Formula & Equation Encyclopedia

Over 1255+ formulas organized by subject and topic — Math, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science, Engineering, Economics, and more.

Search across all formulas or browse by subject and topic.

Algebra — Fundamentals

16
Quadratic Formula
x = (−b ± √(b² − 4ac)) / 2a
a, b, c = coefficients of ax² + bx + c = 0
Difference of Squares
a² − b² = (a + b)(a − b)
Perfect Square Trinomial
(a ± b)² = a² ± 2ab + b²
Sum of Cubes
a³ + b³ = (a + b)(a² − ab + b²)
Difference of Cubes
a³ − b³ = (a − b)(a² + ab + b²)
Binomial Theorem
(a + b)ⁿ = Σ C(n,k) aⁿ⁻ᵏ bᵏ
Sum from k=0 to n
Logarithm Product Rule
log(xy) = log(x) + log(y)
Logarithm Quotient Rule
log(x/y) = log(x) − log(y)
Logarithm Power Rule
log(xⁿ) = n · log(x)
Change of Base
log_b(x) = ln(x) / ln(b)
Exponential Identity
aˣ = eˣ·ˡⁿ⁽ᵃ⁾
Arithmetic Sequence
aₙ = a₁ + (n − 1)d
a₁ = first term, d = common difference
Arithmetic Series Sum
Sₙ = n/2 · (a₁ + aₙ)
Geometric Sequence
aₙ = a₁ · rⁿ⁻¹
r = common ratio
Geometric Series Sum (finite)
Sₙ = a₁(1 − rⁿ) / (1 − r)
Infinite Geometric Series
S = a₁ / (1 − r), |r| < 1

Algebra — Inequalities & Absolute Value

5
Absolute Value Definition
|x| = x if x ≥ 0; −x if x < 0
|ax + b| < c
−c < ax + b < c
|ax + b| > c
ax + b > c OR ax + b < −c
Triangle Inequality
|a + b| ≤ |a| + |b|
AM–GM Inequality
(a + b) / 2 ≥ √(ab), a,b ≥ 0

Geometry — Plane Shapes

15
Area of Triangle
A = ½bh
b = base, h = height
Area of Triangle (Heron's)
A = √(s(s−a)(s−b)(s−c)), s = (a+b+c)/2
Area of Rectangle
A = lw
Area of Parallelogram
A = bh
Area of Trapezoid
A = ½(b₁ + b₂)h
Area of Circle
A = πr²
Circumference of Circle
C = 2πr
Area of Sector
A = ½r²θ (θ in radians)
Arc Length
s = rθ
Area of Ellipse
A = πab
a, b = semi-axes
Area of Regular Polygon
A = ½ · perimeter · apothem
Interior Angle Sum (polygon)
S = (n − 2) · 180°
Pythagorean Theorem
a² + b² = c²
c = hypotenuse
Distance Formula
d = √((x₂−x₁)² + (y₂−y₁)²)
Midpoint Formula
M = ((x₁+x₂)/2, (y₁+y₂)/2)

Geometry — Solid Shapes

12
Volume of Cube
V = a³
Volume of Rectangular Prism
V = lwh
Surface Area of Rectangular Prism
SA = 2(lw + lh + wh)
Volume of Cylinder
V = πr²h
Surface Area of Cylinder
SA = 2πr² + 2πrh
Volume of Cone
V = ⅓πr²h
Slant Height of Cone
l = √(r² + h²)
Surface Area of Cone
SA = πr² + πrl
Volume of Sphere
V = (4/3)πr³
Surface Area of Sphere
SA = 4πr²
Volume of Pyramid
V = ⅓Bh
B = base area
Volume of Torus
V = 2π²Rr²
R = major radius, r = minor radius

