ICSE Class 9 Physics Mid-Term 2026: 20 Important Questions & Numericals From the PW Marathon

Preparing for the ICSE Class 9 Physics Mid-Term 2026 requires more than remembering definitions and formulas. You also need to interpret graphs, identify the correct physical quantities, apply formulas to numericals, and explain why a particular result occurs. Practising questions across these areas can show you where your preparation currently stands.

The PW Physics Mid-Term Marathon brings these areas together through concept-based questions, graph questions, reasoning, and numerical applications. The 20 questions below have been selected from the concepts and problems covered during the Marathon so that you can use them for focused mid-term revision.

What Should You Revise for the ICSE Class 9 Physics Mid-Term 2026?

Before attempting the questions, make sure you can recall the basic concepts and formulas needed to solve them. The PW Marathon covers questions from different areas of Physics, so you may need to switch between calculations, graphs, definitions, and reasoning.

Pay particular attention to:

• Motion and acceleration: Initial and final velocity, acceleration, retardation, and changes in motion.

• Motion graphs: Slope and area of displacement-time and velocity-time graphs.

• Force: Effects of force, friction, spring force, and contact forces.

• Newton’s laws: Relationship between force, mass, acceleration, momentum, and stopping time.

• Gravitation: Effect of distance on gravitational force, weight, mass, and acceleration due to gravity.

• Pressure: Relationship between force, area, pressure, and depth in liquids.

• Buoyancy: Upthrust, factors affecting buoyant force, floating, and sinking.

• Density and relative density: Calculating density using mass and volume and understanding relative density.

Instead of revising these topics only through notes, try applying them to the questions below. This can help you see whether you can recall the right concept when the question is presented differently.

Top 20 ICSE Class 9 Physics Questions and Numericals From the PW Marathon

The following questions cover the major conceptual, graphical, reasoning, and numerical areas discussed during the Physics Marathon. They are divided across motion and graphs, force, gravitation, pressure, buoyancy, and density so that you can check different parts of your preparation.

Try each question without looking at the answer first. For numericals, write the formula and substitute the values yourself before comparing your calculation with the solution.

Q1. Rahul starts from rest and reaches 6 m/s in 30 seconds. He then slows from 6 m/s to 4 m/s in 5 seconds. Calculate the acceleration in both cases.

Answer:

For the first case:

a=6-030=0.2m/s2

For the second case:

a=4−6​=−0.4m/s2 

Therefore, the accelerations are 0.2 m/s² and −0.4 m/s².

Q2. A cyclist slows down from 12 m/s to 6 m/s in 3 seconds. Find the retardation.

Answer:

a=36−12​=−2m/s2 

The negative acceleration indicates retardation. Therefore, the magnitude of retardation is 2 m/s².

Q3. What does the slope of a displacement-time graph represent?

Answer: The slope of a displacement-time graph represents the velocity of the body. A greater slope indicates a greater velocity.

Q4. What does a horizontal line on a displacement-time graph represent?

Answer: A horizontal line represents a body at rest. Its displacement remains unchanged even though time continues to pass, so its velocity is zero.

Q5. What does the slope of a velocity-time graph represent?

Answer: The slope of a velocity-time graph represents acceleration. It tells you how quickly velocity changes with time.

Q6. What does the area under a velocity-time graph represent?

Answer: The area under a velocity-time graph represents the displacement of the body during the given time interval.

Q7. What does a straight upward-sloping velocity-time graph represent?

Answer: It represents uniformly accelerated motion. The velocity increases at a constant rate with time, which means acceleration remains constant.

Q8. A football at rest is kicked and later changes direction. Which effects of force are observed?

Answer: The force produces a change in speed and direction. The kick first changes the football from rest to motion, while another force can later alter the direction in which it moves.

Q9. Which force acts between two surfaces in contact and opposes relative motion?

Answer: Frictional force acts between two surfaces in contact and opposes their relative motion or tendency to move relative to each other.

Q10. Which force tries to restore a stretched or compressed spring to its original position?

Answer: The spring force or restoring force acts in a direction that tends to return the stretched or compressed spring to its original position.

Q11. If the force acting on a body of constant mass is doubled, what happens to its acceleration?

Answer: The acceleration doubles.

According to Newton’s Second Law, for a constant mass, acceleration is directly proportional to the applied force. Therefore, doubling the force results in twice the acceleration.

Q12. Why does a cricketer move their hands backward while catching a ball?

Answer: Moving the hands backward increases the time taken to stop the ball. For the same change in momentum, increasing the stopping time reduces the force experienced by the hands.

Q13. If the distance between two masses is doubled, what happens to the gravitational force between them?

Answer: The gravitational force becomes one-fourth of its original value.

