Equation sheet

This document contains all equations from the Physics for Engineers lecture that may be used in the exam
without derivation. Other equations needed should be derived in the text of the solution.

Kinematics
• Acceleration: 𝑎⃗(𝑡) = 𝑠⃗̈ = 𝑣⃗̇
• Velocity: 𝑣⃗(𝑡) = 𝑠⃗̇ = 𝑎⃗𝑡 + 𝑣⃗0
1
• Displacement: 𝑠⃗(𝑡) = 2 𝑎⃗𝑡 2 + 𝑣⃗0 𝑡 + 𝑠⃗0
• Uniform motion:
𝑎(𝑡) = 0; 𝑣(𝑡) = 𝑣0 = const.; 𝑠(𝑡) = 𝑣0 𝑡 + 𝑠0
• Uniformly accelerated motion:
1
𝑎(𝑡) = 𝑎0 = const.; 𝑣(𝑡) = 𝑎0 𝑡 + 𝑣0 ; 𝑠(𝑡) = 2 𝑎0 𝑡 2 + 𝑣0 𝑡 + 𝑠0

Dynamics
• Newton’s laws of motion:
1. 𝐹⃗𝑟𝑒𝑠 = 0 ⇔ 𝑣⃗ = const.
2. 𝐹⃗𝑟𝑒𝑠 = 𝑝⃗̇ = 𝑚𝑎⃗ (for 𝑚 = const.)
3. 𝐹⃗𝐴𝐵 = −𝐹⃗𝐵𝐴
• Momentum conservation: ∑𝑖 𝐹⃗𝑖 = ∑𝑖 𝑝⃗̇𝑖 = 0 ⇒ ∑𝑖 𝑝⃗𝑖 = ∑𝑖 𝑚𝑖 𝑣⃗𝑖 = const.
• Absolute values of fictitious forces:
▪ Centrifugal force: 𝐹𝐶𝑓 = 𝑚𝜔2 𝑅
▪ Coriolis force: 𝐹𝐶 = 2𝑚𝑣𝜔 sin 𝛽
• Friction:
▪ Static friction: |𝐹⃗𝐹,𝑚𝑎𝑥 | = 𝜇𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡 |𝐹⃗𝐴 |
▪ Kinetic friction: |𝐹⃗𝐹 | = 𝜇𝑘𝑖𝑛 |𝐹⃗𝐴 |
▪ Rolling friction: 𝜇𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑙 ≪ 𝜇𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑡
• Hooke’s law: 𝐹⃗𝑒𝑙 = −𝑘𝑠⃗

Work and energy

𝑠
• Work: 𝑊𝐴𝐵 = ∫𝑠 𝐵 𝐹⃗ (𝑠)d𝑠⃗
𝐴

• Power: 𝑃 = 𝑊̇ = 𝐹⃗ ∙ 𝑣⃗
• Energy:
1
▪ Kinetic energy: 𝐸𝑘𝑖𝑛 = 2 𝑚𝑣 2
▪ Potential energy:
1
o Elastic energy: 𝐸𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 = 2 𝑘𝑠 2
o Potential energy at the surface of Earth: 𝐸𝑝𝑜𝑡 = 𝑚𝑔ℎ

1
Collisions
𝑡
• Impulse: 𝐼 = ∫𝑡 2 𝐹(𝑡)d𝑡 = 𝑝2 − 𝑝1
1

• ′
Elastic collision: ∑ 𝑝⃗ = ∑ 𝑝⃗′ ; ∑ 𝐸𝑘𝑖𝑛 = ∑ 𝐸𝑘𝑖𝑛
• ′
Inelastic collision: ∑ 𝑝⃗ = ∑ 𝑝⃗′; ∑ 𝐸𝑘𝑖𝑛 = ∑ 𝐸𝑘𝑖𝑛 +𝑈

Rotation
𝑎
• Angular acceleration: 𝛼 = 𝜙̈ = 𝜔̇ = 𝑅
𝑣
• Angular velocity: 𝜔 = 𝜙̇ = 𝑅
𝑠
• Rotation angle: 𝜙 = 𝑅
• Angular momentum: 𝐿 ⃗⃗ = 𝐽𝜔
⃗⃗
• ⃗⃗̇ = 𝐽𝛼⃗ = 𝑟⃗ × 𝐹⃗
⃗⃗⃗ = 𝐿
Torque: 𝑀
1
• Rotational energy: 𝐸𝑟𝑜𝑡 = 2 𝐽𝜔2
𝜙
• ⃗⃗⃗ d𝜙⃗⃗
Work: 𝑊𝐴𝐵 = ∫𝜙 𝐵 𝑀
𝐴

• Power: 𝑃 = 𝑊̇ = 𝑀
⃗⃗⃗ ∙ 𝜔
⃗⃗
𝑣2
• Absolute value of centripetal acceleration: 𝑎𝑐𝑝 = = 𝜔2 𝑅
𝑅
• Moments of inertia of some simple geometric objects:

Point mass at distance 𝑟 from axis of rotation 𝐽 = 𝑚𝑟 2

Thin cylindrical shell rotating about symmetry axis 𝐽 ≈ 𝑚𝑟 2
1
Solid cylinder rotating around symmetry axis 𝐽 = 𝑚𝑟 2
2
1
Thin rod rotating about its center 𝐽≈ 𝑚𝑙 2
12
2
Hollow sphere 𝐽 ≈ 𝑚𝑟 2
3
2
Solid sphere 𝐽 = 𝑚𝑟 2
5
• Parallel axis theorem: 𝐽2 = 𝐽1 + 𝑚𝑑 2

