A Level Maths: Moments Topic Summary and Resources
Video Lessons
Watch alongside the worksheet for the full lesson experience, then test your understanding with the lesson questions.
Revision Notes
Handwritten notes summarising the key ideas for each lesson. Ideal for quick review before a test.
Exam Questions
Past-paper-style questions organised by topic, with full mark schemes.
- Moments In 1 Dimension (OCR)
- Moments In 1 Dimension (Edexcel)
- Moments in 2 Dimensions (OCR)
- Moments in 2 Dimensions (Edexcel)
- Problem Solving with Moments in 1 and 2 Dimensions (OCR)
Drawn from OCR and Edexcel past papers but designed to be useful for students of all UK exam boards — including AQA and OCR MEI — unless a sheet is explicitly board-specific.
Before You Start This Topic
It will help if you are confident with the following:
- Resolving Forces and Newton's Second Law (F = ma) — foundational force analysis
- Resolving Non-Perpendicular Forces — needed for angled-force moments
- Coefficient Of Friction — needed for ladder problems
A Level Maths moments introduces the rotational effect of a force, also known as torque. A force applied at a distance from a pivot tends to cause rotation; moments quantify this turning effect and let you analyse the equilibrium of extended objects (beams, ladders, rods, see-saws). This is the last major mechanics topic and brings the Mechanics strand to a satisfying conclusion.
The moment of a force about a point is $F \times d$, where $F$ is the force magnitude and $d$ is the perpendicular distance from the point to the line of action of the force. You apply the principle that for an object in equilibrium, the SUM of moments about ANY point must be zero — choosing the pivot strategically (often at an unknown force's line of action) eliminates unknowns and simplifies the equations. You handle uniform rods (weight acts at the centre), non-uniform rods (weight acts at the centre of mass, which may be unknown), and rods supported by two pivots or by a pivot and a string. You also analyse ladders against rough walls, where friction at both contact points must be considered, and find the point at which an object begins to tip.
Moments is part of the Mechanics strand of A Level Maths for AQA, Edexcel, OCR, and OCR MEI students.
Watch out for…
A few things to be careful with: the distance in the moment is the PERPENDICULAR distance from the pivot to the line of action, not just the distance to the point of application; choose the pivot point cleverly to eliminate unknowns — often the point where an unknown force acts; the moment equation alone is not enough — you also need the force equations in $x$ and $y$ for complete equilibrium; and for a non-uniform rod, the position of the centre of mass is usually unknown and may be what the question asks you to find.