Physical Quantities and SI Units

Basic Physical Quantity Name of Base Unit Symbol for SI Unit

Length Metre m
Mass Kilogram kg
Time Second s
Electric Current Ampere A
Thermodynamic Temperature Kelvin K
Luminous Intensity Candela cd
Amount of Substance Mole mol

Prefixes for SI Units

Prefix Symbol
106 Mega M
103 Kilo k
10-1 Deci d
10-2 Centi c
10-3 Milli m
10-6 Micro µ

Unit 2: Speed, Velocity and Acceleration

• speed=
𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑑
( v= 𝑡 )
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛
• velocity=
𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑠
(v= )
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑡
• acceleration=
𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝞓𝒗 𝑣−𝑢
(a= 𝞓𝒕 = )
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑡

Equations of Motion

• v=u+at
1
• s= ut+ 2at2
• 2as= v2-u2

Momentum

• momentum= mass × velocity (p=mv)

• change in momentum: 𝞓p=mv-mu

Impulse

• impulse= force × change in time = F×𝞓t

 • impulse: 𝞓p=mv-mu
Δp
• F= Δt

Unit 3: Forces

Force= mass × acceleration (F=ma)

Scalar Vector
Mass Displacement
Time Velocity
Distance Acceleration
Speed Force
Volume
Density
Work
Energy
Power

Unit 4: Mass, Weight and Density

• weight= mass × gravitational field strength (w=m × g)

𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑚
• density= (ρ= 𝑉 )
𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒

Unit 5: Turning Effect of Forces

• moment of a force= force × perpendicular distance from pivot (M=F × d)

Unit 6: Work, Energy and Power

• work= force × distance moved in the direction of the force (W= F×s)
1 1
• kinetic energy= 2× mass × velocity2 (Ek= 2mv2)
• gravitational potential energy= mass × gravitational field strength × height (Ep=mgh)
𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑙 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡
• efficiency= × 100%
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑝𝑢𝑡
𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑊 𝐸
• power= 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 = (P= 𝑡 = 𝑡 )
𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛

More formulas of power in unit 18.

Unit 7: Pressure
 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝐹
• Pressure= (p=𝐴)
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎

• Pressure in Liquids= height of column × density of the liquid × gravitational field strength
(p=hρg)
𝑘
• Pressure in gases: p=𝑉 or p1V1=p2V2 (Boyle’s Law)

Unit 8: Measurement of Temperature

𝑋θ−X0
• General Equation for the Centigrade Scale: θ/ °C= × 100
𝑋100−𝑋0

• θ/ °C= T/K-273.15

Unit 10: Heat Capacity

ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝐽 𝑄
• heat capacity= 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 (C= 𝛥θ)
𝐶 1 𝑄
• specific heat capacity= 𝑚= 𝑚 (𝛥θ) where m= mass of substance

• Q=mc𝛥θ
• Q=ml (mass x specific latent heat)

Unit 11: Melting and Boiling

• Latent heat of fusion= specific latent heat of fusion × mass of solid (Lf=lf × m)
• Latent heat of vaporization= specific latent heat of vaporization × mass of solid (Lv=lv×m)

Unit 13: General Wave Properties

1
• Period=
𝑓

𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑦 𝑤𝑎𝑣𝑒 λ

• speed of wave= (v= )
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑇

• speed of wave= frequency × distance travelled by wave (v=fλ)

• speed of all electromagnetic waves in vacuum= 3.0×108m/s

Unit 14: Reflection and Refraction of Light

 • angle of incidence=angle of reflection (∠i=∠r)
sin 𝑖
• refractive index (n)= sin 𝑟
𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑣𝑎𝑐𝑢𝑢𝑚 𝑐
• n= 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑙𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑣𝑎𝑐𝑢𝑢𝑚= 𝑣
1
• n= sin 𝑐
1
• critical angle(c)= sin-1(𝑛)

Unit 15: Converging Lens

ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒
• linear magnification (m)= ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑏𝑗𝑒𝑐𝑡

Unit 18: Current Electricity

𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 𝑄
• current= (I= 𝑡 )
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒
𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑑𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝐽
• voltage (V)/e.m.f= =𝑐
𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒

• voltage= current × resistance (V=IR)

𝑉
• R=
𝐼
𝑉
• I=
𝑅
ρ×l
• R= where ρ is the resistivity of the material
𝐴

• P= I2R
• P= V2/R
• E=Pt (Power is in kW and time in hours)
• E=VIt
• E=I2Rt
• E= V2/R×t

Unit 25: Radioactivity and the Nuclear Atom

Formula for calculating half-life:

1
• N=No(2)n
 N= quantity of radioactive element left (can be mass or countrate)

No= initial amount

n= number of half-lives

Transformers

• Vs/Vp= Ns/Np

Vp= voltage of primary coil

Vs= voltage of secondary coil

Np= number of turns of primary coil

Ns= number of turns of secondary coil

Space Physics

Orbital distance
• s=2πr
Orbital speed
𝑠 2𝜋𝑟
• v=𝑡 = 𝑡