MCAT Physics Formulas You Can't Forget (Downloadable Formula PDF!)

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Essential Physics Equations for the MCAT:

While this isn’t an exhaustive list of all the physics equations that are fair game on the MCAT, this is a starting point. It can be overwhelming if you treat the list of equations as a bunch of formulas and variables to cram into your brain, so starting with a condensed list of high-yield equations is a good starting point. 

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Essential Physics Equations for the MCAT - Google Docs.pdf

Kinematics

Equation	Description
d = v₀t + ½at²	Distance travelled over time while accelerating
v = v₀ + at	Acceleration is change in velocity over time; can rearrange and memorize as: a = (v-v₀)/t
v² = v₀² + 2ad	Relates final velocity, initial velocity, acceleration, and displacement

Work, Energy, Power

Equation	Description
KE = ½mv²	Kinetic energy
PE = mgh	Gravitational potential energy
W = Fdcosθ	Work from force applied over a distance
ΔU = Q - Wby	1st law of thermodynamics
Q= mcΔT	Heat transfer to or from a substance when the temperature changes
P = E/t	Power is energy per unit time

Electrostatics and Circuits

Equation	Description
F = k (q1 *q2) / r²	Electrostatic force between 2 charges
F = qE	Relates electrostatic force and field
U = qV	Relates electrostatic potential energy and potential
V = Ed	Relates potential and electrostatic field
V = IR	Ohm's law for circuits
P = IV	Electric power used by a circuit component
Rseries = R1 + R2 + …	Equivalent resistance for resistors in series
1/Rparallel = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + ..	Equivalent resistance for resistors in parallel
C = QV	Charge stored and potential for a given capacitance

Light and Sound

Equation	Description
n = c/v	Relates speed of light (v) in a medium with a given index of refraction
1/f = 1/do + 1/di	Lensmaker’s equation for mirrors or lenses
m = -di/do	Magnification of an image
n₁ sin(θ₁) = n₂ sin(θ₂)	Snell’s law: how light bends when it travels into a new medium
E = hf	Energy of light of a given frequency
v = fλ	Wave equation: relates velocity of a wave to frequency and wavelength
c = fλ	Wave equation: specific for light in a vacuum
dB = 10 log (I/I₀)	Sound level in decibels for a given intensity

Pressure and fluids

Equation	Description
P = F/A	Pressure is force applied over an area
P = P₀ + ρgz	Hydrostatic pressure
A₁v₁ = A₂v₂	Work from force applied over a distance
ρ = mass/Volume	Density
P₁ + ½ρv₁² + ρgh₁ = P₂ + ½ρv₂² + ρgh₂	Bernoulli’s equation

All the equations:

d = v₀t + ½at²	KE = ½mv²	F = k (q1 *q2) / r²
v = v₀ + at	PE = mgh	F = qE
v² = v₀² + 2ad	W = Fdcosθ	U = qV
n = c/v	ΔU = Q - Wby	V = Ed
1/f = 1/do + 1/di	Q= mcΔT	V = IR
m = -di/do	P = E/t	P = IV
n₁ sin(θ₁) = n₂ sin(θ₂)	P = F/A	Rseries = R1 + R2 + …
E = hf	P = P₀ + ρgz	1/Rparallel = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + ..
v = fλ	A₁v₁ = A₂v₂	C = QV
c = fλ	ρ = mass/Volume
dB = 10 log (I/I₀)	P₁ + ½ρv₁² + ρgh₁ = P₂ + ½ρv₂² + ρgh₂