Formula Cheatsheet
Common formulas, rendered — with the LaTeX that makes them.
Algebra
Quadratic formula
x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}Difference of squares
a^2 - b^2 = (a+b)(a-b)Perfect square (sum)
(a+b)^2 = a^2 + 2ab + b^2Perfect square (difference)
(a-b)^2 = a^2 - 2ab + b^2Sum of cubes
a^3 + b^3 = (a+b)(a^2 - ab + b^2)Difference of cubes
a^3 - b^3 = (a-b)(a^2 + ab + b^2)Exponent product rule
a^m \cdot a^n = a^{m+n}Exponent power rule
(a^m)^n = a^{mn}Logarithm of a product
\log_b(xy) = \log_b x + \log_b yChange of base
\log_b x = \frac{\log_k x}{\log_k b}Geometry
Circle area
A = \pi r^2Circle circumference
C = 2\pi rTriangle area
A = \tfrac{1}{2} b hRectangle area
A = l wTrapezoid area
A = \tfrac{1}{2}(b_1+b_2)hSphere volume
V = \tfrac{4}{3}\pi r^3Sphere surface area
A = 4\pi r^2Cylinder volume
V = \pi r^2 hCone volume
V = \tfrac{1}{3}\pi r^2 hPythagorean theorem
a^2 + b^2 = c^2Distance between two points
d = \sqrt{(x_2-x_1)^2 + (y_2-y_1)^2}Slope of a line
m = \frac{y_2-y_1}{x_2-x_1}Trigonometry
Pythagorean identity
\sin^2\theta + \cos^2\theta = 1Tangent
\tan\theta = \frac{\sin\theta}{\cos\theta}Law of sines
\frac{a}{\sin A} = \frac{b}{\sin B} = \frac{c}{\sin C}Law of cosines
c^2 = a^2 + b^2 - 2ab\cos CSine of a sum
\sin(a+b) = \sin a \cos b + \cos a \sin bCosine of a sum
\cos(a+b) = \cos a \cos b - \sin a \sin bDouble angle (sine)
\sin(2\theta) = 2\sin\theta\cos\thetaDouble angle (cosine)
\cos(2\theta) = \cos^2\theta - \sin^2\thetaCalculus
Power rule (derivative)
\frac{d}{dx}x^n = nx^{n-1}Product rule
\frac{d}{dx}[fg] = f'g + fg'Quotient rule
\frac{d}{dx}\!\left[\frac{f}{g}\right] = \frac{f'g - fg'}{g^2}Chain rule
\frac{d}{dx}f(g(x)) = f'(g(x))\,g'(x)Derivative of e^x
\frac{d}{dx}e^x = e^xDerivative of ln x
\frac{d}{dx}\ln x = \frac{1}{x}Derivative of a constant
\frac{d}{dx}c = 0Derivative of x
\frac{d}{dx}x = 1Derivative of sin x
\frac{d}{dx}\sin x = \cos xDerivative of cos x
\frac{d}{dx}\cos x = -\sin xDerivative of tan x
\frac{d}{dx}\tan x = \sec^2 xExample: derivative of x^3
\frac{d}{dx}x^3 = 3x^2Example: derivative of a polynomial
\frac{d}{dx}(5x^2 + 3x - 7) = 10x + 3Power rule (integral)
\int x^n \, dx = \frac{x^{n+1}}{n+1} + CIntegral of a constant
\int k \, dx = kx + CIntegral of sin x
\int \sin x \, dx = -\cos x + CIntegral of cos x
\int \cos x \, dx = \sin x + CIntegral of 1/x
\int \frac{1}{x} \, dx = \ln|x| + CIntegral of e^x
\int e^x \, dx = e^x + CExample: integral of 3x^2
\int 3x^2 \, dx = x^3 + CExample: integral of a linear expression
\int (2x + 1) \, dx = x^2 + x + CFundamental theorem of calculus
\int_a^b f'(x)\,dx = f(b) - f(a)Statistics & Probability
Mean
\bar{x} = \frac{1}{n}\sum_{i=1}^{n} x_iVariance
\sigma^2 = \frac{1}{n}\sum_{i=1}^{n} (x_i - \bar{x})^2Standard deviation
\sigma = \sqrt{\sigma^2}Permutations
P(n,r) = \frac{n!}{(n-r)!}Combinations
C(n,r) = \binom{n}{r} = \frac{n!}{r!(n-r)!}Conditional probability
P(A \mid B) = \frac{P(A \cap B)}{P(B)}Bayes' theorem
P(A \mid B) = \frac{P(B \mid A)\,P(A)}{P(B)}Arithmetic & Numbers
Percentage change
\%\Delta = \frac{\text{new} - \text{old}}{\text{old}} \times 100Simple interest
I = PrtCompound interest
A = P\left(1+\frac{r}{n}\right)^{nt}Arithmetic sequence (nth term)
a_n = a_1 + (n-1)dGeometric sequence (nth term)
a_n = a_1 \cdot r^{n-1}