UK examsA-level
OCR A-level Physics A data, formulae and relationships (H556): what is on it
A-level Physics: Year 1
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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 like the real booklet in our own layout and words. Check against OCR's Data, Formulae and Relationships Booklet before you rely on anything here.
Formula sheet
Open formula sheetA-level Physics: Year 1
Data and conversion factors
Quark charges: up +⅔e, down −⅓e, strange −⅓e.
| Quantity | Symbol | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| acceleration of free fall | g | 9.81 | m s⁻² |
| elementary charge | e | 1.60 × 10⁻¹⁹ | C |
| speed of light in a vacuum | c | 3.00 × 10⁸ | m s⁻¹ |
| Planck constant | h | 6.63 × 10⁻³⁴ | J s |
| Avogadro constant | NA | 6.02 × 10²³ | mol⁻¹ |
| molar gas constant | R | 8.31 | J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹ |
| Boltzmann constant | k | 1.38 × 10⁻²³ | J K⁻¹ |
| gravitational constant | G | 6.67 × 10⁻¹¹ | N m² kg⁻² |
| permittivity of free space | ε₀ | 8.85 × 10⁻¹² | F m⁻¹ |
| electron rest mass | mₑ | 9.11 × 10⁻³¹ | kg |
| proton rest mass | mₚ | 1.673 × 10⁻²⁷ | kg |
| neutron rest mass | mₙ | 1.675 × 10⁻²⁷ | kg |
| alpha particle rest mass | mα | 6.646 × 10⁻²⁷ | kg |
| Stefan constant | σ | 5.67 × 10⁻⁸ | W m⁻² K⁻⁴ |
| unified atomic mass unit | u | 1.661 × 10⁻²⁷ | kg |
| electronvolt | 1 eV | 1.60 × 10⁻¹⁹ | J |
| day | 1 day | 8.64 × 10⁴ | s |
| year | 1 year | 3.16 × 10⁷ | s (approx.) |
| light year | 1 ly | 9.5 × 10¹⁵ | m (approx.) |
| parsec | 1 pc | 3.1 × 10¹⁶ | m (approx.) |
Module 2: vectors
F_x=F\cos\thetahorizontal component
F_y=F\sin\thetavertical component
Module 3: forces and motion
v=u+atfinal velocity
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=\frac{\Delta p}{\Delta t}force as the rate of change of momentum
p=mvmomentum
\text{moment}=Fxmoment
\text{torque}=Fdtorque
\rho=\frac{m}{V}density
p=\frac{F}{A},\quad p=h\rho gpressure
W=Fs\cos\thetawork done
\text{efficiency}=\frac{\text{useful output}}{\text{total input}}efficiency
P=\frac{W}{t}power
P=Fvpower from force and velocity
F=kxHooke's law
E=\frac{1}{2}Fx=\frac{1}{2}kx^2energy stored in a spring
\sigma=\frac{F}{A}tensile stress
\varepsilon=\frac{\Delta L}{L}tensile strain
E=\frac{\sigma}{\varepsilon}Young modulus
Module 4: electrons, waves and photons
Q=Itcharge
I=Anevcurrent in a conductor
W=VQ,\quad W=\varepsilon Q,\quad W=VItwork done
R=\frac{\rho L}{A}resistance
R_T=R_1+R_2+R_3+\cdotsresistors in series
\frac{1}{R_T}=\frac{1}{R_1}+\frac{1}{R_2}+\frac{1}{R_3}+\cdotsresistors in parallel
P=VI,\quad P=I^2R,\quad P=\frac{V^2}{R}power
\varepsilon=I(R+r),\quad \varepsilon=V+Irinternal resistance
V_{out}=\frac{R_2}{R_1+R_2}V_{in}potential divider
v=f\lambdawave speed
f=\frac{1}{T}frequency and period
I=\frac{P}{A}intensity
\lambda=\frac{ax}{D}double slit
n=\frac{c}{v}refractive index
n\sin\theta=\text{constant}refraction
\sin C=\frac{1}{n}critical angle
E=hf=\frac{hc}{\lambda}photon energy
hf=\phi+E_{k(max)}photoelectric equation
\lambda=\frac{h}{p}de Broglie wavelength
d\sin\theta=n\lambdadiffraction grating
Module 5: Newtonian world and astrophysics
E=mc\Delta\thetaenergy to change temperature
E=mLenergy to change state
pV=NkTideal gas equation, molecules
pV=nRTideal gas equation, moles
pV=\frac{1}{3}Nm\overline{c^2}kinetic theory of gases
\frac{1}{2}m\overline{c^2}=\frac{3}{2}kTmean kinetic energy of a gas molecule
\omega=\frac{2\pi}{T}=2\pi fangular 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 tdisplacement in simple harmonic motion
v=\pm\omega\sqrt{A^2-x^2}speed in simple harmonic motion
F=-\frac{GMm}{r^2}gravitational force
g=-\frac{GM}{r^2}gravitational field strength
T^2=\frac{4\pi^2r^3}{GM}Kepler's third law
V_g=-\frac{GM}{r}gravitational potential
E=-\frac{GMm}{r}gravitational potential energy
L=4\pi r^2\sigma T^4luminosity of a star
\frac{\Delta\lambda}{\lambda}\approx\frac{\Delta f}{f}\approx\frac{v}{c}Doppler and red shift
v=H_0dHubble's law
t=H_0^{-1}age of the universe
Module 6: particles and medical physics
C=\frac{Q}{V}capacitance
C=\frac{A\varepsilon_0}{d}parallel plate capacitor
C=C_1+C_2+\cdotscapacitors in parallel
\frac{1}{C}=\frac{1}{C_1}+\frac{1}{C_2}+\cdotscapacitors in series
W=\frac{1}{2}QV=\frac{1}{2}CV^2=\frac{1}{2}\frac{Q^2}{C}energy stored
\tau=CRtime constant
x=x_0e^{-t/CR}discharge
x=x_0\left(1-e^{-t/CR}\right)charging
E=\frac{F}{Q},\quad E=\frac{V}{d}electric field
