Physics Formulas

Here is a comprehensive cheat sheet for Form 4 Physics, featuring important

formulas, equations, and key concepts. All notation uses plain text Unicode as
requested.
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## Form 4 Physics Cheat Sheet
### I. Introduction to Physics & Measurement
Scalars: Quantities with magnitude only (e.g., mass, distance, speed, time, energy).
Vectors: Quantities with both magnitude and direction (e.g., displacement, velocity,
acceleration, force, momentum).
SI Units: Standard International Units (e.g., meter (m), kilogram (kg), second (s),
ampere (A), kelvin (K)).
Prefixes:
kilo (k) = 10³
milli (m) = 10⁻³
micro (μ) = 10⁻⁶
nano (n) = 10⁻⁹
### II. Forces and Pressure
Density (ρ):
ρ=m/V
Where m = mass, V = volume.
Unit: kg/m³
Weight (W):
W = mg
Where m = mass, g = acceleration due to gravity (approx. 9.8 or 10 m/s² on
Earth).
Unit: Newton (N)
Newton's Second Law of Motion:
F = ma
Where F = net force, m = mass, a = acceleration.
Unit: Newton (N)
Moment of a Force (Torque):
Moment = Force × Perpendicular distance from pivot (M = Fd)
Unit: Newton-meter (Nm)
Principle of Moments:
For an object in equilibrium: Sum of clockwise moments = Sum of anticlockwise
moments about any pivot.
Pressure (P) in Solids:
P=F/A
Where F = perpendicular force, A = area over which the force is distributed.
Unit: Pascal (Pa) or N/m²
 Pressure in Liquids (at a certain depth):
P = hρg
Where h = depth, ρ = density of liquid, g = acceleration due to gravity.
Unit: Pascal (Pa)
Pascal's Principle (Hydraulic Systems):
F₁/A₁ = F₂/A₂ (Pressure transmitted in an enclosed fluid is undiminished)
Archimedes' Principle (Buoyancy/Upthrust):
Upthrust = Weight of displaced fluid
Upthrust = Vρg
Where V = volume of displaced fluid, ρ = density of fluid, g = acceleration due to
gravity.
Principle of Flotation: An object floats when its weight is equal to the upthrust
acting on it.
### III. Energy, Work, and Power
Work Done (W):
W = Fd (Force applied in the direction of displacement)
Unit: Joule (J)
Kinetic Energy (KE):
KE = ½mv²
Where m = mass, v = velocity.
Unit: Joule (J)
Gravitational Potential Energy (GPE):
GPE = mgh
Where m = mass, g = acceleration due to gravity, h = vertical height.
Unit: Joule (J)
Power (P):
P = W / t (Work done per unit time)
P = E / t (Energy transferred per unit time)
P = Fv (for constant velocity)
Unit: Watt (W) or J/s
Efficiency:
Efficiency = (Useful energy output / Total energy input) × 100%
Efficiency = (Useful power output / Total power input) × 100%
Principle of Conservation of Energy: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only
transformed from one form to another. Total energy in a closed system remains
constant.
### IV. Heat
Specific Heat Capacity (c):
Q = mcΔT
Where Q = heat energy, m = mass, c = specific heat capacity, ΔT = change in
temperature.
Unit: J kg⁻¹ K⁻¹ or J kg⁻¹ °C⁻¹
Specific Latent Heat (L):
Q = mL (for melting/freezing or boiling/condensing at constant temperature)
Where Q = heat energy, m = mass, L = specific latent heat (of fusion or
vaporization).
Unit: J kg⁻¹
Thermal Expansion:
Linear Expansion: ΔL = L₀αΔT (ΔL = change in length, L₀ = original length, α =
coefficient of linear expansion, ΔT = change in temp)
Volume Expansion: ΔV = V₀γΔT (ΔV = change in volume, V₀ = original volume, γ =
coefficient of volume expansion 3α, ΔT = change in temp)
Heat Transfer: Conduction, Convection, Radiation (Key concepts: mechanisms and
examples).
