Annotated List of Formulas

Prior Knowledge:

DescriptionEquation and Variables
Area of a ParallelogramA = bh, "b" is base and "h" is height
Area of a TriangleA = 1/2bh, "b" is base and "h" is height
Area of a TrapezoidA = 1/2(a+b)h, "a" and "b" are parallel sides and "h" is height
Area of a CircleA = πr2, "r" is the radius of the circle
Circumference of a Circle

C = 2πr"r" is the radius of a circle

C = πd, "d" is the diameter of a circle

Volume of a CuboidV = lwh, "l" is length, "w" is width, "h" is height
Volume of a CylinderV = πr2h, "r" is radius, "h" is height
Volume of a PrismV = Ah, "A" is area of the polygon, "h" is height
Area of a curved surface of a CylinderA = 2πr2h, "r" is radius, "h" is height
Distance between two points (x1, y1) and (x2, y2)d = sqrt((x1-x2)2+(y1-y2)2)(x1, y1) and (x2, y2) are coordinates of the points
Coordinates of the midpoint on a line segment that has (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) as endpoints((x1+x2)/2, (y1+y2)/2)(x1, y1) and (x2, y2) are coordinates of the endpoints

Topic 1: Number and Algebra

DescriptionEquation and VariablesUse/Additional Info:

Solving for value of nth term of an arithmetic sequence

 

 

The sum of n terms in an arithmetic sequence

un = u1+(n-1)d, "u1" is the first term, "d" is the common difference

Sn = n/2(2u1+(n-1)d)

OR

Sn = n/2(u1+un), "u1" is the first term, "un" is the nth term, "d" is the common difference

 

The value of the nth term of a geometric sequence

The sum of terms in a finite geometric sequence 

The sum of an infinite geometric sequence 

un=u1rn-1, "u1" is the first term, "r" is the common ratio

Sn=u1(rn-1)r-1=u1(1-rn)1-r, r1,

S=u11-r, r<1

 
Compound interest formulaFV=PV×(1+r100k)kn, "FV" is final value, "PV" is principle/present value, "k" number of compounding periods per year, "r"% is the annual interest rate 

Definition of a logarithm

Logarithm addition

Logarithm subtraction

Logarithms and exponents

Logarithm division

ax=bx=loga(b), a, b >0, a1

logaxy=logax+logay

logaxy=logax-logay

loga(xm)=mloga(x)

logax=logbxlogba

 
Binomial Theorem n∈ℕ

(a+b)n=an+nC1an-1b+...+nCran-rbr+...+bn

  • Consider using Pascal's triangle instead of combinations for smaller n values
Combinations EquationnCr=n!r!(n-r)!, "n" is the total number of items, "r" is the number of items chosen
  • Order DOES NOT matter
HL ONLY   
Permutations EquationnPr=n!(n-r)!, "n" is the total number of items, "r" is the number of items chosen
  • Order MATTERS
Extension of the Binomial Theorem(a+b)n=an(1+n(ba)+n(n-1)2!(ba)2+...) 
Complex numbersz=a+bi
  • This form is most useful for addition and subtraction of complex numbers
Modulus-argument (polar) and exponential (Euler) formz=r(cosθ+isinθ)=reiθ=rcisθ
  • Most useful for division and multiplication
De Moivre's theorem[r(cosθ+isinθ)]n=rn(cosnθ+isinnθ)=rneinθ=rncisnθ
  • Use to help find roots of an imaginary polynomial

Topic 2: Functions

DescriptionEquation and VariablesUse/Additional Info:

Equations of a straight line

Gradient (slope) formula

y=mx+c; ax+by+d=0; y-y1=m(x-x1)

m=y2-y1x2-x1

 
Axis of symmetry of the graph of a quadraticf(x)=ax2+bx+caxis of symmetry is x=-b2a 
Solutions of a quadratic (Quadratic formula)x=-b±b2-4ac2a, a0 
Discriminant of a quadratic=b2-4ac
  • If discriminant is less than 0, roots are imaginary
Exponential and logarithmic functionsax=exlna; logaax=x=alogax where a, x>0, a1 
HL ONLY  
Sum and product of the roots of a polynomial functionSum is -an-1an; product is (-1)na0an
  • Easy method for finding roots of high power polynomials

