Syllabus for Physics Olympiad
(Grades-5 & 6)
Classical Mechanics Kinematics
● Basic understanding of position, displacement, average velocity, speed, acceleration
● Motion of a body under constant acceleration along a straight line (Graphically). (No solution of
quadratic equation should be required)
● Relative velocity in one dimension
Dynamics
● Basic understanding of force, mass and Newton’s laws of motion for one particle
● Mathematical application for Newton’s 2nd law (F=ma) in one dimension for a single
particle
● Newton’s law of gravitation ● Weight, Apparent weight Work-Energy
● Basic understanding of work. Kinetic energy, ( but not work-energy theorem).
Fluid:
● Density Electromagnetism:
● Electric charge and their interaction with each other
● Coulomb’s Law in scalar form
● Interaction of point charges with different bodies All of the above in strictly one dimension.
Thermo:
● Qualitative idea of heat conduction, convection and radiation
● Temperature Scales Mathematics:
● Algebraic expressions, equations
● Basic algebraic inequality
● Basic plane geometry (angles, lengths, perimeter, areas of common shapes, Pythagorean theorem etc)
Measurements/Experimental:
● Units and conversion
● Taking readings from equipment
● Graph plotting
● Mean, median, and mode
Syllabus for Physics Olympiad (Class 7 & 8)
Measurement:
Slide calipers, Error in slide calipers, Uses of slide calipers, Measurements of area and volume of
different shaped bodies. (Circumference & area of circle, area of rectangle, square, triangle &
trapezium, area & density of cube shaped body and spherical bodies)
Structure of substances:
Concept of atom & molecule, Molecular structure of solid, liquid & gas, intermolecular distance, inter-
molecular force, Change of state.
Mechanics:
Speed, Displacement & Velocity, Uniform & non uniform motion, Acceleration, motion in uniform
gravitational field, equation for constant acceleration. Rotation and angular velocity, Newton’s Laws of
Motion, conservation of linear momentum, Simple pendulums
Heat:
Concept of heat¸ Effect of heat, Origin of heat, Unit of heat – Calorie and Joule, Temperature,
Difference between heat & temperature, Specific heat, Different scales of temperature (Kelvin, Celsius
& Fahrenheit scales) & the relation between them, Absolute temperature, Melting & boiling points,
Expansion of solids, Linear expansion, Superficial expansion & Cubical or volume expansion, Coefficient of
linear, superficial & cubical (volume) expansion, Expansion of liquid & gas, Conductor and Insulator of
heat, Methods of heat transfer – conduction, convection & radiation, Heat exchange Applications of heat
phenomena - Thermo Flask, Land & sea breezes, Uses of heat energy in daily life, Boyle’s law, Charles’
law, Gay-Lussac’s law.
Fluid:
Pressure in liquid, Pascal’s law, Hydraulic press, Archimedes’ Law, conditions for objects to float.
Mass, weight & density:
Concept of mass, weight, density & their measurements
Atmosphere:
Atmospheric pressure, Barometer, Manometer, Applications of atmospheric pressure
Gravitation:
Gravity, Mass &Weight, Difference between mass & weight, Newton’s law of gravitation, Force of
gravity, Acceleration due to gravity, Gravity & Universe, condition of Equilibrium.
Sound:
Concept of sound, Mechanism of sound transfer, Audible range, Ultrasonic & infrasonic waves, Echo,
Uses of sound in daily life, wave, phase
Magnetism:
Magnet, properties of magnet, Magnetic field, Magnetic field lines & their properties, Earth’s magnetic
field, Neutral point, Uses of magnet.
Electricity:
Electric potential, Electric field, Force on charges in a constant electric field, Superposition principle,
Coulomb’s law, Electric field lines and their properties, Concept of current, Conventional & original
direction of current, Coulomb’s law, Unit of charge – Coulomb, Unit of current – Ampere, Unit of electric
potential – volt, Resistance & its unit, Electric power & its unit – KW, Electrical energy & its unit – KWh,
Direct & Alternating currents, Electrical circuits, Circuit diagram & circuit symbols, Series & parallel
circuits and combination of resistors, Ammeter, Voltmeter, Switch, Fuse, Circuit breaker, Earth wire,
Cell, Danger of electricity, Various cells, Uses of electricity – Electric bell, electric heater, electric bulb,
Ohm’s law and its graphical representation, Resistance of wires with constant cross section, Concept of
Short circuit and open circuit.
