University of Sussex

Physics and Astronomy Examinations Sub-Board

Table of Physical Constants
Revised January 2008

Electron rest mass me 9.109 1031 kg

Proton rest mass Mp 1.6726 1027 kg
Electronic charge e 1.6022 1019 C
Speed of light in free space c 2.9979 108 m s1
Permeability of free space 0 4 107 H m1
Permittivity of free space 0 8.854 1012 F m1
Plancks constant h 6.626 1034 J s
Reduced Plancks constant h = h/2 1.0546 1034 J s
hc 197.33 MeV fm
Boltzmanns constant kB 1.3807 1023 J K1
Gas constant R = kB /mH 8.250 103 J kg1 K1
Molar gas constant R 8.315 J mol1 K1
Avogadros number NA 6.022 1023 mol1
Standard molar volume 22.414 103 m3 mol1
12
Unified atomic mass unit ( C scale) u 931.5 MeV/c2 = 1.660538 1027 kg
Mass of hydrogen atom mH 1.0078u = 1.6735 1027 kg
Bohr magneton B 9.274 1024 A m2 or J T1
Nuclear magneton N 5.051 1027 A m2 or J T1
Proton magnetic moment p 2.7928N
Neutron magnetic moment n -1.9130N
Bohr radius a0 5.292 1011 m
Fine structure constant = e2 /(40 hc) (137.04)1
Compton wavelength of electron C = h/(me c) 2.4263 1012 m
Rydbergs constant R 1.0974 107 m1
R hc 13.606 eV
Stefan-Boltzmann constant 5.671 108 W m2 K4
Radiation density constant a = 4/c 7.561 1016 J m3 K4
Gravitational constant G 6.673 1011 N m2 kg2

Rest masses of some leptons and hadrons in MeV/c2 :

e 0.5110, 105.66, 1777, 0 134.98, 139.57, K 493.7, K0 497.7, 547, D0 1865, D 1869,
p 938.3, n 939.6, 0 1115.7, + 1189, 0 1193, 1197, 0 1315, 1321, 1672, Z0 91.187103 ,
W 80.41103 .

Quark Charge I3 S C B T Mass

(GeV/c2 )
u + 23 1
2
0 0 0 0 0.003
d 13 21 0 0 0 0 0.006
c + 23 0 0 +1 0 0 1.25
s 13 0 -1 0 0 0 0.11
t + 23 0 0 0 0 +1 174.3
b 13 0 0 0 -1 0 4.2
 Astrophysical Data

1 astronomical unit AU 1.496 1011 m

1 parsec pc 3.086 1016 m
Luminosity of Sun L 3.85 1026 W
Mass of Sun M 1.989 1030 kg
Radius of Sun R 6.96 108 m
Mass of Earth ME 5.9742 1024 kg
Radius of Earth RE 6.3781 106 m

Other data and conversion factors

1 angstrom A 1010 m
1 fermi fm 1015 m
1 barn b 1028 m2
1 pascal Pa 1 Nm2
1 standard atmosphere 1.0132 105 Pa
Standard acceleration due to gravity g 9.807 m s2
1 electron volt eV 1.6022 1019 J
eV/hc 8.065 105 m1
eV/kB 1.1604 104 K
Wavelength of 1 eV photon 1.2399 106 m

Trigonometrical identities

sin( + ) = sin() cos() + cos() sin()

cos( + ) = cos() cos() sin() sin()
sin + sin = 2 sin 12 ( + ) cos 21 ( )
cos + cos = 2 cos 21 ( + ) cos 21 ( )
cos cos = 2 sin 21 ( + ) sin 21 ( )
In a triangle ABC, a/ sin A = b/ sin B = c/ sin C
and a2 = b2 + c2 2bc cos A

Prefixes

T = tera = 1012 c = centi = 102

G = giga = 109 m = milli = 103
M = mega = 106 = micro = 106
k = kilo = 103 n = nano = 109
p = pico = 1012
f = femto = 1015