Selina Concise Physics Class 10 ICSE - Chapters 1 to 8:
Formulas List
Chapter 1: Force
Moment of Force (Torque), τ: τ=F×d Where:
F is the magnitude of the force.
d is the perpendicular distance from the pivot (axis of rotation) to the line of action of the
force.
Unit: Newton-metre (Nm)
Principle of Moments (for equilibrium): Sum of clockwise moments = Sum of anticlockwise
moments
Couple and Moment of a Couple: Moment of a couple =
F×perpendicular distance between the two forces Where:
F is the magnitude of one of the forces.
Newton's Second Law (related to momentum): F=ΔtΔp (Force is directly proportional to the
rate of change of momentum) Where:
Δp is the change in momentum.
Δt is the time taken for the change.
Momentum, p: p=m×v Where:
m is mass.
v is velocity.
Unit: kg m/s
Relation between Force, Mass, and Acceleration: F=m×a Where:
m is mass.
a is acceleration.
Unit: Newton (N)
Chapter 2: Work, Energy and Power
Work Done, W: W=F×s (when force and displacement are in the same direction) W=F×s×cosθ
(when force makes an angle θ with displacement) Where:
F is force.
s is displacement.
θ is the angle between force and displacement.
Unit: Joule (J)
Kinetic Energy, KE: KE=21mv2 Where:
m is mass.
v is velocity.
Unit: Joule (J)
Potential Energy (Gravitational), PE: PE=mgh Where:
m is mass.
g is acceleration due to gravity (approx. 9.8 m/s² or 10 m/s²).
h is height.
Unit: Joule (J)
Power, P: P=tW (Rate of doing work) P=F×v (Power as Force × Average Speed) Where:
W is work done.
t is time.
F is force.
v is average speed/velocity.
Unit: Watt (W)
Relationship between units:
1 J=107 erg
1 Watt-hour=3600 J
1 kWh=3.6×106 J
1 HP (Horsepower)=746 W
Principle of Conservation of Energy: Total Energy = KE+PE=constant (in the absence of
external non-conservative forces)
Chapter 3: Machines
Mechanical Advantage, MA: MA=Effort (E)Load (L)
Velocity Ratio, VR: $VR = \frac{\text{Distance moved by Effort (d_E)}}{\text{Distance moved
by Load (d_L)}}$
Efficiency, η: η=Work InputWork Output×100% η=VRMA×100%
For an Ideal Machine: η=100% or MA=VR
For a Single Fixed Pulley: VR=1 MA≤1
For a Single Movable Pulley: VR=2 MA≤2
For a Block and Tackle System (n number of pulleys):
VR=number of strands of string supporting the load=n If the effort is applied upwards, VR=n.
If the effort is applied downwards, VR=n.
Chapter 4: Refraction of Light at Plane Surfaces
Speed of Light: v=f×λ Where:
v is speed.
f is frequency.
λ is wavelength.
Refractive Index, n (Absolute): n=Speed of light in medium (v)Speed of light in vacuum (c)
Refractive Index (Relative) from medium 1 to medium 2 (n1 2 or n2/n1): n1 2
=Speed of light in medium 2 (v2)Speed of light in medium 1 (v1) Also, n1 2=n1n2
Snell's Law: n1sini=n2sinr (Or sinrsini=constant=n2/1 where n2/1 is the refractive index of
medium 2 with respect to medium 1) Where:
i is the angle of incidence.
r is the angle of refraction.
n1 is the refractive index of medium 1.
n2 is the refractive index of medium 2.
Real Depth and Apparent Depth: n=Apparent DepthReal Depth
Critical Angle, C (for Total Internal Reflection): sinC=n1 Where n is the refractive index of the
denser medium with respect to the rarer medium (usually air or vacuum).
Chapter 5: Refraction through a Lens
Lens Formula (Thin Lens Formula): v1−u1=f1 Where:
v is the image distance (from optical center).
u is the object distance (from optical center).
f is the focal length of the lens.
Sign Convention (Cartesian): Distances measured in the direction of incident light are
positive, opposite are negative. Distances above principal axis are positive, below are
negative. Optical center is the origin.
Linear Magnification, m: $m = \frac{\text{Height of Image (h_I)}}{\text{Height of Object
(h_O)}}$ m=uv (for lenses)
Power of a Lens, P: P=f1 (where f is in metres) Unit: Dioptre (D)
For a convex (converging) lens, f is positive, P is positive.
For a concave (diverging) lens, f is negative, P is negative.
Combination of Lenses (for thin lenses in contact): Equivalent Focal Length: F1=f11+f21+
… Equivalent Power: P=P1+P2+…
Chapter 6: Spectrum
This chapter is primarily descriptive, focusing on the dispersion of white light, the
electromagnetic spectrum, and scattering of light. There are no specific numerical formulas,
but you should know the order of colors in the visible spectrum (VIBGYOR), and the relative
wavelengths/frequencies of different electromagnetic radiations.
Chapter 7: Sound
Speed of Sound, v: v=f×λ Where:
f is frequency.
λ is wavelength.
Unit: m/s
Echo and Speed of Sound: For an echo, sound travels to the reflecting surface and back.
Distance traveled by sound = 2×distance to reflector So, v=t2d Where:
d is the distance to the reflector.
t is the time taken to hear the echo.
Characteristics of Sound:
Loudness: Related to amplitude (Loudness (Amplitude)2). Measured in decibels (dB).
Pitch: Related to frequency. Higher frequency means higher pitch.
Quality (Timbre): Depends on the waveform or the number of overtones present.
Resonance: No direct formula, but understand the condition where the natural frequency of
an object matches the frequency of the external force, leading to large amplitude vibrations.
Chapter 8: Current Electricity
Electric Current, I: I=tQ Where:
Q is charge.
t is time.
Unit: Ampere (A) or Coulomb/second (C/s)
Charge, Q: Q=n×e Where:
n is the number of electrons.
e is the charge of a single electron (1.6×10−19 C).
Unit: Coulomb (C)
Potential Difference (Voltage), V: V=QW Where:
W is work done.
Q is charge.
Unit: Volt (V) or Joule/Coulomb (J/C)
Ohm's Law: V=I×R Where:
V is potential difference.
I is current.
R is resistance.
Unit of Resistance: Ohm (Ω)
Resistance of a Conductor, R: R=ρAL Where:
ρ (rho) is resistivity.
L is length of the conductor.
A is area of cross-section.
Unit of Resistivity: Ohm-metre (Ωm)
Resistors in Series: Rseries=R1+R2+R3+…
Resistors in Parallel: Rparallel1=R11+R21+R31+… For two resistors in parallel: Rparallel=R1
+R2R1R2
Electrical Energy, E (or Heat Generated, H): E=V×I×t E=I2Rt E=RV2t
Unit: Joule (J) or Watt-second (Ws)
Electrical Power, P: P=V×I P=I2R P=RV2
Unit: Watt (W)
Commercial Unit of Electrical Energy (Board of Trade Unit): 1 kWh=1 unit 1 kWh=3.6×106 J