HESI A2 Physics Practice Test With Explanations

Q: What topics should I expect in a HESI Physics practice set?

Expect common fundamentals such as motion and forces, work and energy, simple electricity ideas, and basic problem setups that test unit awareness and relationships.

Q: Do I need to memorize a lot of formulas for this level?

A small core formula set goes a long way. Most questions reward knowing when to use a relationship and keeping units consistent, not memorizing a huge list.

Q: What is the best way to avoid unit mistakes?

Write units on every step, convert early, and do a quick reasonableness check before you pick an answer.

Q: If I keep missing calculation questions, what should I fix first?

Slow down and clean up your process: identify givens, pick the formula, isolate the variable, then calculate. Most errors come from skipped steps, not hard math.

Q: Are explanations provided after each question?

Yes, the quiz is designed to give a detailed explanation after you answer each item.

Q: Is the practice test timed?

No. It is self-paced with an unlimited time limit.

Q: What should I do if the quiz freezes or the content does not appear?

Use the reload option or refresh and restart the quiz.

Q: Should I retake the same 20-question set?

Yes. Retake after a short gap to confirm you learned the method, not just the answer pattern.

Question 1

An object moves in a circle at a constant speed. Which of the following statements about the object's motion is true?

Accepted Answer

The direction of the object's velocity changes continuously. When an object moves in a circle at a constant speed, its velocity (which is a vector quantity that includes both magnitude and direction) changes in direction continuously, even though its speed (the magnitude of velocity) remains constant. This change in direction of velocity implies that the object is accelerating (since acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity), and according to Newton's second law of motion, this acceleration means there must be a net force acting on the object, directed towards the center of the circle (centripetal force). Therefore, options A, B, and D are incorrect.

Question 2

A car accelerates uniformly from rest (0 m/s) to 18 m/s in 6 seconds. What is the total distance covered by the car during this time?

Accepted Answer

54 m. Total distance can be calculated by the following steps: Step 1. Calculate average speed: initial speed + final speed divided by 2, 0 m/s + 18 m/s/ 2 = 9. Step 2: Calculate the distance: average speed x time, 9 m/s x 6 s = 54 m.

Question 3

A motorcycle starting from rest at a traffic light accelerates uniformly to a speed of 24 m/s in 4 seconds. What is the motorcycle's average acceleration?

Accepted Answer

6 m/s². Acceleration is the rate at which an object changes its velocity over time. Acceleration = Change in velocity divided by time. In this case: 24 m/s/4s = 6 m/s²

Question 4

A sprinter accelerates from rest to 10 m/s in the first 2 seconds of a race. What is the sprinter's acceleration?

Accepted Answer

5 m/s². The acceleration a of the sprinter can be calculated using the formula a = Δv/Δt, where Δv is the change in velocity (from 0 to 10 m/s, so Δv = 10 m/s) and Δt is the time interval (2 s). Therefore, a = 10m/s / 2s = 5 m/s².

Question 5

A ball is thrown horizontally from the top of a tower and hits the ground 4 seconds later. Ignoring air resistance, what is the horizontal distance traveled by the ball if its initial speed was 20 m/s?

Accepted Answer

80 m. The horizontal distance traveled by a projectile can be calculated using the formula d = vt, where v is the initial horizontal velocity and t is the time of flight. Since the ball is thrown horizontally, its initial horizontal velocity is 20 m/s, and it hits the ground 4 seconds later, the distance d = 20m/s x 4s = 80m.

Question 6

What phenomenon occurs when light passes from one medium (like air) into another medium (like water) and changes direction due to a change in speed?

Accepted Answer

Refraction. Refraction is the bending of a wave (like light) when it enters a medium where its speed is different.

Question 7

A student lifts a 10 kg box vertically upward to a height of 2 meters. How much gravitational potential energy has the box gained? (Use g = 10 m/s²)

Accepted Answer

200 Joules. Gravitational potential energy (PE) is calculated using the formula PE = mgh, where m is mass, g is acceleration due to gravity, and h is height. Joule is the standard international unit of energy, work, or heat. In this case: PE = 10kg x 10 m/s² x 2 m = 200 Joules

Question 8

An object with a mass of 5 kg is accelerated across a smooth surface by a net force of 20 Newtons. What is the acceleration of the object?

Accepted Answer

4 m/s². This is Newton’s Second Law of Motion: force = acceleration x mass, to compute, divide 20 newtons by 5 kg = 4 m/s²

Question 9

A soccer ball is kicked horizontally off a cliff with an initial speed of 20 m/s. Ignoring air resistance, what is the horizontal acceleration of the soccer ball immediately after it is kicked?

Accepted Answer

0 m/s². After the soccer ball is kicked, the only force acting on it (ignoring air resistance) is gravity, which affects the ball's vertical motion, not its horizontal motion. According to Newton's first law of motion, if no net external force is acting on an object in a particular direction, its acceleration in that direction is zero. Therefore, the horizontal acceleration of the soccer ball is 0 m/s², since gravity only affects its vertical motion.

Question 10

A force of 10 N is applied to a 2 kg block at rest on a frictionless surface. What is the acceleration of the block?

Accepted Answer

5 m/s². According to Newton's second law of motion, the acceleration of an object is equal to the net force acting on it divided by its mass (a = F/m). Given a force of 10 N applied to a 2 kg block, the acceleration can be calculated as a = 10 N / 2 kg = 5 m/s². This means the block accelerates at 5 m/s² when the 10 N force is applied.

