Concepts of Physics

Physical World and Measurement
Units and Measurements
  • Need for measurement
  • Units of measurement
  • systems of units; SI units, fundamental and derived units.
  • Length, mass, and time measurements
  • accuracy and precision of measuring instruments
  • errors in measurement
  • significant figures
  • Dimensions of physical quantities
  • dimensional analysis and its applications
Motion in a Straight Line
Motion in a Plane
  • Scalar and vector quantities
  • Position and displacement vectors
  • general vectors and their notations
  • equality of vectors
  • multiplication of vectors by a real number
  • addition and subtraction of vectors
  • Relative velocity
  • Unit vector
  • Resolution of a vector in a plane
  • Scalar and Vector product of vectors
  • Motion in a plane
  • cases of uniform velocity and uniform acceleration
  • projectile motion
  • Uniform circular motion.
Laws of Motion
  • Intuitive concept of force.
  • Inertia
  • Newton’s first law of motion
  • momentum and Newton’s second law of motion
  • impulse
  • Newton’s third law of motion.
  • Law of conservation of linear momentum and its applications.
  • Equilibrium of concurrent forces.
  • Static, kinetic, and limiting friction
  • laws of friction
  • rolling friction and lubrication
  • Dynamics of uniform circular motion
  • Centripetal force
  • examples of circular motion (vehicle on a level circular road, vehicle on a banked road)
Work, Energy, and Power
  • Work done by a constant force
  • work done by a variable force
  • kinetic energy
  • work-energy theorem
  • power
  • The notion of potential energy
  • The potential energy of a spring
  • conservative forces
  • conservation of mechanical energy
  • non-conservative forces
  • motion in a vertical circle
  • elastic and inelastic collisions in one and two dimensions
System of Particles and Rotational Motion
  • Centre of mass of a two-particle system
  • momentum conservation and center of mass motion
  • Centre of mass of a rigid body
  • center of mass of a uniform rod
  • Moment of a force
  • torque
  • angular momentum
  • laws of conservation of angular momentum
  • Equilibrium of rigid bodies
  • rigid body rotation and equations of rotational motion
  • comparison of linear and rotational motions
  • Moment of inertia
  • radius of gyration
  • Values of moments of inertia for simple geometrical objects
  • Statement of parallel and perpendicular axes theorems
Gravitation
  • The universal law of gravitation
  • Acceleration due to gravity and its variation with altitude and depth
  • Gravitational potential energy and gravitational potential
  • Escape velocity
  • Orbital velocity of a satellite
  • Geostationary satellites
  • Kepler’s laws of planetary motion
Mechanical Properties of Solids
  • Elastic behaviour
  • Stress-strain relationship
  • Hooke’s law
  • Young’s modulus
  • bulk modulus
  • shear modulus of rigidity
  • Poisson’s ratio
  • elastic energy
Mechanical Properties of Fluids
  •  pressure due to a fluid column
  • Pascal’s law
  • hydraulic lift
  • hydraulic brakes
  • effect of gravity on fluid pressure
  • viscosity
  • tokes’ law
  • terminal velocity
  • streamline and turbulent flow
  • critical velocity
  • Bernoulli’s theorem
  • Surface energy and surface tension
  • angle of contact
  • excess of pressure across a curved surface
  • application of surface tension ideas to drops, bubbles, and capillary rise
Thermal Properties of Matter
  • Heat
  • temperature
  • thermal expansion
  • thermal expansion of solids, liquids, and gases
  • anomalous expansion of water
  • specific heat capacity; Cp, Cv
  • calorimetry
  • change of state
  • latent heat capacity
  • Heat transfer-conduction, convection, and radiation
  • thermal conductivity
  • Qualitative ideas of Blackbody radiation
  • Wein’s Displacement Law
  • Stefan’s law
  • Greenhouse effect
Thermodynamics
  • Thermal equilibrium and definition of temperature (zeroth law of thermodynamics)
  • Heat
  • work and internal energy
  • First law of thermodynamics
  • Isothermal and adiabatic processes
  • Second law of thermodynamics
  • reversible and irreversible processes
  • Heat engine and refrigerator
Kinetic Theory
  • Equation of state of a perfect gas
  • work done in compressing a gas
  • Kinetic theory of gases-assumptions
  • concept of pressure
  • Kinetic interpretation of temperature
  • rms speed of gas molecules
  • degrees of freedom
  • law of equipartition of energy (statement only) and application to specific heat capacities of gases
  • concept of mean free path
  • Avogadro’s number
Oscillations
  • Periodic motion
  • time period
  • frequency
  • displacement as a function of time
  • Periodic functions
  • Simple harmonic motion (S.H.M) and its equation
  • phase
  • oscillations of a spring-restoring force and force constant
  • energy in S.H.M. Kinetic and potential energies
  • simple pendulum derivation of expression for its time period
  • Free, forced, and damped oscillations (qualitative ideas only)
  • resonance.
Waves
  • Wave motion
  • Transverse and longitudinal waves
  • speed of wave motion
  • Displacement relation for a progressive wave
  • Principle of superposition of waves
  • reflection of waves
  • standing waves in strings and organ pipes
  • fundamental mode and harmonics
  • Beats
