What is Formulas: Definition and 542 Discussions

In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a chemical formula. The informal use of the term formula in science refers to the general construct of a relationship between given quantities.
The plural of formula can be either formulas (from the most common English plural noun form) or, under the influence of scientific Latin, formulae (from the original Latin).In mathematics, a formula generally refers to an identity which equates one mathematical expression to another, with the most important ones being mathematical theorems. Syntactically, a formula(often referred to as a well-formed formula) is an entity which is constructed using the symbols and formation rules of a given logical language. For example, determining the volume of a sphere requires a significant amount of integral calculus or its geometrical analogue, the method of exhaustion. However, having done this once in terms of some parameter (the radius for example), mathematicians have produced a formula to describe the volume of a sphere in terms of its radius:




V
=


4
3


π

r

3




{\displaystyle V={\frac {4}{3}}\pi r^{3}}
.Having obtained this result, the volume of any sphere can be computed as long as its radius is known. Here, notice that the volume V and the radius r are expressed as single letters instead of words or phrases. This convention, while less important in a relatively simple formula, means that mathematicians can more quickly manipulate formulas which are larger and more complex. Mathematical formulas are often algebraic, analytical or in closed form.In modern chemistry, a chemical formula is a way of expressing information about the proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound, using a single line of chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes other symbols, such as parentheses, brackets, and plus (+) and minus (−) signs. For example, H2O is the chemical formula for water, specifying that each molecule consists of two hydrogen (H) atoms and one oxygen (O) atom. Similarly, O−3 denotes an ozone molecule consisting of three oxygen atoms and a net negative charge.
In a general context, formulas are a manifestation of mathematical model to real world phenomena, and as such can be used to provide solution (or approximated solution) to real world problems, with some being more general than others. For example, the formula

F = mais an expression of Newton's second law, and is applicable to a wide range of physical situations. Other formulas, such as the use of the equation of a sine curve to model the movement of the tides in a bay, may be created to solve a particular problem. In all cases, however, formulas form the basis for calculations.
Expressions are distinct from formulas in that they cannot contain an equals sign (=). Expressions can be liken to phrases the same way formulas can be liken to grammatical sentences.

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  1. D

    Solve formulas containing the floor function

    Is there a kosher way of manipulating formulas containing floor truncation, say, \sum_{i=1}^n \left [ ~ { 333 \over 2^i } ~ \right ] ~=~ ? (I mean analytically, not writing a computer program to find out the result.) Thanks.
  2. N

    Structural Formulas for all the (C5H11OH) alcohols

    Given: Draw structural formulas for all the alcohols that have the molecular formula C5H11OH. Name each one and classify them as primary, secondary, or tertiary alcohols. Describe how they are formed and give two uses for this type of alcohol. Solution: I am still at the naming portion but...
  3. A

    "Comparing Formulas: E=p^2/2m and E=hf

    What is the difference between formulas E=p^2/2m and E= hf ?
  4. D

    Program where you can write in mathematical formulas

    Hi, does it exist a program where you can write in mathematical formulas, draw geometrical figures and create graphs and functions easily?
  5. M

    Where to find formulas for acceleration of compressed steel tubes

    Hi all Looking for simple formulas to describe maximum acceleration of steel tubes when tubes are compressed and suddenly released when submerged in water (dont know if the water does anything else than supply buoyancy). Please, also feel free to comment freely on the topic and formulas...
  6. D

    How can I make x the subject in this formula?

    Help! How do i rearrange this equation to make x the subject? y=xsquared
  7. B

    Manipulating Formulas with Derivatives

    The Problem; Given H = U + PV and dU = TdS - PdV Find dH in terms of T, S, P, V My Solution; H = U + PV dH = dU + PdV + VdP dH = (TdS - PdV) + PdV + VdP dH = Tds + VdP My Question Am I missing a step between the first and second steps? I'm taking the derivative of both sides...
  8. R

    How do you pronounce the apostrophe in a formula?

    Sorry to bother you all with a trivial question. I'm a Belgian teacher and I'm struggling because I don't know how to read a formula in English. How do you pronounce the apostrophe in for example v'. In French we say 'prime'Can anyone help?
  9. F

    Can You Solve This Compound Angle Formula Question?

