Data and Formulae Booklet for Advanced and Intermediate

Physics

The following equations and formulae may be useful in answering

some of the questions in the examination.

Mechanics kinematics: uniformly accelerated motion

Equations of motion: v  u  at
v 2  u 2  2as
uv 
s t
 2 
1
s  ut  at 2
2

Mechanics dynamics

dp d  mv 
Newton’s second law: F 
dt dt

1 2
Kinetic Energy: K.E.  mv
2

Potential Energy: P.E.  mgh

Mechanical Work Done: W  Fs

Power: P  Fv

Momentum: p  mv

Mechanics dynamics: circular and rotational motion

Angular displacement: s  r

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 d
Angular speed: v  r 
dt

d
Angular acceleration: a  r 
dt

v2
Centripetal acceleration: a
r

mv 2
Centripetal force: F  mr 2
r

2 r
Period: T
v

Angular momentum: L  I

Torque:   I

Work done in rotation: W  

1 2
Rotational Kinetic energy: K.E.  I
2

Simple harmonic motion

Displacement: x  x0 sin t   

Velocity: v   x0 cos t   

v   x02  x 2

Acceleration: a   2 x

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 1 2
Period: T 
f 

m
Mass on a light spring: T  2
k

Ray optics

Refractive index: n1 sin 1   n2 sin 2 

sin 1  v1
n  
sin  2 
1 2
v2

1 1 1 (real is
Thin lenses:  
f u v positive)

1 1 1
  (Cartesian)
f v u

v hi (real is
Magnification: m 
u ho positive)

v h
m  i (Cartesian)
u ho

Current electricity

Ohm’s Law: V  IR

Current: I  nAvq

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Resistors in series: RTotal  R1  R2 

1 1 1
Resistors in parallel:   
RTotal R1 R2

V1 R
Potential divider rule:  1
VTotal RTotal

V2
Power: P  IV  I 2 R 
R

RA
Resistivity: 
l

R  R0
Temperature coefficient: 
R0

Alternating current

For sinusoidal alternating V  V0 sin t   

supply voltage: V0  BAN 

Root mean square for I0 V0

sinusoidal alternating current I rms  Vrms 
and voltage: 2 2

1
Reactance: X L  2 fL XC 
2 fC

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Stationary waves on strings

n T
Frequency of waves on strings: fn   nf1
2L 

T
Speed of waves on strings: v


Wave motion

Velocity of a wave: v f

D
Two slit interference: y
d

1
Diffraction grating: d sin    n d
N


Single slit diffraction: sin     
a

Diffraction of circular 
sin      1.22
aperture: a

Fields

F dV
Electric field strength: E 
q dr

V
Uniform electric field: E
d

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 Qq
Force between point charges: F
4 r 2

Electric field strength due to a Q

E
point charge: 4 r 2


Relative permittivity: r 
0

Electric potential due to a Q

V 
point charge: 4 0 r

Work done when a point 1 

W  qV  Δ  mv 2 
charge moves: 2 

F dV
Gravitational field strength: g 
m dr

Force between two point GMm

F
masses: r2

Gravitational field strength GM

g
due to a point mass: r2

Gravitational potential due to a GM

V 
point mass: r

Work done when a point mass 1 

W  mV  Δ  mv 2 
moves:  2 

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Capacitance

Charge on a capacitor: Q  CV

 0 r A A
Capacitance of parallel plates : C 
d d

Capacitors in parallel: CTotal  C1  C2 

1 1 1
Capacitors in series:   
CTotal C1 C2

1
Energy stored: W CV 2
2

Q  Q0 1  e 
t
Charging: RC

t
Discharging: Q  Q0 e RC

Inductance

dI1
Self-inductance: E1   L
dt

dI1
Mutual inductance: E2   M
dt

1 2
Energy stored: W LI
2

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Electromagnetism

Force on wire: F  BIl sin  

Torque on a rectangular coil:   BANI cos  

Force on moving charge: F  BQv sin  

Magnetic flux:   BA

Field inside a solenoid: B  0 r nI

0 I
Field near a long straight wire: B
2 r

d  N 
Induced e.m.f.: E
dt

E.m.f. induced in a moving

straight conductor in a uniform E  Blv
magnetic field:

