NEET / State Class 12 Board (e.g. ISC) 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 NEET / State Class 12 Board (e.g. ISC), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Electrostatics and Current Electricity

   3 topics

   • Electric Charges and Fields
     • Coulomb's law and superposition of forces
     • Electric field, field lines and dipole field
     • Gauss's theorem and applications to wire, sheet and shell
   • Electric Potential and Capacitance
     • Potential due to point charge and dipole
     • Capacitance, parallel plate capacitor with dielectric
     • Capacitors in series and parallel; energy stored
   • Current Electricity
     • Ohm's law, drift velocity, resistivity and its temperature dependence
     • Kirchhoff's laws and Wheatstone bridge
     • Potentiometer: comparison of EMF and internal resistance
2. 2

   Magnetism and Electromagnetic Induction

   4 topics

   • Moving Charges and Magnetism
     • Biot-Savart law and Ampere's circuital law
     • Force on a moving charge and current-carrying conductor
     • Moving coil galvanometer; conversion to ammeter and voltmeter
   • Magnetism and Matter
     • Bar magnet as a magnetic dipole; magnetic field lines
     • Para-, dia- and ferromagnetic substances
   • Electromagnetic Induction
     • Faraday's laws and Lenz's law
     • Self and mutual inductance; eddy currents
   • Alternating Current
     • AC through R, L, C and series LCR circuit
     • Resonance, power factor and wattless current
     • Transformer and AC generator
3. 3

   Electromagnetic Waves and Optics

   3 topics

   • Electromagnetic Waves
     • Displacement current and nature of EM waves
     • Electromagnetic spectrum and its uses
   • Ray Optics and Optical Instruments
     • Reflection, refraction and total internal reflection
     • Lens maker's formula and lens combinations
     • Prism, dispersion; microscope and telescope
   • Wave Optics
     • Huygens' principle and wavefronts
     • Young's double slit experiment and interference
     • Diffraction at a single slit; resolving power
4. 4

   Modern Physics and Electronics

   3 topics

   • Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter
     • Photoelectric effect and Einstein's equation
     • de Broglie wavelength and Davisson-Germer experiment
   • Atoms and Nuclei
     • Bohr model and hydrogen spectrum
     • Nuclear binding energy and mass defect
     • Radioactivity, half-life; fission and fusion
   • Semiconductor Electronics
     • Intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors; p-n junction
     • Diode as rectifier; Zener diode as voltage regulator
     • Logic gates and their truth tables

Physics flashcards for NEET / State Class 12 Board (e.g. ISC)

24 of 50 cards from the Physics deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. State Coulomb's law and give the expression for the force between two point charges in vacuum.

   The force between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. F = (1/4πε₀)(q₁q₂/r²), where 1/4πε₀ = 9×10⁹ N·m²/C².

2. Define electric field intensity and state its SI unit.

   Electric field intensity at a point is the force experienced per unit positive test charge placed at that point: E = F/q. SI unit: newton per coulomb (N/C) or volt per metre (V/m).

3. State Gauss's law.

   The total electric flux through a closed surface equals 1/ε₀ times the net charge enclosed: Φ = ∮E·dA = q_enclosed/ε₀.

4. What is the electric field due to an infinitely long straight uniformly charged wire of linear charge density λ?

   E = λ/(2πε₀r), directed radially, where r is the perpendicular distance from the wire.

5. What is the electric field due to a uniformly charged infinite plane sheet of surface charge density σ?

   E = σ/(2ε₀), directed perpendicular to the sheet and independent of distance from it.

6. Define electric dipole moment and give its direction.

   Electric dipole moment p = q × 2a, where 2a is the separation between charges +q and −q. It is a vector directed from the negative charge to the positive charge. SI unit: coulomb·metre (C·m).

7. What is the torque on an electric dipole placed in a uniform electric field?

   τ = pE sinθ, or in vector form τ = p × E, where θ is the angle between the dipole moment and the field.

8. Define electric potential at a point.

   Electric potential at a point is the work done per unit positive charge in bringing it from infinity to that point. V = W/q. SI unit: volt (V) = joule/coulomb.

9. Give the expression for electric potential due to a point charge q at distance r.

   V = (1/4πε₀)(q/r).

10. What is the relation between electric field and electric potential?

    E = −dV/dr; the electric field is the negative gradient of potential. Field points in the direction of decreasing potential.

11. Define capacitance and give its SI unit.

    Capacitance is the ratio of charge stored to the potential difference across a conductor: C = Q/V. SI unit: farad (F) = coulomb/volt.

12. Give the formula for capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor with a dielectric of constant K.

    C = Kε₀A/d, where A is plate area, d is separation, and K is the dielectric constant (K = 1 for vacuum).

13. Give the equivalent capacitance for capacitors in series and in parallel.

    Series: 1/C = 1/C₁ + 1/C₂ + ... Parallel: C = C₁ + C₂ + ...

14. What is the energy stored in a charged capacitor?

    U = ½CV² = ½QV = Q²/(2C).

15. State Ohm's law and define resistance.

    Ohm's law: at constant temperature, V = IR; current is proportional to potential difference. Resistance R = V/I, SI unit ohm (Ω).

16. Give the formula for resistance in terms of resistivity.

    R = ρL/A, where ρ is resistivity, L is length, and A is cross-sectional area of the conductor.

17. What is drift velocity and how is it related to current?

    Drift velocity is the average velocity of free electrons under an applied field. I = neAv_d, where n is electron density, e the charge, A the area, and v_d the drift velocity.

18. State Kirchhoff's two laws for electrical circuits.

    Junction rule (KCL): the sum of currents entering a junction equals the sum leaving (conservation of charge). Loop rule (KVL): the algebraic sum of potential differences around any closed loop is zero (conservation of energy).

19. What is the condition for a balanced Wheatstone bridge?

    The bridge is balanced (no galvanometer current) when P/Q = R/S, where P, Q, R, S are the four resistances in the arms.

20. How does the resistivity of a conductor and a semiconductor vary with temperature?

    For conductors, resistivity increases with temperature (positive temperature coefficient). For semiconductors, resistivity decreases with rising temperature (negative temperature coefficient).

21. State the Biot-Savart law.

    The magnetic field due to a current element is dB = (μ₀/4π)(I dl sinθ)/r², directed perpendicular to the plane containing dl and r. μ₀/4π = 10⁻⁷ T·m/A.

22. What is the magnetic field at the centre of a circular current loop of radius R?

    B = μ₀I/(2R) at the centre, where I is the current and R the radius.

23. State Ampere's circuital law.

    The line integral of magnetic field around a closed loop equals μ₀ times the total current enclosed: ∮B·dl = μ₀I_enclosed.

24. Give the magnetic field inside a long solenoid.

    B = μ₀nI, where n is the number of turns per unit length and I is the current. The field is uniform and directed along the axis.

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