CBSE Class 12 Physics Syllabus 2018 – 2019

Physics (Code 042) is the mandatory subject for PCM and PCB both streams. No matter which stream you opt, the CBSE 12 Physics Syllabus will remain same in both cases.

To ease out your searches, we have come up with the list of Important Topics of Physics Class 12 CBSE 2018 along with the Syllabus of Physics Class 12 CBSE 2018-19.

Name of the Units and their weightage in Board Exam

 Details of topics and sub-topics to be covered in each unit:

Unit number ‒ I: Electrostatics

Chapter ‒ 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 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 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 with and without dielectric medium between the plates, energy stored in a capacitor.

Unit number ‒ 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), electrical energy and power, electrical resistivity and conductivity. Carbon resistors, colour code for 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 number ‒ III: Magnetic Effects of Current & 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 & its applications to infinitely long straight wire. Straight and toroidal solenoids (only equivalent 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 number ‒ 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 number ‒ 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 number ‒ 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 fibres; refraction at spherical surfaces; lenses; thin lens formula; lensmaker’s formula; magnification, power of a lens; combination of thin lenses in contact; refraction and dispersion 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 Huygens’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 microscopes and astronomical telescopes, polarisation, plane polarised light; Brewster's law; uses of plane polarised light and Polaroids.

Unit number ‒ VII: Dual Nature of Matter and Radiation

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 number ‒ VIII: Atoms & 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, atomic masses, isotopes, isobars; isotones.

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 number ‒ 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.

Junction transistor; transistor action; characteristics of a transistor and transistor as an amplifier (common emitter configuration); basic idea of analog and digital signals; Logic gates (OR, AND, NOT, NAND and NOR).

Unit number ‒ X : Communication Systems

Chapter ‒ 15: Communication Systems

Elements of a communication system (block diagram only);

Bandwidth of signals (speech, TV and digital data);

Bandwidth of transmission medium.

Propagation of electromagnetic waves in the atmosphere, sky & space wave propagation, satellite communication.

Need for modulation, amplitude modulation and frequency modulation, advantages of frequency modulation over amplitude modulation.

Prescribed books

1. Physics, Class XII, Part -I and II, Published by NCERT.

• Study all derivations, definitions, diagrams and memorise formulae and units of physical quantities

• Prepare a variety of conceptual questions based on application of laws/principles and solve related numericals

• Practice makes a man perfect. Solve the last five years' board papers under exam conditions, sticking to the time limit of three hours, which makes you familiar with the paper pattern and makes you confident

• Devote some time for meditation and exercise to increase your concentration power

TIPS AND TRICKS:

Just before the exam:

• Get up early in the morning and take a quick review of all the formulae and the steps of derivations

• Close your books an hour before the exam

• Feel relaxed and confident

During the exam:

Admit card: First and foremost, do not forget to carry the admit card. Without it, you won't be allowed to appear for the exam.

Read carefully: Before the commencement of the exam, a reading time of 15 minutes will be provided, during which, one should read the question paper carefully and check out the marks assigned to each question.

Make proper choices: There is an internal choice in one question of 2 marks, one question of 3 marks, and three questions of 5 marks. In the first 15 minutes of reading time, properly choose and mark you would want to attempt in order to avoid confusion later.

Answering tips: Definitions should be to the point; derivations should contain a sentence or two of introduction, a diagram (if any), clear mathematical steps with highlighted final result; graphical questions and conceptual problems should be supported with correct reasoning. Numerical problems must be solved in logical systematic manner.

Sequence: Follow the proper sequence if the question demands you to write about the process or steps.

Examples: Try to give examples wherever possible.

Time management: Be careful not to spend too much time on one particular question at the cost of other questions. Questions asking to 'distinguish' or 'differentiate' should be written in a table form.

Diagrams: Give diagrammatic representation of answers wherever necessary.

Repeated answers: If a candidate attempts a question twice, marks will be given in the question attempted first and the question attempted later will be ignored.

Here are some important instructions that will help students to prepare well for the examination:

• All questions are compulsory. There are 26 questions in all
• This question paper has five sections: Section A, Section B, Section C, Section D and Section E
• Section A contains five questions of one mark each, Section B contains five questions of two marks each, Section C contains twelve questions of three marks each, Section D contains one value based question of four marks, and Section E contains three questions of five marks each
• There is no overall choice. However, an internal choice has been provided in one question of two marks, one question of three marks and all the three questions of five marks weightage. You have to attempt only one of the choices in such questions