Light:
Reflection of light:
Reflection of light, Regular & diffused reflection, Laws of reflection, Image, Reflection of light in plane
mirror, Periscope, Image, Virtual & real images, Multiple reflection, Uses of reflection.
Refraction of light:
Refraction of light, Rules & reasons of refraction, Snell’s Law, Examples of refraction, Critical angle &
total internal reflection, Refraction through glass slab, Refraction through glass prism, Spherical
mirrors, Lenses, Effects of refraction, Mirage, Uses of refraction, Relation of refractive index with the
speed of light in the media.
Math:
Solving linear equations of 2 variables, solving quadratic equations, finding slope of straight lines from
graph or equation of the line, Area of different types of triangles and quadrilaterals, Symmetry
NOTE: Questions may contain concepts not contained in the syllabus, but sufficient information will be
given so that candidates without previous knowledge of those topics would not be at a disadvantage.
Syllabus for Physics Olympiad
(Grades- 9 & 10)
1. Maths needed for physics
(a) Vector: Definition of Vectors, Difference between Vector and Scalar quantities, Representation of
Vectors in Cartesian co-ordinate system, Position Vector, Triangle and Parallelogram rule for Vector
addition and its formula, Dot product and Cross product, Orthogonal Projection of a Vector on another
Vector, polar coordinate system.
(b) Trigonometry: Trigonometric angle, Relation between radius and arc length of a circle,
Trigonometric identities, Sin rule, Cosine rule, Basic properties of inverse trigonometric functions using
calculator.
(c) Calculus: Basic idea of limits and differentiation, Differentiation of known algebraic-trigonometric-
exponential functions, Determination of tangent of a curve or slope and maxima-minima using
differentiation for simple algebraic functions, very basic idea of definite and indefinite integral (area
under the curve) and of common functions (polynomial, exponential functions), Fundamental theorem of
Calculus.
(d)Algebra: Simplifying algebraic expressions, plotting qualitative graphs of polynomials, solution of
linear equations, Properties of Polynomial (number and types of roots), Solution of quadratic equation,
Summation of arithmetic and geometric series, making first order approximation using Taylor expansion,
probability and combinatorics.
(e) Statistics: Average, median, calculating experimental error (standard deviation), plotting data and
drawing best fit line of linear experimental data plot.
2. Measurement:
Concept of Measurement, Units of Measurement, Fundamental and Derived quantities, Fundamental and
Derived units, International system of units – SI, Scientific notation, Dimensions and dimensional
analysis, Measuring Instruments, Vernier scale and slide calipers, Screw gauge.
3. Mechanics:
(a) Motion: Rest and motion, Distance and Displacement, Speed and Velocity, Distance – Time graph,
Velocity – Time graph, Uniform and non-uniform velocity, Acceleration, Uniform and Nonuniform
acceleration, Acceleration— Time graph, Inertia, Linear momentum, Unit of force – Newton, Newton’s
laws of motion, Equations of motion, center of mass and it’s calculation, drawing Force Diagrams, Law of
conservation of momentum, elastic and inelastic collisions, Projectile Motion, Kinematics of uniform
circular motion, centripetal acceleration and force, Moment of Inertia, Torque, conditions of equilibrium.
(b) Gravitation and gravity: Gravitation and Gravity, Newton’s law of gravitation, Universal gravitational
constant (G), Acceleration due to gravity. Falling bodies, Difference between mass and weight, Variation
of weight at different places and its reasons (i.e. lift, satellite, surface of earth), Center of gravity,
Spring-balance, Gravitational Field and Potential, Gravitational Shell theorems, gravity in the interior and
exterior of a planet, Kepler’s Laws of planetary motion.
