| Exam Board | Edexcel |
|---|---|
| Module | M1 (Mechanics 1) |
| Marks | 9 |
| Paper | Download PDF ↗ |
| Mark scheme | Download PDF ↗ |
| Topic | Constant acceleration (SUVAT) |
| Type | Time to reach midpoint or specific position |
| Difficulty | Standard +0.3 Part (a) is a straightforward SUVAT calculation using s = (u+v)t/2. Part (b) requires solving a quadratic equation from s = ut + ½at², which is slightly beyond routine but still a standard M1 exercise. The 6-mark allocation and two-part structure make this slightly above average difficulty for typical mechanics questions. |
| Spec | 3.02d Constant acceleration: SUVAT formulae |
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Answer/Working | Marks | Guidance |
| Use of \(s = \left(\frac{u+v}{2}\right)t\) with \(u=5\), \(v=20\) and \(t=30\) | M1 | |
| \(s = \frac{25}{2} \times 30 = 375\) m | M1 A1 |
| Answer | Marks | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Answer/Working | Marks | Guidance |
| \(a = \frac{\Delta v}{t} = \frac{20-5}{30} = 0.5\), \(s = 187.5\), \(u = 5\), use \(s = ut + \frac{1}{2}at^2\) | M1 A1 | |
| \(187.5 = 5t + 0.25t^2 \therefore t^2 + 20t - 750 = 0\) | M1 | |
| Use quadratic formula to give \(t = -10 \pm 5\sqrt{34}\) | M1 A1 | |
| Take \(+\)ve root \(\therefore t = 19.15\) seconds (2dp) | A1 | (9) |
## Question 3:
### Part (a)
| Answer/Working | Marks | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Use of $s = \left(\frac{u+v}{2}\right)t$ with $u=5$, $v=20$ and $t=30$ | M1 | |
| $s = \frac{25}{2} \times 30 = 375$ m | M1 A1 | |
### Part (b)
| Answer/Working | Marks | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| $a = \frac{\Delta v}{t} = \frac{20-5}{30} = 0.5$, $s = 187.5$, $u = 5$, use $s = ut + \frac{1}{2}at^2$ | M1 A1 | |
| $187.5 = 5t + 0.25t^2 \therefore t^2 + 20t - 750 = 0$ | M1 | |
| Use quadratic formula to give $t = -10 \pm 5\sqrt{34}$ | M1 A1 | |
| Take $+$ve root $\therefore t = 19.15$ seconds (2dp) | A1 | **(9)** |
---3. A lorry accelerates uniformly from $5 \mathrm {~m} \mathrm {~s} ^ { - 1 }$ to $20 \mathrm {~m} \mathrm {~s} ^ { - 1 }$ in 30 seconds.
\begin{enumerate}[label=(\alph*)]
\item Find how far it travels while accelerating.
\item Find, in seconds correct to 2 decimal places, the length of time it takes for the lorry to cover the first half of this distance.\\
(6 marks)
\end{enumerate}
\hfill \mbox{\textit{Edexcel M1 Q3 [9]}}