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UAE TLS Physics Subject Test study materials
UAE TLS Physics Subject Test study resources

UAE TLS Physics Subject Test practice questions

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Question 1Mechanics and Motion

A car travels 240 m in 20 s at a constant speed. What is its speed?

  1. 4800 m/s
  2. 20 m/s
  3. 48 m/s
  4. 12 m/s Correct answer.

Explanation

Speed equals distance divided by time, so 240 m divided by 20 s gives 12 m/s. This is the definition of average speed for uniform motion.

Question 2Mechanics and Motion

Which quantity is a vector?

  1. Distance
  2. Displacement Correct answer.
  3. Speed
  4. Time

Explanation

A vector needs both magnitude and direction, and displacement specifies how far and in which direction an object has moved. Distance, speed and time are all scalars with magnitude only.

Question 3Mechanics and Motion

An object moves in a straight line at constant velocity. What is its acceleration?

  1. Increasing steadily
  2. Zero Correct answer.
  3. Equal to its velocity
  4. Constant but nonzero

Explanation

Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity, so a constant velocity means no change and therefore zero acceleration. Constant velocity requires both constant speed and constant direction.

Question 4Mechanics and Motion

What is the SI unit of force?

  1. Joule
  2. Pascal
  3. Watt
  4. Newton Correct answer.

Explanation

The newton is defined as the force that gives a 1 kg mass an acceleration of 1 m/s². The other listed units measure energy, power and pressure respectively.

Question 5Mechanics and Motion

A ball is dropped from rest and falls freely near Earth's surface. Taking g = 10 m/s², how fast is it moving after 3 s?

  1. 30 m/s Correct answer.
  2. 10 m/s
  3. 3 m/s
  4. 90 m/s

Explanation

For free fall from rest, velocity equals g multiplied by time, so 10 m/s² × 3 s = 30 m/s. Air resistance is neglected in free-fall problems.

Question 6Mechanics and Motion

Newton's third law states that when body A exerts a force on body B, then body B exerts on body A a force that is

  1. equal in magnitude and in the same direction
  2. smaller and in the same direction
  3. larger and perpendicular to the original force
  4. equal in magnitude and opposite in direction Correct answer.

Explanation

Action and reaction forces are always equal in magnitude and opposite in direction, acting on the two different bodies. They do not cancel because they act on different objects.

Question 7Mechanics and Motion

A body of mass 5 kg experiences a net force of 20 N. What is its acceleration?

  1. 25 m/s²
  2. 0.25 m/s²
  3. 100 m/s²
  4. 4 m/s² Correct answer.

Explanation

Newton's second law gives a = F/m, so 20 N divided by 5 kg equals 4 m/s². The newton is defined so that this division yields acceleration in m/s².

Question 8Mechanics and Motion

Which statement about the motion of an object in equilibrium is correct?

  1. The net force on it is maximum
  2. Its acceleration must be zero Correct answer.
  3. It must be at rest on a surface
  4. Its velocity must be zero

Explanation

Equilibrium means the net force is zero, and by Newton's second law that implies zero acceleration. The object may still be moving with constant velocity, so it need not be at rest.

Question 9Mechanics and Motion

A cyclist accelerates uniformly from 4 m/s to 12 m/s in 4 s. What is the acceleration?

  1. 8 m/s²
  2. 3 m/s²
  3. 2 m/s² Correct answer.
  4. 4 m/s²

Explanation

Acceleration is the change in velocity divided by the time taken, so (12 − 4) m/s ÷ 4 s = 2 m/s². Both the change in velocity and the interval must be used.

Question 10Mechanics and Motion

A stone is thrown straight up with an initial speed of 20 m/s. Taking g = 10 m/s², how long does it take to reach its highest point?

  1. 1 s
  2. 2 s Correct answer.
  3. 4 s
  4. 20 s

Explanation

At the highest point the vertical velocity is zero, so time equals initial velocity divided by g, giving 20 ÷ 10 = 2 s. The acceleration is 10 m/s² downward throughout the flight.

Question 11Mechanics and Motion

A block slides across a rough horizontal floor and slows down. The friction force acting on the block is directed

  1. in the direction of motion
  2. vertically upward
  3. opposite to the direction of motion Correct answer.
  4. vertically downward

Explanation

Kinetic friction opposes the relative sliding between surfaces, so it acts opposite to the block's motion. This is why the block decelerates.

