PHYSICS FORMULA SHEET

Vectors are indicated by arrows. If only the magnitude of a vector quantity is used, the arrow is not used.

Symbols of common quantities

 
acceleration a force F magnetic flux Φ time t

charge q frequency f mass m velocity v
 
displacement s kinetic energy EK momentum p wavelength λ
electric current I length l period T

electromotive force emf magnetic field B potential difference ΔV

Magnitude of physical constants

acceleration due to gravity

g = 9.80 m s–2
Planck’s constant h = 6.63 × 10–34 J s
at the Earth’s surface
constant of universal charge of the electron e = 1.60 × 10–19 C
gravitation
G = 6.67 × 10–11 N m2 kg–2
mass of the electron me = 9.11 × 10–31 kg
speed of light in a vacuum c = 3.00 × 108 m s–1
mass of the proton mp = 1.67 × 10–27 kg
Coulomb’s Law constant 1 9 2 2
109NNmm2CC–2
.00 ×10
= 99.00
4 0 mass of Earth 5.97 × 1024 kg
constant for the magnetic 0
field around a conductor = 2.00 × 10–7 T m A–1 mean radius of Earth 6.37 × 106 m
2

Topic 1: Motion and relativity


   v = velocity at time t 2p r
v = v0 + at  v=
v0 = velocity
velocity at time00
at time T
 
    F  F
s = v0 t + 1 at 2 g g = gravitational field strength
2 m
m
m1m2
v 2 = v02 + 2as F =G r = distance between masses m1 and m2
r2
vH = v cos  GM M = mass of object orbited by satellite
θ = angle to horizontal v=
vV  v sin  r r = radius of orbit

EK  1 mv 2 4 2 3
2
T2  r
GM

 1
 v  
a v2 γ = Lorentz factor
t 1
c2
  t0 = time interval in the moving frame of
F = ma t   t0
reference

  p l0 l0 = length in the moving object’s frame

F= l
t  of reference

  p   m0 v m0 = mass in the frame of reference

p = mv
where the object is stationary

v2 r = radius of circle
a= r

This formula sheet will be provided in the 2022 Northern Hemisphere Physics examination (March 2023).
Topic 2: Electricity and magnetism


1 q1q2 r = distance between  = angle between field B and
F= F = qvB sin  
4 pe 0 r 2 charges q1 and q2 velocity v
 
 F  F mv
E= q E = electric field r= r = radius of circle
q qB

1 q 2 m
E= r = distance from charge T=
4 pe 0 r 2 qB

W = qV q2 B2r 2 r = radius at which ions emerge

W = work done EK 
2m from cyclotron

V d = distance between A⊥ = area perpendicular to the

E=  BA
d parallel plates magnetic field

 qE 
a emf 
m t

0 I  
B r = distance from conductor emf  N = number of conducting loops
2 r t

 = angle between field B and Vp Np V = potential difference in
F  IlB sin    
current v
velocityelement Il Vs Ns transformer coils

Topic 3: Light and atoms

W = work function of the metal

v f W = hf 0
f0 = threshold frequency

d = distance between slits EK max =m

eVaximum kinetic energy
s
d sin θ = ml θ = angular position of mth maximum EK max  eVs of electrons
m = integer (0, 1, 2, …) EK max  eVs = stopping voltage
L
y =
 distance between adjacent
L d EK max hf  W
y  minima or maxima
d
L = slit-to-screen distance
eV V = ppotential
otential difference across
E = hf E = energy of photon f max =
h the
the X-ray
tube tube

h
p= E   mc 2 E = energy


Table of prefixes Quarks

Prefix Symbol Value Quark Symbol Charge (e)

tera T 1012 Up u 23
giga G 109 –1
mega M 106 Down d 3
–1
kilo k 103 Strange s 3
centi c 10-2 Charm c 23
milli m 10-3
micro m 10-6 Top t 23

–1
nano n 10-9 Bottom b 3
pico p 10-12
femto f 10-15