WACE Physics practice questions by topic

Original questions for every topic, with worked explanations and feedback on written answers.

Short response and problem-solving	Calculations and explanations on a scenario, as in the exam
Quick checks	Four-option questions, worked or timed (the exam has none; they practise the same physics)
Written answers	Read against the mark points, with your next step

Try 6 questions

Question 1

Students apply a force of constant size to the end of a lever 0.400 m long at different angles θ to the lever, and a sensor records the torque about the pivot. The graph shows torque against sin θ with a line of best fit. What is the size of the applied force?

Question 2

In a school laboratory in Geraldton, a student whirls a stopper in a horizontal circle of fixed radius 0.800 m and measures the string's tension F at several speeds v. The graph shows F against v². What is the stopper's mass?

Question 3

The graph shows how the ratio Δt′ ÷ Δt depends on the speed v of a clock, where Δt is a time interval measured in the clock's own frame and Δt′ is the same interval measured in a frame in which the clock moves at speed v. A probe's clock records 2.0 hours in the probe's frame, and controllers on Earth measure the same interval as 3.0 hours in Earth's frame. About what speed does the graph give for the probe, relative to Earth?

Question 4

A 25 m length of overhead cable carries a current of 400 A. Earth's magnetic field at the cable has a strength of 5.8 × 10⁻⁵ T and makes an angle of 60° with the cable. What is the magnitude of the magnetic force on this length of cable?

Question 5

Table of secondary turns and measured secondary voltage for a transformer with a 400-turn primary on 12.0 V AC.
Secondary turns	Secondary voltage (V)
100	2.9
200	5.9
300	7.1
400	11.8
500	14.7

A student connects the 400-turn primary coil of a demonstration transformer to a 12.0 V AC supply and measures the secondary voltage for different numbers of secondary turns. The table shows the results. Which reading fits least well with the transformer equation?

Question 6

A student lights a metal with several frequencies and finds the maximum kinetic energy of the photoelectrons for each. The graph shows her line of best fit: it meets the frequency axis at 4.40 × 10¹⁴ Hz and passes through 2.06 eV at 9.40 × 10¹⁴ Hz. What value of Planck's constant does the graph give? (1 eV = 1.60 × 10⁻¹⁹ J)

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Questions people ask

Are past papers still useful?

Yes, for timing and question style. The syllabus changed for teaching from 2026, so check that a question's content is still in it.