Question 12Mechanics and Motion

Two forces act on a point: 6 N to the east and 8 N to the north. What is the magnitude of the resultant force?

  1. 2 N
  2. 14 N
  3. 10 N Correct answer.
  4. 48 N

Explanation

Perpendicular forces combine by the Pythagorean theorem, so the resultant is √(6² + 8²) = √100 = 10 N. Simple addition is valid only for forces along the same line.

Question 13Mechanics and Motion

An object moves with constant speed in a circle. Which statement is correct?

  1. Its acceleration points along the tangent to the circle
  2. Its acceleration points away from the centre
  3. Its acceleration points toward the centre of the circle Correct answer.
  4. Its acceleration is zero because its speed is constant

Explanation

The velocity direction changes continuously around a circle, so there is a centripetal acceleration directed toward the centre. Constant speed removes any tangential component of acceleration.

Question 14Mechanics and Motion

A 2 kg object falls freely from rest. Neglecting air resistance, what is the net force on it? Take g = 10 m/s².

  1. 0.2 N
  2. 200 N
  3. 20 N Correct answer.
  4. 5 N

Explanation

The only force is weight, w = mg = 2 kg × 10 m/s² = 20 N. Free fall means the object accelerates at g because the net force equals its weight.

Question 15Mechanics and Motion

A box is pushed with a horizontal force of 50 N and friction of 20 N opposes the motion. What is the net force on the box?

  1. 50 N
  2. 20 N
  3. 30 N Correct answer.
  4. 70 N

Explanation

The forces are along the same line but opposite in direction, so the net force is 50 N − 20 N = 30 N in the direction of the push. Net force is the vector sum of all forces acting.

Question 16Mechanics and Motion

On a velocity–time graph, the area under the line represents

  1. jerk
  2. acceleration
  3. displacement Correct answer.
  4. average speed

Explanation

Velocity multiplied by time gives displacement, which is exactly the area under a velocity–time graph. The slope of the same graph gives acceleration instead.

Question 17Mechanics and Motion

A car starts from rest and accelerates at 2 m/s² for 5 s. How far does it travel in that time?

  1. 50 m
  2. 20 m
  3. 25 m Correct answer.
  4. 10 m

Explanation

Using s = ut + ½at² with u = 0 gives s = ½ × 2 × 5² = 25 m. The initial velocity term vanishes because the car starts from rest.

Question 18Mechanics and Motion

A person stands on a bathroom scale in a lift that accelerates upward. Compared with the reading when the lift is at rest, the scale reading is

  1. the same
  2. smaller
  3. larger Correct answer.
  4. zero

Explanation

The scale shows the normal force, which must exceed the person's weight to provide an upward acceleration. Hence the reading is larger than the at-rest weight.

Question 19Mechanics and Motion

A projectile is launched at an angle to the horizontal. Neglecting air resistance, which quantity stays constant during the flight?

  1. The direction of the velocity
  2. The speed of the projectile
  3. The horizontal component of velocity Correct answer.
  4. The vertical component of velocity

Explanation

With no air resistance there is no horizontal force, so the horizontal velocity component is constant. Gravity acts vertically, changing the vertical component and therefore the speed and direction.

Question 20Mechanics and Motion

A force of 30 N acts at 60° to the horizontal. What is the horizontal component of the force? Take cos 60° = 0.5.

  1. 30 N
  2. 26 N
  3. 60 N
  4. 15 N Correct answer.

Explanation

The horizontal component is F cos θ = 30 × 0.5 = 15 N. Resolving a force uses cosine for the component adjacent to the given angle.

Question 21Mechanics and Motion

A 10 kg crate rests on a horizontal floor with a coefficient of static friction of 0.4. Take g = 10 m/s². What is the minimum horizontal force needed to start it moving?

  1. 40 N Correct answer.
  2. 100 N
  3. 10 N
  4. 4 N

Explanation

The normal force equals the weight, 100 N, and the limiting static friction is μN = 0.4 × 100 = 40 N. A force at least this large is needed to overcome static friction.

