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UPSC Physics Optional Syllabus For UPSC Exam 2024

Aditi Sinha July 14, 2023 03:20 11299 0

Study the UPSC Physics Optional article, which contains details on the past year's questions, success rates, analysis, and syllabus.

UPSC Physics Optional Syllabus For UPSC Exam 2024

Physics is one of the 48 subjects offered by the UPSC as an optional for UPSC CSE Mains examination. Being a technical subject, a candidate can choose the subject if they possess good knowledge and conceptual clarity.  Read more about UPSC Physics Optional Syllabus, Paper, Analysis, Success Rate, PYQ and strategy.

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Physics Optional Syllabus: An Overview

Physics is a branch of natural science that deals with the study of matter and energy, and also their interactions. Physics is one of the core science subjects that has been taught to students from elementary school.

Physics in UPSC is a specialized field, ideally suited for candidates with a background in graduate-level physics. The UPSC Exam Syllabus for this subject covers topics such as statics, dynamics, thermodynamics, relativity, electricity and magnetism, quantum theory, and solid-state semiconductors, among others.

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Despite the level of difficulty and the technicality involved, Physics has been popular among students having technical and science backgrounds. With a good hold over basics, and a clear-cut strategy, a student can qualify UPSC CSE exam by opting for Physics optional.

Physics optional Syllabus consists of two papers: Paper 1 and Paper 2, both of which carry 250 marks each. Both these papers contain eight questions, divided equally into two parts of four questions each.

A candidate has to attempt any five questions out of the eight, with question 1 and question 5 being compulsory. Out of the remaining six questions, they can attempt any three, with at least one from each section.

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UPSC Physics Optional Syllabus: Papers 1 and 2 Explained

UPSC Physics Optional Syllabus consists of two papers: Paper 1 and Paper 2. The Paper 1 covers topics such as mechanics, optics, thermodynamics etc. The syllabus of Paper 2 involves topics such as molecular physics, nuclear physics, quantum mechanics etc.

The complete syllabus for Paper 1 and Paper 2 is given below:

Physics Optional Syllabus: Paper 1

1. Classical Mechanics (a) Mechanics of Particles

Laws of motion; Conservation of energy and momentum, applications to rotating frames, centripetal and Coriolis accelerations; Motion under a central force; Conservation of angular momentum, Kepler’s laws; 

Fields and potentials; Gravitational field and potential due to spherical bodies, Gauss and Poisson equations, gravitational self-energy; Two-body problem; Reduced mass; Rutherford scattering; Centre of mass a laboratory reference frames.

(b) Mechanics of Rigid Bodies

System of particles; Centre of mass, angular momentum, equations of motion; Conservation theorems for energy, momentum, and angular momentum; Elastic and inelastic collisions; Rigid body; Degrees of freedom, Euler’s theorem, angular velocity, angular momentum, moments of inertia, theorems of parallel and perpendicular axes, equation of motion for rotation; Molecular rotations (as rigid bodies); Di and tri-atomic molecules; Processional motion; Top, gyroscope.

(c) Mechanics of Continuous Media

Elasticity, Hooke’s law and elastic constants of isotropic solids and their inter-relation; Streamline (Laminar) flow, viscosity, Poiseuille’s equation, Bernoulli’s equation, Stokes’ law and applications.

(d) Special Relativity

Michelson-Morley experiment and its implications; Lorentz transformations-length contraction, time dilation, the addition of relativistic velocities, aberration, and Doppler effect, mass-energy relation, simple applications to a decay process; Four-dimensional momentum vector; Covariance of equations of physics.

2. Waves and Optics (a) Waves

Simple harmonic motion, damped oscillation, forced oscillation and resonance; Beats; Stationary waves in a string; Pulses and wave packets; Phase and group velocities; Reflection and Refraction from Huygens’ principle.

(b) Geometrical Optics

Laws of reflection and refraction from Fermat’s principle; Matrix method in paraxial optics-thin lens formula, nodal planes, system of two thin lenses, chromatic and spherical aberrations.

(c) Interference

Interference of light-Young’s experiment, Newton’s rings, interference by thin films, Michelson interferometer; Multiple beam interference, and Fabry-Perot interferometer.

(d) Diffraction

Fraunhofer diffraction-single slit, double slit, diffraction grating, resolving power; Diffraction by a circular aperture and the Airy pattern; 

Fresnel diffraction: half-period zones and zone plates, circular aperture.

