Class 11 Physics: The Ultimate Syllabus and Curriculum Guide
This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the Class 11 Physics curriculum, syllabus, and micro-syllabus as per the Secondary Education Curriculum 2076. Use this resource to navigate your studies effectively.
1. Course Description
Secondary Education Curriculum 2076 – Physics
Grades: 11 and 12
Subject code: Phy. 101 (Grade 11), Phy. 102 (Grade 12)
Credit hrs: 5 | Working hrs: 160
Introduction
This curriculum presumes that students joining grade 11 and 12 science stream come with diverse aspirations. It is designed to provide students with a general understanding of the fundamental scientific laws and principles that govern phenomena in the world. It focuses on developing the scientific knowledge, skill, competences, and attitudes required for any path they choose beyond this level.
This Class 11 Physics curriculum aims to provide sufficient knowledge for all learners to become confident citizens in a technological world. It offers a sound foundation for students who wish to study physics or related fields in higher education. It also promotes science-related attitudes such as a concern for accuracy, a spirit of enquiry, and a willingness to use technology for effective communication. For more resources, you can visit external sites like the official NEB website.
Level-wise Competencies
Upon completion, students are expected to:
- Relate phenomena to physical laws using appropriate scientific vocabulary.
- Use scientific instruments to collect, evaluate, and communicate information accurately.
- Design simple experiments to develop relations among physical quantities.
- Carry out simple scientific research on issues related to physics.
- Construct simple models to illustrate physical concepts.
2. Detailed Class 11 Physics Syllabus
Content Area: Mechanics (40 hrs) & Elasticity (4 hrs)
- 1. Physical Quantities (4 hrs)
- Precision and significant figures.
- Dimensions and uses of dimensional analysis.
- 2. Vectors (6 hrs)
- Triangle, parallelogram and polygon laws of vectors.
- Resolution of vectors; Unit vectors.
- Scalar and vector products.
- 3. Kinematics (8 hrs)
- Instantaneous velocity and acceleration.
- Relative velocity.
- Equation of motion (graphical treatment).
- Motion of a freely falling body.
- Projectile motion and its applications.
- 4. Dynamics (8 hrs)
- Linear momentum, Impulse Conservation of linear momentum.
- Application of Newton’s laws.
- Moment, torque and equilibrium.
- Solid friction: Laws of solid friction and their verifications.
- 5. Work, energy and power (6 hrs)
- Work done by a constant force and a variable force.
- Power.
- Work-energy theorem; Kinetic and potential energy.
- Conservation of Energy.
- Conservative and non-conservative forces.
- Elastic and inelastic collisions.
- 6. Circular Motion (4 hrs)
- Angular displacement, velocity and acceleration.
- Relation between angular and linear velocity and acceleration.
- Centripetal acceleration.
- Centripetal force.
- Conical pendulum.
- Motion in a vertical circle.
- Applications of banking.
- 7. Gravitation (4 hrs)
- Newton’s law of gravitation.
- Gravitational field strength.
- Gravitational potential; Gravitational potential energy.
- Variation in value of ‘g’ due to altitude and depth.
- Centre of mass and center of gravity.
- Motion of a satellite: Orbital velocity and time period of the satellite.
- Escape velocity.
- Potential and kinetic energy of the satellite.
- Geostationary satellite.
- GPS.
- 8. Elasticity (4 hrs)
- Hooke’s law: Force constant.
- Stress; Strain; Elasticity and plasticity.
- Elastic modulus: Young modulus, bulk modulus, shear modulus.
- Poisson’s ratio.
- Elastic potential energy.
Content Area: Heat and Thermodynamics (25 hrs)
- 9. Heat and Temperature (3 hrs)
- Molecular concept of thermal energy, heat and temperature, and cause and direction of heat flow.
- Meaning of thermal equilibrium and Zeroth law of thermodynamics.
- Thermal equilibrium as a working principle of mercury thermometer.
