Edexcel IGCSE Physics 1.6 acceleration equation
Practise acceleration equations by substituting values into a = (v - u)/t, rearranging for missing terms and checking m/s2 units.
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2019
- Course
- Physics 4PH1
Practise acceleration equations by substituting values into a = (v - u)/t, rearranging for missing terms and checking m/s2 units.
A student does an experiment to determine the acceleration due to gravity, g.
The diagram shows the apparatus used.

This is the student's method.
- connect both light gates to a data logger
- drop a steel ball from rest at the top of the transparent tube
- record the speed of the ball at each light gate
- record the time taken for the ball to fall from light gate A to light gate B
The box shows the data recorded by the data logger.
speed at A =1.45 m/s
speed at B =4.20 m/s
time from A to B=0.286 s
Show that the acceleration of the steel ball is approximately 9.6 m/s^2.
acceleration = ............ m/s^2
- substitution into a = delta v / t
- evaluation to 3 or more significant figures
Example:
- acceleration = (4.20 - 1.45) / 0.286
- acceleration = 9.62 m/s^2