ball travels along a
straight path and comes to rest after travelling a horizontal distance of 10m. If the average resistive force
acting on the ball during the motion is 3 N, what is the initial speed ?
A. 3.2 ms–1 B. 7.7 ms–1 C. 11.0 ms–1 D. 15.0 ms–1

82. 2009/II/4
A block of mass 1 kg rests on a rough horizontal plane. When it is pulled by a horizontal force of 5 N,
it moves with an acceleration of 2 ms–2. Now, the block is at rest and is pulled by a horizontal force of
2 N, what is the resultant force acting on the block ?
A. zero B. 1N C. 2N D. 3N

83. 2009/II/7
Force F is the resultant of two forces F1 and F2 on a horizontal plane.
Which of the following diagrams best represents missing force F2 ?

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84. 2009/II/8
An object of weight 120 N on the Earth's surface is taken to the Moon's surface where the acceleration
due to gravity is 1/6 of that at the Earth's surface. What are the mass and the weight of the object at the
Moon's surface ? (Take the acceleration due to gravity on the Earth's surface to be 10 ms–2.)

mass weight
A. 2 kg 20 N
B. 2 kg 120 N
C. 12 kg 20 N
D. 12 kg 120 N

85. 2009/II/29
A 50 N block is suspended by two threads as shown in the figure above.
Thread S1 makes an angle 30° with the horizontal and thread S2 is
horizontal. What is the tension in S2 ?
A. 28.9 N B. 57.7 N C. 86.6 N D. 100 N

86. 2010/II/2
A man pushes a supermarket trolley with a constant horizontal force for t1
seconds, and then releases the trolley. The velocity–time graph of the
trolley is shown below. Assume that the friction between the trolley and
the ground is constant, which of the following graphs (in dotted lines)
represents the variation of the velocity of the trolley with time if the man
repeats the action with a stronger force ?

87. 2010/II/3
A spring balance is connected to the wall by alight string. A
horizontal force F is acting on the spring balance as shown below.
The spring balance shows a reading of 5 N. Assume that the mass of
the balance can be neglected, what is the magnitude of the tension in the string ?
A. zero B. 2.5 N C. 5 N D. 10 N

88. 2010/II/4
A man is standing in a lift. The lift is initially at rest. When the lift starts to move upward, the man
feels heavier. Which of the following statements is/are correct ?
(1) The gravitational force acting on the man increases
(2) The gravitational force acting on the lift increases
(3) The force acting on the man by the floor of the lift increases
A. (1) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (2) and (3) only

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89. 2010/II/28
A block of mass 4 kg remains at rest on a horizontal rough
surface when strings S1 and S2 of tensions 100 N and 30 N
respectively are pulling it. If S1 is broken, what is the magnitude of the net force acting on the block ?
A. zero B. 30 N C. 50 N D. 70 N
90. 2010/II/30
An object is projected vertically upwards. F denotes the magnitude of the net force acting on the object
and W denotes the magnitude of the weight of the object. If air resistance is not negligible, which of
the following descriptions are correct ?
(1) When the object is moving up, F is greater than W
(2) When the object is at the highest point, F is equal to W
(3) When the object is moving down, F is smaller than W
A. (1) and (2) only B. (1) and (3) only C. (2) and (3) only D. (1), (2) and (3)

91. 2010/II/31
In the figure above, a ball is hanging inside a car by a string. When
the car accelerates on a horizontal road, the string makes an angle of
10° with the vertical. Find the magnitude of the acceleration of the
car. (Take g to be 10 ms–2.)
A. 1.74 ms–2 B. 1.76 ms–2 C. 5.67 ms–2 D. 9.85 ms–2

For Questions 92 and 93

A man of mass 50 kg stands still on a balance in a lift which is initially
moving downwards. Between t = 0 and 6 s, the reading R of the balance
varies with time as shown in the graph below. Take g to be 10 ms–2
92. 2011/II/3
Which of the following statements is/are correct ?
(1) Between t = 0 and 3 s, the net force acting on the man is 400 N
(2) At t = 3 s, the lift starts to move upwards
(3) Between t = 3 s and 6 s, the lift is moving at a constant velocity
A. (1) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (2) and (3) only

93. 2011/II/4
What is the acceleration of the lift between t = 0 and 3 s ?
A. 2 ms–2 B. 6 ms–2 C. 8 ms–2 D. 10 ms–2

94. 2011/II/5
On a horizontal surface, horizontal force F is exerted on a block as
shown in the figure above. When F = 25 N, the block remains at rest.
Which of the following statements must be correct ?
A. If F > 25 N, the block will start to move
B. If F = 25 N, the friction acting on the block will be greater than 25 N
C. If F = 20 N, the friction acting on the block will be 20 N
D. If F = 0, the friction acting on the block will be 25 N
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95. 2011/II/6
The photo above shows an ant hanging upside down from the ceiling. The
ant is holding a 500 rug block using its jaws. The ceiling, the ant and the
block are at rest. Which of the following statements is/are correct ?
(1) The force acting on the ant by the ceiling points upwards
(2) The force acting on the block by the ant and the weight of the block
are an action and reaction pair
(3) The net force acting on the ant is zero
A. (2) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (1) and (3) only

96. 2011/II/29
Three forces are acting on particle P. In which of the following diagrams is the net force on P not zero ?

