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Most Repeated MDCAT Physics: Forces and Motion MCQs
The most repeated Forces and Motion questions in MDCAT Physics, measured from 377 real past papers. Forces and Motion contributed 627 questions across those papers, and 22 distinct questions recurred with the same verified answer across 2 or more different exam years — listed below (ranked by how many years each recurs in), with the answer, an explanation, and the exact years.
Measured from 377 real past papers · updated July 2026
- 1Repeated in 3 yearsForces and Motion
The range of the projectile is the same for two angles which are mutually:
- AOrthogonal
- BSupplementary
- CComplementary✓
- DSum is 450
Explanation
Complementary angles are angles that add up to 90 degrees (e.g., 30 degrees and 60 degrees). In the context of projectile motion, if you launch a projectile at two complementary angles, their ranges will be the same. This is because: sin(180∘−2θ). This relationship holds true due to the properties of the sine function.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2006, 2017, 2023
- 2Repeated in 3 yearsForces and Motion
A mass accelerates uniformily when the resultant force acting on it:
- AIs zero
- BIs constant but not zero✓
- CIncreases uniformly with respect to time
- DIs proportional to the displacement of the mass from a fixed point
Explanation
A mass accelerates uniformly when the resultant force acting on it is constant but not zero.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2013, 2014, 2023
- 3Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
Which one of the following is a non-conservative force?
- AElectric force
- BElastic spring force
- CGravitational force
- DFrictional force✓
Explanation
Conservative forces, such as gravitational, electric, and elastic spring forces, depend only on the initial and final positions of an object, meaning the work done is independent of the path taken. On the other hand, frictional force is a non-conservative force because the work done by friction depends on the path taken. This is because frictional forces convert kinetic energy into thermal energy, which is dissipated and cannot be recovered, making the process path-dependent.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2010, 2024
- 4Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
Which of the following is the correct definition of variable velocity?
- AUnequal distances are covered in equal intervals of time
- BEqual displacements are made in unequal intervals of time
- CUnequal displacements are made in equal intervals of time✓
- DEqual displacements are made in equal intervals of time
Explanation
When an object covers unequal displacements (changes in position) in equal intervals of time is known as variable velocity. This means that the object's speed or rate of change in position varies over time. It can be due to factors such as acceleration or deceleration, where the object is either speeding up or slowing down during the specified intervals of time.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2022, 2023
- 5Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
A fireman wants to slide down a rope. The breaking load of the rope is 3/4 of the weight of the man. With what acceleration should the fireman slide down? (Acceleration due to gravity is 'g')
- Ag
- Bg/4✓
- C3g/4
- D0
Explanation
Newton's second law states that the force required to accelerate a body is equal to the product of its mass and acceleration. The acceleration will be smaller for a large mass. As a result, more force is required to accelerate the body. The force is imparted through the rope as the firefighter slides down it. Tension is the force exerted on the rope. The minimum tension at the rope when the fireman slide down us given as, mg - ¾ mg This force equating with the minimum tension at the rope, we get: ma = mg - ¾ mg a = g - ¾ g a = g (1 - ¾) a = g/4 The fireman should slide down with a minimum acceleration of ¼ of the acceleration due to gravity.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2022, 2024
- 6Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
A car covers the first half of a certain distance with a speed V1 and the second half, with a speed V2. Find the average speed during the whole journey?