(c) Oscillation: Periodic motion, Oscillatory or vibration motion, Simple harmonic motion, Energy in simple
harmonic motion, Relation between uniform circular motion and simple harmonic motion, Hooke’s Law,
Simple pendulum, Time period, Frequency, Determination of the value of ‘g’ using simple pendulum.
(d) Work, Power and Energy: Work, Work as dot product of force and displacement, Power, Energy,
Forms of energy, Potential energy, Kinetic Energy, Efficiency, Work-energy Theorem, work done by
conservative and non-conservative forces.
4. Fluid mechanics:
Density, Pressure, Pressure at a point in liquid at equilibrium, Thrust in rocket propulsion, Pascal’s law.
Archimedes’ principle, conditions for floating, Relative density or specific gravity.
5. Wave and Acoustics:
Types of waves, Transverse and longitudinal waves and their differences, Time period, Frequency,
Amplitude, Phase, Wave length, Wave velocity, v = frequency × wavelength, Mechanism of propagation of
sound through Air, Speed of sound, Reflection of sound, Audible range – Ultrasonic and infrasonic wave,
Doppler effect, sonic boom, Sound intensity and decibel unit.
6. Heat:
(a) Effect of Heat on substance: Concept of heat and temperature, Difference between heat and
temperature and their units, Relationship between different temperature scales, Thermal expansion of
material: Linear, Surface, Volume expansion and coefficients of expansion.
(b) Change of state: Fusion, Specific latent heat of fusion, Melting point, Vaporization, Specific latent
heat of Vaporization, Boiling point, Effect of pressure on melting point and boiling points. Evaporation.
(c) Calorimetry: Heat capacity and Specific heat and their relationship, Fundamental principle of
Calorimetry, Calorimeter.
(d) Transmission of heat: Conduction, Convection, Radiation and their differences, Thermal conductivity
and its formula.
(e) Ideal gases: Conditions for ideal gas behavior, Ideal gas law, Basic thermal processes: Isobaric,
Isochoric, Isothermal, Adiabatic. First law of Thermodynamics and its applications.
7. Optics:
(a) Nature of Light: Light, Different theories of Light, Ray of light and beam of light, Electromagnetic
spectrum, Luminous intensity, Luminous flux, Illuminance, Inverse square law of illuminance.
(b) Reflection of light: Reflection of light, Regular and diffused reflection, Laws of reflection, Plane
and Spherical mirror, Image, Real and virtual image, Formation of image by plane mirror and its
characteristics, concave and convex mirror, constructing image of an Extended object, Linear
Magnification, Nature and Size of the image formed by spherical mirror for different positions of an
object.
c) Refraction of light: Laws of refraction, Fermat’s Principle, Relative and Absolute refractive index,
Critical angle and Total internal reflection, Optical fibers. Convex and concave lens, constructing image
of an Extended object, Nature and Size of the image formed by a lens for different positions of an
object, Sign Convention.
d) Dispersion and scattering of light: Prism and refraction of light through prism, Dispersion,
Dispersion of light through prism, Spectrum, Primary and complementary color, Absorption and
reflection of light and color of a body, Scattering of light and blue color of sky (qualitative discussion).
8 Electricity:
a) Electricity: Charge, induced charge, Coulomb’s Law, Electric field, field line and electric flux, Gauss’
Law (Qualitative) Electric potential, Potential difference. Equipotential Surface. Capacitance, Different
types of Capacitors (spherical and parallel plate), Energy stored in a capacitor.
b) Current Electricity: Current, Category of current – direct current and alternating current, Electric
circuit, Ohm’s law, Battery and Electromotive force, Resistance, Series and parallel connection, Laws of
resistance, Specific resistance/Resistivity, Ammeter, Voltmeter, Electrical Power, Electrical Energy.
9 Magnetism:
a) Magnetism: Magnet and Magnetism, Magnetic field and Magnetic lines of force, Magnetic flux Force
on a moving charge in a magnetic field, force on a current carrying wire in a magnetic field.
b) Electromagnetism: Electromagnetic induction (qualitative), Transformer.
