Kinematic Equations Mcat

Buoyant force (F_b) is the upward force a fluid exerts on an object. V is the object’s volume, p is the object’s density, and g is the gravitational acceleration.

MCAT Physics Equations: Your Simplified Study Guide

Physics is a notorious part of one of four major sections on the MCAT. Many aspiring doctors are passionate about biology and chemistry and can understand why the MCAT heavily tests these topics. The connection to physics, on the other hand, isn’t always as clear.

Many doctors use their physics knowledge to keep up with medicine’s current technologies, including X-rays, MRIs, and more. Our bodies also behave according to the rules of physics, and doctors use these rules to diagnose and treat a variety of conditions. Think blood pressure, the neural circuits in our brain, and more.

Many MCAT physics questions ask for calculations using specific equations. Below we summarize key physics equations you should memorize for the MCAT to help you maximize your study time.

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MCAT Physics Equations You Need to Know

There are several physics topics that you could be tested on the MCAT, including work, kinematics, and sound. Below we summarize the key physics equations for each topic that you could be tested on during the MCAT.

Work, Force, and Energy

Work, force, and energy are the bread and butter of physics. Work is a form of energy that applies force to an object in order to displace it.

Newton’s 2nd Law

The net force (F) on an object can be calculated from the product of the object’s mass (m) and acceleration (A).

Work Done by Constant Force

W = F x d x cosθ

The work (W) done on an object by a constant force is a product of the magnitude of the force (F) and the direction in which the object is displaced (d) due to this force. Cosine theta (cosθ) is the angle between the object and the force acting on it.

Work-Kinetic Energy Theorem

The total work (Wnet) done by combined forces is proportional to the change of kinetic energy (ΔKE) of an object.

Kinetic Energy

KE = 1/2 x m x v 2

Kinetic energy is proportional to the mass (m) of an object and the square of its velocity (v).

Potential Energy

The gravitational potential energy (PE) of an object is proportional to the object’s mass (m) and height (h) and to the acceleration of gravity (g = 9.8 m/s 2 ).

Power

Power is equal to the amount of work done (W) divided by the time (t).

Kinematics

Kinematics is a field of physics that is all about the motion of objects and systems. Unlike the work and energy section above, kinematic equations do not take into account the forces that cause motion.

Velocity

This equation denotes the velocity of an object under constant velocity at time (t), which equals the initial velocity (V_­0) plus the product of acceleration (a) and the time interval.

This equation uses the initial velocity, acceleration, and displacement (Δx) to solve for the final velocity.

Displacement

This equation uses the acceleration, initial velocity, and time interval to solve for displacement for an object under constant acceleration.

Fluid Mechanics

Fluid mechanics is concerned with the mechanisms and forces related to liquids, gases, and plasmas.

Pascal’s Law

Pascal’s law states that pressure exerted on fluid at rest is transmitted equally in all directions of the container holding said fluid. Pressure is equal to the applied force (F) divided by the area of contact (A).

Bernoulli’s equation

P + ½ pV 2 + pgh = constant

Bernoulli’s equation describes how the velocity of the fluid through a tube relates to the pressure of the fluid. P is hydrostatic pressure, p is the fluid density, V is velocity, g is the gravitational acceleration (9.8 m/s 2 ), and h is the height of the fluid.

Density

The density (p) of a substance is proportional to its mass (m) per unit volume (V).

Specific Gravity

Specific gravity is the ratio of the density of a substance (p_subsance) compared to a reference substance (p_water).

Buoyant force

Buoyant force (F_b) is the upward force a fluid exerts on an object. V is the object’s volume, p is the object’s density, and g is the gravitational acceleration.

Hydrostatic pressure

Hydrostatic pressure (P) is the pressure (P₀) exerted by a fluid at rest due to the force of gravity (g).

Electrostatics and Circuits

This section focuses on how charged particles interact with each other in systems such as circuits.

Coulomb’s Law

According to Coulomb’s law, like charges repel and opposite charges attract. The force of attraction is proportional to the production of the charges (q₁q₂); it is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the charges (r 2 )

Ohm’s Law

Ohm’s law states that voltage (V) across a conductor is proportional to current (I) and inversely proportional to resistance (R). You can rearrange this equation to solve for current or resistance.

Current

This formula defines how charge flows through an electric circuit as a current (I). It is the quantity of charge flowing (Q) in a time period (t).

Resistance

This equation gives the resistivity of a wire. It corresponds to the resistivity of the material (p), the length of the wire (l), and the cross-sectional area of the wire (A).

Capacitors in Series

This equation denotes total resistance (R_T) in a series combination, in which the resistors are connected end-to-end in a circuit.

Capacitors in Parallel

This formula denotes total resistance (1/R_T) in a series combination, in which the resistors’ terminals are connected to the same two nodes.

Thermodynamics

Thermodynamics is a field of physics that describes how heat relates to work and energy.

Heat phase during change

This equation describes the heat (q) required to cause a phase change of a sample of mass m. L_x can be either the latent heat of fusion or the latent heat of vaporization and is the amount of heat necessary to cause a change between a solid and liquid and a liquid and vapor, respectively.

Light

Light is electromagnetic radiation detected by an organism’s eye.

Snell’s law

This equation describes the relationship between refraction (n) and angles of incidence (sin θ) when light passes a boundary separating two media.

Lens equation

This equation is used to calculate image distance and describes the relationship between object distance (do), image distance (), and focal length (f).

Sound

Sound is a vibration that propagates through air, liquid, and other mediums as a longitudinal wave.

Wave Velocity

This equation uses the frequency (f) and wavelength (λ) of a wave to calculate the wave’s velocity (V).

Kinematics Equations for the MCAT: Everything You Need to Know

Learn key MCAT concepts about kinematics, plus practice questions and answers

(Note: This guide is part of our MCAT Physics series.)

Part 1: Introduction to kinematics

Part 2: Displacement, velocity, and acceleration

Part 3: Linear motion with constant acceleration

Part 4: Projectile motion with constant acceleration

Part 5: Circular motion

Part 6: Inclined planes

Part 7: Torque

Part 8: Kinematics equations and high-yield terms

Part 9: Kinematics practice passage

Part 10: Kinematics standalone practice questions

Part 1: Introduction to kinematics

Kinematics is the science of how objects move, and it’s often the first module in an introductory physics class because it’s such an everyday topic. Any student who’s ever thrown something in the air will have at least some intuition about kinematics!

On the MCAT, kinematics is a low-yield topic, and you’ll only need to be familiar with it in a biological context. That said, kinematics is the physics topic most used in everyday life. Understanding it can be an important first step in understanding more advanced topics in physics.

In the guide below, the most important terms are in bold font. When you see one, try to define it in your own words and use it to create your own examples. This is a great way to check your understanding, and phrasing terms in a way that makes the most sense to you and will make studying much easier (and much more effective!) in the long run.

At the end of this guide, there’s an MCAT-style practice passage and standalone questions that will not only test your knowledge on forces, energy, and work but also show you how the AAMC likes to ask questions.