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Leaving Cert Physics & Chemistry: Linear motion

How often Linear motion comes up on the Physics & Chemistry papers, every year it was asked, and questions to try.

HL Asked on 9 of the last 9 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2025. banker

OL Asked on 9 of the last 9 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2025. banker

Linear motion, Higher Level(7 marks)

Quick ones on Linear motion.

(a)Which of these is a vector quantity?
  1. Speed
  2. Velocity
  3. Mass
(b)Define acceleration.
  1. Distance travelled per second
  2. Rate of change of displacement
  3. Rate of change of velocity
(c)Convert 72 km h⁻¹ to m s⁻¹.
  1. 20 m s⁻¹
  2. 259 m s⁻¹
  3. 7.2 m s⁻¹
Show the answers

(a) Velocity

(b) Rate of change of velocity

(c) 20 m s⁻¹

Your turn: Higher Level questions on Linear motion.

Higher Level

Asked on 9 of the last 9 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2025. banker

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2025Q6(d)
2024Q1(b), Q1(c), Q2
2023Q1(b)
2022Q1(a), Q2
2021Q1(a), Q1(d)
2019Q1(c), Q2
2018Q1(c), Q6(a)
2017Q1(c)
2016Q1(a), Q2, Q6(a)

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

More Linear motion questions

Linear motion, 2 marks

A sprinter runs 100 m in 12.5 s. Average speed?

  1. 12.5 m s⁻¹
  2. 1250 m s⁻¹
  3. 8 m s⁻¹
Show the answer

8 m s⁻¹

Average speed = distance ÷ time = 100/12.5 = 8 m s⁻¹. Multiplying instead of dividing gives 1250.

Linear motion, 3 marks

A car speeds up uniformly from 10 m s⁻¹ to 30 m s⁻¹ in 5 s. Its acceleration?

  1. 8 m s⁻²
  2. 4 m s⁻²
  3. 6 m s⁻²
Show the answer

4 m s⁻²

a = (v − u)/t = (30 − 10)/5 = 4 m s⁻². Using 30/5 ignores the starting speed; 40/5 adds the speeds instead of subtracting.

Linear motion, 3 marks

An athlete runs one full lap of a 400 m track and stops at the start line. Her displacement?

  1. 0 m
  2. 400 m
  3. 200 m
Show the answer

0 m

Displacement is the distance in a straight line from start to finish, in a stated direction. She ends where she began, so it is zero, though the distance run is 400 m.

Ordinary Level

Asked on 9 of the last 9 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2025. banker

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2025Q1(c), Q2
2024Q1(b)
2023Q1(a), Q1(c), Q2
2022Q1(b), Q2
2021Q1(c), Q2
2019Q1(b), Q1(c), Q2
2018Q1(a), Q2
2017Q1(b), Q2
2016Q6(a)

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

More Linear motion questions

Linear motion, 2 marks

Speed is defined as?

  1. Change in velocity per unit time
  2. Mass multiplied by velocity
  3. Distance travelled per unit time
Show the answer

Distance travelled per unit time

Speed = distance ÷ time, measured in m/s. Change in velocity per unit time is acceleration, and mass × velocity is momentum.

Linear motion, 2 marks

Which of these quantities is a vector?

  1. Mass
  2. Velocity
  3. Speed
Show the answer

Velocity

A vector has size and direction. Velocity is speed in a stated direction. Speed and mass have size only, so they are scalars.

Linear motion, 2 marks

Unit of acceleration?

  1. m/s²
  2. m/s
  3. N
Show the answer

m/s²

Acceleration = change in velocity ÷ time, so the unit is (m/s) ÷ s = m/s². m/s is the unit of velocity; N is the unit of force.

Other Physics & Chemistry topics

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