Do I need to memorize all MYP Physics formulas?

You should be able to recall the most frequently used relationships quickly, but memorization alone is not enough. The published MYP guide includes a physics formula sheet associated with eAssessment, although the exact resources available in a school assessment can differ. Ask your teacher what will be provided in your particular examination. Even when an equation is supplied, you must identify it, interpret its symbols and rearrange it correctly. Regular practice should therefore combine formula recall with unfamiliar calculation questions.

Is there one fixed MYP Physics syllabus for every school?

MYP schools plan their own units within the IB sciences framework, so courses are not identical in every school. The framework establishes objectives, assessment criteria and broad disciplinary content, while teachers select contexts and learning sequences. Year 5 students taking an IB eAssessment work within more specifically prescribed content. This means your class may use equations beyond the central formula sheet, particularly for thermal physics or detailed circuit work. Your teacher’s course outline should be your final checklist for internal assessments.

What are the most important MYP Physics formulas to learn first?

Begin with $v=d/t$, $F=ma$, $W=Fs$, $P=W/t$, $Ek=\tfrac12mv^2$, $V=IR$ and $v=f\lambda$. These relationships connect major ideas across motion, forces, energy, electricity and waves. You should also know density, pressure, momentum and gravitational potential energy. Once these are secure, add the constant-acceleration and transformer equations. Learn each formula together with its symbols, units and conditions rather than as an isolated pattern.

How can I remember MYP Physics formulas effectively?

Use active recall by covering the equation and reconstructing it from the quantity definitions. For example, thinking of density as mass per unit volume naturally produces $\rho=m/V$. Create flashcards that show a situation or definition on the front rather than only the formula’s name. Follow each recall attempt with a short calculation so that you practise selection and application. Revisiting the cards at spaced intervals is more effective than copying the whole formula sheet repeatedly.

How do I rearrange a physics formula without making mistakes?

Treat an equation like a balance and perform the same operation on both sides. To rearrange $V=IR$ for current, divide both sides by $R$, giving $I=V/R$. Keep symbols in the equation until the rearrangement is complete, then substitute numerical values. This reduces calculator errors and makes your method easier to follow. You can check the rearrangement by considering whether the resulting units match the required quantity.

What is the most common mistake in MYP Physics calculations?

One of the most common mistakes is substituting values before checking their units. A length given in centimetres, a mass in grams or an energy in kilojoules may need conversion to standard SI units. Students also lose accuracy by rounding intermediate answers too early or forgetting squared quantities. Writing the equation first makes the method clear and helps expose these errors. Finish every calculation by checking the unit, sign, size and physical meaning of the result.

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MYP Physics Formulas You Need to Know

MYP Physics Revision Guides MYP IB Physics Exam Tips

Michael R.

• 11 Sept 2026•10

Join 650k+ students breezing through the IBReady to breeze through the IB?

MYP Physics Formulas You Need to Know | RevisionDojo

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MYP Physics Formulas You Need to Know

MYP Physics Revision Guides MYP IB Physics Exam Tips

Michael R.

• 11 Sept 2026•10

The essential MYP Physics formulas cover density, motion, forces, momentum, pressure, energy, power, electricity, transformers and waves. The published MYP eAssessment Sciences guide provides a physics formula sheet, but knowing what each equation means, when it applies and how to rearrange it is more important than simply memorizing symbols.

The precise content taught can vary because MYP schools design courses within the IB framework. Your teacher may therefore include additional relationships, especially in thermal physics or circuits, so use this guide alongside your school’s unit plans and the RevisionDojo MYP Physics syllabus resources.

How formulas fit the MYP Physics syllabus

The official IB MYP sciences subject brief identifies broad areas including forces, states and properties of matter, electromagnetism and waves. A published copy of the MYP Sciences guide and formula sheets gives the equations associated with physics eAssessment.

MYP is not organized as a single worldwide list of weekly topics. Schools build units around the IB objectives, while students taking the Year 5 eAssessment work within the prescribed assessment framework. Consequently, the list below is the central eAssessment formula set, not a guarantee that it contains every equation your individual teacher might assess.

Motion, forces and matter formulas

Quantity	Formula	Standard units
Density	$\rho=\dfrac{m}{V}$	$\text{kg m}^{-3}$
Force	$F=ma$	$\text{N}$
Constant acceleration	$v=u+at$	$\text{m s}^{-1}$
Displacement	$s=ut+\dfrac{1}{2}at^2$	$\text{m}$
Velocity and displacement	$v^2=u^2+2as$	Mixed quantities
Average-velocity displacement	$s=\dfrac{(u+v)t}{2}$	$\text{m}$
Momentum	$p=mv$	$\text{kg m s}^{-1}$
Pressure	$p=\dfrac{F}{A}$	$\text{Pa}$ or $\text{N m}^{-2}$
Gravitational field strength	$g=\dfrac{F}{m}$	$\text{N kg}^{-1}$

In the motion equations, $u$ is initial velocity, $v$ is final velocity, $a$ is constant acceleration, $t$ is time and $s$ is displacement. These equations assume constant acceleration, so do not apply them automatically when acceleration changes.

The symbol $p$ can represent momentum or pressure depending on the equation. Context and units remove the ambiguity: momentum uses $\text{kg m s}^{-1}$ , whereas pressure uses pascals. For further practice with mass and volume, use the MYP Physics density notes.

