Centre of gravity: past paper questions
Real questions on centre of gravity
The newest 9 of 9 written questions. Open one to see it on the real paper.
- 0972/31 · May/June 2026 · Q3a[2]
Explain why container Ais more stable than container B.
See it on the paper → - 0972/42 · May/June 2026 · Q2a(ii)[3]
(ii) A rocket is used to carry the satellite into space. The initial mass of the rocket and satellite is 1.5 x 10*kg. The initial force provided by the rocket is 1.9 x 10°N. Calculate the initial acceleration of the rocket. ACCElErAation .......... m/s? [3]
See it on the paper → - 0972/42 · May/June 2025 · Q2b[1]
On Fig. 2.1, mark the position of the centre of gravity of the metre ruler with a point labelled X. Label the distance of X from the 0 cm end of the ruler.
See it on the paper → - 0972/42 · May/June 2025 · Q2c(i)[3]
Show that the mass of the metre ruler is 0.081 kg. (c) (i)
See it on the paper → - 0972/41 · October/November 2024 · Q3b(i)[1]
Explain what is meant by centre of gravity.
See it on the paper → - 0972/41 · October/November 2023 · Q4a(i)[1]
State what is meant by centre of gravity.
See it on the paper → - 0972/31 · May/June 2023 · Q2d[1]
The builder positions the beam as shown in Fig. 2.3. 160 cm ground Fig. 2.3 (not to scale) State why the beam shown in Fig. 2.3 is less stable than the beam shown in Fig. 2.1.
See it on the paper → - 0972/31 · October/November 2021 · Q3a[3]
A student determines the centre of mass of a piece of card. Fig. 3.1 shows the equipment the student uses. pin cork A stand card ruler B C cotton thread weight Fig. 3.1 Describe how the student determines the centre of mass of the card using the equipment in Fig. 3.1.
See it on the paper → - 0972/31 · October/November 2019 · Q4a(i)[1]
The tractor has a heavy weight at the front. Explain why the heavy weight is needed.
See it on the paper →
What examiners said
The strongest candidates correctly identified that the centre of gravity was at the 50 cm point of the metre ruler. Common mistakes were to assume that the metre ruler was balanced at the pivot shown in the diagram or to omit the label showing the value of the distance from the end of the metre ruler. A significant number of candidates did not give an answer to this question.
— Examiner report, May/June 2025, 0972/42 Q2(b) (Cambridge)
This question required candidates to apply the principle of moments to equate the sum of the clockwise moments with the anticlockwise moment. The clockwise moment was provided by both the moment due to the 0.12 N force and the weight of the ruler. Candidates who were able to produce a correct equation were usually able to go on to calculate the mass of the ruler by dividing its weight by g. Strong...
— Examiner report, May/June 2025, 0972/42 Q2(c)(i) (Cambridge)
Few candidates gave a precise enough answer to this question. Many referred to gravity rather than weight or the force of gravity. Weaker candidates referred to the centre of gravity as being the point where most of the weight acts or the point at which the object balances. Although correct statements about the centre of mass were credited, it should be noted that the syllabus now requires underst...
— Examiner report, October/November 2023, 0972/41 Q4(a)(i) (Cambridge)
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