ISC Class 11 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 ISC Class 11, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Physical World and Measurement

   2 topics

   • Physical World
   • Units and Measurements
2. 2

   Kinematics

   2 topics

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

   Laws of Motion

   1 topic

   • Laws of Motion
4. 4

   Work, Energy and Power

   1 topic

   • Work, Energy and Power
5. 5

   Motion of System of Particles and Rigid Body

   1 topic

   • System of Particles and Rotational Motion
6. 6

   Gravitation

   1 topic

   • Gravitation

Physics flashcards for ISC Class 11

24 of 51 cards from the Physics deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What are the seven fundamental (base) quantities in the SI system and their units?

   Length (metre, m), Mass (kilogram, kg), Time (second, s), Electric current (ampere, A), Temperature (kelvin, K), Amount of substance (mole, mol), Luminous intensity (candela, cd).

2. What is a dimensional formula? Give the dimensional formula of force.

   It expresses how a physical quantity depends on the base quantities (mass M, length L, time T). Force = mass x acceleration, so its dimensional formula is [M L T^-2].

3. State the principle of homogeneity of dimensions.

   In a physically correct equation, every term on both sides must have the same dimensions. Quantities of different dimensions cannot be added or subtracted.

4. Define significant figures and state the rule for zeros between non-zero digits.

   Significant figures are the meaningful digits in a measurement that carry reliable information. All zeros between two non-zero digits are always significant (e.g. 1005 has 4 significant figures).

5. Differentiate between accuracy and precision of a measurement.

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

6. What is the difference between a systematic error and a random error?

   Systematic errors are consistent, one-directional errors from instrument/method flaws (can be minimised by correction); random errors are unpredictable fluctuations in either direction, reduced by taking many readings and averaging.

7. How do relative (fractional) errors combine when two quantities are multiplied or divided?

   The relative errors add. If Z = A x B or A/B, then ΔZ/Z = ΔA/A + ΔB/B.

8. State the least count formula for a vernier callipers.

   Least count = (1 main scale division) − (1 vernier scale division) = value of 1 MSD / number of vernier divisions.

9. Define a scalar quantity and a vector quantity, with one example of each.

   A scalar has only magnitude (e.g. mass, speed, temperature). A vector has both magnitude and direction and obeys the laws of vector addition (e.g. displacement, velocity, force).

10. What is the difference between distance and displacement?

    Distance is the total path length travelled (scalar, always positive); displacement is the shortest straight-line vector from initial to final position. |Displacement| ≤ distance.

11. Define average velocity and instantaneous velocity.

    Average velocity = total displacement / total time. Instantaneous velocity is the velocity at a particular instant, the limit of average velocity as time interval approaches zero: v = dx/dt.

12. What does the slope and the area under a velocity-time graph represent?

    The slope of a v-t graph gives acceleration; the area between the graph and the time axis gives displacement.

13. Write the three equations of motion for uniform acceleration (1D).

    v = u + at; s = ut + (1/2)at^2; v^2 = u^2 + 2as, where u is initial velocity, v final velocity, a acceleration, s displacement, t time.

14. What is the distance travelled by a freely falling body in the nth second?

    s_n = u + (a/2)(2n − 1). For a body dropped from rest under gravity: s_n = (g/2)(2n − 1).

15. Define uniform velocity and uniform acceleration.

    Uniform velocity: equal displacements in equal intervals of time (constant speed and direction). Uniform acceleration: velocity changes by equal amounts in equal intervals of time (constant acceleration).

16. State the triangle (head-to-tail) law of vector addition.

    If two vectors are represented by two sides of a triangle taken in order (head to tail), their resultant is represented by the third side taken in the opposite order (from the tail of the first to the head of the second).

17. Give the magnitude and direction of the resultant of two vectors A and B with angle θ between them (parallelogram law).

    R = √(A² + B² + 2AB cosθ); direction tanα = (B sinθ)/(A + B cosθ), where α is the angle of R with A.

18. How are the horizontal and vertical motions of a projectile related?

    They are independent: horizontal motion has constant velocity (no horizontal acceleration), while vertical motion is uniformly accelerated by gravity g. Time links the two.

19. Write the formulas for time of flight, maximum height and horizontal range of a projectile launched at speed u and angle θ.

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

20. At what angle of projection is the horizontal range of a projectile maximum, and what is that range?

    At θ = 45°, giving maximum range R_max = u²/g (for given speed u).

21. What is the shape of the trajectory of a projectile, and what is its velocity direction at the highest point?

    The trajectory is a parabola. At the highest point the vertical velocity is zero, so the velocity is purely horizontal (= u cosθ).

22. Define uniform circular motion and centripetal acceleration.

    Uniform circular motion is motion in a circle at constant speed. Centripetal acceleration is directed toward the centre with magnitude a = v²/r = ω²r, responsible for changing the direction of velocity.

23. What is the relation between linear velocity v and angular velocity ω in circular motion?

    v = ωr, where r is the radius of the circular path and ω is the angular velocity in radians per second.

24. State Newton's first law of motion and define inertia.

    A body remains at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by a net external force. Inertia is the inherent tendency of a body to resist any change in its state of rest or motion.

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