Trigonometry

23
SOH-CAH-TOA
sin θ = opp/hyp, cos θ = adj/hyp, tan θ = opp/adj
Pythagorean Identity
sin²θ + cos²θ = 1
Tangent Identity
tan θ = sin θ / cos θ
Secant Identity
sec²θ = 1 + tan²θ
Cosecant Identity
csc²θ = 1 + cot²θ
Sine Double Angle
sin(2θ) = 2 sin θ cos θ
Cosine Double Angle
cos(2θ) = cos²θ − sin²θ = 1 − 2sin²θ = 2cos²θ − 1
Tangent Double Angle
tan(2θ) = 2tanθ / (1 − tan²θ)
Sine Sum/Difference
sin(A ± B) = sinA cosB ± cosA sinB
Cosine Sum/Difference
cos(A ± B) = cosA cosB ∓ sinA sinB
Tangent Sum/Difference
tan(A ± B) = (tanA ± tanB) / (1 ∓ tanA tanB)
Half Angle — sin
sin(θ/2) = ±√((1 − cosθ)/2)
Half Angle — cos
cos(θ/2) = ±√((1 + cosθ)/2)
Law of Sines
a/sinA = b/sinB = c/sinC
Law of Cosines
c² = a² + b² − 2ab cosC
Law of Tangents
(a−b)/(a+b) = tan(½(A−B)) / tan(½(A+B))
Product-to-Sum — sin·cos
sinA cosB = ½[sin(A+B) + sin(A−B)]
Product-to-Sum — cos·cos
cosA cosB = ½[cos(A−B) + cos(A+B)]
Product-to-Sum — sin·sin
sinA sinB = ½[cos(A−B) − cos(A+B)]
Euler's Formula
e^(iθ) = cosθ + i sinθ
Inverse Sine Range
arcsin: [−1,1] → [−π/2, π/2]
Inverse Cosine Range
arccos: [−1,1] → [0, π]
Inverse Tangent Range
arctan: ℝ → (−π/2, π/2)

Analytic Geometry & Conic Sections

15
Slope Formula
m = (y₂ − y₁) / (x₂ − x₁)
Slope-Intercept Form
y = mx + b
Point-Slope Form
y − y₁ = m(x − x₁)
Standard Form of Line
Ax + By + C = 0
Perpendicular Slope
m₂ = −1/m₁
Distance from Point to Line
d = |Ax₀ + By₀ + C| / √(A² + B²)
Circle (standard)
(x − h)² + (y − k)² = r²
Circle (general)
x² + y² + Dx + Ey + F = 0
Parabola (vertical)
y = a(x − h)² + k
Parabola (horizontal)
x = a(y − k)² + h
Focus of Parabola y=ax²
F = (0, 1/(4a))
Ellipse (standard)
x²/a² + y²/b² = 1
Hyperbola (standard)
x²/a² − y²/b² = 1
Eccentricity of Ellipse
e = c/a, c² = a² − b²
Eccentricity of Hyperbola
e = c/a, c² = a² + b²

Calculus — Limits & Derivatives

17
Limit Definition of Derivative
f′(x) = lim(h→0) [f(x+h)−f(x)] / h
Power Rule
d/dx[xⁿ] = nxⁿ⁻¹
Constant Rule
d/dx[c] = 0
Constant Multiple Rule
d/dx[cf(x)] = c·f′(x)
Sum Rule
d/dx[f+g] = f′ + g′
Product Rule
d/dx[fg] = f′g + fg′
Quotient Rule
d/dx[f/g] = (f′g − fg′) / g²
Chain Rule
d/dx[f(g(x))] = f′(g(x))·g′(x)
d/dx[eˣ]
d/dx[aˣ]
aˣ ln(a)
d/dx[ln x]
1/x
d/dx[sin x]
cos x
d/dx[cos x]
−sin x
d/dx[tan x]
sec²x
d/dx[arcsin x]
1 / √(1 − x²)
d/dx[arctan x]
1 / (1 + x²)
L'Hôpital's Rule
lim f/g = lim f′/g′ (0/0 or ∞/∞)