Question 22Mechanics and Motion

In a perfectly inelastic collision between two bodies, which quantity is conserved?

  1. Kinetic energy only
  2. Both momentum and kinetic energy
  3. Neither momentum nor kinetic energy
  4. Total momentum only Correct answer.

Explanation

Momentum is conserved in all collisions when external forces are negligible, including perfectly inelastic ones. Kinetic energy is not conserved because some is converted to heat, sound and deformation.

Question 23Mechanics and Motion

A 3 kg trolley moving at 4 m/s collides with and sticks to a stationary 1 kg trolley. What is their common speed after the collision?

  1. 2 m/s
  2. 4 m/s
  3. 3 m/s Correct answer.
  4. 1 m/s

Explanation

Momentum conservation gives (3 × 4) = (3 + 1) × v, so v = 12/4 = 3 m/s. The combined mass moves together after sticking.

Question 24Mechanics and Motion

An object is launched horizontally at 15 m/s from a cliff 20 m high. Take g = 10 m/s². How long does it take to reach the ground?

  1. 2 s Correct answer.
  2. 1 s
  3. 4 s
  4. 3 s

Explanation

Vertical motion is independent of the horizontal launch, so h = ½gt² gives 20 = 5t², hence t = 2 s. The horizontal speed does not affect the fall time.

Question 25Mechanics and Motion

A 2 kg block on a frictionless horizontal table is connected by a light string over a pulley to a hanging 3 kg mass. Taking g = 10 m/s², what is the acceleration of the system?

  1. 10 m/s²
  2. 4 m/s²
  3. 2 m/s²
  4. 6 m/s² Correct answer.

Explanation

The driving force is the hanging weight, 30 N, shared by the total mass of 5 kg, giving a = 30/5 = 6 m/s². The tension is internal to the system, so the whole mass accelerates together.

Question 26Mechanics and Motion

Which of the following is a vector quantity?

  1. Mass
  2. Displacement Correct answer.
  3. Speed
  4. Time

Explanation

A vector quantity has both magnitude and direction. Displacement specifies how far and in which direction an object has moved from its starting point, so it is a vector. Speed, mass and time have magnitude only and are scalars.

Question 27Mechanics and Motion

Which statement about the motion of a body is implied by a straight-line displacement–time graph with a constant positive slope?

  1. The body is at rest.
  2. The body moves with constant acceleration.
  3. The body moves with increasing velocity.
  4. The body moves with constant velocity. Correct answer.

Explanation

The slope of a displacement–time graph equals velocity. A constant positive slope therefore indicates a constant positive velocity, meaning uniform motion in a straight line.

Question 28Mechanics and Motion

A body moves 3 m east, then 4 m north. What is the magnitude of its displacement?

  1. 1 m
  2. 7 m
  3. 5 m Correct answer.
  4. 25 m

Explanation

Displacement is the straight-line distance from start to finish. The two displacements are perpendicular, so the magnitude is the hypotenuse of a right triangle: √(3² + 4²) = √25 = 5 m.

Question 29Mechanics and Motion

A body of mass 2 kg is moving at 6 m/s. What is its kinetic energy?

  1. 72 J
  2. 12 J
  3. 36 J Correct answer.
  4. 24 J

Explanation

Kinetic energy is given by KE = ½ m v². Substituting m = 2 kg and v = 6 m/s gives KE = ½ × 2 × 36 = 36 J.

Question 30Mechanics and Motion

A constant force of 10 N acts on a body of mass 2 kg for 3 s. What is the impulse delivered to the body?

  1. 20 N·s
  2. 3.3 N·s
  3. 30 N·s Correct answer.
  4. 60 N·s

Explanation

Impulse is the product of force and the time for which it acts: J = F Δt. With F = 10 N and Δt = 3 s, J = 10 × 3 = 30 N·s.

Question 31Mechanics and Motion

A body moves in a straight line with constant acceleration. Its initial velocity is 2 m/s, and after 4 s its velocity is 10 m/s. What is the acceleration?

  1. 2 m/s² Correct answer.
  2. 3 m/s²
  3. 2.5 m/s²
  4. 8 m/s²

Explanation

Acceleration is the change in velocity divided by the time taken: a = (v – u)/t. Substituting u = 2 m/s, v = 10 m/s and t = 4 s gives a = (10 – 2)/4 = 2 m/s².