97. 2011/II/30
In the figure above, horizontal force F is applied to a block which
is hung by a string under the ceiling. At equilibrium, the string
makes an angle θ with the vertical and the tension in the string is T.
The weight of the block is….
A. F sinθ B. F cosθ C. T sinθ D. T cosθ

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HKALE Past Paper MC Questions

1. 1995/IIA/1
When given a slight push, a toy car moves freely with constant velocity down a plane inclined at 20° to
the horizontal. If the mass of the car is 0.5 kg, find the force parallel to the inclined plane for pulling
the car up the plane with constant velocity
A. 1.7 N B. 3.4 N C. 4.7 N D. 6.7 N E. 9.4 N

2. 1997/IIA/1
Two wooden blocks A and B are connected by a string
which passes over a smooth, fixed pulley as shown in
the above figure. The maximum friction between any
two surfaces is 2 N. If a horizontal force F is applied to block B, find its minimum value for moving B
A. 2 N B. 4N C. 6N D. 8N E. 10 N

3. 1998/IIA/3
Two blocks A and B of mass ratio 1 : 2 are placed on a horizontal
frictionless surface as shown above. P and Q are horizontal forces
acting on A and B respectively (with P > Q ) so that the blocks
move to the right with constant acceleration. Find the force acting on B by A.
A. (P–Q)/3 B. (P + Q)/3 C. 2(P–Q)/3 D. (2P+Q)/3 E. (P+2Q)/3

4. 2000/IIA/1
Two books A and B are placed on a horizontal table surface as shown.
A horizontal force F is applied to A but the system remains stationary.
Which of the following statements is/are correct ?
(1 ) The frictional force acting on B by the table surface is greater than F
(2) The frictional force acting on A by B is towards the left
(3) The system would remain stationary if F is applied to B instead
A. (1) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (2) and (3) only E. (1), (2) and (3)

5. 2000/IIA/4
A student holds one end of a string to which a block of mass 8 kg is tied at the other end. He raises the
block with a constant acceleration by pulling the string in an upward direction. If the maximum tension
that the string can withstand is 120 N, find the maximum acceleration of the block before the string
breaks. Take g to be 10 ms–2.
A. 5.0 ms–2 B. 7.5 ms–2 C. 10.0 ms–2 D. 12.5 ms–2 E. 15.0 ms–2

6. 2000/IIA/5
A trolley of mass 0.5 kg moves with a certain acceleration down a runway which is inclined to the
horizontal at 15°. If the angle of inclination is increased to 20°, the acceleration of the trolley would be
doubled. Find the average frictional force, assuming the same in both cases, acting on the trolley. Take
g to be 10 ms 2
–

A. 0.72 N B. 0.80 N C. 0.80 N D. 0.96 N E. 1.04 N

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7. 2008/IIA/4
Blocks P, Q and R, connected by light
inextensible threads, are placed on a smooth
horizontal surface as shown. A constant force F
is applied to P so that the whole system travels to the right with acceleration. If a lump of plasticine is
placed on Q and it moves together with Q while the applied force F remains unchanged, how would
the tensions Tl and T2 in the two threads change ?

Tension (Tl) Tension (T2)

A. decrease increase
B. decrease decrease
C. increase increase
D. increase decrease

8. 2009/IIA/3
A block P is placed on top of another block Q, which rests on a horizontal
surface. The blocks have the same mass m. The block Q is pulled by a
horizontal force F as shown. Assume that all contact surfaces are smooth.
What is the acceleration of each block ?

acceleration of P acceleration of P
A. zero F/m
B. zero F / 2m
C. F / 2m F/m
D. F / 2m F / 2m

9. 2009/IIA/4
A small sphere P is suspended by an inextensible string from the
ceiling of a vehicle. The vehicle is moving on a straight horizontal
road and the string makes an angle θ with the vehicle as shown in
the figure. Which description about the vehicle's acceleration is
possible ?
A. g sinθ to the left B. g sinθ to the right
C. g tanθ to the left D. g tanθ to the right

HKDSE Past Paper

1. SP/IA/5 [HKCEE/2005/II/32]
A fish is hung on a light string as shown above. If the tension in the string is 10 N,
find the total weight on the fish and the hook.
A. 20 sin 70º N B. 20 cos 70º N C. 10 sin 70º N D. 10 cos 70º N

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2. SP/IA/6 [HKCEE/2005/II/4]
A 1 kg block is pulled by a horizontal force of 5 N and moves with an
acceleration of 2 ms–2 on a rough horizontal plane. Find the frictional
force acting on the block.
A. zero B. 2N C. 3N D. 7N

3. SP/IA/8 [HKCEE/2005/II/3]
A block remains at rest on a rough inclined plane. Which of the following
diagrams shows all the forces acting on the block ?
W = gravitational force acting on the block
R = normal reaction exerted by the inclined plane on the block, and F = friction acting on the block

