# A small toy car is pushed along a straight track. It starts from rest, accelerates uniformly for several seconds, then travels at a constant speed, and finally slows down and stops. Describe the motion of the toy car during each of these three stages, explaining the forces acting on it at each stage.

> Eduqas A-Level Physics — 1.1 Basic physics quantities and motion · Describe · 5 marks

> A small toy car is pushed from rest along a straight, flat track. During stage one it accelerates uniformly. During stage two it travels at constant speed. During stage three it decelerates and stops.

## Mark scheme (5 marks)

1. During stage one, the driving/pushing force is greater than the resistive forces (friction/air resistance), so there is a resultant force in the direction of motion causing acceleration.
2. During stage two, the driving force equals the resistive forces (friction/air resistance), so the resultant force is zero and the car travels at constant/uniform speed.
3. During stage three, the resistive forces (friction/air resistance) are greater than the driving force (or the driving force is removed entirely), giving a resultant force opposing motion, causing the car to decelerate and stop.

## Key terms

- [constant speed](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/constant-speed)

## Related

- [Revision notes for Eduqas A-Level Physics](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Describe" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

---
Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/a-small-toy-car-is-pushed-ab358d14) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.