    It's a previous exam question using compound angle forumlas. I've tried everything to try and get the answer involving rearrangments! I know the forumlas i just can't get them to work to show this. I assume its something to do with adding or subtracting the forumla away from each other...
  10. F

    Derivations of SI Units in my High-School Physics formulas.

    I was bored so I make fun with derivations of SI units of many Physics formulas. Note, this should just be called "introductory physics", that means NO calculus (but rate of change designated by the delta symbol) and motion is in one or two directions only. This is high school physics level in...
  11. B

    Electrical Engineering Notes, Formulas, Facts, and Study Guides

    I am a 2nd year student at an engineering school. I searched google and other sources to try to find anything and everything on electrical engineering. I found only a few good sites, though. So I was wondering if anyone could please give me a useful site or two. : ) Of course I am looking for...
  12. J

    Do formulas prevent students from understanding concepts?

    I recently made several comments about the sole use of formulas when a logical approach would be as effective. https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=150999 I am a high school senior taking AP physics C. Last year I took a more basic course, and in both of these classes (more so...
  13. S

    Arrange Formulas: Isolate Variable Easily

    How do you rearrange a formula to isolate a particlur variable.
  14. F

    Likely Formulas for Substances

    Homework Statement What is the likely formula for CH3NH? Homework Equations We need to find the value of ? in order to have 8 valence electrons on the outer shell of the compound. The Attempt at a Solution I could do less "complex" ones, such as GeCl? Ge has 4 valence elctrons...
  15. G

    Formula for Mercuric Carbide: Hg^2C_{2}?

    One of my homework questions asks to give the formula for the compound mercuric carbide. I'm pretty sure that the symbol for mercuric is Hg^2 and the symbol for carbide is C_{2}, so does this make the formula Hg^2C_{2}?? Or is it more complicated than that?
  16. P

    Find the Perfect Math Program for Your Formulas!

    Hey, Does anyone know a good program (similar to word) that can be used to write mathematical formulas? It kind of sucks to write them in word as it is very limited. Lol preferably a freeware.
  17. P

    What Are the Three Basic Formulas in Physics?

    Can you tell me the 3 basic formulas? I forgot them. The ones with V= Vi-Vf= D=
  18. C

    Formulas for interest Interest

    Today I was watching my sister do her Financial homework and I tryed to do one of them problems it said something about haveing 5000 bucks at 9% interest for 6 years and you had to find how much you would have. And so I tryed to use the compound interest formula P=A(1+(r/n)^rt but we both got...
  19. L

    Understanding Chemistry Lab Formulas: MgO, Mg(OH)2, and H2CO3 Explained"

    We lit a piece of Mg so the formula is: 2Mg(s) + O2(g) HEAT-- 2MgO(s) We then dissolved this in water so it would then be: MgO(s) + H2O(l) -- Mg(OH)2(l) Next we blew into water which is: CO2(g) + H2O(l) -- H2CO3(l) Is this all correct? Should I have (Aq) after the H2CO3?
  20. G

    Solve V for h: Rewrite Formula V=1/3πr^2h

    On my homework, I was given the equation V=1/3 x pi x r squared x h. I need to rewrite the formula so that it is solved for h. Any help will be greatly appreciated!
  21. S

    Optimizing Pumping System Formulas for Efficient Fluid Dynamics

    I am working on a project that requires the changing of the radius of a pipe then finding the pressure of this pipe. There are two chambers C1 and C2 the liquide with x density is pumped into C2 using a piston pump. The liqude in C2 drains back to C1 at a constant rate of a. The radius of the...
  22. R

    Learn Basic Trigonometry Formulas for Right Triangles | Physics Class Help

    I haven't had precalc 2 yet, so I'm not too familiar with sin, cos, tan, but I need this for my physics class. So if you guys don't mind giving me the formulas of sin, cos, and tan.. for example: Sin angle A = width/length etc. If I have a right triangle with a hypotonuse of 7, and an angle...
  23. D