4. SP/IA/9 [HKCEE/2005/II/30]
Kelvin is standing on a balance inside a lift. The table shows the readings of the balance in three situations.
Motion of the lift Reading of the balance
Moving upwards with a uniform speed R1
Moving downwards with a uniform speed R2
Moving upwards with an acceleration R3
Which of the following relationships is correct ?
A. R1 = R2 > R3 B. R3 > R1 = R2 C. R1 > R2 > R3 D. R3 > R1 > R2

5. PP/IA/8
A block of weight 100 N is placed on a horizontal table and a vertical force of
60 N is exerted on the block as shown in the figure above. Which of the
following statements is/are correct ?
(1) The weight of the block is balanced by the force exerted on the block by the table.
(2) The weight of the block and the force exerted on the table by the block are equal in magnitude.
(3) The force exerted on the table by the block and the force exerted on the block by the table are
an action-reaction pair.
A. (1) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (2) and (3) only

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6. PP/IA/9
Blocks, P, Q and R, connected by light inextensible
threads, are placed on a smooth horizontal surface as
shown. A constant force F is applied to P so that the
whole system travels to the right with acceleration.
A lump of plasticine is placed on Q and it moves together with Q. If the applied force F remains unchanged,
how would the tensions T1 and T2 in the two threads change ?

Tension T1 Tension T2
A. increase decrease
B. increase increase
C. decrease decrease
D. decrease increase

7. PP/IA/10

As shown in Figure (a), a block slides down along a smooth inclined plane from rest. The
corresponding speed-time graph of its motion is shown in Figure (b). Which of the following
speed-time graphs (in dotted lines) best represents the motion of the block if it is released at a higher
position on the plane instead ? Assume that the friction between the ground and the block remains
unchanged

8. 2012/IA/5
Two forces F1 and F2 of constant magnitudes act at the same point as shown. When
the angle  between F1 and F2 increases from 0 to 180, the magnitude of the
resultant force…
A. decreases throughout. B. increases throughout.
C. decreases and then increases. D. increases and then decreases.

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9. 2012/IA/8
Blocks P and Q of mass m and 2m respectively
are connected by a light spring balance and
placed on a smooth horizontal surface as shown.
If horizontal forces F1 and F2 (with F1 > F2) act on P and Q respectively and the whole system moves
to the left with constant acceleration, what is the reading of the spring balance ?
2 F1  F2 2( F1  F2 ) 2 F1  F2 F1  2 F2
A. B. C. D.
3 3 3 3

10. 2012/IA/10
A block of mass m resting on a 30o incline is given a slight push and slides
down the incline with a uniform speed. Which of the following statements about
the block’s motion on the incline is/are correct ?
(1) There is no net force acting on the block.
(2) The frictional force acting on the block is 0.5 mg.
(3) If the block is given a greater initial speed, it will slide down the incline with acceleration.
A. (1) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (2) and (3) only

11. 2012/IA/11
A block of mass m initially resting on a rough horizontal
surface is pulled along the surface by a horizontal force F
increasing from zero. If the frictional force is constant, which
graph shows the relation between the acceleration of the
block a and force F ?

12. 2013/IA/5
A block of weight 20 N is suspended by a light string from the ceiling. A force F is
applied such that the block is displaced to one side with the string making an angle
of 25° with the vertical as shown. Find the magnitude of F.
A. 8.5 N B. 9.3 N
C. 18.1 N D. 47.3 N

13. 2013/IA/6
In the figure, O is the centre of a regular hexagon. A particle at O is
subject to six forces with magnitudes indicated as shown. The resultant
force acting on the particle is
A. 9 N along direction OE. B. 8 N along direction OE.
C. 8 N along direction OF. D. 6 N along direction OE.

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14. 2013/IA/7
A block on a rough horizontal surface is moving to the left with
constant speed under two horizontal forces 2 N and 12 N indicated
as shown. If the force of 12 N is suddenly removed, what is the net
force acting on the block at that instant?
A. 12 N B. 10 N C. 8 N D. 2N

15. 2014/IA/4
The figure shows a weight W attached to two light strings which
pass over two smooth pegs at the same height and with weights 30
N and 20 N attached to the respective ends of each string. The
system is at equilibrium. Which deduction about W is correct?

A. W is less than 50 N. B. W is equal to 50 N.

C. W is greater than 50 N. D. No information about W can be obtained as angles  and  are not known.

16. 2014/IA/8
Two blocks of masses 5 kg and 3 kg respectively are connected by a light string
passing through a frictionless fixed light pulley. Find the magnitude of the
acceleration of the blocks in terms of the acceleration due to gravity g when they
are released. Neglect air resistance.
g g g
A. g B. C. D.
2 4 8

17. 2015/IA/5
A constant net force acting on an object of mass m1 produces an acceleration a1 while the same force
acting on another object of mass m2 produces an acceleration a2. If this net force acts on an object of
mass (m1+m2), what would be the acceleration produced ?
a1  a2 a1a2 2a1a2
A. a1 + a2 B. C. D.
2 a1  a2 a1  a2

18. 2016/IA/6
A boy of weight W exerts a downward pulling force F on a rope of weight G hung
vertically from the ceiling. He stands still on the ground as shown. Which of the
following gives the magnitude of the force exerted by
(1) the boy on the ground; (2) the rope on the ceiling ?