### V. Light
Laws of Reflection:
1. Angle of incidence (i) = Angle of reflection (r).
2. The incident ray, reflected ray, and the normal all lie in the same plane.
Laws of Refraction (Snell's Law):
1. The incident ray, refracted ray, and the normal all lie in the same plane.
2. n₁sinθ₁ = n₂sinθ₂ (where n = refractive index, θ = angle to the normal).
Refractive Index (n):
n = sin i / sin r (when light goes from vacuum/air into a medium)
n = Speed of light in vacuum (c) / Speed of light in medium (v)
c 3.0 × 10⁸ m/s
Critical Angle (C):
sin C = 1 / n (when light goes from denser to less dense medium)
Total Internal Reflection (TIR): Occurs when:
1. Light travels from a denser medium to a less dense medium.
2. The angle of incidence is greater than the critical angle.
Thin Lens Formula:
1/f = 1/u + 1/v
Where f = focal length, u = object distance, v = image distance.
Sign convention is crucial (e.g., real images/converging lens f is positive, virtual
images/diverging lens f is negative).
Magnification (M):
M = Image height (hᵢ) / Object height (h₀)
M = Image distance (v) / Object distance (u)
Power of a Lens (P):
P = 1 / f (f must be in meters for power in Dioptres)
Unit: Dioptre (D)
### VI. Waves
Wave Speed (v):
v = fλ
Where f = frequency, λ = wavelength.
Unit: m/s
Period (T):
T=1/f
 Where f = frequency.
Unit: second (s)
Types of Waves:
Transverse Waves: Oscillations are perpendicular to the direction of wave
propagation (e.g., light, water waves).
Longitudinal Waves: Oscillations are parallel to the direction of wave
propagation (e.g., sound waves).
Wave Properties: Amplitude, Wavelength, Frequency, Period, Speed.
Wave Phenomena: Reflection, Refraction, Diffraction, Interference (conceptual
understanding).
Sound Waves:
Longitudinal waves requiring a medium for transmission.
Speed varies with medium (e.g., fastest in solids, slowest in gases).
Echoes: Distance (d) = (Speed of sound (v) × Time (t)) / 2
### VII. Electricity and Magnetism
Electric Current (I):
I=Q/t
Where Q = charge, t = time.
Unit: Ampere (A)
Ohm's Law:
V = IR
Where V = potential difference, I = current, R = resistance.
Unit: Volt (V)
Resistance (R):
Series Resistors: R_total = R₁ + R₂ + ...
Parallel Resistors: 1/R_total = 1/R₁ + 1/R₂ + ...
Resistivity (ρ): R = ρL / A
Where R = resistance, ρ = resistivity, L = length, A = cross-sectional area.
Unit of resistivity: Ohm-meter (Ωm)
Electrical Energy (E):
E = VIt
E = I²Rt
E = (V²/R)t
Unit: Joule (J)
Electrical Power (P):
P = VI
P = I²R
P = V²/R
Unit: Watt (W)
Electromotive Force (e.m.f.) and Internal Resistance (r):
E = V + Ir
Where E = e.m.f., V = terminal potential difference, I = current, r = internal
resistance.
Also, E = I(R + r), where R is external resistance.
 Electromagnetism:
Magnetic Field Patterns: Around current-carrying wires (concentric circles),
solenoids (like a bar magnet), and bar magnets.
Motor Effect (Fleming's Left-Hand Rule): Force (F) experienced by a current-
carrying conductor in a magnetic field. F = BILsinθ (B = magnetic field strength, I =
current, L = length, θ = angle between B and I).
Electromagnetic Induction: Generation of e.m.f. by changing magnetic flux
(Faraday's Law, Lenz's Law, Fleming's Right-Hand Rule).
Transformers (Ideal):
Vₚ/Vₛ = Nₚ/Nₛ (Voltage ratio = Turns ratio)
VₚIₚ = VₛIₛ (Power in primary = Power in secondary)
Nₚ/Nₛ = Iₛ/Iₚ (Turns ratio = Inverse current ratio)
Cathode Ray Oscilloscope (CRO): Used to display waveforms.
Y-gain/Y-sensitivity: Controls the vertical scale (volts per division).
Time Base: Controls the horizontal scale (time per division).