10 Electronics:
Semiconductor, P and N type Semiconductor, Semiconductor diode, effect of an ideal diode in a circuit.
11 Modern Physics:
X-ray, Radioactive decay law, Half-life, Energy and momentum of a Photon, Photoelectric effect, Bohr
model of hydrogen atom (qualitative). De-Broglie Wave. Fundamental Particles, Baryon, Meson, Lepton,
Gauge, Characteristics of Fundamental particles (theory).
Syllabus for Physics Olympiad
(Class-11 & 12)
The questions will solely be based on problems. They can involve numerical and/or algebraic operations.
1. Mathematics
a. Algebra: Simplification of formulae by factorisation and expansion. Solving linear systems of
equations. Solving equations and systems of equations leading to quadratic and biquadratic equations;
selection of physically meaningful solutions. Summation of arithmetic and geometric series.
b. Functions: Basic properties of trigonometric, inverse-trigonometric, exponential and logarithmic
functions and polynomials. This includes formulae regarding trigonometric functions of a sum of angles,
solving simple equations involving trigonometric, inverse-trigonometric, logarithmic and exponential
functions.
c. Geometry and stereometry: Degrees and radians as alternative measures of angles. Equality of
alternate interior and exterior angles, equality of corresponding angles. Recognition of similar triangles.
Areas of triangles, trapezoids, circles and ellipses; surface areas of spheres, cylinders and cones;
volumes of spheres, cones, cylinders and prisms. Sine and cosine rules, property of inscribed and central
angles, Thales’ theorem, medians and the centroid of a triangle. Students are expected to be familiar
with the properties of conic sections including circles, ellipses, parabolae and hyperbolae.
d. Vectors: Basic properties of vectorial sums, dot and cross products. Double cross product and scalar
triple product. Geometrical interpretation of a time derivative of a vector quantity
e. Complex numbers: Summation, multiplication and division of complex numbers; separation of real and
imaginary parts. Euler’s formula, Conversion between algebraic, trigonometric, and exponential
representations of a complex number. Complex roots of quadratic equations and their physical
interpretation.
f. Statistics and Data Analysis: Calculation of probabilities as the ratio of the number of objects or
event occurrence frequencies. Calculation of mean values, standard deviations. Transformation of a
dependence to a linear form by appropriate choice of variables and fitting a straight line to experimental
points. Finding the gradient, intercept of a linear graph and their uncertainty estimate (graphically and
using the statistical functions of a calculator) Selecting optimal scales for graphs and plotting data
points with error bars.
g. Calculus: Finding derivatives of elementary functions, their sums, products, quotients, and nested
functions. Integration as the inverse procedure to differentiation. Finding definite and indefinite
integrals in simple cases: elementary functions, sums of functions, and using the substitution rule for a
linearly dependent argument. Making definite integrals dimensionless by substitution. Geometric
interpretation of derivatives and integrals. Finding constants of integration using initial conditions.
h. Approximations and Numerical methods: Using linear and polynomial approximations based on Taylor
series. Linearization of equations and expressions. Finding approximate numerical solutions to equations
using, e.g., Newton’s method or bisection of intervals. Numerical integration using the trapezoidal rule or
adding rectangles.
2. Kinematics: Vector representation of displacement, velocity and acceleration; Vector form of the
equation of motion under uniform acceleration. Projectile motion,circular motion.Centripetal
acceleration.Relation between angular and linear velocity (using vectors); Addition of velocities and
angular velocities , Motion of a rigid body as a rotation around an instantaneous centre of rotation
,Angular acceleration.
3. Dynamics: Inertia and forces: Newton’s laws of motion; Force Diagrams, Equations of motion,
Momentum, Impulse; Conservation of linear momentum (using vectors/ components); Center of mass –
uses and calculation via integration. Motion of a system with varying mass (example: Rocket). Conditions
for static and dynamic equilibrium; Stable and Unstable equilibrium, Frictional forces,Coefficients of
friction. Forces in non-inertial frames : Inertial force, Centrifugal force, Coriolis force (qualitative).