(e) Polarization and Modern Optics

Production and detection of linearly and circularly polarized light; Double refraction, quarter wave plate; Optical activity; Principles of fibre optics, attenuation; Pulse dispersion in step index and parabolic index fibres; Material dispersion, single mode fibres; Lasers-Einstein A and B coefficients; Ruby and He-Ne lasers; Characteristics of laser light-spatial and temporal coherence; Focusing of laser beams; Three-level scheme for laser operation; Holography and simple applications.

3. Electricity and Magnetism (a) Electrostatics and Magnetostatics

Laplace and Poisson equations in electrostatics and their applications; 

Energy of a system of charges, multiple expansion of scalar potential; 

Method of images and its applications; Potential and field due to a dipole, force and torque on a dipole in an external field; Dielectrics, polarization; Solutions to boundary-value problems-conducting and dielectric spheres in a uniform electric field; Magnetic shell, uniformly magnetized sphere; Ferromagnetic materials, hysteresis, energy loss.

(b) Current Electricity

Kirchhoff’s laws and their applications; Biot-Savart law, Ampere’s law, Faraday’s law, Lenz’ law; Self-and mutual-inductances; Mean and r m s values in AC circuits; DC and AC circuits with R, L, and C components; Series and parallel resonances; Quality factor; Principle of transformer.

4. Electromagnetic Waves and Blackbody Radiation Displacement current and Maxwell’s equations; Wave equations in vacuum, Pointing theorem; Vector and scalar potentials; Electromagnetic field tensor, covariance of Maxwell’s equations; Wave equations in isotropic dielectrics, reflection and refraction at the boundary of two dielectrics; Fresnel’s relations; Total internal reflection; Normal and anomalous dispersion; Rayleigh scattering; Black body radiation and Planck’s radiation law, Stefan – Boltzmann law, Wien’s displacement law and Rayleigh-Jeans’ law. 
5. Thermal and Statistical Physics (a) Thermodynamics

Laws of thermodynamics, reversible and irreversible processes, entropy; Isothermal, adiabatic, isobaric, isochoric processes and entropy changes; 

Otto and Diesel engines, Gibbs’ phase rule and chemical potential; 

Vander Waals equation of state of a real gas, critical constants; Maxwell-Boltzman distribution of molecular velocities, transport phenomena, equi-partition, and virial theorems; Dulong-Petit, Einstein, and Debye’s theories of specific heat of solids; Maxwell relations and applications; Clausius- Clapeyron equation; Adiabatic de-magnetisation, Joule-Kelvin effect and liquefaction of gases.

(b) Statistical Physics

Macro and micro states, statistical distributions, Maxwell-Boltzmann, Bose-Einstein, and Fermi-Dirac distributions, applications to specific heat of gases and black body radiation; Concept of negative temperatures.

 

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Physics Optional Syllabus: Paper 2

1. Quantum Mechanics Wave-particle duality; Schroedinger equation and expectation values; Uncertainty principle; Solutions of the one-dimensional Schroedinger equation for free particle (Gaussian wave-packet), particle in a box, particle in a finite well, linear harmonic oscillator; Reflection and transmission by a step potential and by a rectangular barrier; Particle in a three dimensional box, density of states, free electron theory of metals; Angular momentum; Hydrogen atom; Spin half particles, properties of Pauli spin matrices. 
2. Atomic and Molecular Physics Stern-Gerlach experiment, electron spin, fine structure of hydrozen atom;  L-S coupling, J-J coupling;  Spectroscopic notation of atomic states; Zeeman effect; Franck-Condon principle and applications; Elementary theory of rotational, vibrational and electronic spectra of diatomic molecules; Raman effect and molecular structure; Laser Raman spectroscopy; Importance of neutral hydrogen atom, molecular hydrogen and molecular hydrogen ion in astronomy. Fluorescence and Phosphorescence; Elementary theory and applications of NMR and EPR; Elementary ideas about  Lamb shift and its significance. 
3. Nuclear Physics Basic nuclear properties-size, binding energy, angular momentum, parity, and magnetic moment; Semi-empirical mass formula and applications; Mass parabolas; The ground state of a deuteron magnetic moment and non-central forces; Meson’s theory of nuclear forces; Salient features of nuclear forces; Shell model of the nucleus-success and limitations; Violation of parity in beta decay; Gamma decay and internal conversion; Elementary ideas about Mossbauer spectroscopy; Q-value of nuclear reactions; Nuclear fission and fusion, energy production in stars; Nuclear reactors.