  • Doppler effect
Electric Charges and Fields
  • Electric Charges, Conservation of charge,
  • Coulomb’s law of force between two-point charges,
  • forces between multiple charges,
  • superposition principle and continuous charge distribution,
  • Electric field, electric field due to a point charge,
  • electric field lines,
  • electric dipole,
  • electric field due to a dipole,
  • torque on a dipole in a uniform electric field,
  • Electric flux,
  • statement of Gauss’s theorem and its applications to find field due to infinitely long straight wire, uniformly charged infinite plane sheet
Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance
  • Electric potential, potential difference,
  • electric potential due to a point charge, a dipole and a system of charges,
  • equipotential surfaces,
  • the electrical potential energy of a system of two-point charges, and of electric dipole in an electrostatic field,
  • Conductors and insulators,
  • free charges, and bound charges inside a conductor,
  • Dielectrics and electric polarization,
  • capacitors and capacitance,
  • a combination of capacitors in series and in parallel,
  • the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor with and without a dielectric medium between the plates,
  • energy stored in a capacitor,
Current Electricity
  • Electric current, the flow of electric charges in a metallic conductor,
  • drift velocity, mobility and their relation with electric current,
  • Ohm’s law, electrical resistance, V-I characteristics (linear and nonlinear),
  • electrical energy and power,
  • electrical resistivity, and conductivity, the temperature dependence of resistance,
  • The internal resistance of a cell, potential difference, and emf of a cell,
  • a combination of cells in series and in parallel,
  • Kirchhoff’s laws and simple applications,
  • Wheatstone bridge,
  • meter bridge,
  • Potentiometer – principle and its applications to measure potential difference and for comparing EMF of two cells, measurement of internal resistance of a cell
Moving Charges and Magnetism
  • Concept of the magnetic field,
  • Oersted’s experiment,
  • Biot – Savart law and its application to the current-carrying circular loop,
  • Ampere’s law and its applications to an infinitely long straight wire,
  • Straight and toroidal solenoids,
  • force on a moving charge in uniform magnetic and electric fields,
  • Force on a current-carrying conductor in a uniform magnetic field,
  • the force between two parallel current-carrying conductors-definition of the ampere,
  • torque experienced by a current loop in the uniform magnetic field,
  • moving coil galvanometer-its current sensitivity and conversion to ammeter and voltmeter,
Magnetism and Matter
  • Current loop as a magnetic dipole and its magnetic dipole moment,
  • magnetic dipole moment of a revolving electron,
  • bar magnet as an equivalent solenoid,
  • magnetic field lines, earth’s magnetic field, and magnetic elements,
Electromagnetic Induction
  • Electromagnetic induction,
  • Faraday’s laws
  • induced EMF and current,
  • Lenz’s Law,
  • Eddy currents,
  • Self and mutual induction,
Alternating Current
  • Alternating currents,
  • peak and RMS value of alternating current/voltage,
  • reactance, and impedance,
  • LC oscillations,
  • LCR series circuit, resonance,
  • power in AC circuits,
  • AC generator, and transformer,
Electromagnetic Waves
  • Electromagnetic waves, their characteristics, their Transverse nature,
  • Electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays) including elementary facts about their uses,
Ray Optics and Optical Instruments
  • Refraction of light,
  • total internal reflection and its applications,
  • optical fibers,
  • refraction at spherical surfaces,
  • lenses, thin lens formula,
  • lensmaker’s formula,
  • magnification, power of a lens,
  • combination of thin lenses in contact,
  • refraction of light through a prism,
  • Microscopes and astronomical telescopes (reflecting and refracting) and their magnifying powers,
Wave Optics
  • Wavefront and Huygens principle,
  • reflection and refraction of plane waves at a plane surface using wavefronts,
  • Proof of laws of reflection and refraction using Huygens principle,
  • Interference,
  • Young’s double slit experiment and expression for fringe width, coherent sources, and sustained interference of light,
  • diffraction due to a single slit, width of central maximum,
Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter
  • Dual nature of radiation,
  • Photoelectric effect,
  • Hertz and Lenard’s observations,
  • Einstein’s photoelectric equation-particle nature of light,
  • Experimental study of the photoelectric effect
  • Matter waves-wave nature of particles,
  • de-Broglie relation
Atoms
  • Alpha-particle scattering experiment,
  • Rutherford’s model of the atom,
  • Bohr’s model, energy levels,
  • hydrogen spectrum,
Nuclei
  • Composition and size of nucleus,
  • Nuclear force
  • Mass-energy relation,
  • mass defect,
  • nuclear fission,
  • nuclear fusion,
Semiconductor Electronics: Materials, Devices and Simple Circuits
  • Energy bands in conductors,
  • semiconductors, and insulators,
  • Semiconductor diode – I-V characteristics in forward and reverse bias,
  • diode as a rectifier, Special purpose p-n junction diodes: LED, photodiode, solar cell,

