2026 WAEC Physics Objective and Essay Questions and Answers

PAPER 1

OBJECTIVE TEST

Time Allowed: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

Instructions to Candidates

1. Answer all questions.
2. Choose the correct option from A–D.
3. Use HB pencil where necessary.
4. All questions carry equal marks.

OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS (1–60)

1. Physics is the study of

A. living things
B. matter and energy
C. chemicals only
D. plants and animals

Answer: B

2. The SI unit of force is

A. Joule
B. Newton
C. Pascal
D. Watt

Answer: B

3. Velocity is defined as

A. distance covered
B. speed in a given direction
C. rate of doing work
D. acceleration per second

Answer: B

4. The acceleration due to gravity on Earth is approximately

A. 5 m/s²
B. 9.8 m/s²
C. 15 m/s²
D. 20 m/s²

Answer: B

5. Which of the following is a scalar quantity?

A. Velocity
B. Force
C. Momentum
D. Mass

Answer: D

6. Work is done when

A. force acts without movement
B. displacement occurs in direction of force
C. energy is destroyed
D. mass increases

Answer: B

7. The unit of power is

A. Newton
B. Joule
C. Watt
D. Pascal

Answer: C

8. The energy possessed by a moving object is

A. potential energy
B. heat energy
C. kinetic energy
D. chemical energy

Answer: C

9. Newton’s first law of motion is also known as the law of

A. acceleration
B. momentum
C. inertia
D. gravitation

Answer: C

10. Friction can be reduced by

A. roughening surfaces
B. lubrication
C. increasing weight
D. heating surfaces

Answer: B

11. The pressure exerted by a liquid depends on

A. colour of liquid
B. depth of liquid
C. shape of container only
D. temperature only

Answer: B

12. Archimedes’ principle deals with

A. floating bodies
B. sound waves
C. magnetism
D. electricity

Answer: A

13. Heat travels through solids mainly by

A. convection
B. radiation
C. conduction
D. reflection

Answer: C

14. The SI unit of temperature is

A. Fahrenheit
B. Celsius
C. Kelvin
D. Joule

Answer: C

15. The boiling point of water at standard atmospheric pressure is

A. 0°C
B. 50°C
C. 100°C
D. 212°C only

Answer: C

16. Evaporation causes

A. heating
B. cooling
C. expansion
D. condensation

Answer: B

17. Sound cannot travel through

A. solids
B. liquids
C. gases
D. vacuum

Answer: D

18. The speed of light in vacuum is

A. 3×108 m/s3\times10^8\ \text{m/s}3×108 m/s
B. 3 × 10⁶ m/s
C. 3 × 10⁴ m/s
D. 3 × 10² m/s

Answer: A

19. A convex lens is used to

A. diverge light rays
B. converge light rays
C. absorb light rays
D. reflect light rays

Answer: B

20. The splitting of white light into colours is called

A. diffraction
B. interference
C. dispersion
D. reflection

Answer: C

21. Electric current is measured using

A. voltmeter
B. ammeter
C. galvanometer
D. hydrometer

Answer: B

2026 WAEC Physics Objective and Essay Questions and Answers

22. The SI unit of electric current is

A. volt
B. ohm
C. ampere
D. watt

Answer: C

23. Resistance is measured in

A. watts
B. volts
C. ohms
D. amperes

Answer: C

24. Ohm’s law states that

A. current is inversely proportional to voltage
B. voltage is directly proportional to current
C. resistance depends on current
D. power equals current × resistance

Answer: B

25. The device used to step up or step down voltage is

A. motor
B. generator
C. transformer
D. dynamo

Answer: C

26. A fuse protects electrical appliances from

A. low voltage
B. overcurrent
C. overheating only
D. electric field

Answer: B

27. Magnetic field lines around a magnet run from

A. south to north outside the magnet
B. north to south outside the magnet
C. east to west
D. west to east

Answer: B

28. Electromagnetic induction was discovered by

A. Newton
B. Ohm
C. Faraday
D. Archimedes

Answer: C

29. Radioactivity involves the

A. decay of unstable nuclei
B. heating of metals
C. conduction of heat
D. magnetization of iron

Answer: A

30. Alpha particles are

A. electrons
B. helium nuclei
C. electromagnetic waves
D. neutrons only

Answer: B

31. The SI unit of momentum is

A. kg m/s
B. N/m
C. J/s
D. kg/m³

Answer: A

32. Density is mass divided by

A. weight
B. pressure
C. force
D. volume

Answer: D

33. A body moving with constant velocity has

A. positive acceleration
B. negative acceleration
C. zero acceleration
D. infinite acceleration

Answer: C

34. The equation for kinetic energy is

A.

B. P = VI
C. F = ma
D. V = IR

Answer: A

35. The turning effect of a force is called

A. energy
B. torque
C. velocity
D. momentum

Answer: B

36. A machine is said to be 100% efficient if

A. output work > input work
B. output work = input work
C. no friction exists
D. power is constant

Answer: B

37. Latent heat is heat used to

A. increase temperature only
B. change state without temperature change
C. cool substances
D. produce radiation

Answer: B

38. Convection occurs mainly in

A. solids
B. liquids and gases
C. metals only
D. vacuum only

Answer: B

39. The echo principle is applied in

A. radar
B. sonar
C. microscope
D. transformer

Answer: B

40. Frequency is measured in

A. joules
B. hertz
C. watts
D. pascals

Answer: B

41. The relationship between wavelength, frequency and speed is

A.

