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Eduqas A-level Physics data booklet: what is on it and what is not

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Formula sheet

The card below opens today's A-level Physics paper with this sheet in the drawer, so you practise the way you will sit the exam. The contents follow, grouped in our own layout and words. Check against Eduqas's Data Booklet before you rely on anything here.

Formula sheet

A-level Physics: Year 1

Open formula sheet

Values and conversions

Temperature in kelvin is the temperature in degrees Celsius plus 273.15.

QuantitySymbolValueUnit
Avogadro constantNA6.02 × 10²³mol⁻¹
fundamental electronic chargee1.60 × 10⁻¹⁹C
mass of an electronmₑ9.11 × 10⁻³¹kg
molar gas constantR8.31J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹
acceleration due to gravity at sea levelg9.81m s⁻²
gravitational field strength at sea levelg9.81N kg⁻¹
universal constant of gravitationG6.67 × 10⁻¹¹N m² kg⁻²
Planck constanth6.63 × 10⁻³⁴J s
Boltzmann constantk1.38 × 10⁻²³J K⁻¹
speed of light in a vacuumc3.00 × 10⁸m s⁻¹
permittivity of free spaceε₀8.85 × 10⁻¹²F m⁻¹
permeability of free spaceμ₀4π × 10⁻⁷H m⁻¹
Stefan constantσ5.67 × 10⁻⁸W m⁻² K⁻⁴
Wien constantW2.90 × 10⁻³m K
Hubble constantH₀2.20 × 10⁻¹⁸s⁻¹
one parsec1 pc3.09 × 10¹⁶m
atomic mass unit1 u1.66 × 10⁻²⁷kg
electronvolt1 eV1.60 × 10⁻¹⁹J

Mechanics

v=u+atfinal velocity
p=mvmomentum
s=\frac{1}{2}(u+v)tdisplacement from the average velocity
s=ut+\frac{1}{2}at^2displacement from the start velocity
v^2=u^2+2asvelocity without time
F=maresultant force
\Delta E=mg\Delta hchange in gravitational potential energy
W=Fs\cos\thetawork done
Fx=\frac{1}{2}mv^2-\frac{1}{2}mu^2work done by a force on a body
E_k=\frac{1}{2}mv^2kinetic energy
\text{efficiency}=\frac{\text{useful output}}{\text{total input}}efficiency
P=\frac{W}{t}=\frac{\Delta E}{t}power

Materials

F=kxHooke's law
E=\frac{1}{2}kx^2elastic energy
\rho=\frac{m}{V}density
\sigma=\frac{F}{A}stress
\varepsilon=\frac{\Delta l}{l}strain
E=\frac{\sigma}{\varepsilon}Young modulus
W=\frac{1}{2}Fxwork done in stretching

Circular motion and oscillations

\omega=\frac{\theta}{t}=\frac{2\pi}{T}angular speed
v=\omega rlinear speed on a circle
a=\frac{v^2}{r}=\omega^2rcentripetal acceleration
F=\frac{mv^2}{r}=m\omega^2rcentripetal force
a=-\omega^2xacceleration in simple harmonic motion
x=A\cos(\omega t+\varepsilon)displacement
v=-A\omega\sin(\omega t+\varepsilon)velocity
T=2\pi\sqrt{\frac{m}{k}}period of a mass on a spring
T=2\pi\sqrt{\frac{l}{g}}period of a simple pendulum

Thermal physics and gases

n=\frac{\text{total mass}}{\text{molar mass}}molar mass
pV=nRTideal gas equation, moles
pV=NkTideal gas equation, molecules
k=\frac{R}{N_A}Boltzmann constant
p=\frac{1}{3}\rho\overline{c^2}kinetic theory
U=\frac{3}{2}nRT=\frac{3}{2}NkTinternal energy of a monatomic gas
W=p\Delta Vwork done by a gas
\Delta U=Q-Wfirst law
Q=mc\Delta\thetaenergy to change temperature

Electricity

I=\frac{\Delta Q}{\Delta t}current
I=nAvecurrent in a conductor
R=\frac{V}{I}resistance
P=IV=I^2R=\frac{V^2}{R}electrical power
R=\frac{\rho l}{A}resistivity
V=E-Irterminal potential difference
V_{out}=\frac{R_{out}}{R_{total}}V_{in}potential divider

Capacitors and fields

C=\frac{Q}{V}capacitance
C=\frac{\varepsilon_0A}{d}parallel plate capacitor
E=\frac{V}{d}uniform electric field
U=\frac{1}{2}QVenergy stored
Q=Q_0e^{-t/RC}discharge
Q=Q_0\left(1-e^{-t/RC}\right)charging
F=\frac{Q_1Q_2}{4\pi\varepsilon_0r^2}force between two point charges
E=\frac{Q}{4\pi\varepsilon_0r^2}electric field of a point charge
V=\frac{Q}{4\pi\varepsilon_0r}electric potential of a point charge
F=\frac{GM_1M_2}{r^2}gravitational force
g=\frac{GM}{r^2}gravitational field strength
V=-\frac{GM}{r}gravitational potential
PE=-\frac{GM_1M_2}{r}gravitational potential energy
W=q\Delta Vwork done in an electric field
W=m\Delta V_gwork done in a gravitational field

