1.12 Types of force
Different force types are identified by their interaction and direction, including weight, upthrust, drag, lift, thrust and friction on diagrams.
- Syllabus
- 2024
- Objective
- 1.12
- Level
- —
Exam analysis
Chance of appearing11%of analysed past papers
Latest appearanceMay 2025
Most common paperPaper1P
Typical marks2–4
Common command terms
- Draw
Scoring notes
- Common mistake
- Writing gravity as the force label when the accepted force is weight or gravitational force.
Recent exam appearances
May 2025Paper2PR [] · TZ05(a)[ 2 ]1.12 Types of force
June 2022Paper1P [null] · TZ06(b)[ 4 ]1.12 Types of force
May 2020Paper1P [null] · TZ04(c)[ 4 ]1.12 Types of force
Jan 2020Paper1P [null] · TZ02(a)(i)[ 2 ]1.12 Types of force
Practice this objective
Coverage 2020–2025 · Updated 16 Jul 2026
1.12 Types of force
Identify different types of force such as gravitational or electrostatic
Concept essentials
- Weight is the downward gravitational force on an object.
- Drag and air resistance act opposite to motion through air.
- Lift or upthrust can act upwards depending on the situation.
- Balanced forces in diagrams can be shown with equal-length opposite arrows.