(1) (2)
A. W G-F
B. W G+F
C. W-F G-F
D. W-F G+F

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19. 2016/IA/7
A block with initial speed 2 ms-1 slides down a rough inclined plane and
stops after travelling a distance of 0.5 m. What is the deceleration of the
block ?
A. 1 ms-2 B. 2 ms-2 C. 4 ms-2
D. Answer cannot be found as the angle of inclination of the plane is not given.

20. 2017/IA/6
A block is released from rest on an inclined plane as shown. The inclined
plane makes an angle of 30° to the horizontal. The block moves with
uniform acceleration, and travels a distance of 1 m in the first 3 s. Determine
the acceleration of the block.
A. 0.22 ms−2 B. 0.33 ms−2 C. 4.91 ms−2
D. Cannot be determined as the frictional force acting on the block is unknown.

21. 2017/IA/7
A block of mass m stays at rest on a rough inclined plane as shown.
Which of the following diagrams correctly shows the forces acting on the
block ? (N is the normal reaction from the inclined plane, and f is the
frictional force between the block and the plane.)

22. 2017/IA/10
Blocks X and Y are connected by a light
inextensible string passing over a fixed
frictionless light pulley as shown. The mass
of X and Y are 0.5 kg and 1 kg respectively.
Initially, Y is 1 m above the ground and the
string is taut. The system is then released
from rest.
What is the speed of Y just before it reaches
the ground ? (Take g = 9.81 ms−2)
A. 3.62 ms−1 B. 4.43 ms−1 C. 6.26 ms−1 D. 9.81 ms−1

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23. 2018/IA/5
A block of weight 8 N is suspended from a horizontal ceiling by light
inextensible strings to two different points P and Q as shown. The
strings are equal in length. Which of the following descriptions about
the tensions T1 and T2 in the two strings is/are correct ?
(1) The magnitude of T1 must be greater than 4 N.
(2) The maximum value of T2 would not exceed 8 N.
(3) The resultant force of T1 and T2 is zero.
A. (1) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (2) and (3) only

24. 2018/IA/8
A block of mass m is placed on a smooth incline making an angle 
with the horizontal as shown. When a force of magnitude F
parallel to the incline is applied to the block, it travels up the
incline with an acceleration a. If the applied force becomes 2F,
what would the magnitude of the acceleration be ?
A. greater than 2a B. equal to 2a C. between a and 2a
D. whether it is greater than 2a, equal to 2a or between a and 2a depends on the value of 

25. 2019/IA/5
In the above figure, a horizontal force F is applied to a block of mass m so
as to keep it at rest on a smooth incline making an angle θ with the
horizontal. Find the magnitude of F.
mg sin  mg cos 
A. B. mg sin  cos  C. D. mg sin 
cos  sin 

26. 2019/IA/8
A small sphere suspended by a light inextensible string is released from
point H as shown. The string remains taut when the sphere swings
downward. Which free-body diagram below best shows all the forces acting
on the sphere at K? Neglect air resistance.

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27. 2019/IA/10
The above figure shows a ball moving with a constant speed
along a straight line on a smooth horizontal surface. At a certain
instant, the ball is acted on by a force F for a very short time as
shown above. Which subsequent path below would the ball most
closely follow?

28. 2020/IA/8
On a smooth horizontal surface, two
identical blocks P and Q are connected by
a light inextensible string. The blocks are
at rest and the string is loose initially.
Q is given a speed of 4 ms1 and moves to
the right. Find the speeds of the blocks
when the string just becomes taut and P starts to move.

block P block Q
1
A. 1 ms 1 ms1
B. 2 ms1 1 ms1
C. 2 ms1 2 ms1
D. 4 ms1 2 ms1

29. 2021/IA/4
A block of weight W is at rest on a horizontal ground as shown.
The force acting on the block by the ground is R. Which of the
following statements is/are correct ?
(1) R and W are opposite in direction.
(2) R and W are equal in magnitude.
(3) R and W is an action-and-reaction pair.

A. (1) only B. (1) and (2) only C. (2) and (3) only D. (1), (2) and (3)

30. 2021/IA/5
A block is sliding down a rough incline with constant velocity as shown. Which arrow indicates the
direction of the resultant force acting on the block by the incline ? Neglect air resistance.

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31. 2021/IA/6
Which statement below about a raindrop falling at a constant terminal velocity
is correct ?
A. No work is done on the raindrop by the gravitational force.
B. As the raindrop falls, all its gravitational potential energy loss is converted into kinetic energy gain.
C. The only force acting on the raindrop is its weight.
D. No net force is acting on the raindrop.

32. 2022/IA/5
In each figure below, a uniform rod PQ has its upper end P attached to point O on the ceiling by a light
inextensible string. The rod’s lower end Q rests on a rough horizontal ground as shown.