Waves and light

T=\frac{1}{f}period
c=f\lambdawave speed
\lambda=\frac{ay}{D}double slit
d\sin\theta=n\lambdadiffraction grating
n=\frac{c}{v}refractive index
n_1v_1=n_2v_2,\quad n_1\sin\theta_1=n_2\sin\theta_2Snell's law
\sin C=\frac{n_2}{n_1}critical angle
E_{k(max)}=hf-\phimaximum kinetic energy of a photoelectron
\lambda=\frac{h}{p}de Broglie wavelength

Magnetism, nuclear and cosmology

F=BIl\sin\thetaforce on a conductor
F=Bqv\sin\thetaforce on a moving charge
B=\frac{\mu_0I}{2\pi a}field of a long wire
B=\mu_0nIfield in a solenoid
N\Phi=NBA\cos\thetaflux linkage
N=N_0e^{-\lambda t},\quad A=A_0e^{-\lambda t}exponential decay
A=\lambda Nactivity
\lambda=\frac{\ln2}{T_{1/2}}half-life
E=mc^2mass-energy
\frac{\Delta\lambda}{\lambda}=\frac{v}{c}red shift
v=H_0DHubble's law
\lambda_{max}=\frac{W}{T}Wien's law
P=A\sigma T^4Stefan's law

Mathematical information

SI multipliers from atto (10⁻¹⁸) to zetta (10²¹), areas and volumes of a circle, triangle, block, cylinder and sphere, basic trigonometry, and the rules of logarithms.

What the Eduqas booklet leaves out

  • No separate E = hf line. It appears only inside E_(k(max)) = hf − φ.
  • No Stokes' law and no pressure equation.
  • Nothing for the Wales-specific qualification: this is the England booklet.

A booklet issued at the start of the course

The 2019 component 3 booklet says centres should hand it to candidates at the start of the course so they can learn its layout, and a clean copy is issued in the exam. Use it from day one.

It has four option sections, A to D, and a maths page with SI multipliers from atto to zetta, areas and volumes, trigonometry and logarithms. That is more arithmetic help than other boards give.

Work out a photon energy from its frequency or wavelength, in units of 10^-19 J.

Press Mark to have your answer marked in the Light & Energy course.

Worked example: radioactive decay

A source has a half-life of 8.0 days. What fraction of the nuclei remain after 20 days?

\lambda=\frac{\ln2}{8.0}=0.0866\ \text{day}^{-1},\quad \frac{N}{N_0}=e^{-0.0866\times20}=0.177

That is the same as 0.5 raised to the power 2.5. Keep days in both λ and t.

The Eduqas sheet and the other boards

BoardSheetWhat it holds
AQAA-level Physics data and formulae (7408), version 1.5Constants and astronomical data, equations by topic, then five option sections
EdexcelList of data, formulae and relationships (9PH0), Issue 3, November 2022Fourteen data values, then equations in twelve sections from Mechanics to Oscillations
OCR AData, Formulae and Relationships Booklet (H156, H556), 8 pagesConstants, conversion factors and maths equations, then equations by module; no kinetic energy line
Eduqas (this guide)Data Booklet, A level component 3 (2019 paper)Values and conversions, one list of equations, options A to D, and maths information
WJECData Booklet, A2 unit 3 (2019 paper)The same layout as Eduqas, without the option sections
CCEAData and formulae sheet for A2 Units 1 and 2 (APH11, APH21)Constants and a short list of "useful formulae"; the Hubble constant is given as about 2.4 × 10⁻¹⁸ s⁻¹

Eduqas and WJEC use the same layout and values, including a Hubble constant of 2.20 × 10⁻¹⁸ s⁻¹. The Eduqas booklet adds options A to D.

Exam answers

After marking, our answers show the working. They are ours, not Eduqas's.

Daily papers for an Eduqas course

Both Physics 1 and Physics 2 are short 8-question papers. They do not cover Eduqas's options, so revise those separately.

Eduqas booklet slips

  • Hunting for E = hf and missing that it is not printed.
  • Using the Wien constant as W = 2.90 × 10⁻³ without units.
  • Taking the Hubble constant from a different board.

Common questions

Do you get a data sheet in Eduqas A-level Physics?
Yes. The 2019 component 3 Data Booklet says a clean copy should be issued to candidates for each component 3 Physics exam.
What is in the Eduqas physics data booklet?
Values and conversions, a list of equations, four option sections and mathematical information such as SI multipliers and areas and volumes.
Is the Eduqas booklet the same as the WJEC one?
The layout and most equations are the same. The WJEC unit 3 booklet has no option sections.
Does the Eduqas sheet give E = hf?
Not on its own. It gives the photoelectric line E(k max) = hf − φ and the de Broglie relation.
What value of the Hubble constant does Eduqas give?
2.20 × 10⁻¹⁸ s⁻¹.

Revision cards

Say the answer first, then flip the card to check it.

Where to go next

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