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WJEC A-level Physics data booklet: what is on it and what is not
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 in our own layout and words. Check against WJEC's Data Booklet before you rely on anything here.
Formula sheet
Open formula sheetA-level Physics: Year 1
Values and conversions
Temperature in kelvin is the temperature in degrees Celsius plus 273.15.
| Quantity | Symbol | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avogadro constant | NA | 6.02 × 10²³ | mol⁻¹ |
| fundamental electronic charge | e | 1.60 × 10⁻¹⁹ | C |
| mass of an electron | mₑ | 9.11 × 10⁻³¹ | kg |
| molar gas constant | R | 8.31 | J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹ |
| acceleration due to gravity at sea level | g | 9.81 | m s⁻² |
| gravitational field strength at sea level | g | 9.81 | N kg⁻¹ |
| universal constant of gravitation | G | 6.67 × 10⁻¹¹ | N m² kg⁻² |
| Planck constant | h | 6.63 × 10⁻³⁴ | J s |
| Boltzmann constant | k | 1.38 × 10⁻²³ | J K⁻¹ |
| speed of light in a vacuum | c | 3.00 × 10⁸ | m s⁻¹ |
| permittivity of free space | ε₀ | 8.85 × 10⁻¹² | F m⁻¹ |
| permeability of free space | μ₀ | 4π × 10⁻⁷ | H m⁻¹ |
| Stefan constant | σ | 5.67 × 10⁻⁸ | W m⁻² K⁻⁴ |
| Wien constant | W | 2.90 × 10⁻³ | m K |
| Hubble constant | H₀ | 2.20 × 10⁻¹⁸ | s⁻¹ |
| one parsec | 1 pc | 3.09 × 10¹⁶ | m |
| atomic mass unit | 1 u | 1.66 × 10⁻²⁷ | kg |
| electronvolt | 1 eV | 1.60 × 10⁻¹⁹ | J |
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 WJEC unit 3 booklet lacks
- No option sections. The booklet read here is for A2 unit 3 and carries no options.
- No standalone photon energy line, only the photoelectric equation.
- No definitions, and no units beside the equations.
The Wales booklet in practice
The A2 unit 3 booklet is dated June 2019 and says a clean copy should be issued in each examination and to candidates at the start of the course. Practise with it often.
The constants list includes the Wien constant W = 2.90 × 10⁻³ m K, the Hubble constant H₀ = 2.20 × 10⁻¹⁸ s⁻¹ and one parsec as 3.09 × 10¹⁶ m.
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: the simple pendulum
A pendulum is 1.00 m long. Find its period using g from the booklet.
T=2\pi\sqrt{\frac{1.00}{9.81}}=2.01\ \text{s}
The mass of the bob does not appear in the equation, which is the point of the question in most exams.
The WJEC 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 | 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 (this guide) | 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 |
WJEC's booklet has the same formulae as Eduqas, without options. CCEA, by contrast, prints a much shorter list of formulae.
Exam answers
Answers here are shown after you mark a paper. They are written for this site and do not come from WJEC.
Drilling with the WJEC layout
Use Physics 1 and Physics 2. They are our own 8-question papers and do not follow WJEC's unit structure.
Slips with the WJEC booklet
- Confusing the two g values, which are 9.81 in different units.
- Using Stefan's law as P = σAT⁴ with T in Celsius.
- Searching for option equations in unit 3.
Common questions
Do you get a data sheet in WJEC A-level Physics?
Yes. The 2019 A2 unit 3 Data Booklet says a clean copy should be issued to candidates for each examination.
What is in the WJEC physics data booklet?
Values and conversions, a list of equations from mechanics to cosmology and mathematical information.
Is the WJEC booklet the same as Eduqas?
The layout and most equations are the same. The Eduqas booklet adds four option sections.
Does the WJEC sheet give E = hf?
Not on its own. It gives the photoelectric line and the de Broglie relation.
What is not on the WJEC sheet?
Definitions, units for equations, derivations and a separate photon energy line.
Revision cards
Say the answer first, then flip the card to check it.
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A-level Physics: Year 1
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