- 10. Thermal Expansion (8 hrs)
- Linear expansion and its measurement.
- Cubical expansion, superficial expansion and its relation with linear expansion.
- Liquid Expansion: Absolute and apparent.
- Dulong and Petit method of determining expansivity of liquid.
- 11. Quantity of Heat (6 hrs)
- Newton’s law of cooling.
- Measurement of specific heat capacity of solids and liquids.
- Change of phases: Latent heat.
- Specific latent heat of fusion and vaporization.
- Measurement of specific latent heat of fusion and vaporization.
- Triple point.
- 12. Rate of heat flow (4 hrs)
- Conduction: Thermal conductivity and measurement.
- Convection.
- Radiation: Ideal radiator.
- Black- body radiation.
- Stefan Boltzmann law.
- 13. Ideal gas (4 hrs)
- Ideal gas equation.
- Molecular properties of matter.
- Kinetic-molecular model of an ideal gas.
- Derivation of pressure exerted by gas.
- Average translational kinetic energy of gas molecule.
- Boltzmann constant, root mean square speed.
- Heat capacities: gases and solids.
Content Area: Waves & Optics (25 hrs)
- 14. Reflection at curved mirror (5 hrs)
- Real and Virtual images.
- Mirror formula.
- 15. Refraction at plane surfaces (5 hrs)
- Laws of refraction: Refractive index.
- Relation between refractive indices.
- Lateral shift.
- Total internal reflection.
- 16. Refraction through prisms (5 hrs)
- Minimum deviation condition.
- Relation between Angle of prism, minimum deviation and refractive index.
- Deviation in small angle prism.
- 17. Lenses (5 hrs)
- Spherical lenses, angular magnification.
- Lens maker’s formula.
- Power of a lens.
- 18. Dispersion (5 hrs)
- Pure spectrum and dispersive power.
- Chromatic and spherical aberration.
- Achromatism and its applications.
Content Area: Electricity & Magnetism (28 hrs)
- 19. Electric Charges (4 hrs)
- Electric charges.
- Charging by induction.
- Coulomb’s law- Force between two point charges.
- Force between multiple electric charges.
- 20. Electric field (6 hrs)
- Electric field due to point charges; Field lines.
- Gauss Law: Electric Flux.
- Application of Gauss law: Field of a charge sphere, line charge, charged plane conductor.
- 21. Potential, potential difference and potential energy (6 hrs)
- Potential difference, Potential due to a point, Charge, potential energy, electron volt.
- Equipotential lines and surfaces.
- Potential gradient.
- 22. Capacitor (6 hrs)
- Capacitance and capacitor.
- Parallel plate capacitor.
- Combination of capacitors.
- Energy of charged capacitor.
- Effect of a dielectric Polarization and displacement.
- 23. DC Circuits (6 hrs)
- Electric Currents; Drift velocity and its relation with current.
- Ohm’s law; Electrical Resistance; Resistivity; Conductivity.
- Current-voltage relations; Ohmic and Non-Ohmic resistance.
- Resistances in series and parallel.
- Potential divider.
- Electromotive force of a source, internal resistance.
- Work and power in electrical circuits.
Content Area: Modern Physics (8 hrs)
- 24. Nuclear physics (4 hrs)
- Nucleus: Discovery of nucleus.
- Nuclear density; Mass number; Atomic number.
- Atomic mass; Isotopes.
- Einstein’s mass-energy relation.
- Mass Defect, packing fraction, BE per nucleon.
- Creation and annihilation.
- Nuclear fission and fusion, energy released.
- 25. Solids (2 hrs)
- Energy bands in solids (qualitative ideas).
- Difference between metals, insulators and semi-conductors using band theory.
- Intrinsic and extrinsic semi-conductors.
- 26. Recent Trends in physics (2 hrs)
- Particle physics: Particles and antiparticles, Quarks (baryons and meson) and leptons (neutrinos).
