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.