In which figure is the frictional force acting on the rod due to the ground towards the right ?
A. (1) only B. (3) only C. (1) and (2) only D. (2) and (3) only

33. 2022/IA/6
A block of mass m is placed on a wedge of mass M as
shown. The system remains at rest. What is the normal
force exerted on the wedge by the ground ?
A. Mg B. (M + m)g
C. Mg + mg cos D. Mg + mg tan

34. 2023/IA/5
Two blocks, each of weight W, are hung by three identical light strings as
shown. Each string has a limiting tension of 2W, i.e. it will break for a
tension larger than this value. Force F acts vertically on the lower block.
What is the largest value of F without breaking any of the strings ?
A. 0.5W B. W
B. 1.5 W D. 3W

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35. 2023/IA/6
On a smooth incline, a block of weight 120 N is kept
stationary by a string with tension 50 N parallel to the
incline. The string is then cut and the block accelerates
down the incline. What is the net force acting on the
block before and after the string is cut ?
before the string is cut after the string is cut

A. 50 N 70 N
B. 50 N 50 N
C. 0N 70 N
D. 0N 50 N

36. 2023/IA/7
A bob is suspended from the ceiling of a train moving along a horizontal east-west rail.

The bob slants towards east and makes an angle of 20˚ with the vertical as shown. What is the direction
and magnitude of the acceleration of the train ? (g = 9.81 m s2)

direction magnitude
A. due west 3.36 m s2
B. due west 3.57 m s2
C. due east 3.36 m s2
D. due east 3.57 m s2

37. 2023/IA/8
In an amusement park ride, a boy of weight W undergoes free fall vertically in a chair at first and then
decelerates uniformly. Which graph below correctly shows the time variation of the reaction force R
acting on the boy by the chair ? Neglect air resistance.

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38. 2023/IA/9
The figure shows a set-up in which a weight of mass m is attached to two trolleys stacked together,
each trolley of mass m, via a light inextensible string. After the weight is released from rest, which of
the following is correct ? Assume that all contact surfaces are smooth and neglect air resistance. g is
the acceleration due to gravity.

magnitude of the acceleration tension in the string

A. g/2 smaller than mg
B. g/2 equal to mg
C. g/3 smaller than mg
D. g/3 equal to mg

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HKCEE Past Paper Structural Questions

1. 1990/I/1
Figure 1 shows a trolley of length 0.25 m resting on a horizontal runway. An elastic string of
unstretched length 0.15 m is tied to the trolley. The trolley is pulled along the runway by stretching the
elastic string. By keeping the length of the stretched string equal to the length of the trolley, a constant
force f1 N is applied to pull the trolley.

(a) The force-extension characteristic of the elastic string is shown in Figure 2. What is the value of
f1? (1 mark)

(b) Describe a method to determine the acceleration of the trolley

along the runway. (4 marks)

(c) The same experiment is repeated in turn with two, three and four identical strings in parallel.
The following results are obtained :
Number of elastic strings 1 2 3 4
Force on trolley F/N f1 f2 f3 f4
Acceleration a/ms 2 0.15 0.75 1.35 1.95

(i) Find the values of f2 ,f3 and f4 .

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(ii) Using a scale that 4 cm represents 0.5 N and 4 cm represents 0.5 ms-2 , plot a graph of F
against a.

(iii) Find the equation relating F and a from the graph in (ii).

(iv) Comment on the physical meaning of f0 , the intercept on the F axis, when a equals zero.
(10 marks)

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2. 1994/I/1
A block is placed on a rough plane inclined at an angle  to the
horizontal. A force P parallel to the inclined plane is applied to the
block so that it moves up the plane at a constant speed.
Figure 1
(See Figure 1.)
(a) Draw a diagram to show all the forces acting on the block. Label the forces. (3 marks)

(b) Describe briefly a method to check whether the speed of the block remains constant.
(2 marks)

(c) A student performs an experiment to find the relationship

between P and  . Different values of  are used and the
corresponding values of P are measured. The results are
plotted in a graph of P against sin  (as shown in Figure
2. Assume that the frictional force between the block
and the inclined plane remains unchanged.
(i) Find the intercept of the graph on the P-axis and the
slope of the graph. Hence write down the equation
relating P and sin 

Figure 2
(ii) State the physical meanings of the intercept and the slope found in (i). (6 marks)

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3. 1999/I/7
A lorry, with a heavy metal framework placed on top, is
travelling at a uniform speed of 16 ms-1 along a straight
road. (See Figure 6.) At time t = 0, the driver observes
that a traffic light, which is at a distance of 42 m from the Figure 6

lorry, is turning red. The driver applies the brake at t = 0.5 s. The lorry then decelerates uniformly and
comes to a rest at t = 4.5 s.
(a) Sketch the speed-time graph of the lorry from t = 0 to 4.5 s. (3 marks)

(b) Find the deceleration of the lorry from t = 0.5 to 4.5 s. (1 mark)

(c) Explain whether the lorry will stop in front of the traffic light. (3 marks)

(d) Figure 6 shows the forces acting on the metal framework when
the lorry is decelerating. The mass of the framework is 1000 kg.
(i) Name the forces F1 and F2.. (2 marks)

Figure 7

(ii) Explain. whether F1, and F2 are a pair of action and reaction according to Newton's third law of
motion. (2 marks)

(i) Find the magnitude of the friction if the framework decelerates at the same rate as the lorry.
(2 marks)

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(iv) The driver is charged by a policeman for not fastening the framework on the lorry. State two
daily situations in which the framework will slip from the moving lorry. (2 marks)

