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AP Physics 1 multiple-choice practice 28 questions with answers

Written by STEM-Tutor's tutors · Updated October 2026 · 28 questions

Free AP Physics 1 multiple-choice questions in the style of the real exam. Click an answer and it is marked straight away; then open the hint or the worked solution, one step at a time.

On this page
  1. How the section works
  2. 28 multiple-choice questions
  3. Tips
  4. After the questions
  5. FAQ

How the AP Physics 1 multiple-choice section works

From May 2027 the multiple-choice section has 42 questions: 42 questions in 85 minutes. It is worth 50% of your AP score, there is no penalty for a wrong answer, and each question has four options.

The questions below cover every unit. Give yourself about two minutes a question.

28 multiple-choice questions

Q1Warm-up
A ball is thrown straight up. At the very top of its path, which statement is true?

Hint

Gravity does not switch off at the top. What is the only force acting on the ball?

Worked solution
  1. The only force on the ball is gravity, the whole time it is in the air.
  2. So its acceleration is g = 9.8 m/s² downward everywhere, including at the top.
  3. At the top, the velocity is changing from upward to downward, so it is zero for an instant.
  4. The answer is B. A zero acceleration would mean the ball stays at the top.
Q2Warm-up
On a velocity-time graph, how do you find the displacement of an object?

Hint

Think about the units: velocity (m/s) multiplied by time (s).

Worked solution
  1. Velocity × time gives displacement, and on a graph that product is an area.
  2. The slope of a velocity-time graph is the acceleration, not the displacement.
  3. The answer is B: displacement is the area between the graph and the time axis. Area below the axis counts as negative displacement.
Q3Exam-style
A projectile is launched from level ground at 20 m/s, 30° above the horizontal. How long is it in the air?

Hint

Find the vertical component of the launch velocity first. The time up equals the time down.

Worked solution
  1. Vertical component: vy0 = 20 sin 30° = 10 m/s.
  2. Time to the top, where vy = 0: t = 10 / 9.8 = 1.02 s.
  3. The flight is symmetric on level ground, so the total time is 2 × 1.02 = 2.04 s, answer B.
  4. 1.02 s is only the time to the top, a common trap.
Q4Warm-up
The position-time graph of a cart is a straight line sloping downward. Which describes the cart's motion?

Hint

On a position-time graph, the slope is the velocity. What does a constant, negative slope mean?

Worked solution
  1. The slope of a position-time graph is the velocity.
  2. A straight line has a constant slope, so the velocity is constant and the acceleration is zero.
  3. The slope is negative, so the cart moves in the negative direction.
  4. The answer is B.
Q5Warm-up
A book rests on a table. By Newton's third law, the force paired with “the Earth's gravitational force on the book” is:

Hint

A third-law pair involves the same two objects, swapped, and the same type of force.

Worked solution
  1. The original force is gravitational, exerted by the Earth on the book.
  2. Its partner must be gravitational too, exerted by the book on the Earth.
  3. The normal force on the book balances the weight, but that is Newton's first law, not a third-law pair.
  4. The answer is B.
Q6Warm-up
A lift moves upward at a constant speed. How does the tension in its cable compare with the lift's weight?

Hint

Constant speed in a straight line: what does that tell you about the net force?

Worked solution
  1. Constant velocity means zero acceleration.
  2. By Newton's first law the net force is zero, so the upward tension balances the weight.
  3. The answer is B, whatever the constant speed. The tension is larger only while the lift speeds up going upward.
Q7Warm-up
The distance between two planets doubles. What happens to the gravitational force between them?

Hint

The force depends on 1/r2.

Worked solution
  1. Fg = Gm1m2/r2, an inverse-square law.
  2. Doubling r multiplies r2 by 4, so the force is divided by 4.
  3. The answer is B, one quarter.
Q8Warm-up
A satellite moves in a circular orbit at constant speed. How much work does gravity do on it during one orbit?

Hint

Work depends on the angle between the force and the direction of motion.

Worked solution
  1. In a circular orbit, gravity points to the centre and the velocity is along the tangent.
  2. The angle is 90°, and cos 90° = 0, so gravity does no work at any instant.
  3. This matches the constant speed: no work means no change in kinetic energy. The answer is A.
Q9Warm-up
Two identical balls are thrown from the top of a cliff at the same speed, one straight up and one straight down. Ignoring air resistance, how do their speeds compare when they hit the ground?