- AOption A
- BOption B✓
- COption C
- DOption D
- EOption E
Explanation
Average speed= total distance/total timeThe car’s journey can be divided into two equal parts of distance ‘d’. Since both distances are equal,Total distance= 2dTotal time= d/v1 (for first part) and d/v2 (for second part)Average speed= 2d / d(1/v1+1/v2)d cancels out leaving 2 / (v1+v2/v1v2)Which can be written as 2v1v2 / v1+v2That is consistent with option B.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2009, 2010
- 7Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
Assume that you have two balls of identical volume, one weighing 2 Newtons and the other 10 Newtons. Both are falling freely after being released from the same point simultaneously. Which of the following will then be true: I. The 10 N ball falling freely from rest will be accelerated at a greater rate than the 2 N ball II. At the end of the 4s of freefall, the 10 N ball will have 5 times the momentum of the 2 N ball III. At the end of the 4s of free fall, the 10 N ball will have the same kinetic energy as the 2 N ball IV. The 10 N ball possesses greater inertia than the 2 N ball
- AI, Il and Ill only
- BI and II only
- CII and IV only✓
- DIV only
- ENone of these
Explanation
Acceleration of free fall acts equally on all masses, this is why both objects despite having different masses have the same speed at any point in time. Statement II is correct because two objects have the same velocity but one having 5 times more mass than the other will have 5 times more momentum than the other object. Statement IV is also correct because inertia depends upon mass since a 10N ball has a higher mass it will have greater inertia. Statement III is wrong because objects have different masses so their kinetic energy can not be the same. Statement I is wrong because objects accelerate irrespective of their masses as mentioned before.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2009, 2010
- 8Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
An object with constant mass rests on a horizontal surface whose coefficient of friction is 0.2. If a horizontal force F is applied to the object, what will be the effect(s) on the object? I. It may move with constant speed in the direction of F once it has been set in motion. II. It may remain at rest. III. It may accelerate. IV. It may move with constant speed in an opposite direction
- AI, II and III only✓
- BI and III only
- CII and IV only
- DIV only
- EIII only
Explanation
1. It is possible that object starts to accelerate when the frictional force becomes greater enough due to objects motion to equalize the forward force, so the object starts moving at a constant speed. 2. Now, if the force is less than product of coefficients of friction and weight of the object may remain at rest. 3. If the force applied is greater than product of coefficient of friction and weight of the object, the object accelerates on the direction of force.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2009, 2017
- 9Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
A car is traveling with uniform acceleration along a straight road. The road has marker posts every 100 m. When the car passes one post, it has a speed of 10 m/s and when it passes the next one, its speed is 20 m/s. What is the car's acceleration?
- A0.67 m/s2
- B1.5 m/s2✓
- C2.5 m/s2
- D6.0 m/s2
Explanation
A car is travelling with uniform acceleration along a straight road. The road has marker posts every 100 m, d = 100 m Initial speed of the car, u = 10 m/s Final speed of the car, v = 20 m/s Let a is the acceleration of the car. It is equal to the rate of change of velocity per unit time.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2013, 2017
- 10Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
A handball is tossed vertically upward with a velocity of 19.6 m/s. approximately how high will it rise?
- A19.6 m✓
- B39.2 m
- C9.8 m
- D7.84 m
Explanation
This is the correct answer. We can use the equation of motion: v^2 = u^2 + 2as, where v is the final velocity (0 m/s at the maximum height), u is the initial velocity (19.6 m/s), a is the acceleration due to gravity (-9.8 m/s^2), and s is the displacement (maximum height). Plugging in these values and solving for s gives us 19.6 m.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2016, 2023
- 11Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
A person having a mass of 60 kilograms exerts a horizontal force of 200 Newtons in pushing a 90 kilogram object a distance of 6 meters along a horizontal floor. He does this at constant velocity in 3 seconds. The weight of this person approximately, in Newtons, is: (g=9.8m/s2)
- A40 N
- B90 N
- C200 N
- D400 N
- E600 N✓
Explanation
To find the weight of a person, use the formula W = mg, where W is the weight, m is the mass (60 kg), and g is the acceleration due to gravity (approximated here as 10 m/s2). Thus, the weight is calculated as:W = 60 kg × 10 m/s2 = 600 NTherefore, the correct answer is 600 N. Other options are incorrect as they underestimate the weight given the mass of 60 kg and the gravitational acceleration.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2017, 2023
- 12Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
What will be the value of acceleration if a body of mass 0.5 kg is acted upon by a force of 10 N?
- A40 m/s2
- B5 m/s2
- C10 m/s2
- D20 m/s2✓
Explanation
As m =0.5kg F = 10N Using; F = ma a = F/m a = 10/0.5 a = 20ms^-2. Hence, option D is correct.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2023, 2024
- 13Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
What is the time rate of change of linear momentum?