Question 11

Two forces, 15 N to the right and 10 N to the left, are applied to a 5 kg box. What is the net force and the acceleration of the box?

Accepted Answer

Net force: 5 N to the right; Acceleration: 1 m/s² to the right. The net force acting on the box is the difference between the two forces since they are in opposite directions: 15 N to the right minus 10 N to the left equals a net force of 5 N to the right. According to Newton's second law of motion, acceleration is calculated as the net force divided by the mass (a = F/m). Therefore, the acceleration of the box is 5 N / 5 kg = 1 m/s² to the right.

Question 12

A piece of laboratory equipment measures an object's mass to be 250 grams. What is this mass expressed in kilograms?

Accepted Answer

0.25 kg. To convert grams to kilograms divide by 1000 or move the decimal 3 places to the left.

Question 13

A box is sliding across a horizontal surface with a constant velocity. Which of the following statements about the frictional force acting on the box is true?

Accepted Answer

The frictional force is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force pushing the box. When an object moves with a constant velocity on a horizontal surface, it means there is no net force acting on it. According to Newton's first law of motion, an object in motion remains in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. In this case, the frictional force must be equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force pushing the box to result in no net force and thus constant velocity. This balance of forces ensures the box does not accelerate.

Question 14

What happens to the frictional force between two surfaces if the mass of the top object is doubled?

Accepted Answer

The frictional force doubles. The frictional force between two surfaces in contact is directly proportional to the normal force acting on them. The normal force for an object resting on a horizontal surface is equal to the gravitational force acting on the object, which is the product of its mass and the acceleration due to gravity. If the mass of the top object is doubled, the gravitational force on it doubles, leading to a doubling of the normal force. Since the frictional force is proportional to the normal force, doubling the mass of the object will double the frictional force.

Question 15

A car is moving on a flat road. Which type of friction between the tires and the road is primarily responsible for allowing the car not to slip and to move forward?

Accepted Answer

Static friction. The type of friction that allows tires to temporarily grip the road to prevent slipping and move it forward is static friction. Kinetic friction occurs only when the car skids or slides, while rolling friction is a resistive force that opposes the car's motion.

Question 16

When the surface area of contact between two sliding objects is increased, what happens to the coefficient of kinetic friction between them?

Accepted Answer

It remains the same. The coefficient of kinetic friction is a measure of the frictional resistance between surfaces moving relative to each other and does not depend on the surface area of contact. It is determined by the nature of the materials in contact. Therefore, increasing the surface area of contact between two sliding objects does not change the coefficient of kinetic friction. This property simplifies the calculation of frictional forces, as it relies solely on the normal force and the coefficient of friction, independent of contact area.

Question 17

According to fluid dynamics, if the cross-sectional area of a blood vessel decreases while the fluid flow rate remains constant, what happens to the velocity of the fluid?

Accepted Answer

Velocity increases. The Continuity Equation in fluid mechanics states that when a fluid flows through a narrower space, it must speed up to maintain the same flow rate.

Question 18

Which of the following is a scalar quantity?

Accepted Answer

Speed. Scalar quantities are those that are described by magnitude alone, without a direction. Speed is a scalar quantity because it only describes how fast an object is moving, not the direction of motion. Force, velocity, and acceleration are vector quantities because they describe both magnitude and direction.

Question 19

If the mass of an object is doubled while the force applied to it remains constant, what happens to its acceleration?

Accepted Answer

It is halved. According to Newton’s second law of motion, the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force applied to it and inversely proportional to its mass (a = F/m). Therefore, if the mass (m) is doubled (2m) while the force (F) remains constant, the acceleration (a) is halved (F/2m), because doubling the denominator in a fraction halves the value of the fraction.

Question 20

A ball is thrown straight up into the air. At the highest point of its path, what is its acceleration?

Accepted Answer

9.8 m/s² downwards. Even at the highest point of its path, where the velocity of the ball is zero, the acceleration due to gravity is still acting on it. The acceleration due to gravity near the Earth’s surface is approximately 9.8 m/s² downwards. This acceleration remains constant throughout the ball’s flight, affecting its velocity at every point in its path except its direction at the highest point.

HESI A2 Physics Practice Test With Explanations

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Common HESI A2 Physics Questions We Always Get

What topics should I expect in a HESI Physics practice set?

Do I need to memorize a lot of formulas for this level?

What is the best way to avoid unit mistakes?

If I keep missing calculation questions, what should I fix first?

Are explanations provided after each question?

Is the practice test timed?

What should I do if the quiz freezes or the content does not appear?

Should I retake the same 20-question set?

HESI A2 Physics Practice Test With Explanations

Test Details

What This Physics Practice Test Helps You Improve

Tabitha C.

Molly W.

Wanna Try Unlimited?

Pass the HESI A2 — and get into nursing school.

Start a Free 3-Day Trial

Free for 3 days

Pass Guarantee—pass or your money back

1,000+ questions, every HESI A2 subject

Reviewed by a nurse educator

100,000+ students prepped with AHC

— Yasmin, U.S.

More HESI Practice Tests

Common HESI A2 Physics Questions We Always Get

What topics should I expect in a HESI Physics practice set?

Do I need to memorize a lot of formulas for this level?

What is the best way to avoid unit mistakes?

If I keep missing calculation questions, what should I fix first?

Are explanations provided after each question?

Is the practice test timed?

What should I do if the quiz freezes or the content does not appear?

Should I retake the same 20-question set?

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