4. Work, Energy and Power: Open and Closed Systems, Calculation of work, Kinetic Energy and Work-
energy theorem; Conservative forces, Potential energy; Conservation of energy, Power.
5. Gravitation: Newton’s Law of gravitation, Gravitational field, Gravitational potential Energy; Escape
velocity; Kepler’s laws. Characteristics of objects in orbit (Energy, momentum, angular momentum etc.)
6. Rotational Mechanics of Rigid Bodies: Angular momentum; Torque; Moment of inertia for simple
bodies (spheres, shells, rings, rods, cylinders etc.); Calculating moment of inertia via integration, Parallel
axes theorem. Newton’s laws for angular motion; Conservation of Angular momentum. Kinetic energy of a
rotating body.
7. Fluids: Concepts of Pressure and Pascal’s Equation. Buoyancy and Archimedes’ law, Continuity law for
fluids and Bernoulli’s Equation. Surface Tension, surface energy.
8. Simple Harmonic Motion: Finding equation of motion and its solution, Variation of potential and
kinetic energy (graphical); Oscillation of a spring, simple pendulum. Calculation of angular frequency of
various oscillatory systems. (Using force approach and Energy approach), Damped Harmonic Oscillators,
Different Types of Damping, Forced Oscillation, Resonance (qualitatively).
9. Elasticity: Elasticity and Hooke’s law, Stress, strain and Young’s Modulus, Potential Energy related to
elastic deformations.
10. Heat Transfer and Phase Transitions: Phase transitions (boiling, evaporation, melting, sublimation)
and latent heat; saturated vapour pressure, relative humidity; concept of heatconductivity; continuity of
heat flux.
11. Kinetic theory of Gases: Ideal Gas, Primary concept of the distribution of velocities of molecules
in a gas; Root mean square velocity; Relation of molecular velocity with pressure and temperature; Mean
free path. Equipartition theorem (qualitative).
12. Laws of Thermodynamics: Ideal gas law, Thermal equilibrium, Heat and internal energy; Basic
thermodynamic processes (isobaric, isochoric, isothermal, adiabatic); First law of thermodynamics.
Reversible and irreversible processes, Second law of thermodynamics, Entropy, Efficiency of an engine.
Carnot cycle.
13. Statistical Physics: Black body radiation, Planck’s Law (qualitative), Wien’s Displacement Law,
Stefan-Boltzmann law.
14. Waves: General characteristics of waves; Amplitude, wavelength, frequency, phase, intensity;
Transverse and longitudinal waves; Superposition and interference; Progressive and standing waves.
Doppler’s effect. Beats, determination of velocity of sound, Waves in inhomogeneous media: Fermat’s
Principle, Snell’s Law. Energy carried by waves.
15. Electrostatics: Concept of charge, Coulomb’s law, Electric fields, potential and equipotential
surface. Electric flux, Gauss’ Law, Uniqeness theorem, Method of image charges, Capacitors,
capacitance, dielectric constant, series and parallel combination of capacitors; energy stored in a
capacitor. Energy density of electric fields.
16. Electric current: Current, Voltage, Resistance and Resistivity, Ohm’s law; Series and parallel
combination of resistances; Kirchhoff’s laws, Electromotive force and internal resistance of an electric
cell, I-V characteristics of non-Ohmic devices (i.e Diodes). Power dissipated in circuit elements.
17. Magnetism: Magnetic fields, Magnetic flux, Lorentz force on a point charge. Force on a current
carrying wire, Gauss’ law of magnetism. Magnetic field due to a moving point charge; Biot-Savart’s Law,
Ampere’s Law. Magnetic field due to current in a long straight wire, circular loop. Solenoid. Energy
density of magnetic fields.
18. Electromagnetic induction and Alternating Current: Faraday’s laws and Lenz’s law; Self and Mutual
induction. Inductance of various currents configurations (solenoid, toroid etc.) RLC circuits, Root meant
square value and peak value of voltage and current. Complex impedances of circuit elements.
