HSC physics formula sheet and data sheet: every constant on NESA's data sheet (the electron, proton and neutron, g, c, the permittivity and permeability constants, G, the Earth's mass and radius, Planck, Rydberg, the atomic mass unit, the electronvolt, water, Wien) and every formula on the formulae sheet by module (motion, forces and gravity; waves and thermodynamics; electricity and magnetism; quantum, special relativity and nuclear), what is not on it and must be memorised or derived (orbital and escape velocity, projectile components, resistors in series and parallel, binding energy), and a printable annotated sheet (free PDF)

"HSC physics formula sheet" is the search of a Year 12 student before the trial who wants to know whether Kepler's law, the Doppler equation or the photoelectric equation will be printed. All three will. NESA's data sheet and formulae sheet are bound into every HSC Physics paper, unchanged since the 2019 exam, and the real work is knowing what is there, what is not, and which given formula a question is pointing at. This page lists the data sheet constant by constant and the formulae sheet box by box, in words, then the memorise-or-derive list for each module, and a printable annotated version to work with from Term 1.

Download the annotated HSC physics formula and data sheet (PDF) (every constant and formula on NESA's sheet by module, in words, with the derive-or-memorise list beside each box and the exam-day habits; two pages, free)

What is in the paper

Three things, printed after the last question: a data sheet (one page, twenty constants), a formulae sheet (two pages, four boxes matching the four Year 12 modules), and the periodic table. The sheet is NESA's 2019 version and has been used unchanged in every HSC Physics exam since; the exam packs on NESA's site from 2019 to 2025 all carry it. You may not bring your own.

The data sheet: every constant

Note what is not there: the mass of the Sun, the Earth-Sun distance, the Earth's rotation period, the charge-to-mass ratio, Boltzmann's constant, the Stefan-Boltzmann constant and Hubble's constant. If a question needs them it gives them.

The formulae sheet, box by box

Motion, forces and gravity (Advanced Mechanics)

The two constant-acceleration equations (s equals ut plus half at squared; v squared equals u squared plus 2as) and v equals u plus at; change in potential energy mg delta h; power as energy over time; conservation of kinetic energy (sum of half mv squared before equals after) and of momentum (sum of mv before equals after); impulse as net force times time; angular velocity as angle over time; torque as r perpendicular F, or rF sin theta; orbital speed 2 pi r over T; gravitational potential energy minus GMm over r; net force equals ma; work as F parallel s, or Fs cos theta; kinetic energy half mv squared; power as F parallel v; centripetal acceleration v squared over r and centripetal force mv squared over r; Newton's law of gravitation; and Kepler's third law as r cubed over T squared equals GM over 4 pi squared.

Not given, derive or know: the projectile components (u cos theta horizontally with no acceleration, u sin theta vertically with minus g), the time of flight, maximum height and range results; orbital velocity root GM over r (equate the two force formulas); escape velocity root 2GM over r (set total energy to zero); total orbital energy minus GMm over 2r; the energy to change orbit; friction, normal force and inclined-plane resolution; banked tracks; Newton's laws as statements; the vector addition of forces.

Waves and thermodynamics

v equals f lambda; f equals 1 over T; the diffraction-grating condition d sin theta equals m lambda; refractive index n equals c over v; Malus's law I equals I max cos squared theta; Q equals mc delta T; the beat frequency; the Doppler equation with the wave, observer and source speeds; Snell's law; the critical angle; the inverse-square relation I1 r1 squared equals I2 r2 squared; and the rate of heat conduction Q over t equals kA delta T over d.

Not given: the wave equation's meaning and the graphs; superposition and the standing-wave patterns (the harmonics of strings and pipes: lambda equals 2L over n for a string, with the open and closed pipe cases); the resonance conditions; latent heat Q equals mL (the formula is given in the question when needed); the laws of reflection; the sign conventions for the Doppler equation (approach versus recede); the inverse-square law in its I proportional to 1 over r squared form.

Electricity and magnetism

Field between plates E equals V over d; V as work over charge; W equals qV and W equals qEd; the field of a long wire (mu zero I over 2 pi r) and of a solenoid (mu zero N I over L); flux as B parallel A, or BA cos theta; Faraday's law with N turns; the transformer voltage-turns ratio; F equals qE; Coulomb's law; I equals q over t; V equals IR; P equals VI; the force on a moving charge qv perpendicular B, or qvB sin theta; the force on a current-carrying wire; the force per length between parallel wires; the torque on a coil nIA perpendicular B, or nIAB sin theta; and the ideal transformer relation Vp Ip equals Vs Is.

Not given: resistors in series and parallel; Kirchhoff's laws; energy from power and time; electric field strength as F over q and the field of a point charge (derive from Coulomb and F equals qE); the right-hand rules for field direction, motor effect and induced current; Lenz's law as a statement; back emf in motors; the reasons for laminated cores and for transmission at high voltage (transmission-loss reasoning with P equals I squared R, which is not written out); the DC motor's torque variation with angle.

Quantum, special relativity and nuclear

de Broglie lambda equals h over mv; the photoelectric equation K max equals hf minus the work function; Wien's law lambda max equals b over T; E equals mc squared; E equals hf; the Rydberg equation; time dilation; length contraction; relativistic momentum; the decay law N equals N0 e to the minus lambda t; and the decay constant as ln 2 over the half-life.

Not given: the mass defect and binding energy per nucleon procedure (E equals mc squared is given, the method and the MeV conversion are yours); the relativistic energy E equals gamma mc squared and the kinetic energy as E minus rest energy; the threshold frequency and stopping voltage relations (rearrange the given equation); the Bohr postulates and the energy-level diagram; the Balmer, Lyman and Paschen series as n values; the Standard Model particles and the fundamental forces; the nuclear reaction equations and conservation rules; the evidence for each model of the atom; the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and the stellar evolution sequence; Hubble's law and the Big Bang evidence; the black-body curves beyond Wien.

How to use the sheet in the exam

1. Match the box to the module. A question on satellites sends you to the first box; the Doppler equation is in the second; motors and transformers in the third; everything with h, c or a half-life in the fourth.
2. Read the subscripts. The two Doppler speeds are written as wave plus observer over wave minus source: the signs flip when the observer or source moves away. The force on a charge uses v perpendicular; the torque on a coil uses A perpendicular.
3. Use the data sheet's precision: g is 9.8, c is 3.00 times 10 to the 8, and the answer's significant figures follow the question's data, not the constant's.
4. Write the given formula first, then the rearrangement, then the substitution with units: NESA's marking guidelines award marks for a correct formula and a correct substitution even when the arithmetic slips.
5. Practise with the real sheet from Term 1. Print it, use it for every problem set, and by the trial you will know that orbital velocity is not on it and must be derived in two lines.

Where to get help

For a Year 11 or 12 student in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth, a 1-on-1 online class in HSC physics and the other sciences, taught in the school's module order, with past HSC questions marked to NESA's marking guidelines from the first term; Australian after-school hours, every class recorded, A$14 to A$19 an hour. The free 30-minute first class is a real lesson on the topic the student is on.

Download the annotated physics sheet (PDF)

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