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GRE Physics Subject Test Cheat Sheet: by Winston Yin, 2015. Please Add Missing Equations

The document provides a concise summary of key concepts across classical mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, relativity, and miscellaneous physics topics. It begins with equations and descriptions of classical mechanics concepts such as kinematics, springs, pendulums, and central force problems. It then covers Maxwell's equations, electromagnetic forces and fields, circuits, waves, optics, statistical mechanics, thermodynamics laws and applications, quantum mechanics postulates and models, and relativity transformations. The summary concludes with brief explanations of mathematics, semiconductor doping, uncertainty principles, and unit conversions.

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439 views4 pages

GRE Physics Subject Test Cheat Sheet: by Winston Yin, 2015. Please Add Missing Equations

The document provides a concise summary of key concepts across classical mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, relativity, and miscellaneous physics topics. It begins with equations and descriptions of classical mechanics concepts such as kinematics, springs, pendulums, and central force problems. It then covers Maxwell's equations, electromagnetic forces and fields, circuits, waves, optics, statistical mechanics, thermodynamics laws and applications, quantum mechanics postulates and models, and relativity transformations. The summary concludes with brief explanations of mathematics, semiconductor doping, uncertainty principles, and unit conversions.

Uploaded by

jared
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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GRE Physics Subject Test Cheat Sheet

By Winston Yin, 2015. Please add missing equations.


Classical mechanics
Kinematics: s = v0 t + 12 gt2 , vf2 vi2 = 2as.
Spring: Hookes law m
x = kx, potential energy U (x) = 21 kx2 , natural frequency 0 =
q
b2
1
02 2m
tude D |2
2.
2 | . Damped with factor b: resonant frequency R =

k
m,

ampli-

Pendulum: natural frequency =

pg
l

qP

mgr
P
I .

Parallel axis theorem: I = Icentre + md2 for distance d between centre of mass and object.
2

L
Central force problem: effective potential V (r) = 2mr
2 + U (r), for angular momentum L and regular
m2
potential U (r). Replace m with reduced mass = mm11+m
.
2

Virial theorem: hKEi =

n
2 hP Ei

for particle in central force potential U rn .

Keplers laws: area swept by unit vector per unit time is constant, T 2 a3 for period T and semi-major
axis a, sun sits on a focus of the ellipse.
L
Lagrangian L = T U , for kinetic energy T and potential energy U , satisfies dt L
q q = 0 for every
generalised coordinate q.
P
H
H
Hamiltonian H = i qi L
qi L satisfies p i = qi , qi = pi . H is constant if L is independent of time.
H = E if transformation rule for generalised coordinates does not depend on time, and the potential
energy is independent of velocity.

Incompressible fluid: P + 12 v 2 + gh = const. Conservation of stuff: Avt = const.


Classical E&M
Maxwells equations: E =
Biot-Savart law: B =

0 I
4

Electric fields: point

q
40 r 2 ,

Magnetic fields: line

0 I
2r ,

0 ,

E
B = 0, E = B
t , B = 0 J + 0 0 t .

dl
r0
r 02 .

plate

20 ,

line

20 r .

solenoid 0 nI, where n is number of turns per unit length.

EM force: F = q(E + v B).


R
R
Gauss law: E da = Q0 . Amperes law: B d` = 0 I.

EM boundary conditions: parallel components of E are continuous, Eout


Ein
=

component of B is continuous,

k
Bout

k
Bin

0 ,

perpendicular

= 0 K n
.

Electric dipole moment p = qd (points from q to +q): V =


U = p E.

r
1 p
40 r 2 ,

torque N = p E, energy

Magnetic dipole moment m = IA (points from south to north): torque N = mB, energy U = mB.
EM waves: speed c =

1 ,
0 0

0 ei(kxt) n
E.
E=E
, B = 1c k

EM energy: u =

0 2
2 E

1
2
20 B .

EM energy flux: S =

1
0 E

B.

Dielectric: constant (relative permeability), just replace 0 with 0 .


Larmor formula: power radiated by accelerating charge P =
Oscillating dipoles: intensity hSi

p20 4
r2

sin2 , power hP i p20 4 , hP i m20 4 .

Circuit elements: resistor V = IR, capacitor C =


Power dissipated by resistor: P = IV = I 2 R =
UL = 12 LI 2 .
Circuits: LC circuit oscillates at 0 =
=

1
RC ,

q 2 a2
60 c3 .

1 ,
LC

Q
V ,

V2
R .

inductor V = L dI
dt , resistivity: R =

`
A.

Stored energy: capacitor UC = 12 CV 2 , inductor

RC circuit attenuates high/low frequencies with cutoff at

RL circuit attenuates high/low frequencies with cutoff at =

R
L.

