ForcesExam Focus

Exam Focus

Part of Stopping DistancesGCSE Physics

This exam focus covers Exam Focus within Stopping Distances for GCSE Physics. Revise Stopping Distances in Forces for GCSE Physics with 13 exam-style questions and 5 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 10 of 12 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.

Topic position

Section 10 of 12

Practice

13 questions

Recall

5 flashcards

🎯 Exam Focus

Frequently Examined

Stopping distances feature in AQA Physics papers regularly, often with real-world road safety contexts. Key question types:

  • Calculate thinking distance from speed and reaction time
  • State factors that increase reaction time / thinking distance / braking distance
  • Explain why braking distance quadruples when speed doubles — link to KE = ½mv²
  • Compare graphs of speed-time data showing vehicle stopping
  • Evaluate road safety measures — 20 mph zones, wet roads, phone use

Common 3-mark structure: State the factor → explain how it affects reaction time or friction → link to thinking/braking distance increasing.

Keep building this topic

Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in Stopping Distances. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.

Practice Questions for Stopping Distances

What is the correct definition of stopping distance?

  • A. The distance the car travels while the brakes are applied only
  • B. The distance the car travels during the driver's reaction time only
  • C. Thinking distance plus braking distance
  • D. The speed of the car divided by the braking force
1 markfoundation

Explain why a car travelling at higher speed has a greater braking distance than a car travelling at lower speed, assuming the same braking force.

3 marksstandard

Quick Recall Flashcards

🧠 Factors Affecting THINKING Distance
Alcohol — impairs judgment and reactions
🧠 Factors Affecting THINKING Distance
Tiredness — slower brain processing

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