Question 32Mechanics and Motion

A block of weight 50 N rests on a horizontal surface. A horizontal force of 15 N is applied, but the block remains stationary. What is the magnitude of the static friction force acting on the block?

  1. 0 N
  2. 15 N Correct answer.
  3. 35 N
  4. 50 N

Explanation

Since the block is stationary, the net horizontal force must be zero. The static friction force therefore balances the applied horizontal force exactly, so it equals 15 N.

Question 33Mechanics and Motion

A 0.2 kg ball moving at 5 m/s collides head-on with a stationary 0.3 kg ball. After the collision, the 0.2 kg ball moves at 2 m/s in the same direction. What is the velocity of the 0.3 kg ball after the collision?

  1. 0.5 m/s in the same direction
  2. 2 m/s in the opposite direction
  3. 2 m/s in the same direction Correct answer.
  4. 3 m/s in the same direction

Explanation

By conservation of linear momentum, total momentum before equals total momentum after: (0.2)(5) + 0 = (0.2)(2) + (0.3)v. This gives 1.0 = 0.4 + 0.3v, so v = 2 m/s in the original direction.

Question 34Mechanics and Motion

A body moves in a circle of radius 2 m at a constant speed of 4 m/s. What is the magnitude of its centripetal acceleration?

  1. 16 m/s²
  2. 2 m/s²
  3. 4 m/s²
  4. 8 m/s² Correct answer.

Explanation

Centripetal acceleration is given by a = v²/r. Substituting v = 4 m/s and r = 2 m gives a = 16/2 = 8 m/s².

Question 35Mechanics and Motion

A machine lifts a 20 kg load vertically at a constant speed of 1.5 m/s. Taking g = 10 m/s², what useful power does the machine develop?

  1. 300 W Correct answer.
  2. 200 W
  3. 30 W
  4. 150 W

Explanation

At constant speed, the lifting force equals the weight: F = mg = 20 × 10 = 200 N. Power is force times speed: P = Fv = 200 × 1.5 = 300 W.

Question 36Mechanics and Motion

A body is in equilibrium under the action of three coplanar forces. Which condition must be satisfied?

  1. The three forces must be mutually perpendicular.
  2. The three forces must be equal in magnitude.
  3. The sum of the magnitudes of the three forces is zero.
  4. The vector sum of the three forces is zero. Correct answer.

Explanation

For a body to be in equilibrium, the net force on it must be zero. This requires the vector sum of all forces to be zero, which for three forces means they can form a closed triangle.

Question 37Mechanics and Motion

A force of 10 N acts at 30° above the horizontal. What is the vertical component of the force? Take sin 30° = 0.5.

  1. 5 N Correct answer.
  2. 2.5 N
  3. 8.7 N
  4. 10 N

Explanation

The vertical component is F sin θ. With F = 10 N and θ = 30°, the vertical component is 10 × 0.5 = 5 N.

Question 38Mechanics and Motion

A 5 kg block is pulled along a rough horizontal surface by a horizontal force of 30 N. The coefficient of kinetic friction is 0.4. Taking g = 10 m/s², what is the acceleration of the block?

  1. 10 m/s²
  2. 6 m/s²
  3. 4 m/s²
  4. 2 m/s² Correct answer.

Explanation

The kinetic friction force is f = μN = μmg = 0.4 × 5 × 10 = 20 N. The net horizontal force is 30 – 20 = 10 N, so a = F_net/m = 10/5 = 2 m/s².

Question 39Mechanics and Motion

A car of mass 1000 kg travelling at 20 m/s brakes to rest in a distance of 50 m. What is the magnitude of the average braking force?

  1. 4000 N Correct answer.
  2. 10000 N
  3. 8000 N
  4. 2000 N

Explanation

The initial kinetic energy is ½ × 1000 × 20² = 200000 J. The work done by the braking force equals this energy over 50 m, so F = 200000/50 = 4000 N.

Question 40Mechanics and Motion

A body is projected at 30° to the horizontal with a speed of 20 m/s. Neglecting air resistance and taking g = 10 m/s², what is the maximum height reached?