Problems in Basic Physics

  • I.E. Irodov Question Number 1.1: A motorboat going downstream overcame a raft at a point A; \tau = 60\rm \ min later it turned back and after some time passed the raft at a distance l = 6.0\rm \ km from the point A. Find the flow velocity assuming the duty of the engine to be constant.

  • I.E. Irodov Question Number 2.1 : A vessel of volume V = 30\rm \ l contains ideal gas at the temperature 0^0\rm \ C. After a portion of the gas has been let out, the pressure in the vessel decreased by \Delta P = 0.78\rm \ atm (the temperature remaining constant). Find the mass of the released gas. The gas density under the normal conditions \rho = 1.3\rm \ g/l.

  • I.E. Irodov Question Number 2.2: Two identical vessels are connected by a tube with a valve letting the gas pass from one vessel into the other if the pressure difference \Delta P \geq 1.10\rm \ atm. Initially, there was a vacuum in one vessel while the other contained ideal gas at a temperature T_1 = 27 \rm \ ^0C and pressure P_1 = 1.00\rm \ atm. Then both vessels were heated to a temperature T_2 =1 07\rm \ ^0C. Up to what value will the pressure in the first vessel (which had vacuum initially) increase?

  • I.E. Irodov Question Number 2.3: A vessel of volume V = 20\rm \ L contains a mixture of hydrogen and helium at a temperature T = 20\rm \ ^0C and pressure P = 2.0\rm \ atm. The mass of the mixture is equal to m = 5.0\rm \ g. Find the ratio of the mass of hydrogen to that of helium in the given mixture.

  • I.E. Irodov Question Number 2.4: A vessel contains a mixture of nitrogen (m_1 = 7.0\rm \ g) and carbon dioxide (m_2 = 11\rm \  g) at a temperature T = 290\rm \  K and pressure P = 1.0\rm \ atm. Find the density of this mixture, assuming the gases to be ideal.

  • I.E. Irodov Question Number 3.1: Calculate the ratio of the electrostatic to gravitational interaction forces between two electrons, and between two protons. At what value of the specific charge q/m of a particle would these forces become equal (in their absolute values) in the case of interaction of identical particle?

  • Rotational Mechanics Question Number 1: A uniform solid sphere of radius r starts rolling down without slipping from the top of another fixed sphere of radius R. Find the angular velocity of the sphere of radius r at the instant when it leaves contact with the surface of the fixed sphere.

  • Rotational Mechanics Question Number 2: A solid cylindrical pulley with a mass of M = 2\rm \ kg and radius of R = 20\rm \ cm is free to rotate about its axis. A block of mass M = 4\rm \ kg is attached to the pulley with a light string. Assume the string does not stretch or slip. Calculate (a) the tension in the string and (b) the angular acceleration of the pulley.

  • Oscillations And Waves Question Number 1: A physical pendulum consists of 4\ \rm m long sticks joined together as shown in the figure. What is the pendulum’s period of oscillation about the midpoint of the horizontal stick?

  • Electric Flux and Gauss Law Question Number 1: A particle of charge q is placed at a corner of a cube of the edge a. What is the flux through (a) each cube face forming that corner and (b) each of the other cube faces?

  • Electric Flux and Gauss Law Question Number 2: A point charge q of magnitude 4.0\rm\ \mu C is placed at the center of the flat surface of a hemisphere of radius 10 \rm \ cm. What is the electric flux a) through the curved surface of the hemisphere and b) through the flat surface of the hemisphere?

  • Electric Flux and Gauss Law Question Number 3: A 10\ \rm nc charge is uniformly distributed on a ring of radius 10\ \rm cm. A sphere of radius  10\ \rm cm is constructed with its center on the circumference of the ring as shown in the figure. Find the electric flux through the sphere. 

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