Waves
Wave equation

2f
x2

2
1 f
v 2 t2 ,

phase velocity

k,

group velocity

k,

f = c, = 2f , f =
q
cv
r
Doppler effect: (classical) f = c+v
f
with
appropriate
signs.
Redshift:
f
=
0
c+vs
c+v f0 .

Snells law: n1 sin 1 = n2 sin 2 . Total internal reflection: set 1 =


Brewsters angle: tan B =

1
T

2.

n2
n1 .

Diffraction: single slit destructive at d sin = n, circular aperture destructive at D sin = 1.22,
grating constructive at d sin = n.
Thin film interference: constructive at 2nfilm d sin film = m, subtract
wall (higher refractive index).

each time light reflects off a

1
R2

Braggs law: bright spot at 2d sin = n.


Optics:

1
s

1
s0

= f1 , where f = R2 for mirrors and

1
f

= (n 1)

1
R1

for lenses.

Thermodynamics
Statistical mechanics: probability in the i-th discrete state pi =
P

function Z = i eEi , average energy hEi =


ln Z.

Ei
Pe E
i
ie

, where =

1
kB T

, partition

Entropy: S = kB ln = kB i pi ln pi = T
kB T ln Z, where is the number of microstates for the
macrostate, and pi is the probability of the i-th microstate.

Laws of thermodynamics: first dU = dW


+ dQ,
second dS dQ
T , third dS(T = 0) = 0.

Fundamental identity: dU = T dS P dV .
Ideal gas law: P V = N kB T , isentropic process P V = const, where =

cP
cV

Equipartition theorem (high T limit): cV = n2 kB for n degrees of freedom (3 for ideal point particles,
7 for diatomic molecules), specific heat cP = cV + kB .
q
BT
Average speed of particles: vrms = 3km
.

Speed of sound: c =

Heat pump: (all arrows point into the pump) dW =


Heat engine: W = Q =

T dS =

T2
T1


1 dQ1 .

P dV .

Bose-Einstein statistics: average occupation number hn i =


below as T 0.
Fermi-Dirac statistics: average occupation number hn i =
energy as T 0.

1
,
e() 1

1
,
e() +1

chemical potential 0 from

chemical potential F Fermi

Blackbody radiation: energy radiated per unit area J = T 4 , maximum of energy density spectrum
at T = const.
Quantum mechanics
Schr
odinger equation: time dependent

p2
2m


 2

p

+ V = i~ t
, time independent 2m
+ V = E.

= i~ L
=x
2 = L
2 + L
2 + L
2 , L = Lx iLy . Commutator:
Operators: x
= x, p = i~ x
,E
p, L
x
y
z
t
[A, B] = AB BA.
R
R
R

Wavefunctions: normalisation P (x) dx = |(x)|2 dx = 1, expectation of operator hAi = (x)A(x)


dx.

Uncertainty principle: xp
peak at E due to uncertainty.
De Broglie wavelength: p =

~
2,

Et

~
2.

Natural line width: = 2E is the width of energy

= ~k for all particles. Quantum energy E = ~.

Photoelectric effect: qe Vstop = hf , where is the work function of the material.



2 2 2
n
1
Quantised energy: particle in a box En = ~2mL
2 , harmonic oscillator En =
2 + n ~, simple atom
2 4 2
m2
e Z m
En = k 2~
(replace m with reduced mass = mm11+m
).
2 n2
2
Classical Bohr atom: angular momentum L = n~. Quantum mechanical atom: azimuthal quantum
number ` is integer or half-integer with L2 = `(` + 1)~2 , magnetic quantum number m ranges from
` to ` (inclusive) in integer steps.
Relativity
Lorentz transformation: ct0 = (ct x), x0 = (x ct), where =
duration = local duration. Length contraction: observed length =
p
Relativistic energy: E = m2 c4 + p2 c2 is conserved in a collision.
Compton scattering: 0 =

h
me c (1

cos ).

1
. Time dilation:
1 2
1
local length.

observed

Miscellaneous
Maths: binomial coefficient

n
m

n!
m!(nm)! ,

Stirlings formula ln n! n ln n n.

Semiconductors: Group IV (CSiGe) main material, n-type has an extra electron using Group V dopant
(NPAsSb), p-type has a missing electron using Group III dopant (BAlGaIn).
r



Uncertainty propagation: for function f (x1 , x2 , ), new uncertainty f =
Weighted average by variance: for a a and b b,

a/a2 +b/b2
1/a2 +1/b2

Energy equivalent units: Hz = h Hz, kg = c2 kg, cm1 = hc cm1 .

f
x1

x21 +

f
x2

x22 + .

minimises the new uncertainty.

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