CSEC PHYSICS

Definitions, Formulae & Equations

SECTION A: MECHANICS

Measurements

Quantity and symbol SI unit

mass m kilogram [ kg ]
length l metre [ m ]
time t second [ s ]
current I Ampere [ A ]
temperature T Kelvin [ K ]

Number Prefix

Prefix and symbol Number

nano n 10 −9 [ divide by 1 000 000 000 ]
micro µ 10 −6 [ divide by 1 000 000 ]
milli m 10 −3 [ divide by 1 000 ]
kilo k 10 3 [ times by 1 000 ]
mega M 10 6 [ times by 1 000 000 ]

Scalar: A scalar is a quantity that has only magnitude. Examples are mass, length, time,
temperature, area, volume, density, speed, pressure, distance, work, energy,
power, resistance, current, etc.

Vectors: A vector is a quantity that has both magnitude and direction. Examples are force,
momentum, displacement, velocity, acceleration, weight, moment etc.

Density: Density is the mass per unit volume; meaning how much matter or particles are in a
given volume of space.

Relative density: Relative density is a ratio of the density of a substance to the density of a base
substance such as water.
 density =
𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠
 =
𝒎 density  [ kg m −3 ]
𝑣𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑚𝑒 𝑽
mass m [ kg ]
𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝝆𝒔𝒖𝒃𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 volume V [ m3 ]
relative density = 𝝆𝐑 =
𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑏𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝝆𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆
relative density 𝝆𝐑 [ no unit ]

Force: A force is an action that changes the size, shape or motion of a body. Examples are
push, pull, twist, weight, etc.

Moment: The moment of a force about a point is the product of the force and the perpendicular
distance of line of action from the point. Common devices that use the principle of
moments are spanner, wheelbarrow, crowbar, bottle opener, claw hammer, etc.

Equilibrium: Equilibrium is the state of a body at rest or in uniform motion; the resultant of all
forces, in all directions, is zero.

Condition of equilibrium:

1. The sum of the forces in any direction is equal to the sum of the forces in the opposite direction
(translational equilibrium).

2. The sum of the clockwise moments about any point is equal to the sum of the anticlockwise
moments about that same point (rotational equilibrium).

Distance: Distance is the length between two points.

Displacement: Displacement is the distance in a specific direction.

Speed: Speed is the rate of change of distance.

Velocity: Velocity is the rate of change of displacement.

Acceleration: Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity.

 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 ∆𝒅
speed = v =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛 ∆𝒕

𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑐𝑒
average speed = distance d[m]
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒

𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 ∆𝒔
velocity = v = displacement s or x [ m ]
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 ∆𝒕

𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 speed or velocity v [ m s −1 ]

average velocity = 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒

distance travelled = area under the graph acceleration a [ m s −2 ]

𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦 ∆𝒗 𝑣− 𝑢
acceleration = a = =
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 ∆𝒕 𝑡

Momentum: The linear momentum of a body is the product of its mass and its velocity.

momentum = mass × velocity p = m×v

change of momentum = mass × change of velocity Δ p = m v − m u momentum p [ kg m s −1 ]

conservation of momentum 𝑚𝐴 𝑢𝐴 + 𝑚𝐵 𝑢𝐵 = (𝑚𝐴 + 𝑚𝐵 ) 𝑣

The law of conservation of momentum:

The law of conservation of linear momentum states that, in the absence of external forces, the total
momentum of a system of bodies is constant; the total momentum before is equal to the total
momentum after.

Newton’s laws

Law #1: A body continues in its slate of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless acted on
by a resultant force.

Law #2: The rate of change of momentum of a body is proportional to the applied force and
takes place in the direction of the force.

Law #3: If body A exerts a force on body B, then body B exerts an equal but oppositely directed
force on body A. In other words, 'every action has an equal, but oppositely directed
reaction.
 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑚 ∆𝑝
Resultant force = F = force F[N]
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 ∆𝑡
𝑚𝑣 − 𝑚𝑢
= momentum p [ kg m s −1 ]
𝑡
= ma impulse Ft [ N s]

impulse = change of momentum Ft = mv − mu NOTE: kg m s −1  N s

Work: Work is the product of a force and the distance moved by Its point of application in the
direction of the force. Work is a scalar.

Energy: Energy is the ability to do work. Energy is a scalar.

Power: Power is the rate of doing work or the rate of using energy. Power is a scalar.

work = force × displacement W = Fs

work W [ J = kg m 2 s −2 ]
Energy = force × displacement E = Fs Energy E [ J = kg m 2 s −2 ]
Ep = m g h
𝟏
1 joule (1 J) of work is done when the point
Ek = mv2 of application of a force of 1 N moves
𝟐
through a distance of 1 m in the direction
𝟏
Conservation of energy gh = v2 of the force.
𝟐

𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑾 𝑬 power P [ W = kg m 2 s −3 ]
power = P = = = Fv
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝒕 𝒕
1 walt (1 W) is the power used in doing 1 J
𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 of work per 1 s.
efficiency = =
𝑖𝑛𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑝𝑢𝑡 𝑝𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟

Weight: Weight is the product of mass by gravitational field strength.

Pressure: Pressure is the force acting normally per unit area. Pressure is a scalar.

Archimedes’ principle

Archimedes' principle states that when a body is completely' or partially immersed in a fluid, it
experiences an upthrust equal to the weight of the fluid displaced.
Weight = mass × gravitational field strength
W = m×g

𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 𝑭
Pressure = P = weight w[N]
𝐴𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑨

pressure P [ Pa ]
Pressure in fluids = density of fluid × gravitational field
strength × depth in fluid
P [ kg m − 1 s −2 ]
P =  gh

Archimedes’ principle
F = weight of the fluid displaced =  g V