Edexcel GCSE Physics Paper 2 Higher June 2025 question paper 1PH0/2H

Figure 1 shows a pool full of water.

The pressure on the ground due to the water in the pool is 3500 Pa.

The gravitational field strength, g, = 10 N / kg.

Calculate the depth of the water in the pool.

Figure 2 shows part of the side and base of the pool.

Figure 2

The water in the pool causes a force on the base of the pool.

Draw an arrow on Figure 2 to show the direction of this force at point X.

A smaller pool has the same depth of water but has only half the area in contact with the ground.

The pressure on the ground underneath the smaller pool is

A small hole is made in the base of the large pool shown in Figure 1.

The area of the hole is 1.5 mm². The pressure at the base of the pool due to the water is 3500 Pa.

Calculate the force on the ground directly below the hole due to the water in the pool.

Use the equation

A bigger hole is made in the base of the same pool.

Compare the force on the ground directly below the bigger hole with the force on the ground directly below the original hole.

A student places a trolley at the top of a runway, as shown in Figure 3.

The student had to lift the trolley through a height of 26 cm to put it at the top of the runway.

The gravitational potential energy, Δ GPE, of the trolley increases by 4.1 J when lifted to the top of the runway.

The gravitational field strength, g, = 10 N / kg.

Show that the mass of the trolley is about 1.6 kg.

Use the equation

The student releases the trolley and the trolley moves down the runway.

The student assumes that all the extra gravitational potential energy, ∆ GPE, stored at the top of the runway is transferred to kinetic energy at the end of the runway.

Calculate the expected value of the velocity of the trolley at the end of the runway.

Use the equation

expected velocity =_........

The light gate, shown in Figure 3, is used to determine the actual velocity of the trolley at the end of the runway.

The actual velocity at the end of the runway is less than the expected velocity as calculated in (ii).

Suggest one way to reduce the difference between the actual velocity and the expected velocity.

A different student finds out how much power can be generated by running up some stairs in a measured amount of time.

The following quantities are measured:

mass of student = 48 kg

total height of stairs = 2.9 m

time to run up stairs = 3.4 s

Calculate the power the student generated.

Give the answer to 2 significant figures (2 s.f.).

Use the equation

State the frequency of the supply of electricity to homes in the UK (United Kingdom).

The mains supply to the television is 230 V.

The current supplied to the television is 0.53 A.

Calculate the power input to the television.

Use the equation

P = I × V

A plug connects a television to the mains supply.

The plug contains a fuse that is connected to the

A 3 A fuse is used in the plug.

Explain what happens if a fault causes the current to rise to more than 3 A.

A fuse is a safety device.

State one other safety device that can be used in domestic electrical wiring.

Figure 4 shows two pieces of electrical cable side by side.

Cable 1 is used to supply electric current to the television.

Cable 2 is used to supply electric current to the house.

Explain why cable 2 is more suitable than cable 1 for supplying electric current to the house.

Figure 5 shows two metal plates.

The plates are charged by a very high voltage (potential difference).

Draw, on Figure 5, the shape and direction of the electric field between the two plates.

Figure 6 shows a device that removes small particles of soot from sooty air.

There is a large potential difference between the metal tube and the metal rod in the centre of the tube.

This large potential difference causes the soot particles to gain a negative charge as they pass between the rod and the tube.

The soot particles have

Explain why, in Figure 6, the charged soot particles move towards the metal tube.

When the soot particles reach the metal tube, the charge on them changes.

State how the charge on them changes.

The metal tube does not become charged when the soot particles reach it.

Explain why the metal tube does not become charged.

There is a current of 2.5 mA in a circuit.

Calculate the amount of charge that moves past a point in the circuit in 80 seconds.

State the unit of charge.

A teacher heats a block of wax until all the wax melts.

The teacher pours the melted wax into a container and allows the wax to cool.

Figure 7 shows how the temperature of the wax changes during a time of 20 minutes.

Four different points on the graph are labelled P, Q, R and S.

Between which two points is all the wax liquid?

Describe the change in the motion of the wax particles as the wax changes from liquid to solid.

Figure 8 shows the values of some properties of the wax.

The wax has a mass of 3.9 kg.

Using information from Figure 8, calculate the volume of the wax when it is all liquid.

Use the equation

volume =_........ ³

State, using information from Figure 8, how the volume of the wax changes when it becomes a solid.

Explain why, using Figure 8, the time from R to S is much shorter than the time from Q to R on the graph in Figure 7.

The battery inside an electric toothbrush is recharged when the toothbrush is placed on its charger.

Figure 9 shows part of the toothbrush and the charger.

Explain how the current is produced in the secondary coil of the transformer in Figure 9.