  1. 10 m
  2. 15 m
  3. 5 m Correct answer.
  4. 20 m

Explanation

The vertical component of velocity is u_y = 20 sin 30° = 10 m/s. At maximum height the vertical velocity is zero, so using v² = u² – 2gh gives 0 = 10² – 2 × 10 × h, hence h = 5 m.

Question 41Waves, Sound, and Optics

A sound wave travels from air into water. Which quantity remains unchanged as the wave crosses the boundary?

  1. Amplitude
  2. Wavelength
  3. Speed
  4. Frequency Correct answer.

Explanation

Frequency is set by the source and stays the same across a boundary. Speed and wavelength change because the medium changes, and amplitude may change due to partial reflection.

Question 42Waves, Sound, and Optics

Which type of electromagnetic radiation has the longest wavelength?

  1. Ultraviolet
  2. Radio waves Correct answer.
  3. X-rays
  4. Visible light

Explanation

In the electromagnetic spectrum, radio waves have the lowest frequencies and longest wavelengths. X-rays and ultraviolet lie at much shorter wavelengths than visible light.

Question 43Waves, Sound, and Optics

A guitar string is plucked and produces a note. If the string is pressed so its vibrating length is halved while tension is unchanged, the fundamental frequency

  1. doubles Correct answer.
  2. stays the same
  3. halves
  4. quadruples

Explanation

For a string fixed at both ends, the fundamental frequency is proportional to 1/L. Halving the length therefore doubles the frequency.

Question 44Waves, Sound, and Optics

The angle of incidence for a ray striking a plane mirror is 35° measured from the normal. What is the angle between the incident ray and the reflected ray?

  1. 110°
  2. 70° Correct answer.
  3. 35°
  4. 55°

Explanation

The law of reflection gives an angle of reflection equal to the angle of incidence, both measured from the normal. The angle between the two rays is therefore 35° + 35° = 70°.

Question 45Waves, Sound, and Optics

Which property of a wave determines its pitch when heard as sound?

  1. Speed
  2. Amplitude
  3. Frequency Correct answer.
  4. Phase

Explanation

Pitch corresponds to the frequency of the sound wave. Amplitude determines loudness, while speed depends on the medium.

Question 46Waves, Sound, and Optics

Light passes from air into glass. Relative to its direction in air, the ray bends

  1. toward the normal because glass has a lower refractive index
  2. toward the normal because glass has a higher refractive index Correct answer.
  3. away from the normal because glass has a lower refractive index
  4. away from the normal because glass has a higher refractive index

Explanation

Snell's law shows that light entering a medium of higher refractive index bends toward the normal. Glass has a higher refractive index than air.

Question 47Waves, Sound, and Optics

Two wave pulses traveling toward each other on a string meet. At the instant they overlap completely, the displacement at each point equals the sum of the individual displacements. This is an example of

  1. diffraction
  2. superposition Correct answer.
  3. polarization
  4. resonance

Explanation

The principle of superposition states that overlapping waves add algebraically to give the resultant displacement. Diffraction, polarization, and resonance describe different phenomena.

Question 48Waves, Sound, and Optics

A wave has a frequency of 50 Hz and a wavelength of 4 m. What is its speed?

  1. 12.5 m/s
  2. 200 m/s Correct answer.
  3. 54 m/s
  4. 0.08 m/s

Explanation

Wave speed equals frequency multiplied by wavelength, v = f × λ = 50 × 4 = 200 m/s.

Question 49Waves, Sound, and Optics

A convex lens forms a real image of a distant object at 20 cm from the lens. What is the focal length of the lens?

  1. 40 cm
  2. 10 cm
  3. Cannot be determined without the object distance
  4. 20 cm Correct answer.

Explanation

For a very distant object the incoming rays are essentially parallel, so the image forms at the focal point. The image distance then equals the focal length, 20 cm.

Question 50Waves, Sound, and Optics

A standing wave on a string fixed at both ends has nodes at the ends and three additional nodes between them. Which harmonic is this?

  1. Fourth harmonic Correct answer.
  2. Sixth harmonic
  3. Third harmonic
  4. Fifth harmonic

Explanation

The number of antinodes equals the harmonic number. Three interior nodes divide the string into four segments, giving four antinodes, so this is the fourth harmonic.