Topic 3: Geometry and Trigonometry

DescriptionEquation and VariablesUse/Additional Info:
Distance between two points (x1, y1, z1) and (x2, y2, z2)d=(x1-x2)2+(y1-y2)2+(z1-z2)2 
Coordinates of the midpoint of a line segment with endpoints (x1, y1, z1) and (x2, y2, z2)(x1+x22,y1+y22,z1+z22) 
Volume of a right-pyramidV=13Ah, "A" is the area of the base, "h" is the height 
Volume of a right coneV=13πr2h, "r" is the radius of the base, "h" is the height 
Area of the curved surface of a cone A=πrl, "r" is the radius of the base, "l" is the slant height 
Volume of a sphereV=43πr3, "r" is the radius 
Surface area of a sphereA=4πr2, "r" is the radius 
Sine ruleasinA=bsinB=csinC 
Cosine rulec2=a2+b2-2abcosC; cosC=a2+b2-c22ab 
Area of a triangleA=12absinC 
Length of an arcl=rθ, "r" is radius, "θ" is the central angle 
Area of a sectorA=12r2θ, "r" is radius, "θ" is the central angle 
Identity for tanθtanθ=sinθcosθ 
Pythagorean identitycos2θ+sin2θ=1 
Double angle identities

sin2θ=2sinθcosθ

cos2θ=cos2θ-sin2θ=2cos2θ-1=1-sin2θ

 
HL ONLY  
Reciprocal trigonometric identities

secθ=1cosθ

cosecθ=cscθ=1sinθ

 
Pythagorean identities

1+tan2θ=sec2θ

1+cot2θ=cosec2θ

 
Compound angle identities

sin(A±B)=sinAcosB±sinBcosA

cos(A±B)=cosAcosBsinAsinB

tan(A±B)=tanA±tanB12tanAtanB

  • useful for adding non-standard angles on non-calculator exams
Tan double angle identitytan2θ=2tanθ1-tan2θ 
Magnitude of a vectorv=v12+v22+v32, where v=v1v2v3 
Scalar product

v·w=v1w1+v2w2+v3w3, where v=v1v2v3 andw =w1w2w3

v·w=vwcosθ, where θ is the angle between v and w

 
Angle between two vectorscosθ=v·wvw 
Vector equation of a liner=a+λb 
Parametric form of the equation of a linex=x0+λl, y=y0+λm, z=z0+λn 
Cartesian equations of a linex-x0l=y-y0m=z-z0n 
Vector Product  
Area of a parallelogram  
Vector equation of a plane  
Equation of a plane (using normal vectors)  
Cartesian equation of a plane  

Topic 4: Statistics and Probability

DescriptionEquation and VariablesUse/Additional Info:
Interquartile range 
  • Use IQR x 1.5 subtracted from Q1 and added to Q2 to determine the range of values that are not classified as outliers
Mean, x¯, of a data set  
Probability of an event A  
Complementary events  
Combined events  
Mutually exclusive events  
Conditional probability  
Independent events  
Expected value of a discrete random variable X  
Binomial distribution X~B(n, p)  
Mean  
Variance  
Standardized normal variable  
HL ONLY  
Bayes' Theorem  
Variance σ2  
Standard deviation σ  
Linear transformation of a single random variable  
Expected value of a continuous random variable X  
Variance  
Variance of a discrete random variable X  
Variance of a continuous random variable X  

Topic 5: Calculus

DescriptionEquation and VariablesUse/Additional Info:
Derivative of xn  
Integral of xn  
Area between a curved y = f(x) and the x-axis, f(x) > 0   
Standard Derivatives  
Chain rule  
Product rule  
Quotient rule  
Acceleration  
Distance travelled from t1 to t2  
Displacement from t1 to t2  
Standard integrals  
Area enclosed by a curved and the x-axis  
HL ONLY  
Derivative of f(x) from first principles  
More standard derivatives  
More standard integrals  
Integration by parts  
Area of a region enclosed by a curved and y-axis  
Volume of revolution about the x or y-axes  
Euler's method  
Integrating factor for y' + P(x)y = Q(x)  
Maclaurin series   
Maclaurin series for special functions  

 

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