Hint

Compare their energies at the top of the cliff and at the ground.

Worked solution
  1. Both start with the same kinetic energy (same speed) and the same potential energy (same height).
  2. Both lose the same potential energy falling to the ground.
  3. So both arrive with the same kinetic energy, and the same speed. The answer is C. Only their times differ.
Q10Warm-up
The speed of a car triples. By what factor does its kinetic energy change?

Hint

Kinetic energy depends on the square of the speed.

Worked solution
  1. K = ½mv2, so K is proportional to v2.
  2. Tripling v multiplies K by 32 = 9.
  3. The answer is C. This is why stopping distances grow so quickly with speed.
Q11Warm-up
Two carts collide and stick together on a frictionless track. Which is true of the two-cart system?

Hint

Is there a net external force on the two-cart system? Is the collision elastic?

Worked solution
  1. With no net external force, the total momentum of the system is always conserved.
  2. Carts that stick together have a perfectly inelastic collision: some kinetic energy becomes internal energy and sound.
  3. The answer is B.
Q12Warm-up
An egg dropped onto a pillow survives, but one dropped from the same height onto a hard floor breaks. Why?

Hint

Both eggs stop from the same speed. What does that tell you about the impulse?

Worked solution
  1. Both eggs go from the same speed to rest, so the change in momentum, and the impulse, are the same.
  2. Impulse = FΔt. The pillow increases Δt, so the average force F is smaller.
  3. The answer is B, the same idea as crumple zones and airbags.
Q13Warm-up
Why is it harder to open a door by pushing near the hinge than at the handle, using the same force?

Hint

Torque depends on where the force is applied, not just how big it is.

Worked solution
  1. τ = rF sinθ: the same force at a smaller distance r from the axis gives a smaller torque.
  2. Less torque means less angular acceleration, so the door opens more slowly.
  3. The answer is B. The rotational inertia about the hinge does not depend on where you push.
Q14Warm-up
A wheel spins at a constant rate. How does the linear speed of a point on the rim compare with that of a point halfway between the axle and the rim?

Hint

Every point on the wheel has the same angular velocity ω.

Worked solution
  1. v = rω, and ω is the same for every point on the rigid wheel.
  2. The rim point is twice as far from the axle, so its linear speed is twice as large.
  3. The answer is B.
Q15Warm-up
A spinning ice skater pulls her arms in. What happens to her angular velocity and her angular momentum?

Hint

Is there an external torque on the skater?

Worked solution
  1. With negligible external torque, angular momentum L = Iω is conserved.
  2. Pulling the arms in reduces I, so ω must increase to keep L constant.
  3. The answer is B.
Q16Warm-up
A solid sphere and a hoop of the same mass and radius are released together from rest at the top of a ramp, and roll without slipping. Which reaches the bottom first?

Hint

Both lose the same potential energy per kilogram. Which one has to put more of it into spinning?

Worked solution
  1. Each object's energy at the bottom is shared between moving along and spinning.
  2. The hoop has all its mass at the rim, so a larger I (MR2) than the sphere (⅖MR2).
  3. The hoop puts more of its energy into rotation, leaving less for forward motion.
  4. The sphere is faster all the way down: B.
Q17Warm-up
Sand is sprinkled onto a turntable spinning freely with no external torque, and sticks to it. What happens to the turntable's angular momentum and rotational kinetic energy?

Hint

Write K in terms of L: K = L2 / 2I.

Worked solution
  1. With no external torque, L stays constant.
  2. The sand increases I, so ω falls.
  3. K = L2/2I: with L fixed and I larger, K decreases. The lost energy becomes internal energy as the sand sticks.
  4. The answer is B.
Q18Warm-up
A mass on a spring is in simple harmonic motion. At the equilibrium position, its:

Hint

What is the net force on the mass at equilibrium?

Worked solution
  1. At equilibrium the net force is zero, so the acceleration is zero.
  2. All the energy is kinetic there, so the speed is at its maximum.
  3. The answer is B. At the turning points it is the other way round.
Q19Warm-up
The mass on a spring oscillator is doubled. What happens to the period?

Hint

T depends on the square root of m.