Gravitational force varies inversely with the square of the distance between the two masses. Therefore, when the distance becomes twice as large, the force becomes ¼ of the original force.

Q14. A body weighs 98 N on Earth. Find its mass if g=9.8 m/s2g = 9.8\,m/s^2.

Answer:

Using:

m=gW​=9.898​=10kg 

Hence, the mass of the body is 10 kg.

Q15. A force of 4000 N acts over an area of 4 m². Calculate the pressure.

Answer:

Given:
Force, F=4000 NF = 4000\ N
Area, A=4 m2A = 4\ m^2

Using:

P=F/A​

 P=4000/4 ​=1000 Pa 

Final Answer: The pressure exerted is 1000 Pa.

Q16. How does liquid pressure change with depth?

Answer: Liquid pressure increases as depth increases. A point deeper inside a liquid has a greater height of liquid above it, resulting in greater pressure.

Q17. What is the upward force exerted by a liquid on an immersed body called?

Answer: The upward force exerted by a liquid on an immersed body is called upthrust or buoyant force.

Q18. On which factors does buoyant force depend?

Answer: Buoyant force depends mainly on:

• Density of the liquid

• Volume of liquid displaced by the immersed body

• Acceleration due to gravity

Changing any of these factors can affect the magnitude of the buoyant force.

Q19. A stone of mass 78 g raises the water level from 40 cm³ to 70 cm³. Find its density.

Answer:

Given:
Mass of stone =78 g= 78\ g
Initial water level =40 cm3= 40\ cm^3
Final water level =70 cm3= 70\ cm^3

Volume of stone:

V=70−40=30 cm3V=70-40=30\ cm^3

Using:

Density=Mass/Volume

​ Density=78/30​=2.6 g/cm3 

Final Answer: The density of the stone is 2.6 g/cm³.

Q20. What is relative density?

Answer: Relative density is the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of water.

Since it is a ratio of two quantities having the same unit, relative density has no unit.

These 20 questions cover a useful mix of numericals, graph-based concepts, definitions, and reasoning questions, but they represent only part of the practice covered in the PW Physics Mid-Term Marathon. For more questions, detailed explanations, and additional concept-based practice, you can revisit the complete Marathon and attempt the remaining questions alongside the session.

Which Physics Numericals and Concepts Need More Attention Before the Mid-Term?

Once you have attempted all 20 questions, do not look only at how many answers you got right. Check why you made mistakes. A wrong sign in an acceleration question requires a different type of revision than forgetting what the slope of a graph represents.

Focus your next round of practice on these areas:

• Acceleration and retardation: Keep initial velocity, final velocity, time, and signs clear before substituting values.

• Graph questions: Remember what the slope and area represent instead of memorising the appearance of individual graphs.

• Newton’s laws: Connect force with acceleration, momentum, and changes in motion.

• Gravitation: Check carefully how gravitational force changes when distance changes.

• Weight and mass: Do not use the two terms interchangeably. Use W=mgW=mg when required.

• Pressure: Identify both force and area before calculating, and remember that liquid pressure increases with depth.

• Buoyancy: Understand upthrust and the factors that determine its magnitude.

• Density: Calculate displaced volume carefully before using mass divided by volume.

If you need help with the formula, sign, graph interpretation, or physical reasoning behind several questions from the same topic, that topic should be revised again before you move to another practice set.

How Can You Use the PW Class 9 ICSE Physics Marathon for Mid-Term Revision?

The PW Class 9 ICSE Physics Mid-Term Marathon can be useful at different stages of your preparation. Instead of watching the complete session passively, use the questions to decide which parts of the Marathon deserve more of your revision time.

1. If you have already revised the syllabus: Pause when a question appears, solve it independently, and then compare your approach with the explanation.

2. If a concept is still unclear: Return to the explanation before attempting several similar questions. This is particularly useful for graphs, Newton’s laws, gravitation, pressure, and buoyancy.

3. If numericals are your weak area: Write the given values, identify the required quantity, select the formula, substitute the values, and check the unit. Avoid jumping directly to mental calculations.

4. If your exam is close: Use the Marathon questions as a recall check. Mark topics as clear, partly clear, or needing revision, and spend your remaining time on the areas where you hesitate.

This way, the Marathon becomes more than a collection of questions. You can use it to connect concept revision, formula recall, numerical practice, and mistake analysis before your mid-term examination.

The PW Physics Mid-Term Marathon can help you bring different parts of ICSE Class 9 Physics revision together, but your final check should be whether you can solve the questions without relying on notes or explanations. Reattempt the questions you found difficult and return to the relevant Marathon portions for concepts, graphs, or calculations that still need another round of revision.