4. 2001/I/8
Figure 7 shows a horizontal straight highway with a speed
limit of 100 kmh-1 (i.e. 27.8 ms-1). For safety reasons, drivers
are advised to maintain a safety distance of 80 m from the
cars ahead. Large arrows (chevrons) are painted on the
highway (each at 80 m apart) and road signs are set up to
remind drivers of this safety distance (see Figures 7 and 8).
(a) Find the time taken by a car to drive from one arrow to another when it is travelling at 100 kmh-1.
(1 mark)

(b) A car is travelling at 100 km h-1 on the highway. At time t = 0, the driver observes that an accident
has happened and a lorry stops 80 m ahead. He applies the brakes to stop the car with uniform
deceleration. The reaction time of the driver is 0.8 s and the decelerating time of the car is 4 s.
(i) Sketch the speed-time graph of the car. (3 marks)

(ii) Explain whether the car will hit the lorry. (3 marks)

(iii) The total mass of the car and the driver is 1200 kg. Find the average braking force on the car.
(3 marks)

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(c) Suppose the highway in Figure 7 is on a slope with traffic running downhill. Do you think the
distance between two arrows should be greater than, equal to or less than 80 m? By considering
the forces acting on a car, or otherwise, explain your answer. Assume that the speed limit of the
highway and the braking force acting on the car remain unchanged. (5 marks)

5. 2004/I/2
Figure 3 shows a water rocket. The rocket is filled with water and
compressed air. Explain why the rocket rises when the trigger is pulled and
name the law or principle involved. (4 marks)

Figure 3

6. 2005/I/13
Read the following descriptions about ejection seats and answer the questions that follow.

Figure 21 Figure 22

Ejection seats (see Figure 21) are important safety devices in military planes. The pilot, together
with the seat, are ejected out of the plane in an emergency. Figure 22 shows a test of the ejection
process. A dummy pilot sitting on the ejection seat is initially placed on the ground. The ejection
process can be divided into two phases :
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Phase 1: At time t = 0, a rocket installed under the seat is ignited. From t = 0 to 0.5 s, the seat
accelerates upwards.
Phase 2: At t = 0.5 s, the rocket exhausts its fuel. After a while, the seat reaches its maximum
height. The seat is then detached from the dummy and a parachute carried by the
dummy is opened. The dummy eventually reaches the ground.

Figure 23 shows the velocity-time graph of

the dummy during the ejection process.
Assume that the motion of the dummy is
vertical throughout the process, and the effect
of air resistance is negligible before the
parachute is opened.

Source for Figures 21 and 22 : http://vvww.science.howstuffworks.com/ejection-seat2.htm

(a) In Figure 23, label the point on the graph which corresponds to the instant when the dummy
reaches the maximum height. (Note: Use P to denote the point.) (1 mark)

(b) Find the maximum height above the ground reached by the dummy. (2 marks)

(c) The mass of the dummy is 80 kg. Find the force exerted by the ejection seat on the dummy in
Phase 1. (3 marks)

*(d) By considering the forces acting on the dummy, explain the following motion of the dummy in
Phase 2:
After the parachute has been opened, the dummy accelerates downwards at first and then
falls with a uniform velocity (see Figure 23).
It is known that the force exerted by the parachute on the dummy increases with its speed (4 marks)

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7. 2006/I/4

Figure 7

Figure 7 shows a conveyor belt in a factory. A parcel of mass 10 kg is placed at position P when the
belt remains at rest. The workman controls the belt such that the parcel undergoes a motion described
in Table 1. The parcel and the conveyor belt move together without slipping during the entire motion.
Position of the parcel Motion Data given
P Q Uniform acceleration PQ = 5 m and time required = 2 s
Q R Uniform velocity -----------------
R S Uniform deceleration to rest -----------------
Table 1
(a) Consider the motion when the parcel travels from P to Q.
(i) Draw a free-body diagram to show all forces acting on the parcel in the space provided. Name the
forces. (2 marks)

(ii) Find the net force acting on the parcel. (3 marks)

(b) In Figure 8, sketch a graph to show the variation of the frictional force exerted by the conveyor
belt on the parcel. (3 marks)

Figure 8

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8. 2007/I/1
A balloon is filled with air and is attached to a puck. It releases air through a hole at the bottom of the
puck. The balloon puck then moves on a horizontal straight track (see Figure 1) and its velocity-time
graph is shown in Figure 12.

Figure 1
Figure 2
(a) (i) Describe the motion of the balloon puck from time t = 0 to 1.4 s. (2 marks)

(ii) Explain why the motion of the balloon puck changes at t =1.0 s. (2 marks)

(b) If the balloon is filled with less air and its initial velocity is still 0.5 ms-1, sketch the corresponding
velocity-time graph of the balloon puck in Figure 2. (2 marks)

9. 2007/I/2
Figure 3 shows Player trying to block the ball from Player
Y in a volleyball game. Standing on the ground with his
arms fully stretched upwards, Player X’s hands are 2.25 m
above the ground. In order to block the ball, Player X has Figure 3
to jump up such that his hands reach a height of 3 m.