BI
Hall voltage: VH 
nqt

Temperature

X  X 0
Temperature two point scale:   100 C
X 100  X 0

P
Temperature absolute scale: T  273.16 K
Ptr

Page 8 of 13
Celsius scale:   C  T  K   273.15 K

First and second laws of thermodynamics

(Work done by
First law of thermodynamics: ΔU  ΔQ  ΔW system is
negative)

(Work done by
ΔU  ΔQ  ΔW system is
positive)

Efficiency of an ideal heat Tc

engine:   1
Th

Gases

Ideal gas equation: PV  nRT  NkT

1
Kinetic theory of an ideal gas: PV  Nm c 2
3

R
Boltzmann’s constant: k
NA

Principal molar heat capacities CP

 CP  CV  R
of an ideal gas: CV

Adiabatic process: PV   constant

Materials

Hooke’s law: F  k l

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 F
Stress: 
A

l
Strain: 
l


Young’s modulus: Y


Energy stored in a stretched 1

k  l 
2
E
wire: 2

Heat transfer

dQ d
Thermal conduction:  kA
dt dx

Quantum phenomena

Quantum energy: E  hf

Mass-energy: E  mc2

1 
Photoelectric effect: hf     mv 2 
 2 max

hc
Energy levels: ΔE  E2  E1  hf 


h
De Broglie wavelength: 
mv

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Radioactivity

dN
Decay rate:   N
dt
A  N
N  N0 e  t

ln  2  0.693
Half-life: T1  
2  

Absorption law for gamma

I  I 0 e  d
radiation:

Doppler shift

 v
Doppler shift: f  f 0 1  
 c

Mathematical Formulae

Surface area of a sphere: S  4 r 2

4 3
Volume of a sphere: V  r
3

Surface area of a cylinder: S  2 rh  2 r 2

Volume of a cylinder: V   r 2h

Logarithms: loga  bc   loga  b   loga  c 

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 b
log a    log a  b   log a  c 
c
loga  bc   c loga  b 
loga  a   1

Equation of a straight line: y  mx  c

sin  90     cos  

Relationship between cosine
and sine:

Relationship between tangent, sin  

tan   
cosine and sine: cos  

Small angles: sin    tan     in radians 

Difference of two squares: x2  y 2   x  y  x  y 

Formula for the roots of a b  b 2  4ac

quadratic equation: x
2a

Physical Constants

Acceleration of free fall on

g  9.81m s2
and near the Earth’s surface:

Boltzmann constant: k  1.38 1023 J K1

Molar gas constant: R  8.31 J K1 mol1

Avogadro’s constant: NA  6.02 1023 mol1

1
Coulomb’s law constant: k  8.99  109 N m 2 C2
4 0

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Charge of an electron: e  1.60 1019 C

Rest mass of an electron: me  9.111031 kg

Rest mass of a proton: mp  1.673 1027 kg

Rest mass of a neutron: mn  1.675 1027 kg

Unified atomic mass unit: 1 u  1.66 1027 kg

1 u  931.5 MeV/c 2

Electronvolt: 1 eV  1.60 1019 J

Gravitational constant: G  6.67 1011 N m2 kg2

Permittivity of free space:  0  8.85 1012 F m1

Permeability of free space: 0  4 107 H m1

Planck constant: h  6.63 1034 J s

Speed of light in a vacuum: c  3.00 108 m s1

Range of wavelengths for

  400 nm to 700 nm
visible light:

One year: 1 year  365.25 days

One light year: 1 ly  9.46 1015 m

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