Classification of elementary particles and their interactions; Conservation laws; Quark structure of hadrons : Field quanta of electroweak and strong interactions; Elementary ideas about unification of forces; Physics of neutrinos.

4. Solid State Physics, Devices and Electronics Crystalline and amorphous structure of matter; Different crystal systems, space groups; Methods of determination of crystal structure; X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopies; Band theory of solids—conductors, insulators and semi-conductors; Thermal properties of solids, specific heat, Debye theory; Magnetism: dia, para and ferromagnetism; Elements of super-conductivity, Meissner effect, Josephson junctions and applications; Elementary ideas about high temperature super-conductivity.  

Intrinsic and extrinsic semi-conductors- p-n-p and n-p-n transistors; Amplifiers and oscillators. Op-amps; FET, JFET and MOSFET; Digital electronics-Boolean identities, De Morgan’s laws, Logic gates and truth tables. Simple logic circuits; Thermistors, solar cells; Fundamentals of microprocessors and digital computers. 

 

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Before starting preparation, candidates have to collect all the resources needed for covering the complete syllabus. The complete list of books needed for students to complete Physics Optional syllabus is given below:

Paper 1 Paper 2
  • Electricity and Magnetism by Satya Prakash
  • Introduction of Electrodynamics by David Griffiths
  • Electricity & Magnetism by D.C. Tayal, B.S. Agarwal, Griffith
  • A Textbook of Sound by N. Subrahmanyam
  • Physics Vol I&II by David Halliday and Resnick
  • Advanced Level Physics by Nelkon & Parker
  • Optics by Brijlal & Subramanyam
  • Atomic & Molecular Spectra by Rajkumar
  • Electronics by Allen Mottershead
  • Concept of Modern Physics by Arthur Beiser
  • Fundamental of Magnetism electricity by D.N. Vasudeva
  • Electronics by Millman & Halkias
  • Mechanics by Kleppner & Kolenkow -D.S. Mathur
  • Atomic Physics by J. B. Rajan
  • Mechanics by D.S. Mathur, B.S. Agarwal

Analysis of UPSC Physics Optional Papers for Exam Success

UPSC Physics Optional Analysis is very important for candidates. This analysis gives you a clear picture of the types of questions asked, how hard or easy they are, and if certain questions tend to repeat. 

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By studying previous papers, you can spot patterns and understand which topics are more important. This helps you focus your preparation on what really matters and manage your time effectively. It’s also a smart way to predict if some questions might come up again, giving you a valuable advantage in the exam. So, for the UPSC Physics optional paper, thorough analysis is a crucial part of your preparation strategy.

Success Rate of UPSC Physics Optional Exams

The success rate of the UPSC Physics Optional Paper for the year 2021-2022 was 6.2 percent. The table given below will give you insights into the UPSC Physics Optional Success Rate.

UPSC Physics Optional Success Rate
Year No. of Candidates Appeared No. of Candidates Recommended Success Rate Percentage
2021 130 8 6.2
2020 165 12 7.3
2019 120 13 10.8
2017 140 14 10
2016 239 16 6.7
2015 266 17 6.4
2014 147 13 8.8

 

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List of UPSC Toppers Who Chose Physics Optional

Year Name Marks Rank
2022 Ankur Kumar 295 257
2021 Aniket Hirde 312 98
2018 Sushil Agrawal 300 198

Physics Optional PYQs

Any preparation is incomplete without analysing previous year questions related to the subject. While preparing for Physics Optional, candidates have to go through the previous year questions to understand the demand of the exams, and prepare accordingly. Following is the link to download previous year questions of Physics Optional:

UPSC CSE Physics Optional PYQ 2023 Paper 1: Physics Optional
Paper 2: Physics Optional
UPSC CSE Physics Optional PYQ 2022 Paper 1: Physics Optional
Paper 2: Physics Optional
UPSC CSE Physics Optional PYQ 2021 Paper 1: Physics Optional
Paper 2: Physics Optional
UPSC CSE Physics Optional PYQ 2020 Paper 1: Physics Optional
Paper 2: Physics Optional
UPSC CSE Physics Optional PYQ 2019 Paper 1: Physics Optional
Paper 2: Physics Optional
UPSC CSE Physics Optional PYQ 2018 Paper 1: Physics Optional
Paper 2: Physics Optional