B. F = ma
C. P = IV
D. V = IR

Answer: A

42. A concave mirror forms a real image when the object is

A. beyond focal point
B. at focal point only
C. between focal point and mirror
D. at infinity only

Answer: A

43. Short-sightedness is corrected using

A. convex lens
B. concave lens
C. cylindrical lens
D. prism

Answer: B

44. The unit of electrical power is

A. volt
B. ampere
C. watt
D. coulomb

Answer: C

45. The commercial unit of electrical energy is

A. joule
B. kilowatt-hour
C. watt
D. volt

Answer: B

46. Alternating current changes

A. resistance only
B. direction periodically
C. voltage only
D. temperature

Answer: B

47. The earth behaves like a giant

A. conductor
B. resistor
C. electromagnet
D. magnet

Answer: D

48. Gamma rays are

A. positively charged
B. negatively charged
C. neutral electromagnetic waves
D. helium nuclei

Answer: C

49. Half-life is the time taken for

A. all nuclei to decay
B. half the nuclei to decay
C. temperature to reduce
D. energy to disappear

Answer: B

2026 WAEC Physics Objective and Essay Questions and Answers

50. Which of the following is renewable?

A. Coal
B. Petroleum
C. Solar energy
D. Natural gas

Answer: C

51. The SI unit of pressure is

A. newton
B. pascal
C. watt
D. joule

Answer: B

52. Mechanical advantage is

A. load × effort
B. effort/load
C. load/effort
D. work × power

Answer: C

53. The device used to measure atmospheric pressure is

A. hydrometer
B. manometer
C. barometer
D. hygrometer

Answer: C

54. Heat from the sun reaches Earth mainly through

A. conduction
B. convection
C. radiation
D. evaporation

Answer: C

55. The angle of incidence equals the angle of

A. deviation
B. reflection
C. refraction
D. diffraction

Answer: B

56. Which colour of light has the highest frequency?

A. Red
B. Blue
C. Violet
D. Green

Answer: C

57. A conductor allows

A. flow of electric charge
B. resistance only
C. heat prevention
D. magnetic shielding

Answer: A

58. Fleming’s left-hand rule is used for

A. generators
B. motors
C. transformers
D. lenses

Answer: B

59. The nucleus of an atom contains

A. electrons only
B. protons and neutrons
C. neutrons only
D. protons only

Answer: B

60. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed according to the law of

A. gravitation
B. motion
C. conservation of energy
D. inertia

Answer: C

PAPER 2 

ESSAY QUESTIONS

Time Allowed: 2 Hours 30 Minutes

Instructions

1. Answer five questions only.
2. All questions carry equal marks.
3. Show all working clearly.

QUESTION 1

(a) Define velocity and acceleration.

(b) A car increases its velocity from 10 m/s to 30 m/s in 5 seconds. Calculate the acceleration.

ANSWER

(a)

Velocity is speed in a specified direction.

Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with time.

(b)

a=v−uta=\frac{v-u}{t}a=tv−u​

Where:
u = 10 m/s
v = 30 m/s
t = 5 s

a=30−105a = \frac{30-10}{5}a=530−10​ a=205=4 m/s2a = \frac{20}{5}=4\,m/s^2a=520​=4m/s2

Acceleration = 4 m/s²

QUESTION 2

State Newton’s three laws of motion.

ANSWER

First Law

A body remains at rest or continues in uniform motion unless acted upon by an external force.

Second Law

$F=ma$

The rate of change of momentum is proportional to the applied force.

Third Law

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

2026 WAEC Physics Objective and Essay Questions and Answers

QUESTION 3

(a) Define density.

(b) Calculate the density of a body of mass 200 g and volume 50 cm³.

ANSWER

QUESTION 4

Explain conduction, convection and radiation.

ANSWER

Conduction

Transfer of heat through solids without movement of particles.

Convection

Transfer of heat in fluids through movement of particles.

Radiation

Transfer of heat through electromagnetic waves without material medium.

QUESTION 5

(a) State Ohm’s law.

(b) A resistor of 5 Ω carries a current of 2 A. Calculate the voltage across it.

ANSWER

QUESTION 6

Describe the formation of images by a convex lens.

ANSWER

A convex lens converges parallel rays to a focal point. Depending on object position, the image formed may be real, inverted, magnified, or diminished.

Applications include:

1. Cameras
2. Microscopes
3. Human eye correction

QUESTION 7

Explain electromagnetic induction.

ANSWER

Electromagnetic induction is the production of electric current in a conductor when it cuts magnetic field lines.

Applications:

1. Generators
2. Transformers
3. Dynamos

QUESTION 8

(a) What is radioactivity?

(b) State three uses of radioactive substances.

ANSWER

Radioactivity is the spontaneous decay of unstable atomic nuclei.

Uses:

1. Cancer treatment
2. Industrial radiography
3. Carbon dating