Gravitation
𝑚1 𝑚2
• Absolute value of gravitational force: 𝐹𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑣 = 𝐺 𝑟2
𝑚1 𝑚2
• Potential energy: 𝐸𝑝𝑜𝑡 = −𝐺 𝑟

2
Relativity
𝑡
• Time dilation: 𝑡′ = = 𝛾𝑡
√1−𝑣 2 /𝑐 2
𝑙
• Length contraction: 𝑙′ = 𝛾
• Relativistic mass: 𝑚(𝑣) = 𝛾𝑚0
• Relativistic kinetic energy: 𝐸𝑘𝑖𝑛 = 𝑚𝑐 2 − 𝑚0 𝑐 2

Oscillations
• Simple harmonic oscillation:
▪ Equation of motion: 𝑦̈ + 𝜔2 𝑦 = 0
▪ Solution: 𝑦(𝑡) = 𝑦̂ cos(𝜔𝑡 + 𝜙0 )
2𝜋 1
▪ Period: 𝑇 = =𝑓
𝜔
• Damped oscillation:
▪ Equation of motion: 𝑦̈ + 2𝛿𝑦̇ + 𝜔02 𝑦 = 0
▪ Solutions:
o 𝛿 < 𝜔0 : Oscillating solutions
➢ 𝑦(𝑡) = 𝑦̂ ∙ 𝑒 −𝛿𝑡 ∙ cos(𝜔𝑑 𝑡 + 𝜙)
➢ 𝜔𝑑 = √𝜔𝑜2 − 𝛿 2
➢ 𝐸𝑔𝑒𝑠 (𝑡) = 𝐸(𝑡 = 0) ∙ 𝑒 −2𝛿𝑡
o 𝛿 = 𝜔0 : Critical damping
➢ 𝑦(𝑡) = (𝑦̂1 + 𝑦̂2 𝑡) ∙ 𝑒 −𝛿𝑡
o 𝛿 > 𝜔0 : Overdamping
(−𝛿+√𝛿 2 −𝜔02 )𝑡 (−𝛿−√𝛿 2 −𝜔02 )𝑡
➢ 𝑦(𝑡) = 𝑦̂1 ∙ 𝑒 + 𝑦̂2 ∙ 𝑒
➢
• Forced oscillations:
𝐹̂𝐸
▪ Equation of motion: 𝑦̈ + 2𝛿𝑦̇ + 𝜔02 𝑦 = cos(𝜔𝐸 𝑡)
𝑚
2𝛿𝜔
▪ Phase angle: tan(𝛾) = (𝜔2 −𝜔𝐸2 )
0 𝐸
𝐹̂𝐸
▪ Amplitude: 𝑦̂ =
2
2 ) +(2𝛿𝜔 )2
𝑚√(𝜔02 −𝜔𝐸 𝐸

3
Waves
𝜆
• Phase velocity: 𝑐 = = 𝜆𝑓
𝑇
2𝜋 𝜔
• Wave number: 𝑘 = =
𝜆 𝑐
• ⃗⃗ ∙ 𝑟⃗ + 𝜙0 )
Plane wave: 𝐸⃗⃗ (𝑟⃗, 𝑡) = 𝐸⃗⃗0 cos(𝜔𝑡 − 𝑘
𝐸0
• Spherical wave: 𝐸(𝑟, 𝑡) = cos(𝜔𝑡 − 𝑘𝑟 + 𝜙0 )
𝑟
𝑐±𝑣
• Doppler effect in media: 𝑓𝑂 = 𝑓𝑆 ∙ 𝑐∓𝑣𝑂
𝑆

𝑐±𝑣
• Doppler effect for light in vacuum: 𝑓𝑂 = 𝑓𝑆 √𝑐∓𝑣
𝜙
• Path length difference: Δ = 2𝜋 𝜆
𝑑𝜔
• Group velocity: 𝑣𝑔𝑟 =
𝑑𝑘
sin 𝛼 𝑐1 𝑛2
• Snell’s law: sin 𝛽 = 𝑐 = 𝑛
2 1

• Law of reflection: 𝛼 = 𝛽

Geometrical optics
1 1 1
• Lensmaker’s equation: 𝑓 = (𝑛 − 1) (𝑟 − 𝑟 )
1 2
1 1 1
• Object and image distances: 𝑎 + 𝑎′ = 𝑓
𝑦′ 𝑎′
• Magnification: =−
𝑦 𝑎

Wave optics
𝜆
• Anti-reflective coating (𝑛1 < 𝑛2 < 𝑛3 ): 2𝑑𝑛2 = (2𝑚 + 1) 2; 𝑚 ∈ {0, 1, 2, … }
• Single-slit diffraction: Condition for minima: 𝑏 sin 𝜃 = 𝑚𝜆; 𝑚 ∈ {1, 2, 3, … }
• Double-slit interference:
▪ Condition for maxima: Δ = 𝑑 sin 𝜃 = 𝑚𝜆; 𝑚 ∈ {0, 1, 2, … }
(2𝑚+1)
▪ Condition for minima: Δ = 𝑑 sin 𝜃 = 𝜆; 𝑚 ∈ {0, 1, 2, … }
2
• Multiple-slit interference with 𝑝 slits:
▪ Maxima: 𝑔 sin 𝜃 = 𝑚𝜆; 𝑚 ∈ {0, 1, 2, … }
▪ First minimum: 𝑔 sin 𝜃 = 𝜆/𝑝
𝜆
▪ Spectral resolution of gratings: Δ𝜆 = 𝑚𝑝; 𝑚 ∈ {1, 2, 3, … }

Quantum effects
• Photon energy: 𝐸 = ℎ𝑓
• de Broglie Relation: 𝜆 = ℎ/𝑝