Mass, Wt & Density – Practice

Section A
MCQ
1.

( A )
N03/I/6

2.

( A )
N01/I/4

3. Which statement about gravitational fields is correct?

A Gravitational fields cause forces on objects because they are charged.
B Only planets and stars have gravitational fields.
C The gravitational field of the Earth acts inwards towards the centre of the Earth.
D The gravitational field strength on the Moon is less than on Earth because there is no
atmosphere on the Moon. ( C )
N07/I/6

4. What is the meaning of the weight of an object?

A the density of the material from which it is made
B the force exerted on it by gravity
C the mass of the matter it contains
D the pressure it exerts on the floor ( B )
0625-N08/1: 4

5. A passenger is sitting in an aeroplane, which takes off and climbs to 10 000 m.

During this time, what happens to the mass and to the weight of the passenger?
mass weight
A decreases decreases
B increases increases
C unchanged decreases
D unchanged increases ( C )
5054-M10: 6

6.

( D )
5054-M12: 10

March 27, 2020

7. A person of weight 600 N at the bottom of a mountain climbs to the top. The gravitational
field strength changes from 10.00 N / kg at the bottom to 9.97 N / kg at the top.
What are his mass and his weight at the top of the mountain?
mass at top of weight at top of
mountain / kg mountain / N
A 60.0 598
B 60.0 600
C 60.1 598
D 60.1 600 ( A )
5054-N10: 7

8.

( B )
5054-N10: 8

9. Experiments are carried out on the Moon and on Earth. There is no atmosphere on the
Moon and the gravitational field strength on the Moon is less than that on Earth.
A coin and a feather are dropped at the same instant from the same height.
Which statement is correct for the experiment on the Moon?
A The coin falls faster than the feather, but both take a longer time than on Earth.
B The coin falls faster than the feather, but both take a shorter time than on Earth.
C They fall together, taking a longer time than the coin takes on Earth.
D They fall together, taking a shorter time than the coin takes on Earth. ( C )
N14/I/6

10.

( D )
17PENH: 4

March 27, 2020 P a g e |2

Structured
1. A small spacecraft, known as Beagle 2, is to land on the planet Mars.
As the spacecraft enters the planet’s atmosphere, it slows down. When the speed reaches
1600 km/h, parachutes open and the friction with the atmosphere increases. The
spacecraft eventually reaches a steady speed, and then finally it hits the surface.
(a) On the axes of the figure, complete the speed-time graph for the spacecraft. The
parachutes open at time t1, and the spacecraft hits the surface of Mars at time t2. [2]

(b) State what is meant by a gravitational field. [2]

(c) The mass of the spacecraft is 65 kg. At one point the gravitational field strength of
Mars is 3.0 N/kg and the total upwards force on the spacecraft is 500 N.
Determine the weight of the spacecraft. [1]
(N03/II/1)

March 27, 2020 P a g e |3

2. A pendulum swings backwards and forwards passing through Y, the middle point of the
oscillation.

(a) Whenever the pendulum is at Y, what is the resultant force acting on the bob of the
pendulum? [1]

(b) What causes the bob to pass through Y? [1]

(c) What is inertia? [1]

L4k-4: 1

March 27, 2020 P a g e |4

Section B
MCQ
11. Which of the following is a unit of density?
A cm3/g B g/cm2 C g/cm3 D kg/m2 ( C )
0625-M07/1: 6

12. The diagram shows a material with dimensions 5 cm × 4 cm × 2 cm. It has a mass of 100 g.
What is the density of the material?

N02/I/5 ( B )
13.

( D )
N10/I/8

14.

( C )
15.

( A )
N11/I/7

March 27, 2020 P a g e |5

16. Two balances X and Y are used on the Moon to measure the weight and the mass of a load
as shown in the diagrams below. Balance X reads 60 N and balance Y needs 2 pieces of
1 kg mass to balance the load.

If these measurements were to be repeated on Earth, where the gravitational field

strength is 6 times more than that on the Moon, what will be the correct readings?
Number of 1 kg mass to
Reading on balance X balance the load in balance Y
A 60 N 2
B 60 N 12
C 360 N 2
D 360 N 12 ( C )
08PECHS: 8

17.

. ( D )
N03/I/4

18. A lump of stone is weighed using a newton-meter (spring balance) and a pair of scales
(pan balance). This experiment is repeated on the Moon. Are the readings for each
balance the same or different when taken on Earth and on the Moon?
on newton-meter on scales
A different different
B different same
C same different
D same same
N00/I/5 ( B )

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19. The graph shows the variation of volume
with temperature for a fixed mass of liquid.
From the graph, it can be seen that the
density of the liquid reaches
A a maximum value at 120 °C.
B a maximum value at 180 °C.
C a minimum value at 100 °C.
D a minimum value at 120 °C. ( A )
N09/I/7

20. A student is trying to find the density of a stone, but he has mixed up the instruction cards.

What order should the cards be in?

A 5→3→6→2→1→4→7
B 1→5→3→6→2→7→4
C 5→6→3→2→1→7→4
D 1→4→5→3→6→2→7 ( B )
N05/1/7

21. A 15 g of ice at −10 °C with a volume 16.5 cm3 is added to 20 g of water at 30 °C and
volume 20 cm3 in a cup. The cup of ice and water is left on the table and the temperature
is allowed to stabilise to 30 °C. What was the final density of the water?
A 0.95 g cm−3
B 0.96 g cm−3
C 1.0 g cm−3
D 1.10 g cm−3 ( C )
12PE2VS: 6

22. A plastic can containing 120 g of substance X

floats on liquid as shown in the figure. The volume
of the plastic can is 240 cm3 and the mass of the
can 200 g. Calculate the density of the liquid.
A 0.3 g cm−3
B 0.8 g cm−3
C 1.3 g cm−3
D 2.0 g cm−3 ( C )
08PE2VS: 4

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Structured
1. A student checks the purity of a small, uniform bar of
gold by measuring its density.
He measures the dimensions of the bar. The values are
shown on the figure.
(a) The student has written down every digit of the
readings from the measuring instrument that he used.
Suggest the name of the instrument used. [1]

(b) He measures the mass of the bar as 176.8 g and the weight of the bar as 1.80 N.
(i) Calculate the gravitational field strength where the measurements were made. [1]

(ii) Calculate the density of the bar. Give your answer in g/cm3. [3]

(iii) The density of pure gold is 19.281 g/cm3.

State and explain whether the bar is made of pure gold. [1]

(N07/II/3)

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