Calculus — Integration

18
Power Rule (integral)
∫xⁿ dx = xⁿ⁺¹/(n+1) + C, n ≠ −1
∫1/x dx
ln|x| + C
∫eˣ dx
eˣ + C
∫aˣ dx
aˣ / ln(a) + C
∫sin x dx
−cos x + C
∫cos x dx
sin x + C
∫sec²x dx
tan x + C
∫tan x dx
−ln|cos x| + C
∫1/√(1−x²) dx
arcsin x + C
∫1/(1+x²) dx
arctan x + C
Integration by Parts
∫u dv = uv − ∫v du
Fundamental Theorem of Calculus
∫[a→b] f(x)dx = F(b) − F(a)
Average Value of Function
f_avg = 1/(b−a) · ∫[a→b] f(x)dx
Arc Length
L = ∫[a→b] √(1 + [f′(x)]²) dx
Volume (disk method)
V = π∫[a→b] [f(x)]² dx
Volume (shell method)
V = 2π∫[a→b] x·f(x) dx
Trapezoidal Rule
∫≈ (Δx/2)[f(x₀)+2f(x₁)+…+2f(xₙ₋₁)+f(xₙ)]
Simpson's Rule
∫≈ (Δx/3)[f(x₀)+4f(x₁)+2f(x₂)+…+4f(xₙ₋₁)+f(xₙ)]

Calculus — Series & Sequences

8
Taylor Series
f(x) = Σ f⁽ⁿ⁾(a)/n! · (x−a)ⁿ
Maclaurin Series — eˣ
eˣ = 1 + x + x²/2! + x³/3! + …
Maclaurin Series — sin x
sin x = x − x³/3! + x⁵/5! − …
Maclaurin Series — cos x
cos x = 1 − x²/2! + x⁴/4! − …
Maclaurin Series — 1/(1−x)
1 + x + x² + x³ + … (|x|<1)
Ratio Test
lim|aₙ₊₁/aₙ| < 1 ⟹ converges
p-Series Test
Σ 1/nᵖ converges iff p > 1
Alternating Series Remainder
|Rₙ| ≤ aₙ₊₁

Linear Algebra

10
Dot Product
a·b = |a||b|cosθ = Σ aᵢbᵢ
Cross Product Magnitude
|a×b| = |a||b|sinθ
Determinant (2×2)
|A| = ad − bc
Determinant (3×3)
det(A) = a(ei−fh) − b(di−fg) + c(dh−eg)
Matrix Inverse (2×2)
A⁻¹ = 1/(ad−bc) · [[d,−b],[−c,a]]
Eigenvalue Equation
Av = λv → det(A − λI) = 0
Rank-Nullity Theorem
rank(A) + nullity(A) = n (columns)
Cauchy-Schwarz Inequality
|a·b| ≤ |a||b|
Projection of a onto b
proj_b(a) = (a·b/|b|²)·b
Gram-Schmidt (step 1)
e₁ = v₁/|v₁|

Statistics & Probability

20
Mean
μ = (Σxᵢ) / n
Variance (population)
σ² = Σ(xᵢ − μ)² / n
Standard Deviation
σ = √(σ²)
Sample Variance
s² = Σ(xᵢ − x̄)² / (n − 1)
Z-Score
z = (x − μ) / σ
Combination
C(n,k) = n! / (k!(n−k)!)
Permutation
P(n,k) = n! / (n−k)!
Binomial Probability
P(X=k) = C(n,k) pᵏ(1−p)ⁿ⁻ᵏ
Poisson Probability
P(X=k) = (λᵏ e⁻λ) / k!
Normal PDF
f(x) = (1/σ√(2π)) e^(−(x−μ)²/(2σ²))
Bayes' Theorem
P(A|B) = P(B|A)·P(A) / P(B)
Expected Value
E[X] = Σ xᵢP(xᵢ)
Variance of X
Var(X) = E[X²] − (E[X])²
Correlation Coefficient
r = Σ[(xᵢ−x̄)(yᵢ−ȳ)] / (n·sₓ·sᵧ)
Linear Regression Slope
b = Σ[(x−x̄)(y−ȳ)] / Σ(x−x̄)²
Confidence Interval (mean)
x̄ ± z*(σ/√n)
Margin of Error
ME = z* · σ/√n
Chi-Square Statistic
χ² = Σ (O − E)² / E
Student's t-Statistic
t = (x̄ − μ) / (s/√n)
Chebyshev's Inequality
P(|X−μ| ≥ kσ) ≤ 1/k²

