NDA Examination Physics (General Ability Test - General Knowledge) Syllabus

Physics (General Ability Test - General Knowledge) syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Physics (General Ability Test - General Knowledge) in NDA Examination, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Mechanics and Properties of Matter

   5 topics

   • Physical Quantities, Units and Measurement
     • SI units and dimensions
     • Mass, weight, volume and density
   • Motion and Newton's Laws
     • Velocity, acceleration and equations of motion
     • Newton's laws of motion and momentum
     • Force, inertia and friction
   • Gravitation
     • Universal law of gravitation
     • Acceleration due to gravity
   • Work, Energy and Power
     • Kinetic and potential energy
     • Conservation of energy
   • Simple Machines and Pressure
     • Levers, pulleys and mechanical advantage
     • Archimedes' principle and buoyancy
     • Atmospheric and liquid pressure
2. 2

   Heat and Thermodynamics

   3 topics

   • Temperature and Heat
     • Thermometers and temperature scales
     • Specific heat and latent heat
   • Modes of Heat Transfer
     • Conduction, convection and radiation
   • Change of State
     • Melting, boiling and evaporation
     • Effect of pressure and impurities
3. 3

   Light and Sound

   4 topics

   • Reflection and Refraction of Light
     • Mirrors and image formation
     • Lenses and refractive index
   • Human Eye and Optical Instruments
     • Defects of vision
     • Telescope, microscope and periscope
   • Dispersion and Spectrum
     • Prism and formation of rainbow
   • Sound Waves
     • Properties and speed of sound
     • Echo, reflection and resonance
4. 4

   Electricity and Magnetism

   4 topics

   • Current Electricity
     • Ohm's law and resistance
     • Series and parallel circuits
     • Electric power and heating effect
   • Magnetism
     • Natural and artificial magnets
     • Magnetic field and Earth's magnetism
   • Electromagnetism and Applications
     • Electromagnetic induction
     • Working of generators and motors
   • Everyday Applications
     • Conductors, insulators and fuses
     • Lightning conductor and safety devices

Physics (General Ability Test - General Knowledge) flashcards for NDA Examination

23 of 50 cards from the Physics (General Ability Test - General Knowledge) deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the difference between a scalar and a vector quantity? Give one example of each.

   A scalar has only magnitude (e.g., mass, temperature, speed); a vector has both magnitude and direction (e.g., velocity, force, displacement).

2. What are the seven SI base units and their corresponding base quantities?

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

3. State the dimensional formula for force.

   [M L T^-2] (mass x acceleration).

4. Define one light year and state what it measures.

   One light year is the distance light travels in vacuum in one year (about 9.46 x 10^15 m). It is a unit of distance, not time.

5. What is the difference between accuracy and precision in measurement?

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

6. State Newton's First Law of Motion.

   A body remains at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an external unbalanced force (law of inertia).

7. State Newton's Second Law and its mathematical form.

   The rate of change of momentum is proportional to the applied force and acts in its direction. Mathematically F = ma (or F = dp/dt).

8. State Newton's Third Law of Motion.

   To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction; the action and reaction act on two different bodies.

9. Define momentum and give its SI unit.

   Momentum is the product of mass and velocity (p = mv). Its SI unit is kg m/s.

10. What is the difference between mass and weight?

    Mass is the amount of matter in a body (scalar, constant, in kg); weight is the gravitational force on it (vector, W = mg, in newtons, varies with g).

11. State Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation with its formula.

    Every two masses attract with a force proportional to the product of masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them: F = G m1 m2 / r^2.

12. What is the value of acceleration due to gravity (g) on Earth's surface, and how does it vary with altitude?

    g is about 9.8 m/s^2 at the surface. It decreases with increasing altitude (and with increasing depth below the surface).

13. What is escape velocity and its approximate value for Earth?

    Escape velocity is the minimum speed needed to escape a planet's gravity without further propulsion. For Earth it is about 11.2 km/s.

14. Why do astronauts experience weightlessness in an orbiting satellite?

    Both the astronaut and satellite are in free fall toward Earth with the same acceleration, so there is no normal reaction force, producing apparent weightlessness.

15. Define work in physics and give its SI unit.

    Work is the product of force and displacement in the direction of the force: W = F s cos(theta). Its SI unit is the joule (J).

16. State the work-energy theorem.

    The net work done on a body equals the change in its kinetic energy: W = (1/2)mv^2 - (1/2)mu^2.

17. Write the formulas for kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy.

    Kinetic energy KE = (1/2)mv^2; gravitational potential energy PE = mgh.

18. Define power and give its SI unit. What is 1 horsepower in watts?

    Power is the rate of doing work, P = W/t. SI unit is the watt (W). 1 horsepower = 746 W.

19. State the law of conservation of energy.

    Energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it can only be transformed from one form to another, the total energy remaining constant.

20. Name the three classes of levers and give an example of each.

    Class 1: fulcrum in middle (seesaw, scissors); Class 2: load in middle (wheelbarrow, nutcracker); Class 3: effort in middle (tongs, human forearm).

21. Define mechanical advantage of a simple machine.

    Mechanical advantage = load / effort; it is the factor by which a machine multiplies the input force.

22. Define pressure and state its SI unit. State Pascal's law.

    Pressure is force per unit area, P = F/A; SI unit is the pascal (Pa = N/m^2). Pascal's law: pressure applied to an enclosed fluid is transmitted equally in all directions.

23. State Archimedes' principle.

    A body immersed wholly or partly in a fluid experiences an upward buoyant force equal to the weight of the fluid it displaces.

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