    Linear/angular momentum formulas

    Does anyone know the formulas for (1) linear momentum (2) angular momentum for the situtation of two spacecraft s colliding in space or in orbit thankz
  24. J

    Bifilar Coil Formulas: Calculate Capacitance & Impedance

    Hi Everyone, I read the Tesla patent about bifilar pancake coils here: http://www.magnetricity.com/NeoG/Bifilar.php and I read about how they are supposed to decrease the impedance and increase the capacitance of the coil. So I constructed one to try out the idea. To my surprise, when I...
  25. Pyrrhus

    Design Moment Formulas: Max Moment & Distance Info

    Hey guys,i need a little help. I am looking for webpages with the max moment formulas and distances (if possible) of beams (cantilever, 2 support, 3 support, double embedded,etc...)
  26. A

    Storing Formulas on Sharp EL-531W Calculator

    is it possible to store formulas in a calculator, i have a sharp el-531w thank you
  27. benorin

    Any non-elementary gamma fcn formulas?

    I'm writing a paper which includes a treatment of the gamma function, and I am taking suggestions for non-elementary formulae involving the gamma function. I have the usual limit of a product definition, two infinite products, the usual improper integrals for Re[z]>0, the Guass multiplication...
  28. E

    Wilson theorem and formulas for pi(x)

    Hello..my question is from wilson theorem: (p-1)!=-1mod(p) how could you derive the formulae for pi(x) ?..this should be impossible as you can,t solve the congruence exactly a proposed method would be to find the roots of: f(x)=[\gamma(x)+1/x]-(\gamma(x)+1)/x that precisely x=p...
  29. B

    Advanced Calculus: Frenet Formulas & Radius of Curvature

    I'm reading Advanced Calculus by Wilfred Kaplan 1952. He is demonstrating how to find the decomposition of the acceleration vector into its normal and tangential components. I'm following along until he replaces the magnitude of the derivative of the angle with respect to the distance traveled...
  30. L

    How Do You Calculate Samples Containing Defective Widgets?

    I am working on a problem in which there are 100 widgets. I need to find how many samples of size 5 there are, which I found to be 75,287,520. No problem there. I am not sure how to go about the next part, however. In the original set of 100 widgets, 3 are broken. How many of the samples of...
  31. P

    Distance Formula & Equation of a Circle: A Relation?

    I have often noticed something between distance formula: d(P_1,P_2)=\sqrt{(x_2-x_1)^2+(y_2-y_1)^2} and equation of a circle: (x-h)^2+(y-k)^2=r^2 There appears to be a relation between the two. It seems as though both h,k can be replaced with an x,y (in the eqaution of a circle...
  32. T

    Good Study Habits for Memorizing & Applying Formulas

    What are some good study habits to pick up in order to remember formulas and even better yet, how to apply them in the right situation.
  33. T

    Using Logic to Solve Motion Problems: A Case Study

    Well, I am having trouble doing a big project that's due this monday. I can't get any of my formulas to work, and I so I used logic on a motion problem. Here's my made up problem that I have to graph in Excel: An object travels at 39m/s for 4 seconds and then slows down at a rate of -6m/s² for...
  34. D

    Website featuring maths formulas

    I have just found a new website featuring maths formulas, physics formulas, chemistry formulas. The site is [PLAIN]www.eformulae.com[/URL]. A must Visit site o:)
  35. Repetit

    Is there a plugin for MSN Messenger that allows for easy math typesetting?

    Does someone know of a good plugin to Messenger allowing for easy math typesetting? For example a plugin which allowed the use of LaTeX codes? Writing math in messenger is certainly a pain, especially because of the smileys (they can be turned off, I know, but anyway : - ). An easy way to write...
  36. G

    Is the Resolving Power Formula in Feynman's Lectures on Physics Incorrect?

