PHYSICS
SYLLABUS CLASS 12
Unit I: ElectrostaticsChapter–1: Electric Charges and Fields
Electric Charges; Conservation of charge, Coulomb's law-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 uniform electric fleld.
Electric flux, statement of Gauss's theorem and its applications to find field
due to infinitely long straight wire, uniformly charged infinite plane sheet and
uniformly charged thin spherical shell (field inside and outside).
Chapter–2: Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance
Electric potential, potential difference, electric potential due to a point charge,
a dipole and system of charges; equipotential surfaces, 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 polarisation, capacitors and capacitance,
combination of capacitors in series and in parallel, capacitance of a parallel
plate capacitor without and with dielectric medium between the plates, energy
stored in a capacitor.
Unit II: Current Electricity
Chapter–3: Current Electricity
Electric current, 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 non-linear),
carbon resistors; series and parallel combinations of resistors; temperature
dependence of resistance.
Internal resistance of a cell, potential difference and emf of a cell, combination
of cells in series and in parallel, Kirchhoff's laws and simple applications,
Wheatstone bridge, metre bridge.
Potentiometer - principle and its applications to measure potential difference
and for comparing EMF of two cells; measurement of internal resistance of a
cell.
Unit III: Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism
Chapter–4: Moving Charges and Magnetism
Concept of magnetic field, Oersted's experiment.
Biot - Savart law and its application to current carrying circular loop.
Ampere's law and its applications to infinitely long straight wire. Straight and
toroidal solenoids (only qualitative treatment), force on a moving charge in
uniform magnetic and electric fields, Cyclotron.
Force on a current-carrying conductor in a uniform magnetic field, force
between two parallel current-carrying conductors-definition of ampere, torque
experienced by a current loop in uniform magnetic field; moving coil
galvanometer-its current sensitivity and conversion to ammeter and voltmeter.
Chapter–5: Magnetism and Matter
Current loop as a magnetic dipole and its magnetic dipole moment, magnetic
dipole moment of a revolving electron, magnetic field intensity due to a
magnetic dipole (bar magnet) along its axis and perpendicular to its axis,
torque on a magnetic dipole (bar magnet) in a uniform magnetic field; bar
magnet as an equivalent solenoid, magnetic field lines; earth's magnetic field
and magnetic elements.
Para-, dia- and ferro - magnetic substances, with examples. Electromagnets
and factors affecting their strengths, permanent magnets.
Unit IV: Electromagnetic Induction and Alternating Currents
Chapter–6: Electromagnetic Induction
Electromagnetic induction; Faraday's laws, induced EMF and current; Lenz's
Law, Eddy currents. Self and mutual induction.
Chapter–7: Alternating Current
Alternating currents, peak and RMS value of alternating current/voltage;
reactance and impedance; LC oscillations (qualitative treatment only), LCR
series circuit, resonance; power in AC circuits, power factor, wattless current.
AC generator and transformer.
Unit V: Electromagnetic waves
Chapter–8: Electromagnetic Waves
Basic idea of displacement current, Electromagnetic waves, their
characteristics, their Transverse nature (qualitative ideas only).
Electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible,
ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays) including elementary facts about their uses.
Unit VI: Optics
Chapter–9: Ray Optics and Optical Instruments
Ray Optics: Reflection of light, spherical mirrors, mirror formula, 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.
Scattering of light - blue colour of sky and reddish appearance of the sun at
sunrise and sunset.
Optical instruments: Microscopes and astronomical telescopes (reflecting and
refracting) and their magnifying powers.
Chapter–10: Wave Optics
Wave optics: Wave front and Huygen's principle, reflection and refraction of
plane wave at a plane surface using wave fronts. Proof of laws of reflection
and refraction using Huygen's 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,
resolving power of microscope and astronomical telescope, polarisation,
plane polarised light, Brewster's law, uses of plane polarised light and
Polaroids.
Unit VII: Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter
Chapter–11: 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.
Matter waves-wave nature of particles, de-Broglie relation, Davisson-Germer
experiment (experimental details should be omitted; only conclusion should be
explained).
Unit VIII: Atoms and Nuclei
Chapter–12: Atoms
Alpha-particle scattering experiment; Rutherford's model of atom; Bohr model,
energy levels, hydrogen spectrum.
Chapter–13: Nuclei
Composition and size of nucleus, Radioactivity, alpha, beta and gamma
particles/rays and their properties; radioactive decay law.
Mass-energy relation, mass defect; binding energy per nucleon and its
variation with mass number; nuclear fission, nuclear fusion.
Unit IX: Electronic Devices
Chapter–14: Semiconductor Electronics: Materials, Devices and Simple
Circuits
Energy bands in conductors, semiconductors and insulators (qualitative ideas
only),Semiconductor diode - I-V characteristics in forward and reverse bias, diode as
a rectifier; Special purpose p-n junction diodes: LED, photodiode, solar cell and Zener
diode and their characteristics, zener diode as a voltage regulator.
