Question 1Warm-upFoundation
What resultant force gives a 1200 kg car an acceleration of 3 m/s²?
F = m × a.
Worked solution
- N
Answer: N
GCSE & IGCSE physics practice
Newton's second law questions and answers
Newton's second law says the resultant force on an object equals its mass times its acceleration: . A bigger resultant force gives a bigger acceleration; a bigger mass gives a smaller one. The questions go from substitution to rearranging, then problems where you work out the resultant force first.
8 questions · Foundation tier · Every answer is checked as you type it, with a full worked solution. Updated .
Where newton's second law comes up
| GCSE (AQA) | Physics and Combined Science, Foundation and Higher. Recall resultant force = mass × acceleration, F = ma (on AQA's list of equations to learn). |
|---|---|
| Cambridge IGCSE (0625) | Supplement (Extended): recall and use F = ma, and know the force and acceleration are in the same direction. |
The method
- F = m × a, with F in newtons, m in kilograms and a in m/s².
- Rearranged: a = F ÷ m and m = F ÷ a.
- Use the resultant force, not just one of the forces.
- Convert grams to kilograms (÷ 1000) and tonnes to kilograms (× 1000).
Newton's second law questions
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Warm-up
Question 2Warm-upFoundation
A resultant force of 50 N acts on a 10 kg trolley. Calculate its acceleration.
a = F ÷ m.
Worked solution
Answer:
Exam-style
Question 3Exam-styleFoundation
A resultant force of 900 N gives a motorbike an acceleration of 4.5 m/s². What is the mass of the motorbike?
m = F ÷ a.
Worked solution
- kg
Answer: kg
Question 4Exam-styleFoundation
A 0.06 kg tennis ball is hit with a resultant force of 30 N. Calculate its acceleration.
a = F ÷ m.
Worked solution
Answer:
Question 5Exam-styleFoundation
A 250 g toy car accelerates at 2 m/s². What resultant force acts on it?
Convert 250 g to kg first.
Worked solution
- kg
- N
Answer: N
Question 6Exam-styleFoundation
A 1500 kg car has a driving force of 4000 N and total resistive forces of 1000 N. Calculate its acceleration.
Find the resultant force first.
Worked solution
- Resultant force N
Answer:
Challenge
Question 7ChallengeFoundation
A 2 tonne van slows from 20 m/s to 8 m/s in 4 s. Calculate the size of the braking force.
Find the deceleration first, then F = ma. 1 tonne = 1000 kg.
Worked solution
- N (acting backwards)
Answer: N
Question 8ChallengeFoundation
A 60 kg skydiver has a weight of 588 N. At one moment the air resistance is 288 N. Calculate the skydiver's acceleration.
Resultant = weight − air resistance.
Worked solution
- Resultant force N downwards
Answer: downwards
Common mistakes
- Using one force instead of the resultant force.
- Leaving mass in grams.
- Dividing the wrong way round when rearranging.
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Sources
The questions are our own. The “where it comes up” notes are from each board's published specification, checked on 27 October 2026:
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