Number Theory & Discrete Math

10
Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic
Every n > 1 = unique product of primes
Euclidean GCD
gcd(a,b) = gcd(b, a mod b)
Bezout Identity
There exist integers x,y: ax + by = gcd(a,b)
Euler Totient
phi(n) = n * prod(1 − 1/p) over primes p|n
Fermat's Little Theorem
a^p = a (mod p), p prime
Chinese Remainder Theorem
x = ai (mod ni) has unique solution mod prod(ni)
Stars and Bars
C(n+k-1, k-1) ways to distribute n items in k bins
Inclusion-Exclusion
|A union B| = |A| + |B| - |A intersect B|
Stirling Approximation
n! approx sqrt(2*pi*n) * (n/e)^n
Master Theorem
T(n) = aT(n/b)+f => T(n) = Theta(n^log_b(a)) if f = O(n^(log_b(a)-e))

Complex Numbers

12
Complex Number
z = a + bi, i² = −1
Modulus
|z| = √(a² + b²)
Argument (angle)
arg(z) = arctan(b/a)
Polar Form
z = r(cosθ + i sinθ) = re^(iθ)
Multiplication (polar)
z₁z₂ = r₁r₂ e^(i(θ₁+θ₂))
De Moivre's Theorem
(r e^(iθ))ⁿ = rⁿ e^(inθ)
n-th Roots of Unity
z_k = e^(2πik/n), k = 0,1,…,n−1
Complex Conjugate
z̄ = a − bi; z · z̄ = |z|²
Euler's Identity
e^(iπ) + 1 = 0
Real Part
Re(e^(iθ)) = cosθ
Imaginary Part
Im(e^(iθ)) = sinθ
Complex Division
z₁/z₂ = (z₁ · z̄₂) / |z₂|²

Differential Equations

18
1st Order Separable
dy/dx = f(x)g(y) → ∫dy/g(y) = ∫f(x)dx
1st Order Linear
dy/dx + P(x)y = Q(x); integrating factor μ = e^(∫P dx)
Integrating Factor Solution
y = (1/μ) ∫μ Q dx
2nd Order Homogeneous (const coeff)
ay'' + by' + cy = 0 → char. eq. ar² + br + c = 0
Char. Roots — two real
y = C₁e^(r₁x) + C₂e^(r₂x)
Char. Roots — repeated
y = (C₁ + C₂x)e^(rx)
Char. Roots — complex α±βi
y = e^(αx)(C₁cosβx + C₂sinβx)
Method of Undetermined Coefficients
Guess y_p based on form of Q(x)
Variation of Parameters
y_p = y₁∫(−y₂Q)/(W) dx + y₂∫(y₁Q)/(W) dx
W = Wronskian
Wronskian
W(y₁,y₂) = y₁y₂' − y₁'y₂
Laplace Transform — ODE method
L{y''} = s²Y − sy(0) − y'(0)
Convolution Theorem
L{f*g} = F(s)·G(s)
Euler's Method (numerical)
yₙ₊₁ = yₙ + hf(xₙ,yₙ)
Runge-Kutta 4th Order
yₙ₊₁ = yₙ + (k₁+2k₂+2k₃+k₄)/6
k₁=hf(xₙ,yₙ), k₂=hf(xₙ+h/2,yₙ+k₁/2), …
Logistic ODE Solution
y = K / (1 + ((K−y₀)/y₀)e^(−rt))
Heat Equation (PDE)
∂u/∂t = k ∂²u/∂x²
Wave Equation (PDE)
∂²u/∂t² = c² ∂²u/∂x²
Laplace Equation (PDE)
∇²u = ∂²u/∂x² + ∂²u/∂y² = 0