- AAcceleration
- BForce✓
- CVelocity
- DWork
Explanation
The time rate of change of momentum is represented as Δp/Δt which is equal to force 'F'. Hence, option B is correct.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2023, 2024
- 14Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
A ball is thrown horizontally with 19.6 m/s. After 2 seconds it's horizontal velocity component will be:
- A4.9 m/s
- B9.8 m/s
- C19.6 m/s✓
- D39.2 m/s
Explanation
In projectile motion, horizontal component of velocity remains constant, so horizontal velocity after 2 sec will remain 19.6m/sec. So, correct option is C.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2023, 2024
- 15Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
To improve the jumping record the long jumper should jump at an angle of:
- A30°
- B45°✓
- C60°
- D90°
Explanation
improve the jumping record, the long jumper should jump at an angle of 45°.Here's why:Range of a projectile: The horizontal distance a projectile travels (its range) is maximized when the launch angle is 45 degrees, assuming the launch and landing points are at the same height and air resistance is negligible.Long jump as projectile motion: A long jump can be modeled as projectile motion.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2010, 2024
- 16Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
If P is the momentum of an object of mass m, then the expression Pm has the same unit as:
- AAcceleration
- BEnergy✓
- CForce
- DImpulse
Explanation
The unit of momentum is kg.m/s and the unit of mass is kg, so the unit of Pm would be kg2.m/s. This unit is equivalent to the unit of energy, which is the joule J. Therefore, option b is correct.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2015, 2023
- 17Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
Two projectiles are in flight at the same time. The acceleration of one relative to the other:
- AIs always 9.8 m/s2
- BCan be as large as 19.8 m/s2
- CCan be horizontal
- DIs zero✓
Explanation
The correct answer is that the acceleration of one projectile relative to the other is zero. This is because both projectiles are subject to the same gravitational force, which provides them with an identical acceleration of 9.8 m/s2 downwards. Therefore, when considering one projectile in relation to the other, there is no difference in acceleration—hence, it is zero.Other options suggest incorrect scenarios: 9.8 m/s2 as a relative acceleration is incorrect because it doesn't account for the fact that both projectiles experience this equally, effectively canceling out any relative difference.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2015, 2016
- 18Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
A detector with a surface area of 1 square meter is placed 1 meter from an operating jackhammer. It measures the power of the jackhammer’s sounds as being 10−3 W and finds the intensity of the jackhammer.
- A10 W/m2
- B10-3 W/m2✓
- C10-9 W/m2
- D10-7 W/m2
Explanation
Sound Intensity (SI) is defined as the power carried by sound waves per unit area in a direction perpendicular to that area. The units associated with SI is the watt per square metre (W/m2).I = P/A =10-3/1 I = 10-3 Wm-2.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2013, 2016
- 19Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
An object moving through a fluid experiences a retarding force known as drag force. The drag force _ as the speed of the object _
- ADecreases _ Decreases
- BDecreases _ Increases
- CIncreases _ Decreases
- DIncreases_ Increases✓
Explanation
Drag is a force acting opposite to the relative motion of any object moving with respect to a surrounding fluid.You feel the drag force when you move your hand through the water. You might also feel it if you move your hand during a strong wind. The faster you move your hand, the harder it is to move.Drag force FD is propotional to the square of the speed of the objects. Mathematically,FD = 1/2 C p Av2, Drag force is directly proportional to the square of velocity, so as the speed of the body increases drag force increases.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2014, 2015
- 20Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
Two bodies having the same mass undergo elastic collision then their velocities after collision will be:
- Av1' = 0, v2' = 0
- Bv1' = v2, v2' = 0
- Cv1' = v1, v2' = v2
- Dv1 = v2, v2' = v1✓
Explanation
a one-dimensional elastic collision between two bodies of equal mass, their velocities are exchanged. This means:The first body's velocity after the collision (v₁') is equal to the second body's velocity before the collision (v₂).The second body's velocity after the collision (v₂') is equal to the first body's velocity before the collision (v₁).Therefore, the correct relationship is:v₁' = v₂ v₂' = v₁So the correct answer from the provided options is v1 = v2, v2' = v1. It seems there's a small typo in the options you provided (it should likely be v1' = v2).
Appeared in the past papers of: 2022, 2024
- 21Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
Momentum is the product of mass and velocity then momentum and velocity are:
- AParallel✓
- BPerpendicular
- CAntiparallel
- DIndependent
Explanation
Momentum is defined as the product of mass and velocity (p = mv).1. Since mass is a scalar quantity, the momentum vector (p) will always have the same direction as the velocity vector (v).2.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2023, 2024
- 22Repeated in 2 yearsForces and Motion
The slope of velocity-time graph give us:
- ASpeed
- BVelocity
- CAcceleration✓
- DDistance
Explanation
The slope of a velocity-time graph gives us acceleration.Here's why:Slope: In a graph, the slope is defined as the change in the vertical axis divided by the change in the horizontal axis (rise over run).Velocity-time graph: In this type of graph, the vertical axis represents velocity (v), and the horizontal axis represents time (t).Therefore, the slope of a velocity-time graph is:Slope = (Change in velocity) / (Change in time) = Δv / ΔtBy definition, the change in velocity over time is acceleration (a):a = Δv / ΔtThus, the slope of a velocity-time graph directly represents acceleration.
Appeared in the past papers of: 2023, 2024