    In the Vol. I, 27-7 of Feynman's Lectures on Physics, he derives a formula for the resolving power of an optical system from the general rule t2 - t1 > 1/nu (nu is frequency) as D > lambda/n*sin(teta). It appears, however, from the corresponding Fig. in the book that the latter inequality...
  37. W

    Sine/cosine sum and difference formulas

    How to proove those formulas for any angle? So far all the proofs I've found are for angles between 0 and 2pi...
  38. R

    Use differentiation to verify the integration formulas

    ok, so my problem goes like this: I have that the integral of dx/((cx+a)(dx+b))=1/(ad-bc)lnabs((dx+b)/cx+a)) + C I have to use differentiation to verify the integration formulas. So far I've gotten to: D(1/(ad-bc)lnabs((dx+b)/cx+a)))=(1/ad-bc)((cx=a)/(dx+b)) => (cx+a)/((ad-bc)(dx+b))...
  39. A

    LaTeX How to Create Basic LaTeX Documents Efficiently?

    I know basic formulas / symbols in LaTeX, but I'm not too good with the whole PDF thing. I mean, once I have a .tex file I can make a PS, DVI, or PDF file no problem, but the .tex file is the hard part. Every tutorial I read is like 100 pages long. Does anyone have a brief tutorial that gives...
  40. H

    Derive most trigonometric identities from the addition formulas

    In the same way that it is possible to derive most trigonometric identities from the addition formulas, what is the way that the difference of sines and cosines formulas were derived, such as \sin{a}-\sin{b}=2\cos{\frac{a+b}{2}}\sin{\frac{a-b}{2}} thanks, I am trying to avoid as much...
  41. D

    How to deduce rot and div formulas under spherical or cylinderical coordinat

    [SOLVED] How to deduce rot and div formulas under spherical or cylinderical coordinat It is said that in general, these formulas are: if dl_1=h_1du_1, dl_2=h_2du_2, dl_3=h_3du_3 then \nabla \Psi=\frac{1}{h_1}\frac{\partial\Psi}{\partial u_1}\vec{e}_1 +...
  42. S

    Are There Infinite Plane Formulas for a Given Vector?

    While working through a problem I arrived at a stage where a vector, say V being parallel to the plane I'm trying to find the formula for. Taking the normal vector of the plane to be n I used the dot product: n*V=0 in this case I knew V to be <-2, -2, -1> and n I set to <a,b,c>. This leads...
  43. V

    Efficient Calc Formulas: Your Ultimate Guide to Boosting Productivity

    Calc Formulas ~Help~ I am looking for an organized list of calc formulas, can anyone help me out? ``~CutiePieNumberJunKie~``
  44. N

    Representation of Rational Numbers by Formulas

    Dear Experts. Do you know some literature on representation of rational numbers by formulas? TIA.
  45. N

    What Are Basic Math Formula Books for Beginners?

    I was just wondering, can you name of the books, which they are kind of basic, and explains all the formula's. Just name the books that's all.
  46. M

    Structural Formulas: HBr & 2-Propene, 1-Butanol & 1-Propanoic Acid

    Last Question.. I promise! a)Using structural formula show the reactions between: i) HBr and 2-propene ii) 1-butanol and 1-propanoic acid. b) How many isomers are possible in (i) c) Name the type of reacion in (i), In (ii) d) To what family does the organic product in (ii) belong? K...
  47. M

    Lorenz Formulas: T-zero & T Explained

    In the time lorenz formulas, how can u tell what the difference between t-zero and T is? t-zero T= -------------------- ------------------- | 1 - (v^2/c^2) \| for example in the following...
  48. L

    LaTeX Creating LaTeX Formulas for PowerPoint Presentations

    I have to give a presentation and would really like some decent looking formulas to put in PowerPoint. Anybody know if it's possible to get LaTeX to output an image file? Thanks.
  49. B

    How to Identify Lewis Acids and Bases and Their Conjugate Base Formulas?

    Whats the formula for this conjugate bases? how do I get them? a) HSO3tothe(-) b) NH3 c) HCL and how is the lewis acid and lewis base identified? thanks
  50. E

    Finding Sum/Diff. Formulas: Quadratic to Higher Exponents

    For the difference of two squares you can factor using: a^2 - b^2 = (a + b)(a - b). And for the sum and difference of two cubes: a^3 + b^3 = (a+b)(a^2 - ab + b^2) a^3 - b^3 = (a-b)(a^2 + ab + b^2) How are these formulas found...? Can it be done with basic algebra (am I missing something...
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