Worked solution
  1. T = 2π√(m/k), so T is proportional to √m.
  2. Doubling m multiplies T by √2, about 1.41.
  3. The answer is B.
Q20Warm-up
A pendulum clock is taken to the Moon, where g is about one sixth of its value on Earth. How does its period change?

Hint

T depends on 1/√g.

Worked solution
  1. T = 2π√(L/g), so T is proportional to 1/√g.
  2. Dividing g by 6 multiplies T by √6, about 2.45.
  3. The answer is B: the clock runs slow.
Q21Warm-up
A block floats at rest on water. How does the buoyant force on it compare with its weight?

Hint

The block is in equilibrium.

Worked solution
  1. The block is at rest, so the net force is zero.
  2. The only forces are its weight (down) and the buoyant force (up), so they are equal.
  3. The answer is B. How deep it floats adjusts itself until this is true.
Q22Warm-up
A ship sails from a river (fresh water) into the sea (denser salt water). What happens?

Hint

The buoyant force must still equal the ship's weight. How much denser water must it displace for that?

Worked solution
  1. Floating, the buoyant force equals the weight in both cases, so the buoyant force does not change.
  2. Fb = ρVg: with larger ρ, a smaller volume V is needed.
  3. The ship displaces less water, so it rises: B.
Q23Warm-up
A car starts from rest and accelerates at 3 m/s2 for 4 s. How far does it travel?

Hint

Use x = v0t + (1/2)at2 with v0 = 0.

Worked solution
  1. x = 0 + (1/2)(3)(42).
  2. = (1/2)(3)(16) = 24 m.
  3. The answer is B.
Q24Warm-up
A 2 kg cart moving at 3 m/s collides with a stationary 1 kg cart, and they stick together. What is their speed afterwards?

Hint

Momentum is conserved in the collision.

Worked solution
  1. Momentum before: (2)(3) + 0 = 6 kg·m/s.
  2. After, the combined 3 kg mass moves at v: 3v = 6.
  3. v = 2 m/s. The answer is C.
Q25Warm-up
A 20 N force is applied perpendicular to a wrench, 0.5 m from the bolt. What is the torque?

Hint

τ = rF sin θ, with θ = 90°.

Worked solution
  1. sin 90° = 1, so τ = rF.
  2. τ = (0.5)(20) = 10 N·m.
  3. The answer is A.
Q26Exam-style
An object of volume 0.002 m3 is fully submerged in water (density 1000 kg/m3). Using g = 9.8 m/s2, what is the buoyant force on it?

Hint

The buoyant force equals the weight of the fluid displaced.

Worked solution
  1. Mass of water displaced = (1000)(0.002) = 2 kg.
  2. Its weight is (2)(9.8) = 19.6 N.
  3. The answer is A.
Q27Exam-style
A 0.5 kg mass oscillates on a spring with k = 200 N/m. What is the period?

Hint

T = 2π√(m/k).

Worked solution
  1. m/k = 0.5/200 = 0.0025, and √0.0025 = 0.05.
  2. T = 2π(0.05) = 0.314 s.
  3. The answer is A.
Q28Exam-style
A 2 kg ball is dropped from rest from a height of 5 m. Ignoring air resistance and using g = 9.8 m/s2, how fast is it moving just before it hits the ground?

Hint

Gravitational potential energy becomes kinetic energy. Does the mass matter?

Worked solution
  1. mgh = (1/2)mv2, so the mass cancels: v = √(2gh).
  2. v = √(2 × 9.8 × 5) = √98.
  3. v ≈ 9.9 m/s. The answer is A.

Tips for the AP Physics 1 multiple-choice section

After the questions

Note every question you missed and its topic, then practise that unit: AP Physics 1 practice by unit. For a full timed test, take the practice exam, then put your score into our AP Physics 1 score calculator. For the free-response section, use the official AP Physics 1 past papers.

Frequently asked questions

Are these real AP Physics 1 exam questions?

No. They are original questions written by our tutors in the style of the exam, so each one can have a full worked solution. For real exam questions, use the official AP Physics 1 past papers.

How many multiple-choice questions are on the AP Physics 1 exam?

From May 2027, 42: 42 questions in 85 minutes. The multiple-choice section is 50% of your score.

Is there a penalty for wrong answers?

No. Only correct answers count, so answer every question, even if you have to guess.