OCR A Level Physics Equation Sheet

OCR offers two different A Level Physics courses: Physics A and Physics B. This page is all about Physics A.

OCR Physics A covers a huge range of physics, from energy conservation to electromagnetic effects. This course is designed to teach you about fascinating phenomena in our physical world, but also to develop and test your critical thinking skills, and ability to apply your knowledge to unfamiliar contexts. 

This course is not designed to test how well you can remember one hundred equations. You are provided with a Data, Formulae and Relationships Booklet to avoid your memory becoming a limiting factor in your exam performance. 

The data part of this booklet is covered in more detail in this article here. This article will be looking at the formulae and relationships within the booklet. This part is sometimes just called the equation sheet.

Let’s take a look at the first page of formulae:

Source: OCR Website

While this booklet is designed to help you, the information is not necessarily delivered on a silver platter, and there are some prerequisites to its use. The first of these is the symbols used. If you don’t know that V represents volume in physics, a) the density formula will be useless to you and b) you must have been staring out the window in most of your physics lessons this year… To further stir the pot, sometimes symbols (like V) can represent two different quantities - context is everything.

Luckily, most students find that they learn the meanings of these symbols just through semi-regular use of the formulae in question. The topic name to the left of the formula is also a big clue in case you forget the meanings of the symbols during a spell of exam-panic. 

The next barrier to the interpretation of this document is the units of the quantities. It is your responsibility to be aware of which units must be used for each quantity respectively. 

To illustrate this, let’s look at the first equation in the force topic. To produce an answer for a force with units of newtons, your time must be in seconds and your change in momentum must be in kilogram metres per second. Exam writers love to give quantities in questions that need converting before they can be used, so be vigilant about this.

The final piece of the puzzle is the content not included in the booklet. While the most complex equations that you will need are listed in this booklet (and, yes, we said that this exam is not a memory test), there are some equations that should be etched indelibly into your psyche from your GCSEs. OCR is assuming that the incantations of “E_k = mv² ” and “E_p = mgh” come so naturally to you that their place in the booklet would be wasted ink. 

How to use the booklet

“Okay, so the Data, Formulae and Relationships Booklet is important and helpful, but I need some basic knowledge to get the most about it. What do I do now?” Good question. You will be revising for your exams (hopefully) and this is a great resource to support that revision. If you’re a flashcards person, instead of your flashcards testing your ability to remember the equations, write them so they test your knowledge of what quantity each symbol represents, and its standard units. 

Whenever you are going through some practice calculation questions (in lessons, at home, on the train…), have the equation booklet to hand. Label the quantities you’ve been given in a question with their symbols - this is going to really help you spot which equation applies to your situation. Then, make sure you convert the units given into the correct units for that equation. 

Take a look at the example question below to see this routine demonstrated.

Now that the quantities are listed with symbols (and the correct units), the necessary equation is easy to spot in the booklet.

Knowing when to pick this booklet up, and when it’s not going to help you, is a skill in itself - one that may well save you valuable time in your exams. Good luck!