- Universe: Big Bang and Hubble law: expansion of the Universe, Dark matter, Black Hole and gravitational wave.
3. Practical Activities
a) Practical Activities for Grade 11
I. Mechanics
- Verify the law of moments by graphically analyzing the relation between clockwise moment and anticlockwise moment on a half metre rule suspended at the centre by a string.
- Determination of the coefficient of friction for the two surfaces by graphically analyzing how minimum force needed to set a trolley resting on plan horizontal surface to motion varies with its mass.
- Determination of young modulus of elasticity of the material of a given wire by graphically analyzing the variation of tensile force with respect to extension produced by it.
II. Heat
- Use of Pullinger’s apparatus for the Determination of the linear expansivity of a rod.
- Use of Regnault’s apparatus to determination of the specific heat capacity of a solid by the method of mixture.
- Determination of the thermal conductivity of a good conductor by Searle’s method.
III. Geometrical Optics
- Use of rectangular glass slab to determine the thickness of the slab by graphically analyzing how lateral shift varies with the angle of incidence.
- Use of Travelling Microscope for the determination of the refractive index of glass slab by graphically analyzing how apparent depth varies with the real depth for glass plates of different thicknesses.
- Determination of the focal length of a concave mirror by graphically analyzing the variation of image distance with respect to object distance.
IV. Current electricity
- Verification of Ohm’s law and determination of resistance of a thin-film resistor by graphical analysis of variation of electric current in the resistor with respect to potential difference across it.
- Determination of resistivity of a metal wire by graphical analysis of variation of electric current through a metal wire against its length.
- Investigation of I-V characteristics of a heating coil by graphically analyzing the variation of electric current though a light bulb with respect to the potential difference across it.
b) Sample Project Works for Grade 11
- Study the variation in the range of a jet of water with angle of projection.
- Study the factors affecting the rate of loss of heat of a liquid.
- Study the nature and size of the image formed by a convex lens using a candle and a screen.
- Study of uses of alternative energy sources in Nepal.
- Study of energy consumption patterns in the neighborhood.
- Study of study of electricity consumption pattern in the neighborhood.
- Study of application of laws and principle of physics in any indigenous technology.
- Verification of the laws of solid friction.
- Study the temperature dependence of refractive index of different liquids using a hollow prism and laser beam.
- Study the frequency dependence of refractive index of glass using a glass prism and white light beam.
c) Some Examples of Innovative Works for Grade 11
- Construct a hygrometer using dry and wet bulb thermometers and use it to measure relative humidity of a given place.
- Design and construct a system to demonstrate the phenomenon of total internal reflection (TIR) of a laser beam through a jet of water.
- Construct a digital Newton meter using the concept of potential divider.
4. Chapter-wise Notes for Class 11 Physics
5. Class 11 Physics Micro-Syllabus
Content Area: Mechanics
1. Physical Quantities
- Demonstrate the meaning, importance and applications of precision in the measurements
- Understand the meaning and importance of significant figures in measurements
- Explain the meaning of dimensions of a physical quantity
- Workout the dimensions of derived physical quantities applicable to this syllabus
- Apply dimensional analysis method to check the homogeneity of physical equations
2. Vectors
- Distinguish between scalar and vector quantities
- Add or subtract coplanar vectors by drawing scale diagram (vector triangle, parallelogram or polygon method)
- Understand the meaning and importance of unit vectors
- Represent a vector as two perpendicular components
- Resolve co-planer vectors using component method
- Describe scalar and vector products
- Understand the meaning and applications of scalar and vector product with examples
- Solve related problems.