*(a) Using Newton's laws of motion, explain why Player X in Figure 3 can gain an initial speed to
leave the ground vertically. (4 marks)

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(b) Player Y jumps up vertically and his hands can just reach a height of 3 m. Estimate the initial
speed of Player Y at the instant he leaves the ground. Assume that air resistance is negligible.
(2 marks)

(c) Player Z is a teammate of Player X. His hands can also reach a height of 2.25 m when his arms are
fully stretched upwards, but he is heavier than Player X. If he jumps up such that his hands just
reach a height of 3 m, explain whether the initial vertical speed of Player Z will be the same as
Player X. (2 marks)

10. 2008/I/3
Read the following passage about Mega Drop and answer the questions that follow.
Figure 3 shows a “Mega Drop” in an
amusement park. The vehicle carrying the
passengers is lifted by an electric
motor-winch and steel ropes. Once it reaches
the top of the tower, the vehicle remains at
rest for a while. It is then released and falls
under gravity. When the vehicle gets very
close to the ground, it decelerates downward
and finally stops. Figure 4
Figure 3

Let's consider why the passengers experience weights when the vehicle is at rest at the top of the
tower (Figure 4), The earth attracts our bodies while the seat also gives a supporting force on us.
These two forces are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction. Our bodies experience the
supporting force and thus we can experience our weight.

When we are falling in a “Mega Drop”, we are nearly free falling and experience weightlessness.
This feeling gives an excitement to the passengers.
(a) Consider when the passenger is at rest at the top of the tower:
(i) Explain in terms of force acting on the passenger why the passenger is at rest. (2 marks)

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(ii) Explain whether the forces acting on the passenger mentioned in the passage are action reaction
pair. (2 marks)

(b) Consider when the “Mega Drop” falls with acceleration:

(i) Compare the magnitude of the vertical forces acting on the passenger with those mentioned in (a)(ii).
(2 marks)

(ii) Hence, explain why the passenger experiences “weightlessness”. (1 mark)

11. 2009/I/9
An experiment is set up to measure the average friction
acting on a plastic block sliding on a wooden plane with
inclination 25° to the horizontal (see Figure 10). When
the block is released from rest at X, the timer starts. When
the block reaches Y, the timer stops. The experiment is Figure 10
repeated by varying the positions of Y along the plane. The results obtained are shown in Table 1.

Distance between X and Y (D / m) Time taken (t / s)

0.4 0.79
0.8 1.12
1.2 1.37
1.6 1.59
Table 1
(a) (i) Plot a graph of t2 against D in Figure 11. A scale of 1 cm representing 0.2 s2 and 0.2 m is
used. (4 marks)

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Figure 11

(ii) Find the slope of the graph plotted in (a)(i). (1 mark)

(iii) Hence, find the average acceleration of the block. (2 marks)

(b) Draw a free-body diagram to show all the forces acting on the sliding block in the space provided
below. Name the forces. (2 marks)

(c) The mass of the block is 0.178 kg. Find the average friction acting on the sliding block. (2 marks)

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12. 2010/I/1
Figure 1 shows a 15 kg parcel resting on the floor of
a train which travels along a straight horizontal path.
The parcel and the train move together without
Figure 1
slipping during the entire motion. Take the direction
of the motion of the train as positive.
The velocity-time graph of the train is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2

(a) In Figure 2, use an arrow to show the direction of the frictional force acting on the parcel by the
train floor between t = 0 and 30 s. (1 mark)

(b) In Figure 3, sketch the force-time graph showing the net force acting on the parcel between t = 30 s
and 210 s. (The part between t = 0 and 30 s has been shown in the graph. (2 marks)

Figure 3

(c) Find the magnitude of the net force acting on the parcel between t = 0 and 30 s. (2 marks)

(d) Find the distance travelled by the train from t = 0 to 210 s. (2 marks)

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HKDSE Past Paper

1. 2014/IB/4
Read the following description about accelerometers and answer the questions that follow.
An accelerometer is a device for measuring acceleration. The following example illustrates the
principle of a simple accelerometer. An object of mass M is suspended by a spring balance inside a
box. If the box is at rest without acceleration, the object is h above the bottom of the box (Figure 4.1).
When the box accelerates upward, h decreases (Figure 4.2). Likewise, when the box accelerates
downward, h increases (Figure 4.3). Since it is known that the tension of the spring balance is directly
proportional to its extension, we can therefore determine the magnitude and direction of the box’s
acceleration by measuring h

(a) Draw a labelled free-body diagram in the space provided below showing the forces acting on the
object when the box accelerates upward with acceleration a. Explain why h decreases in this case.
(4 marks)

(b) The scale of the spring balance is calibrated such that the pointer moves 1 cm for a change of 2 N
of force. The weight of the object is 5 N. If h decreases by 0.5 cm compared to the situation in
Figure 4.1, what is the reading of the balance ? Hence find the magnitude of the corresponding
acceleration of the box. (acceleration due to gravity g = 9.81 m s2) (3 marks)

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Electronic accelerometers employing similar principles are widely used in smart phones. The phone’s
orientation is detected by a set of built-in accelerometers each detecting the acceleration due to gravity
along mutually perpendicular axes of the phone. A phone in vertical orientation is shown on the left of
Figure4.4, its accelerometer along the Y axis would be sensing the acceleration due to gravity, denoted
by aY = g. When the phone is rotated about a horizontal axis perpendicular to both X and Y axes by
more than 45º, ‘portrait display’ would change to ‘landscape display’ as shown on the right of Figure
4.4.

