PIEAS Admission Test 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 PIEAS Admission Test, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Measurements and Vectors

   3 topics

   • Physical Quantities and Units
   • Dimensional Analysis and Errors
   • Vectors and Equilibrium
2. 2

   Kinematics and Dynamics

   4 topics

   • Motion in One and Two Dimensions
   • Projectile Motion
   • Newton's Laws of Motion
   • Momentum and Collisions
3. 3

   Work, Energy and Power

   3 topics

   • Work and Energy Theorem
   • Conservation of Energy
   • Power and Efficiency
4. 4

   Circular Motion and Gravitation

   3 topics

   • Angular Motion and Centripetal Force
   • Newton's Law of Gravitation
   • Satellites and Orbital Motion
5. 5

   Oscillations and Waves

   4 topics

   • Simple Harmonic Motion
   • Wave Motion and Properties
   • Sound and Superposition
   • Stationary Waves
6. 6

   Thermal Physics

   3 topics

   • Kinetic Theory of Gases
   • Laws of Thermodynamics
   • Heat Transfer
7. 7

   Electrostatics and Current Electricity

   4 topics

   • Coulomb's Law and Electric Field
   • Electric Potential and Capacitance
   • Ohm's Law and Resistance
   • DC Circuits and Kirchhoff's Laws
8. 8

   Magnetism and Electromagnetic Induction

   3 topics

   • Magnetic Field and Force on Conductors
   • Electromagnetic Induction
   • Alternating Current
9. 9

   Optics

   3 topics

   • Reflection and Refraction
   • Lenses and Mirrors
   • Interference and Diffraction
10. 10

    Modern Physics

    4 topics

    • Photoelectric Effect and Quantum Theory
    • Atomic Spectra and Bohr Model
    • Nuclear Physics and Radioactivity
    • Special Relativity Basics

Physics flashcards for PIEAS Admission Test

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

1. What is the difference between base (fundamental) and derived physical quantities?

   Base quantities are independent and defined directly (e.g., length, mass, time); derived quantities are formed by combining base quantities through multiplication or division (e.g., velocity, force, energy).

2. List the seven SI base quantities 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).

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

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

4. State the rules for counting significant figures, with examples for leading and trailing zeros.

   Non-zero digits are significant; zeros between non-zeros are significant; leading zeros are not significant (0.0042 has 2 sig figs); trailing zeros after a decimal point are significant (4.20 has 3 sig figs).

5. What are the SI prefixes for 10^-9, 10^-6, 10^-3, 10^3, 10^6, and 10^9?

   10^-9 = nano (n), 10^-6 = micro (u), 10^-3 = milli (m), 10^3 = kilo (k), 10^6 = mega (M), 10^9 = giga (G).

6. What is the dimensional formula of force, energy (work), and power?

   Force: [M L T^-2]; Energy/Work: [M L^2 T^-2]; Power: [M L^2 T^-3].

7. State the principle of homogeneity of dimensions.

   Every term added or subtracted in a physically correct equation, and both sides of the equation, must have the same dimensions.

8. What are the three main uses of dimensional analysis?

   (1) Checking the correctness/consistency of an equation, (2) deriving the form of a relationship between physical quantities, and (3) converting units from one system to another.

9. State one major limitation of dimensional analysis.

   It cannot determine dimensionless constants (like 1/2 or 2pi), cannot handle equations with trigonometric/exponential/log functions, and cannot derive relations involving more than three quantities or addition of terms.

10. Distinguish between random error and systematic error.

    Random errors fluctuate unpredictably about the true value (reduced by averaging many readings); systematic errors are consistent and one-directional, usually from faulty instruments or method (reduced by calibration/correction).

11. How is the percentage error of a measurement calculated?

    Percentage error = (absolute error / measured or true value) x 100%.

12. For a quantity Q = A^a B^b / C^c, how do the fractional errors combine?

    The fractional errors add with the magnitudes of their exponents: dQ/Q = a(dA/A) + b(dB/B) + c(dC/C).

13. What is the difference between scalar and vector quantities? Give two examples of each.

    Scalars have magnitude only (e.g., mass, speed, energy); vectors have both magnitude and direction (e.g., velocity, force, displacement).

14. State the head-to-tail rule for adding vectors.

    Place the tail of each successive vector at the head of the previous one; the resultant is drawn from the tail of the first vector to the head of the last vector.

15. How do you find the magnitude and direction of a vector from its components Ax and Ay?

    Magnitude A = sqrt(Ax^2 + Ay^2); direction theta = tan^-1(Ay/Ax) measured from the x-axis.

16. State the conditions for the complete equilibrium of a body.

    First condition: net force is zero (sum of Fx = 0 and sum of Fy = 0). Second condition: net torque about any point is zero (sum of torques = 0).

17. Define torque and give its formula.

    Torque is the turning effect of a force about a pivot; torque = r F sin(theta), where r is the position vector magnitude, F the force, and theta the angle between them. SI unit: N m.

18. What is the difference between the dot product and the cross product of two vectors?

    Dot product A.B = AB cos(theta) gives a scalar; cross product A x B = AB sin(theta) (n-hat) gives a vector perpendicular to both, with direction by the right-hand rule.

19. Distinguish between distance and displacement.

    Distance is the total path length travelled (scalar, always positive); displacement is the straight-line change in position from start to end (vector, with direction).

20. Distinguish between average velocity and instantaneous velocity.

    Average velocity is total displacement divided by total time; instantaneous velocity is the velocity at a specific instant (the limit of average velocity as the time interval approaches zero).

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

    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.

22. On a velocity-time graph, what do the slope and the area under the curve represent?

    The slope represents acceleration; the area under the curve represents displacement.

23. For a freely falling body (taking down as positive), what value replaces a, and what is the initial velocity if dropped from rest?

    a = g = 9.8 m/s^2 (acceleration due to gravity); initial velocity u = 0 when dropped from rest.

24. In two-dimensional motion, why can horizontal and vertical motions be treated independently?

    Because the perpendicular components of motion are independent: a force/acceleration in one direction does not affect motion in the perpendicular direction (principle of independence of motions).

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