3. Kinematics
- Define displacement, instantaneous velocity and acceleration with relevant examples
- Explain and use the concept of relative velocity
- Draw displacement-time and velocity-time graph to represent motion, and determine velocity from the gradient of displacement-time graph, acceleration from the gradient of velocity-time graph and displacement from the area under a velocity-time graph
- Establish equations for a uniformly accelerated motion in a straight line from graphical representation of such motion and use them to solve related numerical problems
- Write the equations of motion under the action of gravity and solve numerical problem related to it
- Understand projectile motion as motion due to a uniform velocity in one direction and a uniform acceleration in a perpendicular direction, derive the equations for various physical quantities (maximum height, time of flight, time taken to reach maximum height, horizontal range, resultant velocity) and use them to solve mathematical problems related to projectile motion
4. Dynamics
- Define linear momentum, impulse, and establish the relation between them
- Define and use force as rate of change of momentum
- State and prove the principle of conservation of linear momentum using Newton’s second and Newton’s third of motion
- Define and apply moment of a force and torque of a couple
- State and apply the principle of moments
- State and apply the conditions necessary for a particle to be in equilibrium
- State and explain the laws of solid friction
- Show the coefficient of friction is equal to the tangent of angle of repose and use the concept to solve problems.
- Solve the numerical problem and conceptual question on dynamics
5. Work, energy and power
- Explain work done by a constant force and a variable force
- State and prove work-energy theorem
- Distinguish between kinetic energy and potential energy and establish their formulae
- State and prove the principle of conservation of energy
- Differentiate between conservative and non-conservative force
- Differentiate between elastic and inelastic collision and hence explain the elastic collision in one dimension
- Solve the numerical problems and conceptual questions regarding work, energy, power and collision
6. Circular motion
- Define angular displacement, angular velocity and angular acceleration
- Establish the relation between angular and linear velocity & acceleration
- Define centripetal force
- Derive the expression for centripetal acceleration and use it to solve problems related to centripetal force
- Describe the motion in vertical circle, motion of vehicles on banked surface
- Derive the period for conical pendulum
- Solve the numerical problem and conceptual question on circular motion
7. Gravitation
- Explain Newton’s law of gravitation
- Define gravitational field strength
- Define and derive formula of gravitational potential and gravitational potential energy
- Describe the variation in value of ‘g’ due to altitude and depth
- Define center of mass and center of gravity
- Derive the formula for orbital velocity and time period of satellite
- Define escape velocity and derive the expression of escape velocity
- Find the potential and kinetic energy of the satellite
- Define geostationary satellite and state the necessary conditions for it
- Describe briefly the working principle of Global Position -System (GPS)
- Solve the numerical problems and conceptual questions regarding related to the gravitation
8. Elasticity
- State and explain Hooke’s law
- Define the terms stress, strain, elasticity and plasticity
- Define the types of elastic modulus such as young modulus, bulk modulus and shear modulus
- Define Poisson’s ratio
- Derive the expression for energy stored in a stretched wire
- Solve the numerical problems and conceptual questions regarding elasticity
Content Area: Heat and Thermodynamics
9. Heat and temperature
- Explain the molecular concept of thermal energy, heat and temperature, and cause and direction of heat flow
- Explain the meaning of thermal equilibrium and Zeroth law of thermodynamics.
- Explain thermal equilibrium as a working principle of mercury thermometer.
10. Thermal Expansion
- Explain some examples and applications of thermal expansion, and demonstrate it with simple experiments.
- Explain linear, superficial, cubical expansion and define their corresponding coefficients with physical meaning.
- Establish a relation between coefficients of thermal expansion.
- Describe Pullinger’s method to determine coefficient of linear expansion.
- Explain force set up due to expansion and contraction.
- Explain differential expansion and its applications.
- Explain the variation of density with temperature.
- Explain real and apparent expansion of liquid appreciating the relation γr=γg+γα.
- Describe Dulong and Petit’s experiment to determine absolute expansivity of liquid.
- Solve mathematical problems related to thermal expansion.
11. Quantity of Heat
- Define heat capacity and specific heat capacity and explain application of high specific heat capacity of water and low specific heat capacity of cooking oil and massage oil
- Describe Newton’s law of cooling with some suitable daily life examples.