Vector Calculus

13
Gradient
∇f = (∂f/∂x)î + (∂f/∂y)ĵ + (∂f/∂z)k̂
Divergence
∇·F = ∂Fₓ/∂x + ∂Fᵧ/∂y + ∂F_z/∂z
Curl
∇×F = (∂F_z/∂y−∂Fᵧ/∂z)î − (∂F_z/∂x−∂Fₓ/∂z)ĵ + (∂Fᵧ/∂x−∂Fₓ/∂y)k̂
Laplacian
∇²f = ∂²f/∂x² + ∂²f/∂y² + ∂²f/∂z²
Green's Theorem
∮_C (P dx + Q dy) = ∬_D (∂Q/∂x − ∂P/∂y) dA
Stokes' Theorem
∮_C F·dr = ∬_S (∇×F)·dS
Divergence Theorem
∯_S F·dS = ∭_V (∇·F) dV
Line Integral of Scalar
∫_C f ds = ∫_a^b f(r(t)) |r'(t)| dt
Surface Area (parametric)
A = ∬_D |r_u × r_v| dA
Jacobian (2D)
J = ∂(x,y)/∂(u,v) = x_u y_v − x_v y_u
Change of Variables
∬f(x,y) dA = ∬f(x(u,v),y(u,v)) |J| du dv
Cylindrical Coordinates
x=r cosθ, y=r sinθ, z=z; dV = r dr dθ dz
Spherical Coordinates
x=ρ sinφ cosθ, y=ρ sinφ sinθ, z=ρ cosφ; dV = ρ² sinφ dρ dφ dθ

Combinatorics & Graph Theory

12
Handshaking Lemma
Σ deg(v) = 2|E|
Euler Formula (planar)
V − E + F = 2
Chromatic Polynomial
P(G,k) = number of proper k-colorings of G
Cayley's Formula (spanning trees)
T(K_n) = nⁿ⁻²
Turán Theorem (edges)
ex(n,K_{r+1}) = (1−1/r)n²/2 (approx)
Ramsey Number bound
R(s,t) ≤ C(s+t−2, s−1)
Catalan Number
C_n = C(2n,n)/(n+1)
Bell Number (set partitions)
B_{n+1} = Σ_{k=0}^{n} C(n,k) B_k
Inclusion-Exclusion (general)
|A₁∪…∪Aₙ| = Σ|Aᵢ| − Σ|Aᵢ∩Aⱼ| + …
Derangement Count
D_n = n! Σ_{k=0}^{n} (−1)ᵏ/k! ≈ n!/e
Burnside's Lemma
|orbits| = (1/|G|) Σ_{g∈G} |Fix(g)|
Pigeonhole Principle
n items in k < n bins → ≥ 1 bin has ≥ ⌈n/k⌉ items

Abstract Algebra

10
Lagrange's Theorem
|H| divides |G| for subgroup H of G
Order of Element
ord(g) = smallest n > 0 : gⁿ = e
Coset
aH = {ah : h ∈ H}
Index of Subgroup
[G:H] = |G|/|H|
First Isomorphism Theorem
G/ker(φ) ≅ Im(φ)
Cauchy's Theorem
If p | |G| and p prime → ∃ element of order p in G
Sylow's Theorem (count)
n_p ≡ 1 (mod p), n_p | |G|/p^k
Euler's Totient (group order)
Z_n^× has order φ(n)
Characteristic of a Ring
smallest n : n·1_R = 0_R
Ideal Quotient Ring
R/I (ring modulo ideal I)

About This Formula Encyclopedia

This reference covers over 1255 formulas and equations spanning mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, engineering, economics, and earth science. Organized by subject and broken into fine-grained topics so you can navigate directly to what you need.

Use the search bar to find any formula by name or content instantly. The topic sidebar lets you drill into a specific area without scrolling through unrelated content.

To reinforce these formulas, try converting them into active recall prompts using the Flashcard Maker or stay focused while working through problems with the Pomodoro Timer.