Work, energy and power formulas

Quantity	Formula	Standard units
Work done	$W=Fs$	$\text{J}$
Kinetic energy	$E_k=\dfrac{1}{2}mv^2$

For $W=Fs$ , the distance must be the distance moved in the direction relevant to the force. Holding a stationary object requires muscular effort, but no mechanical work is done on the object because its displacement is zero.

Remember that power is a rate, not an amount of energy. Two motors can complete the same work, but the motor that completes it in less time has greater power. The work, power and efficiency notes provide additional examples and unit checks.

Electricity and transformer formulas

Quantity	Formula	Standard units
Current	$I=\dfrac{\Delta Q}{t}$	$\text{A}$
Electrical power	$P=IV$

Current is the rate of flow of charge, so $I=\Delta Q/t$ connects amperes, coulombs and seconds. Ohm’s law, $V=IR$ , links potential difference, current and resistance under conditions where resistance is treated as constant.

In the transformer equation, $V_p$ and $V_s$ are the primary and secondary voltages, while $N_p$ and are the corresponding numbers of turns. A step-up transformer has and therefore . Review these quantities in the .

Wave formulas

Quantity	Formula	Standard units
Wave speed	$v=f\lambda$	$\text{m s}^{-1}$
Time period	$T=\dfrac{1}{f}$

Here, $v$ is wave speed, $f$ is frequency and $\lambda$ is wavelength. Frequency is measured in hertz, where $1\,\text{Hz}=1\,\text{s}^{-1}$ .

The wave equation applies to transverse and longitudinal waves, including water waves and sound. It does not mean that particles in the medium travel forward at the wave speed. The wave equation notes explain this distinction with worked examples.

Topics that are less formula-heavy

The MYP Physics syllabus also covers ideas that cannot be reduced to a formula list. Depending on the course, these can include:

energy resources and environmental impacts
heat transfer and particle models
reflection, refraction and diffraction
the electromagnetic spectrum
magnetism and electromagnetic induction
atomic structure, radioactivity and half-life
planets, satellites and the Big Bang model

These areas still require quantitative reasoning, graph interpretation and scientific explanations. Formula revision should therefore support, rather than replace, your understanding of concepts and evidence.

Rearranging formulas and checking units

Formula rearrangement is easiest when you treat the equation as a balanced statement rather than relying on a memorized triangle. Whatever operation you perform on one side must also be performed on the other. This method remains reliable for equations containing squares, fractions or several variables, where shortcut diagrams often become confusing.

For example, rearranging $E_k=\frac{1}{2}mv^2$ to find velocity requires two steps. Multiply both sides by , divide by , and then take the square root, giving . Missing the square root produces an answer with the wrong value and dimensions.

Units provide an additional check. From $v=d/t$ , metres divided by seconds produce $\text{m s}^{-1}$ , as expected for speed. Similarly, $V=IR$ shows that amperes multiplied by ohms must produce volts. If the units do not match the requested quantity, check your rearrangement and conversions before continuing.

Some classes distinguish carefully between average speed, calculated from total distance divided by total time, and average velocity, calculated from displacement divided by time. The quantities are not interchangeable when an object changes direction, because distance is scalar while displacement includes direction.

Worked example using more than one formula

A $4.0\,\text{kg}$ object starts from rest and accelerates uniformly at $3.0\,\text{m s}^{-2}$ for $5.0\,\text{s}$ . First calculate its final velocity:

v=u+at=0+(3.0)(5.0)=15\,\text{m s}^{-1}.

Its kinetic energy is then:

E_k=\frac{1}{2}mv^2=\frac{1}{2}(4.0)(15)^2=450\,\text{J}.

This example shows why symbol definitions matter. The $v$ found from the motion equation becomes the velocity used in the energy equation, and squaring it is essential.

A reliable method for calculation questions

Use the following sequence whenever a question requires a formula:

List the known values, including units.
Identify the required quantity and its symbol.
Choose the equation containing that quantity and the available data.
Convert units before substitution, such as centimetres to metres.
Rearrange symbolically if necessary.
Substitute values and calculate without rounding too early.
State the answer with its unit and sensible significant figures.
Check whether the result is physically reasonable.

For example, an efficiency above $100\%$ signals an error. A negative speed may indicate that you have confused speed with velocity or chosen an inconsistent positive direction.

Common formula mistakes to avoid

The most common error is selecting an equation because its topic looks familiar rather than because its variables match the information given. Other frequent mistakes include:

using mass in grams when the equation requires kilograms
confusing area in $\text{m}^2$ with length in metres
forgetting that $v^2$ means the entire velocity is squared
treating $g$ as mass rather than gravitational field strength
mixing up power in watts with energy in joules
reversing the primary and secondary transformer values
reporting a number without a unit
applying constant-acceleration equations to non-uniform motion

A particularly important revision tip is to practise retrieving and selecting equations, not merely copying them. Cover the formula, write it from memory, explain every symbol and then solve a mixed question. MYP Physics flashcards can support retrieval, while mixed Questionbank problems test whether you can choose the correct relationship independently.

Conclusion

The core MYP Physics formulas fall into four main groups: motion and forces, work and energy, electricity, and waves. Learn the meaning and units of every symbol, understand each equation’s conditions, and practise rearranging formulas before inserting numbers.

Your school may teach additional equations, so check its course outline and your teacher’s guidance alongside the published eAssessment material. For structured MYP Physics revision, RevisionDojo’s Study Notes, Flashcards and Questionbank are useful for moving from formula recall to independent application.

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