The potential difference across the primary coil is 230 V.

The potential difference across the secondary coil is 1.5 V.

The primary coil has 1840 turns of wire.

Calculate the number of turns of wire in the secondary coil.

number of turns =_........

In Figure 9, a diode is connected in series with the rechargeable battery.

Explain why a diode is needed in the toothbrush in this part of the circuit.

Figure 10 shows a simplified diagram of the split ring commutator in a d.c. electric motor.

Explain the function of the commutator in a d.c. electric motor.

Figure 11 shows two nails, X and Y, hanging from a magnet.

Complete the labels in Figure 11 to show the N and S poles of nail Y.

Nail X is removed from the magnet and nail Y falls off nail X.

This shows that the magnet caused both nails to be

A teacher has a pile of steel nails, a magnet and some plastic strips that are all the same size.

The teacher places a plastic strip under the magnet and picks up some nails from the pile, as shown in Figure 12.

Some nails are not picked up and are left behind on the bench.

The teacher investigates how the number of nails that can be picked up changes when the number of plastic strips under the magnet is increased.

The results are shown in Figure 13.

Complete Figure 13 to show the missing value.

Use the data in Figure 13 to complete the bar chart in Figure 14.

Use Figure 14 to describe the relationship between the number of plastic strips and the mean number of nails picked up.

A student thinks that none of the nails used in the investigation become permanently magnetised.

Suggest how the student could test this hypothesis.

The magnetic flux density, B, is a measure of the strength of the magnetic field of a magnet.

B varies with the distance, d, from a magnetic pole of a magnet as given by the equation

where K is a constant for the magnet.

At a distance of 3 mm from the pole of a magnet, B = 650 μ T.

Calculate the value of B at a distance of 6 mm from the pole of the magnet.

B at 6 mm =_........

A student measures the length of a spring when it is horizontal and when it is vertical, as shown in Figures 15a and 15b.

The length, Y, of the vertical spring in Figure 15b is greater than the length, X, of the spring in Figure 15a.

Give a reason why the length of the spring in Figure 15b is greater than the length of the spring in Figure 15a.

The student adds some weights to the end of the spring, as shown in Figure 16b.

(Source: https://www.shalom-education.com/courses/ks3-physics/lessons/motion-and-forces/topic/deformation-and-hookes-law/)

The extension of the spring due to these added weights is equal to

The extension of the spring in Figure 16b is now determined for different weights added to the spring up to a maximum of 6 N.

Figure 17 shows a graph of the results.

The increase in potential energy stored in the spring is equal to the area under the graph in Figure 17.

Calculate the increase in potential energy stored in the spring when the spring is extended from 0 cm to 8 cm.

Give your answer in joules (J).

Calculate the spring constant of the spring using data from the graph in Figure 17.

State the unit.

spring constant =_........ unit_........

The box in Figure 18 represents a weight added to the end of the spring.

Figure 18

Draw two vectors on Figure 18 to complete a free body force diagram of a 5 N weight in equilibrium.

Figure 19 shows two forces, P and Q, acting at point X.

Complete the diagram in Figure 19 to show the size and direction of the resultant force, R, on point X.

Figure 20 shows a metal block being weighed by a newton meter (force meter).

In Figure 20a the block is hanging in a liquid. In Figure 20b the same block is hanging in air.

Explain why the reading on the newton meter is different in Figures 20a and 20b.

The density of the liquid is 1.4 × 10³kg / m³.

Calculate the density of the block. Gravitational field strength, g, = 10 N / kg

density =_........ kg / m³

*(b) Figure 21 shows a device that a person can use to lift a large load with a smaller effort force.

(Source: © Shutterstock-Pixelsquid/Shutterstock)

Figure 21

Figure 22 shows the important parts of the device. The curved arrows show the directions of rotation of the handle, the gears and the drum.

The size of the effort force needed to lift the load is determined by the sizes of the parts of the device.

Explain why this is the case.

Your answer should refer to

• the sizes of the different parts of the device

• how these sizes are used in relevant calculations

A student connects a resistor across the terminals of a 9 V battery.

There is a current of 6 mA in the resistor.

Calculate the resistance of the resistor.

Describe how an additional component could be used to vary the current in the resistor.

A voltmeter has four different scales.

Which one of these scales would be most suitable to measure a voltage of 0.85 V?

*(c) The table in Figure 23 gives some information about series and parallel circuits.

Describe how a student can use ammeters and voltmeters to investigate the information given in Figure 23.

Your answer should include

• circuit diagrams showing how the currents and voltages can be measured

• a comparison of the results that would be expected

Space for circuit diagrams

Answer lines for this question are on page 37.