AC HPAT PHYSICS QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 2025-2026
Distance - CORRECT ANSWER-· Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to "how much
ground an object has covered" during its motion.
Displacement - CORRECT ANSWER-· Displacement is a vector quantity that refers to
"how far out of place an object is"; it is the object's overall change in position.
Position - CORRECT ANSWER-· Position is a place where someone or something is
located or has been put. In physics, position is usually a number on an axis. ... Position
is a vector, because direction matters. But distance is a scalar. Distance is how far
you've traveled.
Speed - CORRECT ANSWER-· Speed is the distance traveled per unit of time. It is how
fast an object is moving. Speed is the scalar quantity that is the magnitude of the
velocity vector. It doesn't have a direction.
Acceleration - CORRECT ANSWER-· Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with
time.
Instantaneous velocity - CORRECT ANSWER-· Instantaneous velocity is the velocity of
an object in motion at a specific point in time. This is determined similarly to average
velocity, but we narrow the period of time so that it approaches zero. If an object has a
standard velocity over a period of time, its average and instantaneous velocities may be
the same.
A force - CORRECT ANSWER-a force is any interaction that, when unopposed, will
change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its
velocity (which includes to begin moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force
can also be described intuitively as a push or a pull
Net force - CORRECT ANSWER-· Net force is the vector sum of forces acting on a
particle or body. The net force is a single force that replaces the effect of the original
forces on the particle's motion. It gives the particle the same acceleration as all those
actual forces together as described by the Newton's second law of motion.
Uniform vs. non-uniform motion - CORRECT ANSWER-· Difference between uniform
and non-uniform motion with examples. In Uniform motion, movement of a body is along
the straight line with constant speed. In non-uniform motion, movement of a body is
, along the straight line with variable speed. In uniform motion, body covers equal
distance in equal interval of time
What is the difference between constant, instantaneous, and average speed? -
CORRECT ANSWER-· constant speed is where the speed is the same throughout and
instantaneous speed is speed given at any moment and average speed is a total
distance traveled divided by the amount of time it took to travel it.
Newton’s Laws - CORRECT ANSWER-Newton's first law states that every object will
remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state
by the action of an external force. The second law states that the acceleration of an
object is dependent upon two variables - the net force acting upon the object and the
mass of the object.
The third law states that for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite
reaction.
Coefficient of friction - CORRECT ANSWER-· A coefficient of friction is a value that
shows the relationship between two objects and the normal reaction between the
objects that are involved. ... The coefficient of friction depends on the objects that are
causing friction. The value is usually between 0 and 1 but can be greater than 1.
Torque - CORRECT ANSWER-Torque is a measure of the force that can cause an
object to rotate about an axis. Just as force is what causes an object to accelerate in
linear kinematics, torque is what causes an object to acquire angular acceleration.
Torque is a vector quantity
Mechanical advantage - CORRECT ANSWER-· Mechanical advantage is the ratio of
the force produced by a machine to the force applied to it, used in assessing the
performance of a machine.
Input vs output force - CORRECT ANSWER-· The difference between the two is very
simple to understand: Input Force represents the amount of force that you put into
another object. Output Force represents the force that a specific object has as a result
of the input force.
Gravitational force - CORRECT ANSWER-· The gravitational force is a force that
attracts any two objects with mass. ... In fact, every object, including you, is pulling on
every other object in the entire universe! This is called Newton's Universal Law of
Gravitation.
ANSWERS 2025-2026
Distance - CORRECT ANSWER-· Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to "how much
ground an object has covered" during its motion.
Displacement - CORRECT ANSWER-· Displacement is a vector quantity that refers to
"how far out of place an object is"; it is the object's overall change in position.
Position - CORRECT ANSWER-· Position is a place where someone or something is
located or has been put. In physics, position is usually a number on an axis. ... Position
is a vector, because direction matters. But distance is a scalar. Distance is how far
you've traveled.
Speed - CORRECT ANSWER-· Speed is the distance traveled per unit of time. It is how
fast an object is moving. Speed is the scalar quantity that is the magnitude of the
velocity vector. It doesn't have a direction.
Acceleration - CORRECT ANSWER-· Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with
time.
Instantaneous velocity - CORRECT ANSWER-· Instantaneous velocity is the velocity of
an object in motion at a specific point in time. This is determined similarly to average
velocity, but we narrow the period of time so that it approaches zero. If an object has a
standard velocity over a period of time, its average and instantaneous velocities may be
the same.
A force - CORRECT ANSWER-a force is any interaction that, when unopposed, will
change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its
velocity (which includes to begin moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force
can also be described intuitively as a push or a pull
Net force - CORRECT ANSWER-· Net force is the vector sum of forces acting on a
particle or body. The net force is a single force that replaces the effect of the original
forces on the particle's motion. It gives the particle the same acceleration as all those
actual forces together as described by the Newton's second law of motion.
Uniform vs. non-uniform motion - CORRECT ANSWER-· Difference between uniform
and non-uniform motion with examples. In Uniform motion, movement of a body is along
the straight line with constant speed. In non-uniform motion, movement of a body is
, along the straight line with variable speed. In uniform motion, body covers equal
distance in equal interval of time
What is the difference between constant, instantaneous, and average speed? -
CORRECT ANSWER-· constant speed is where the speed is the same throughout and
instantaneous speed is speed given at any moment and average speed is a total
distance traveled divided by the amount of time it took to travel it.
Newton’s Laws - CORRECT ANSWER-Newton's first law states that every object will
remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state
by the action of an external force. The second law states that the acceleration of an
object is dependent upon two variables - the net force acting upon the object and the
mass of the object.
The third law states that for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite
reaction.
Coefficient of friction - CORRECT ANSWER-· A coefficient of friction is a value that
shows the relationship between two objects and the normal reaction between the
objects that are involved. ... The coefficient of friction depends on the objects that are
causing friction. The value is usually between 0 and 1 but can be greater than 1.
Torque - CORRECT ANSWER-Torque is a measure of the force that can cause an
object to rotate about an axis. Just as force is what causes an object to accelerate in
linear kinematics, torque is what causes an object to acquire angular acceleration.
Torque is a vector quantity
Mechanical advantage - CORRECT ANSWER-· Mechanical advantage is the ratio of
the force produced by a machine to the force applied to it, used in assessing the
performance of a machine.
Input vs output force - CORRECT ANSWER-· The difference between the two is very
simple to understand: Input Force represents the amount of force that you put into
another object. Output Force represents the force that a specific object has as a result
of the input force.
Gravitational force - CORRECT ANSWER-· The gravitational force is a force that
attracts any two objects with mass. ... In fact, every object, including you, is pulling on
every other object in the entire universe! This is called Newton's Universal Law of
Gravitation.