(c) What would the kind of display be if the phone is rotated clockwise until the acceleration aY sensed
by the accelerometer along the rotated Y axis is 0.5 g ? Explain. (2 marks)

2. 2015/IB/4
The motion of a block on an inclined plane can be investigated using a motion sensor connected to a
computer (not shown in Figure 4.1).A block is given a push up a rough inclined plane and then
released. The velocity-time (v-t) graph recorded by the sensor is shown below. Assume that the
frictional force acting on the block is constant in magnitude throughout the motion. Neglect air
resistance. (g = 9.81 m s-2)

Point A on the graph corresponds to the instant at which the push is removed.
(a) Describe the block’s motion from A to B. (2 marks)

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(b) (i) Find the magnitude of the block’s acceleration from t = 1.5 s to t = 3.5 s. (2 marks)

(ii) Draw the corresponding acceleration-time

(a-t) graph of the block. With the direction
up the inclined plane taken to be positive,
the part during which the block is being
pushed has been drawn for you.
(2 marks)

(c) Draw a free-body diagram to show the force(s) (with labels) acting on the block as it moves up the
inclined plane after the push is removed. (2 marks)

(d) If the mass of the block is 1.0 kg, find the magnitude of the frictional force. (3 marks)

3. 2015/IB/5
You are given a long light string, a protractor and a metal ball with a hook.

Suppose you are inside a train which is at rest initially and later it travels along a straight horizontal
track with constant acceleration. With the aid of a diagram, describe how to measure the acceleration
of the train. Show your working including mathematical derivation. (6 marks)

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4. 2016/IB/3
A person of mass m stands on a balance inside a
lift. The lift goes down from the top of a building
at time t = 0 and it reaches the ground at t = T.
The velocity-time (v-t) graph of the lift is shown
in Figure 3.1. (g = 9.81 m s-2)
(a) Calculate the acceleration of the lift from t = 0 to t = 2 s. (2 marks)

The reading of the balance changes during the person’s ride on the lift and the readings registered are
685 N, 569 N and 395 N.
(b) Match these readings with the three stages, A, B and C, of the ride (shown in Figure 3.1). Hence
deduce the mass of the person. (3 marks)
A: B: C:

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(c) (i) Show that T = 15 s. (2 marks)

(ii) Hence estimate the height of the building. (2 marks)

5. 2020/IB/3
A block P of mass 10 kg is kept stationary
on a smooth incline by a horizontal force
F as shown in Figure 5.1. The incline
makes an angle of 30 with the horizontal.
(g = 9.81 ms2)
(a) (i) On Figure 5.1, indicate and label all
other forces acting on P. (2 marks)

(ii) Find the magnitudes of the force F and the force exerted by the block on the incline respectively.
(3 marks)

(b) Now F is removed and neglect air resistance.

(i) What is the magnitude of the acceleration of the block ? (1 mark)

(ii) Explain whether the force exerted by the block on the incline would increase, decrease or remain
unchanged when compared with that in (a)(ii). (2 marks)

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6. 2021/IB/4
A trolley is connected to a hanger of mass 20 g by a light inextensible string as shown in Figure 4.1.
Four slotted weights, each of mass 20 g, are loaded onto the trolley. The experiment is designed to
investigate the relationship between the net force acting on the system (trolley and slotted weights with
hanger) and its acceleration. The acceleration a is measured after the trolley is released on the smooth
horizontal runway.

The experiment is repeated by transferring the slotted weights one by one from the trolley to the
hanger so as to increase the mass hanging, m.

The results obtained are used for plotting a graph of a against m as shown below. Neglect both air
resistance and the frictional forces acting on the trolley. (g = 9.81 ms-2)

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(a) (i) After the trolley is released, indicate in the figures below (1) the horizontal force(s) acting on
the loaded trolley, and (2) the force(s) acting on the hanger. (2 marks)

(ii) Is the tension in the string equal to, greater than or smaller than the weight of the mass hanging
when the system is released ? Explain. (2 marks)

(iii) By considering the motion of the whole system, or otherwise, write an equation relating m, a and
mass M of the trolley. (1 mark)

(b) Calculate the slope of the graph. Hence find M using the result of (a)(iii). (3 marks)

7. 2022/IB/3
Figure 3.1 shows a quadcopter with four propellers.
When the four propellers are operating to propel air streams vertically
downwards, the quadcopter can hover in the air in a fixed position.
(g = 9.81 m s2)
(a) Referring to Newton’s laws of motion, explain why the quadcopter can hover in the air. (2 marks)

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8. 2023/IB/2
Figure 2.1 shows a ‘water rocket’ built from a 2-litre
plastic bottle with fins attached. The bottle is filled
with water such that 1.5 litres of air is trapped inside.
(c) Given that the mass of the plastic bottle is
negligible.
(i) After the rocket-launching control is pulled and a
jet of water ejects from the nozzle, explain why
the rocket can go upwards using Newton’s laws
of motion. (2 marks)

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