OCR Gateway physics equation sheet (J249)

The J249 list

OCR sets out the Gateway equations in section 5d of the specification, the document that describes the course. There are two tables. OCR tells you to recall and apply the first and to select and apply the second. Both go on the Equation Sheet, so in the exam you can find either kind in front of you.

The 21 in the first table start with density, ρ = m/V. Motion gives s = v t, a = (v − u)/t, F = m a and p = m v. For energy you have E = ½ m v², E = m g h, W = F s and P = W/t, plus efficiency in words: useful output energy transfer ÷ input energy transfer. OCR calls weight the gravitational force and writes it W = m g. The spring equation is F = k x, pressure is p = F/A and the moment of a force is M = F d.

The electricity group is Q = I t, V = I R, E = Q V, P = V I, P = I² R and E = P t. The wave equation is v = f λ. That makes 21, with the two power equations for circuits counted separately.

The 9 in the second table are the longer or less common ones:

1. ΔE = m c Δθ, for heating
2. E = m l, with a lower-case l, for melting and boiling
3. p V = constant, for a fixed mass of gas at a steady temperature
4. p = h ρ g, for pressure at a depth in a liquid
5. v² − u² = 2 a s, for steady acceleration
6. E = ½ k x², for a stretched spring
7. F = B I l, for a current in a magnetic field
8. V_p/V_s = N_p/N_s, for transformer turns
9. V_p I_p = V_s I_s, for transformer power

What the þ symbol means

Some lines in the J249 specification carry the symbol þ. OCR uses it to mark content that is found only in the separate Physics qualification. Five equations have it. Two are from the first table: pressure = force ÷ area and the moment of a force. Three are from the second: the gas law, liquid pressure and the transformer turns equation.

This page covers the J249 Physics A course only. If you take a different OCR science course, check its own specification and sheet.

Higher tier equations in J249

OCR prints Higher tier content in bold. Four J249 equations are bold. Momentum, p = m v, is the only one from the first table. From the second table come liquid pressure, p = h ρ g, the transformer turns equation, and the force on a conductor, F = B I l.

The transformer power equation, V_p I_p = V_s I_s, is not bold in J249. Foundation and Higher students both use it.

What J249 does not include

Gateway Physics A is shorter than AQA Physics in a few places. It has no magnification equation, and it has no period = 1 ÷ frequency. It also has no equation for force and change in momentum. AQA and Edexcel list force = change in momentum ÷ time, and OCR's other course, J259, lists change in momentum = force × time. The force and momentum page shows the other boards' versions.

For power, J249 gives P = W/t, power = work done ÷ time, and E = P t. It does not list P = E/t as a separate line. The power and work page shows the J249 form next to the other boards' forms.

Watch the letters. OCR writes E for kinetic, gravitational and elastic energy alike, with no subscript, so read the words around each equation. It writes extension as x, and latent heat as a lower-case l.

OCR's own documents

• GCSE Physics A (Gateway Science) J249 specification, section 5d
• J249 Equation Sheet, the June 2026 insert

The sheet we checked is the June 2026 one. OCR's other course has its own page on OCR Twenty First Century physics equations, and the equation sheet overview compares all three boards.