 

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UPSC with Physics Optional Strategy and Tips

Physics optional is not the conventional optional subject that involves monotonous study. It is conceptual in nature, requiring clear understanding of basics. The following are some steps that a candidate can follow for scoring better marks in Physics Optional:

  • Clear Knowledge about Syllabus: The first and foremost task is to have a clear understanding of the syllabus. This will help candidates to prepare in a better way.
  • Clarity of Concepts: Physics is a highly conceptual subject, requiring clear-cut understanding of themes. The efforts of the candidate must be directed towards understanding concepts for better chances of scoring.
  • Guidance from Experienced Mentor: The approach to Physics as an optional is very different from other subjects. It is necessary that candidates have a mentor, who has the experience of guiding students for this examination.
  • Notes-making: The candidate must have their own handwritten notes that cover the complete syllabus. This will enable them to revise in a better way.
  • Regular Revision: The candidate has to revise multiple times to remember topics and recall in a faster way. Regular revision will enable them to attempt the exam in a better way.
  • Attempt Test Series: Every candidate has to attempt at least 25-30 tests covering the complete physics optional subject. This can help them increase their confidence before the actual examination.
  • Combine Theory with Numericals: When dealing with numerical problems, remember to include the underlying theory. This holistic approach yields maximum marks. It’s not just about solving the problem; it’s about understanding what to include based on the question’s allotted marks.
  • Emphasize Both Physics and Mathematics: In your answers, delve into the physics concepts and their mathematical solutions. This comprehensive approach showcases your understanding of both aspects.
  • Polished Diagrams: Whenever using diagrams, ensure they are relevant, well-organized, and correctly labeled. Clear and precise diagrams enhance your answers.
  • Formula Cheat Sheet: Maintain a separate list of formulas for each unit. These come in handy during revision and accelerate numerical problem-solving.
  • Refer to Developments in Physics: Candidates must not restrict themselves to static knowledge of the subject. They must keep themselves updated with the latest developments, which may help them write better answers.
  • Prioritize Previous Years’ Papers: Solving past papers is crucial, as a substantial portion of questions are often repeated. This practice enhances your familiarity with the exam format.

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Conclusion:

Looking at the syllabus and past trends, it is clear that Physics optional puts emphasis on application-based questions rather than pure theory. The candidates must not just read concepts; they must have the knowledge of applying it to solve questions.

This makes Physics optional a challenging subject for the students. Candidates having a good Physics conceptual base, who can grasp topics easily and those having a good hold over Mathematical concepts like differentiation, integration, algebra, Trigonometry etc have an edge over other competitors.

Must Read
NCERT Notes For UPSC UPSC Daily Current Affairs
UPSC Blogs UPSC Daily Editorials
Daily Current Affairs Quiz Daily Main Answer Writing
UPSC Mains Previous Year Papers UPSC Test Series 2024

 

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UPSC Physics Syllabus FAQs

Candidates must not take more than 3 months to complete the syllabus of Physics optional. They are advised to revise regularly till the exams.

It is advisable for candidates to make their own copy of notes for faster revision. Notes-making also helps them remember concepts in a better way.

A candidate has to write anywhere between 15-20 tests prior to the examination. The test can be broken down into sectional and full-length tests.

The topper copy gives an idea about the way questions are approached. The candidate will also understand the structure of writing answers.

Physics and mathematics are deeply inter-connected. A concept of Physics cannot be elucidated without Mathematical proof. Hence, the knowledge of Mathematics is utmost necessary for Physics optional.
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 Final Result – CIVIL SERVICES EXAMINATION, 2023.   Udaan-Prelims Wallah ( Static ) booklets 2024 released both in english and hindi : Download from Here!     Download UPSC Mains 2023 Question Papers PDF  Free Initiative links -1) Download Prahaar 3.0 for Mains Current Affairs PDF both in English and Hindi 2) Daily Main Answer Writing  , 3) Daily Current Affairs , Editorial Analysis and quiz ,  4) PDF Downloads  UPSC Prelims 2023 Trend Analysis cut-off and answer key

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UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
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Quick Revise Now !
UDAAN PRELIMS WALLAH
Comprehensive coverage with a concise format
Integration of PYQ within the booklet
Designed as per recent trends of Prelims questions
हिंदी में भी उपलब्ध

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