WBJEE Physics - Mechanics and Thermal Physics Syllabus

Physics - Mechanics and Thermal 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 - Mechanics and Thermal Physics in WBJEE, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Mechanics of Particles

   4 topics

   • Units, Dimensions and Measurement
     • Physical quantities and SI units
     • Dimensional analysis and applications
     • Errors and significant figures
   • Kinematics
     • Motion in a straight line and equations of motion
     • Projectile motion and relative velocity
     • Vectors in kinematics
   • Laws of Motion
     • Newton's laws and momentum
     • Friction and its laws
     • Circular motion and banking of roads
   • Work, Energy and Power
     • Work-energy theorem
     • Conservative forces and potential energy
     • Conservation of energy and collisions
2. 2

   Rotational Motion and Gravitation

   3 topics

   • Centre of Mass
     • Centre of mass and its motion
     • Momentum conservation of system of particles
   • Rotational Dynamics
     • Moment of inertia and theorems
     • Torque, angular momentum and conservation
     • Rolling motion
   • Gravitation
     • Newton's law of gravitation and variation of g
     • Gravitational potential and energy
     • Kepler's laws and satellite motion
3. 3

   Properties of Matter

   3 topics

   • Elasticity
     • Stress, strain and Hooke's law
     • Young's, bulk and rigidity modulus
   • Fluid Mechanics
     • Pressure, Pascal's and Archimedes' principle
     • Bernoulli's theorem and applications
     • Viscosity and Stokes' law
     • Surface tension and capillarity
   • Thermal Properties of Matter
     • Thermal expansion of solids, liquids and gases
     • Calorimetry and latent heat
     • Conduction, convection and radiation
4. 4

   Heat and Thermodynamics

   3 topics

   • Kinetic Theory of Gases
     • Gas laws and ideal gas equation
     • Kinetic interpretation of temperature
     • Degrees of freedom and specific heats
   • Laws of Thermodynamics
     • First law of thermodynamics
     • Thermodynamic processes
     • Second law and entropy
   • Heat Engines
     • Carnot cycle and efficiency
     • Refrigerators and heat pumps

Physics - Mechanics and Thermal Physics flashcards for WBJEE

20 of 50 cards from the Physics - Mechanics and Thermal Physics deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is a physical quantity, and what are the two components needed to express it completely?

   A physical quantity is a property that can be measured. It is expressed completely by a numerical value (magnitude) and a unit, i.e. $Q = n \times u$, where $n$ is the numerical value and $u$ is the unit.

2. List the seven SI base quantities and their units.

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

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

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

4. State the principle of homogeneity of dimensions.

   In any physically correct equation, the dimensions of every term on both sides must be the same. Only quantities with identical dimensions can be added, subtracted, or equated.

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

   (1) Checking the dimensional correctness of an equation, (2) deriving relations between physical quantities, and (3) converting a quantity from one system of units to another.

6. State three limitations of dimensional analysis.

   It cannot determine dimensionless constants, cannot derive relations involving more than three unknown quantities, and cannot handle equations involving trigonometric, exponential, or logarithmic functions or sums of terms.

7. What is the dimensional formula of the gravitational constant $G$?

   From $F = \frac{G m_1 m_2}{r^{2}}$, we get $G = \frac{F r^{2}}{m_1 m_2}$, giving dimensions $[M^{-1} L^{3} T^{-2}]$.

8. Define absolute error, relative error, and percentage error.

   Absolute error: $\Delta a_i = |a_{mean} - a_i|$. Relative error: $\frac{\Delta a_{mean}}{a_{mean}}$. Percentage error: $\frac{\Delta a_{mean}}{a_{mean}} \times 100\%$.

9. How do errors combine for a sum/difference and for a product/quotient?

   For sum or difference $Z = A \pm B$, absolute errors add: $\Delta Z = \Delta A + \Delta B$. For product or quotient $Z = AB$ or $Z = A/B$, relative errors add: $\frac{\Delta Z}{Z} = \frac{\Delta A}{A} + \frac{\Delta B}{B}$.

10. For $Z = \frac{A^{p} B^{q}}{C^{r}}$, how is the maximum relative error calculated?

    $$\frac{\Delta Z}{Z} = p\frac{\Delta A}{A} + q\frac{\Delta B}{B} + r\frac{\Delta C}{C}$$ The powers act as multiplying factors on each relative error.

11. State the rules for counting significant figures regarding zeros.

    All non-zero digits are significant; zeros between non-zero digits are significant; leading zeros are not significant; trailing zeros after a decimal point are significant. Trailing zeros in a number without a decimal are ambiguous.

12. How many significant figures are in $0.00420$ and in $6.032 \times 10^{4}$?

    $0.00420$ has 3 significant figures (the leading zeros do not count, the trailing zero does); $6.032 \times 10^{4}$ has 4 significant figures.

13. Distinguish between distance and displacement.

    Distance is the total path length travelled (a scalar, always positive). Displacement is the shortest straight-line vector from initial to final position (a vector); its magnitude $\leq$ distance.

14. Define average velocity and instantaneous velocity.

    Average velocity $= \frac{\Delta \vec{x}}{\Delta t}$ (total displacement over total time). Instantaneous velocity $\vec{v} = \lim_{\Delta t \to 0}\frac{\Delta \vec{x}}{\Delta t} = \frac{d\vec{x}}{dt}$.

15. Write the three equations of motion for constant acceleration.

    $$v = u + at,\quad s = ut + \tfrac{1}{2}at^{2},\quad v^{2} = u^{2} + 2as$$

16. What is the distance travelled in the $n$th second of uniformly accelerated motion?

    $$s_{n} = u + \frac{a}{2}(2n - 1)$$

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

    The slope of a velocity-time graph gives acceleration, and the area under the curve gives the displacement.

18. For projectile motion launched at angle $\theta$ with speed $u$, give the time of flight, maximum height, and range.

    Time of flight: $T = \frac{2u\sin\theta}{g}$; Maximum height: $H = \frac{u^{2}\sin^{2}\theta}{2g}$; Range: $R = \frac{u^{2}\sin 2\theta}{g}$.

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

    The range is maximum at $\theta = 45^{\circ}$, where $\sin 2\theta = 1$, giving $R_{max} = \frac{u^{2}}{g}$.

20. What is the equation of the trajectory of a projectile, and what shape is it?

    $$y = x\tan\theta - \frac{g x^{2}}{2u^{2}\cos^{2}\theta}$$ The trajectory is a parabola.

See more Physics - Mechanics and Thermal Physics flashcards →

Planning Physics - Mechanics and Thermal Physics for WBJEE

Physics - Mechanics and Thermal Physics (WBJEE) FAQ