F=\frac{Qq}{4\pi\varepsilon_0r^2}force between charges
E=\frac{Q}{4\pi\varepsilon_0r^2}field of a point charge
V=\frac{Q}{4\pi\varepsilon_0r}potential of a point charge
F=BIL\sin\theta,\quad F=BQvmagnetic force
\phi=BA\cos\thetamagnetic flux
\varepsilon=-N\frac{\Delta\phi}{\Delta t}induced emf
\frac{n_s}{n_p}=\frac{V_s}{V_p}=\frac{I_p}{I_s}transformer
R=r_0A^{1/3}radius of a nucleus
A=\lambda N,\quad \frac{\Delta N}{\Delta t}=-\lambda N,\quad \lambda t_{1/2}=\ln2radioactivity
A=A_0e^{-\lambda t}decay of activity
N=N_0e^{-\lambda t}radioactive decay
\Delta E=\Delta mc^2Einstein's mass-energy equation
I=I_0e^{-\mu x}attenuation of X-rays
Z=\rho cacoustic impedance
\frac{I_r}{I_0}=\frac{(Z_2-Z_1)^2}{(Z_2+Z_1)^2}ultrasound reflection
What the OCR booklet does not give
- There is no kinetic energy line and no gravitational potential energy line in the formulae. Work, efficiency, power and spring energy are given.
- The pendulum equation T = 2π√(l/g) is missing, even though the oscillations section lists ω and the SHM equations.
- No Stokes' law, and nothing for option topics: OCR's modules cover the whole course in one order.
Module by module
OCR arranges the formulae in the order of its modules, from vectors in Module 2 to particles and medical physics in Module 6. This makes it easy to find an entry once you know which module the topic lives in.
The booklet sits at 8 pages and includes conversion factors for the day, the year, the light year and the parsec, with the year given only approximately as 3.16 × 10⁷ s.
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: maximum acceleration in SHM
A mass oscillates with amplitude 0.030 m at 2.0 Hz. Find its maximum acceleration.
\omega=2\pi f=12.57\ \text{rad s}^{-1},\quad a_{max}=\omega^2A=(12.57)^2(0.030)=4.7\ \text{m s}^{-2}
The acceleration is largest at the ends of the motion. Using f in place of ω would give an answer about 40 times too small.
The OCR A sheet and the other boards
| Board | Sheet | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| AQA | A-level Physics data and formulae (7408), version 1.5 | Constants and astronomical data, equations by topic, then five option sections |
| Edexcel | List of data, formulae and relationships (9PH0), Issue 3, November 2022 | Fourteen data values, then equations in twelve sections from Mechanics to Oscillations |
| OCR A (this guide) | Data, Formulae and Relationships Booklet (H156, H556), 8 pages | Constants, conversion factors and maths equations, then equations by module; no kinetic energy line |
| Eduqas | Data Booklet, A level component 3 (2019 paper) | Values and conversions, one list of equations, options A to D, and maths information |
| WJEC | Data Booklet, A2 unit 3 (2019 paper) | The same layout as Eduqas, without the option sections |
| CCEA | Data 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 |
OCR is the board whose sheet lacks the kinetic energy line and the pendulum equation. It also puts X-ray attenuation, acoustic impedance and ultrasound reflection in its main Module 6 list, where AQA keeps them in the medical physics option.
Exam answers
Worked answers for the daily papers appear when you mark them. These are our own and not OCR's.
Daily papers for OCR physicists
Start with Physics 1 for mechanics and fields, then Physics 2 for the rest. Neither follows OCR's module order, so treat them as topic drills.
Mistakes with the OCR sheet
- Not writing ½mv² from memory.
- Using the Kepler line T² = 4π²r³/GM with r as altitude rather than orbital radius.
- Mixing the two capacitor discharge forms.
Common questions
Do you get a data sheet in OCR A-level Physics?
Yes. OCR prints the Data, Formulae and Relationships Booklet for Physics A (H156 and H556) for the examinations.
How long is the OCR physics data booklet?
It is 8 pages.
What is not on the OCR A-level Physics sheet?
Kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy, the simple pendulum equation, definitions and units.
Is the OCR sheet organised by module?
Yes. The equations follow the modules: forces and motion, electrons waves and photons, Newtonian world and astrophysics, and particles and medical physics.
Does the OCR booklet have constants?
Yes. It gives physical constants and conversion factors such as the electronvolt and the parsec.
Revision cards
Say the answer first, then flip the card to check it.
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- Solve it
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