IAT Physics Syllabus

Physics syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Physics in IAT, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Physical World and Measurement

   4 topics

   • Physics - Scope and Excitement
   • Units and Measurements
   • Errors in Measurement
   • Significant Figures
2. 2

   Kinematics

   2 topics

   • Motion in a Straight Line
   • Motion in a Plane
3. 3

   Laws of Motion

   3 topics

   • Newton's Laws of Motion
   • Friction
   • Circular Motion
4. 4

   Work, Energy and Power

   3 topics

   • Work
   • Energy
   • Power
5. 5

   Motion of System of Particles and Rigid Body

   3 topics

   • Centre of Mass
   • Rotational Motion
   • Moment of Inertia
6. 6

   Gravitation

   4 topics

   • Universal Law of Gravitation
   • Gravitational Potential Energy
   • Escape Velocity
   • Kepler's Laws
7. 7

   Properties of Bulk Matter

   3 topics

   • Mechanical Properties of Solids
   • Mechanical Properties of Fluids
   • Thermal Properties of Matter
8. 8

   Thermodynamics

   3 topics

   • Thermal Equilibrium
   • First Law of Thermodynamics
   • Second Law of Thermodynamics
9. 9

   Behaviour of Perfect Gas and Kinetic Theory

   1 topic

   • Kinetic Theory of Gases
10. 10

    Oscillations and Waves

    4 topics

    • Periodic Motion
    • Simple Harmonic Motion
    • Wave Motion
    • Sound Waves

Physics flashcards for IAT

24 of 70 cards from the Physics deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the four fundamental (base) forces in nature, in order of increasing strength?

   Gravitational force (weakest), weak nuclear force, electromagnetic force, and strong nuclear force (strongest).

2. What are the seven SI base units and the quantities they measure?

   metre (length), kilogram (mass), second (time), ampere (electric current), kelvin (temperature), mole (amount of substance), and candela (luminous intensity).

3. State the principle of homogeneity of dimensions.

   Every term on both sides of a physically correct equation must have the same dimensions; this is used to check the correctness of equations.

4. What is the dimensional formula of force, work, and power?

   Force: [M L T^-2]; Work (energy): [M L^2 T^-2]; Power: [M L^2 T^-3].

5. Differentiate between accuracy and precision in measurement.

   Accuracy is how close a measured value is to the true value; precision is how close repeated measurements are to one another (reproducibility), independent of the true value.

6. How do absolute error, relative error, and percentage error differ?

   Absolute error = |measured - true value|; relative error = mean absolute error / mean value; percentage error = relative error x 100%.

7. How do errors combine when quantities are multiplied or divided?

   The relative (fractional) errors add: for Z = A x B or A/B, ΔZ/Z = ΔA/A + ΔB/B.

8. When a quantity is raised to a power (Z = A^n), how does its error propagate?

   The relative error is multiplied by the magnitude of the power: ΔZ/Z = |n| x (ΔA/A).

9. State the rule for significant figures when adding or subtracting numbers.

   The result is rounded to the same number of decimal places as the quantity with the fewest decimal places.

10. State the rule for significant figures when multiplying or dividing numbers.

    The result should have as many significant figures as the quantity with the fewest significant figures.

11. How many significant figures are in 0.00420 and why?

    Three significant figures (4, 2, and the trailing 0); leading zeros are not significant, but trailing zeros after a decimal point are.

12. Distinguish between distance and displacement.

    Distance is the total path length travelled (scalar, always positive); displacement is the shortest straight-line change in position with direction (vector, can be zero or negative).

13. Write the three equations of motion for uniform acceleration.

    v = u + at; s = ut + ½at²; v² = u² + 2as, where u is initial velocity, v final velocity, a acceleration, t time, s displacement.

14. What does the area under a velocity-time graph and the slope of it represent?

    The area under a v-t graph gives displacement; the slope of a v-t graph gives acceleration.

15. For a projectile launched with speed u at angle θ, give the formulas for time of flight, maximum height, and range.

    Time of flight T = 2u sinθ / g; Max height H = u² sin²θ / (2g); Range R = u² sin2θ / g.

16. At what launch angle is projectile range maximum, and what is the path shape?

    Range is maximum at 45°; the trajectory of a projectile is a parabola.

17. State Newton's three laws of motion.

    1) A body stays at rest or in uniform motion unless acted on by a net external force (inertia). 2) F = dp/dt = ma. 3) Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

18. State the law of conservation of linear momentum.

    If no net external force acts on a system, its total linear momentum remains constant; in a collision, total momentum before equals total momentum after.

19. What is impulse and how does it relate to momentum?

    Impulse = force x time of contact = F·Δt, and it equals the change in momentum (impulse-momentum theorem): J = Δp.

20. Differentiate between static, limiting, and kinetic friction.

    Static friction is the self-adjusting force before motion (up to a maximum); limiting friction is its maximum value just before sliding; kinetic friction acts during sliding and is slightly less than limiting friction.

21. Write the relation for limiting friction and define the coefficient of friction.

    f_max = μ_s N, where N is the normal reaction and μ_s = coefficient of static friction = ratio of limiting friction to normal force.

22. What is the angle of repose?

    The minimum angle of an inclined plane at which a body just begins to slide down; tan(angle of repose) = μ_s (coefficient of static friction).

23. What provides centripetal force and what is its formula?

    Centripetal force points toward the centre of the circular path; F = mv²/r = mω²r, where ω is angular velocity.

24. In circular motion, distinguish centripetal and centrifugal force.

    Centripetal force is the real inward force keeping a body on its circular path; centrifugal force is a pseudo (fictitious) outward force experienced only in a rotating (non-inertial) frame.

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