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🇮🇳 UPSC NDA · subject
UPSC NDA Physics Syllabus
Every chapter and topic of Physics examined in UPSC NDA — 10 chapters, 0 topics, plus 50 flashcards written against it.
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 UPSC NDA, not a summary of it.
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Physical Properties and States of Matter
overviewExamined as a single unit within Physics — no further topic split in the official outline.
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Motion and Laws of Motion
overviewExamined as a single unit within Physics — no further topic split in the official outline.
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Work, Energy, and Power
overviewExamined as a single unit within Physics — no further topic split in the official outline.
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Gravitation
overviewExamined as a single unit within Physics — no further topic split in the official outline.
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Heat and Thermodynamics
overviewExamined as a single unit within Physics — no further topic split in the official outline.
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Sound
overviewExamined as a single unit within Physics — no further topic split in the official outline.
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Light
overviewExamined as a single unit within Physics — no further topic split in the official outline.
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Magnetism
overviewExamined as a single unit within Physics — no further topic split in the official outline.
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Electricity
overviewExamined as a single unit within Physics — no further topic split in the official outline.
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Modern Physics
overviewExamined as a single unit within Physics — no further topic split in the official outline.
Physics flashcards for UPSC NDA
24 of 50 cards from the Physics deck — real questions with worked answers.
State Newton's First Law of Motion.
A body continues in its state of rest or uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an external unbalanced force. It is also called the Law of Inertia.
State Newton's Second Law of Motion and give its equation.
The rate of change of momentum of a body is directly proportional to the applied force and acts in the direction of the force. It gives F = ma, where F is force, m is mass and a is acceleration.
State Newton's Third Law of Motion.
To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The action and reaction forces act on two different bodies.
What is the SI unit of force and how is it defined?
The SI unit of force is the newton (N). One newton is the force that gives a mass of 1 kg an acceleration of 1 m/s². So 1 N = 1 kg·m/s².
Define momentum and give its formula and SI unit.
Momentum is the product of an object's mass and velocity (p = mv). It is a vector quantity. Its SI unit is kg·m/s.
What is the principle of conservation of linear momentum?
In the absence of an external force, the total linear momentum of a system of bodies remains constant. The total momentum before a collision equals the total momentum after it.
Distinguish between mass and weight.
Mass is the amount of matter in a body (measured in kg) and is constant everywhere. Weight is the gravitational force on the body (W = mg, measured in newtons) and varies with the value of g.
What is the value of acceleration due to gravity (g) on Earth's surface?
Approximately 9.8 m/s² (often taken as 9.81 m/s² or 10 m/s² for calculations), directed towards the centre of the Earth.
State Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation with its formula.
Every particle attracts every other particle with a force directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them: F = G·m₁m₂/r², where G is the gravitational constant (6.67×10⁻¹¹ N·m²/kg²).
Define work in physics and give its SI unit.
Work is done when a force moves a body in the direction of the force: W = F·s·cosθ. Its SI unit is the joule (J), where 1 J = 1 N·m.
What is power and what is its SI unit?
Power is the rate of doing work or transferring energy: P = W/t. Its SI unit is the watt (W), where 1 W = 1 J/s. 1 horsepower (hp) ≈ 746 W.
Give the formulas for kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy.
Kinetic energy KE = ½mv²; Gravitational potential energy PE = mgh, where m is mass, v is velocity, g is acceleration due to gravity and h is height.
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 of an isolated system remains constant.
Write the three equations of motion for uniform acceleration.
v = u + at; s = ut + ½at²; v² = u² + 2as, where u is initial velocity, v is final velocity, a is acceleration, t is time and s is displacement.
Distinguish between speed and velocity.
Speed is the rate of change of distance and is a scalar quantity (magnitude only). Velocity is the rate of change of displacement and is a vector quantity (magnitude and direction). Both have the SI unit m/s.
Distinguish between scalar and vector quantities with examples.
A scalar has only magnitude (e.g. mass, speed, temperature, energy). A vector has both magnitude and direction (e.g. velocity, force, acceleration, momentum).
What is centripetal force and in which direction does it act?
Centripetal force is the force required to keep a body moving in a circular path; it acts towards the centre of the circle. Its magnitude is F = mv²/r.
State the principle of moments (law of the lever).
For a body in rotational equilibrium, the sum of clockwise moments about a pivot equals the sum of anticlockwise moments. Moment = force × perpendicular distance from the pivot.
State Archimedes' Principle.
When a body is wholly or partly immersed in a fluid, it experiences an upward buoyant force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the body.
What is the law of flotation?
A floating body displaces a weight of fluid equal to its own weight. The body floats when the buoyant force equals its weight (i.e. when its average density is less than that of the fluid).
State Pascal's Law.
Pressure applied to an enclosed fluid is transmitted equally and undiminished in all directions throughout the fluid. It is the basis of the hydraulic press and hydraulic brakes.
Define pressure and give its SI unit.
Pressure is the force acting per unit area: P = F/A. Its SI unit is the pascal (Pa), where 1 Pa = 1 N/m².
State Boyle's Law.
At constant temperature, the volume of a fixed mass of gas is inversely proportional to its pressure: PV = constant (P₁V₁ = P₂V₂).
State Charles's Law.
At constant pressure, the volume of a fixed mass of gas is directly proportional to its absolute (Kelvin) temperature: V/T = constant.
Planning Physics for UPSC NDA
Physics is one of 8 subjects in UPSC NDA — 0 of 57 topics, spread over 10 chapters. At roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, a first pass runs to about 2 hours.
The heaviest chapters are Physical Properties and States of Matter (0 topics), Motion and Laws of Motion (0 topics), Work, Energy, and Power (0 topics) . Front-load those while your energy is high; the short chapters are better revision filler later.
Work top-down: read the chapter, then tick topics off individually rather than marking the whole chapter done. Sub-topics are where silent gaps hide.
Physics (UPSC NDA) FAQ
What is in the UPSC NDA Physics syllabus?
Physics is split into 10 chapters — Physical Properties and States of Matter, Motion and Laws of Motion, Work, Energy, and Power, Gravitation, Heat and Thermodynamics and Sound, and 4 more, containing 0 topics and 0 sub-topics in total.
How many chapters are there in Physics for UPSC NDA?
10 chapters. Physics accounts for about 1% of the topics in the whole UPSC NDA syllabus (0 of 57).
How long should I spend on Physics for UPSC NDA?
Budget around 2 hours for a first pass through Physics — about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic across its 0 topics. Add revision cycles on top.
Are there flashcards for UPSC NDA Physics?
Yes — a 50-card Physics deck. Sample cards are printed on this page, and the full deck is free in the Examius app with spaced repetition scheduling.