- Explain the principle of calorimetry and describe any one standard process of determining specific heat capacity of a solid
- Explain the meaning of latent heat of substance appreciating the graph between heat and temperature and define specific latent heat of fusion and vaporization.
- Describe any one standard method of measurement of specific latent heat of fusion and explain briefly the effect of external pressure on boiling and melting point.
- Distinguish evaporation and boiling.
- Define triple point.
- Solve mathematical problems related to heat
12. Rate of heat flow
- Explain the transfer of heat by conduction, convection and radiation with examples and state their applications in daily life.
- Define temperature gradient and relate it with rate of heat transfer along a conductor.
- Define coefficient of thermal conductivity and describe Searl’s method for its determination.
- Relate coefficient of reflection (r), coefficient of transmission (t) and coefficient of absorption (r+a+t=1).
- Explain ideal radiator (c=1,a=1) and black body radiation.
- State and explain Stefan’s law of black body radiation using terms; emissive power and emissivity.
- Describe idea to estimate apparent temperature of sun.
- Solve mathematical problems related to thermal conduction and black body radiations.
13. Ideal gas
- Relate pressure coefficient and volume coefficient of gas using Charles’s law and Boyle’s law.
- Define absolute zero temperature with the support of P – V, V- T graph.
- Combine Charles’s law and Boyle’s law to obtain ideal gas equation.
- Explain molecules, inter molecular forces, moles and Avogadro’s number.
- Explain the assumptions of kinetic molecular model of an ideal gas.
- Derive expression for pressure exerted by gas due to collisions with wall of the container appreciating the use of Newton’s law of motion.
- Explain the root mean square speed of gas and its relationship with temperature and molecular mass.
- Relate the pressure and kinetic energy.
- Calculate the average translational kinetic energy of gas for 1 molecule and Avogadro’s number of molecules.
- Solve mathematical problems related ideal gas.
Content Area: Waves & Optics
14. Reflection at curved mirrors
- State the relation between object distance, image distance and focal length of curved mirrors
- State the relation between object size and image size
- Know the difference between the real and virtual image in geometrical optics
- Calculate the focal length of curved mirrors and its applications
15. Refraction at plane surfaces
- Recall the laws of refraction
- Understand the meaning of lateral shift
- Understand the meaning of refractive index of a medium
- Calculate refractive index of a medium using angle of incidence and angle of refraction
- Learn the relation between the refractive indices
- Know the meaning of total internal reflection and the condition for it
- Understand critical angle and learn the applications of total internal reflection
- Explain the working principle of optical fiber
16. Refraction through prisms
- Understand minimum deviation condition
- Discuss relation between angle of prism, angle of minimum deviation and refractive index
- Use above relations to find the values of refractive index of the prism
- Understand deviation in small angle prism and learn its importance in real life
17. Lenses
- State properties of Spherical lenses
- State the relation between object distance, image distance and focal length of a convex lens
- Derive Lens maker’s formula and use it to find focal length
- Define visual angle and angular magnification
18. Dispersion
- Understand pure spectrum
- Learn the meaning of dispersive power
- Discuss chromatic and spherical aberration
- Discuss achromatism in lens and its applications
Content Area: Electricity & Magnetism
19. Electric charges
- Understand the concept of electric charge and charge carriers
- Understand the process of charging by friction and use the concept to explain related day to day observations
- Understand that, for any point outside a spherical conductor, the charge on the sphere may be considered to act as a point charge at its centre
- State Coulomb’s law
- Recall and use F=Qq/4πεor² for the force between two point charges in free space or air
- Compute the magnitude and direction of the net force acting at a point due to multiple charges
20. Electric field
- Describe an electric field as a region in which an electric charge experiences a force
- Define electric field strength as force per unit positive charge acting on a stationary point charge
- Calculate forces on charges in uniform electric fields of known strength
