Paper 2 · November 2023 · Forces and Motion
An object thrown vertically upwards eventually falls back to the ground. What continues to act on it throughout its flight, causing it to decelerate, stop, then fall back down?
Model answer
gravity
Also accepted: the force of gravity, its weight, the gravitational pull of the planet, gravitational force, the earth's gravitational pull, gravity (the earth's gravitational pull / weight) continues to act on it, gravity continues to act on it
Explanation
The object's weight (the unbalanced gravitational force) continues to act downward throughout the motion, decelerating it on the way up and accelerating it back down.
Derived from ZIMSEC Physics 4023/2 Paper 2 Theory, November 2023, Q1