- Use E=Q/4πεor² strength of a point charge in free space or air
- Illustrate graphically the changes in electric field strength with respect distance from a point charge
- Represent an electric field by means of field lines
- Describe the effect of a uniform electric field on the motion of charged particles
- Understand the concept of electric flux of a surface
- State Gauss law and apply it for a field of a charged sphere and for line charge
- Understand that uniform field exists between charged parallel plates and sketch the field lines
21. Potential, potential difference and potential energy
- Define potential at a point as the work done per unit positive charge in bringing a small test charge from infinity to the point
- Use electron volt as a unit of electric potential energy
- Recall and use V=Q/4πεor for the potential in the field of a point charge
- Illustrate graphically the variation in potential along a straight line from the source charge and understand that the field strength of the field at a point is equal to the negative of potential gradient at that point
- Understand the concept of equipotential lines and surfaces and relate it to potential difference between two points
- Recall and use E=ΔV/Δx to calculate the field strength of the uniform field between charged parallel plates in terms of potential difference and separation
22. Capacitor
- Capacitance and capacitor: a. Show understanding of the uses of capacitors in simple electrical circuits b. Define capacitance and use C=Q/V c. Relate capacitance to the gradient of potential-charge graph
- Parallel plate capacitor: a. Derive C=εoA/d, using Gauss law b. Explain the effect of changing surface area and separation c. Explain the effect of a dielectric
- Combination of capacitors: a. Derive and use formula for capacitors in series combinations b. Derive and use formula for capacitors in parallel combinations
- Energy stored in a charged capacitor: a. Deduce E=½QV and E=½CV² for the energy of charged capacitor
- Effect of dielectric: a. Understand a dielectric as a material that polarizes in an electric field b. Explain its effect on capacitance
23. DC Circuits
- Electric Currents; Drift velocity: a. Understand potential difference causes drift b. Define electric current, Q=It c. Derive I=nAvq
- Ohm’s law; Resistance: a. Define resistance, ohm, resistivity, conductivity b. Use R=ρl/A c. Explain variable resistors, strain gauge, LDR, and thermistors
- Current-voltage relations: a. Sketch and discuss I–V characteristics of a metallic conductor, diode, and filament lamp b. State Ohm’s law and identify ohmic/non-ohmic resistors
- Resistances in series and parallel: a. Derive and use formulas for series and parallel combinations
- Potential divider: a. Understand and use the principle of a potential divider circuit b. Explain the use of sensors in potential divider circuits
- Electromotive force: a. Define e.m.f. b. Distinguish between e.m.f. and p.d. c. Understand the effects of internal resistance
- Work and power: a. Derive and use P=IV and P=I²R for power
Content Area: Modern Physics
24. Nuclear physics
- Explain how nucleus was discovered
- Convey the meaning of mass number, atomic number
- Calculate the expression of nuclear density
- Explain the existence of different isotopes of the same element
- Describe main theme of Einstein’s mass energy relation and state the relation
- Explain the meaning of mass defect and cause of it
- Describe the terms creation and annihilation
- Derive the relation of binding energy and binding energy per unit nucleon of different nuclei
- Plot a graph between BE per nucleon and mass number of different nuclei
- Define nuclear fusion and fission and explain the mechanism of energy release
- Solve numerical problems related to nuclear physics
25. Solids
- Distinguish between energy level and energy band along with the formation of energy band in solids
- Differentiate metals, semiconductors, and conductors on the basis of energy band
- Explain the meaning of intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors with examples
- Explain how p and n type semiconductors are formed
- Interpret unit related conceptual questions clearly
26. Recent Trends in Physics
- Explain elementary particles and antiparticles
- Classify the particles with examples
- Name different quarks with their charges and symbols
- Write quark combination of few mesons and baryons particles
- Describe leptons with examples
- Explain Big Bang and Hubble’s law and justify the expansion of the universe
- Briefly describe dark matter, black hole and gravitational wave
