UPSC IFS Mains Physics Optional Question Paper 2023: Analysis & Strategies

PWOnlyIAS November 27, 2023 07:18 1995 0

Strategize UPSC IFS Mains with Physics Optional Question Paper Insights & Paper Analysis. Download 2018-2022 physics Optional question papers for Prep Boost. Success Trends, Current Affairs Impact, and Pros & Cons of Choosing Physics as Your Optional Subject.

UPSC IFS Mains Physics Optional Question Paper 2023: Analysis & Strategies

UPSC IFS Mains Exam: Optimal Strategies & physics Optional question paper Analysis

The UPSC IFS mains consist of a total of six papers with a total of 1400 marks. The IFS Mains examination includes two papers: one on English and one on General Knowledge. The remaining four papers (Paper I, Paper II, Paper III and Paper IV) cover optional subjects that candidates have chosen during the application form filling process. Since Paper I and Paper II have a maximum of 300 marks each, the remaining 800 marks depend on the optional subjects. It becomes crucial to choose the right optional subject and employ the right strategy so that candidates can score as much as possible. First, we will explore the importance and weightage of optionals, and then we will analyze Physics Optional question papers as an optional subject.

Download IFS 2023 Physics Optional Paper-01
Download IFS 2023 Physics Optional Paper-02

Importance of Optional Subject: Maximize Scores with physics Optional question paper Analysis

In UPSC IFS mains examination candidates have to choose two optional subjects from the list specified in the notification unlike UPSC IAS mains exam in which candidate has to choose only one optional subject. In IFS exam optional subjects have very high scoring potential because after Paper I and Paper II which consist of 600 marks optional have 800 marks so here optional plays a decisive role in determining your selection as well as to achieve a good rank.

Physics Optional Question Paper

It is evident that in the entire selection process, the optional subject plays a crucial role in preparing for the UPSC IFS exam, as it accounts for almost 48% of the total marks. This substantial portion contributes significantly to the overall evaluation of the entire exam.

Physics Optional Question Paper

Upon further magnification, we can conclude that in the IFS mains examination, the optional section carries almost 58% of the total mains marks. Therefore, scoring well in the optional section, along with Paper I and Paper II, will result in higher overall marks in the exam.

UPSC IFS Optional Paper Format: A Guide with Physics Optional question paper

Optional Subjects (Papers III, IV, V and VI)
- Candidates have the flexibility to choose optional subjects based on their preferences and expertise.
- These selections play an important role in Papers III,IV,V and VI shaping the content and focus of these segments.
- Understanding each paper and how optional subjects fit in helps you get ready for the UPSC IFS Mains Exam.
- Total number of questions in the question papers of optional subjects will be eight.
- Every question alloted equal marks. Each paper will be divided into two parts, Part A and Part B, each part containing four questions.
- Out of eight questions, five questions are to be attempted. One question in each part will be compulsory. Candidates will be required to answer three more questions out of the remaining six questions, taking at least one question from each Part.
- In this way, at least two questions will be attempted from each Part i.e. one compulsory question plus one more.

UPSC IFS Mains Physics Optional Question Paper: Insights and Tips

In the UPSC IFS Mains exam, the Physics Optional Question Paper consists of two papers, specifically Paper I and Paper II. Each of these papers carries a weightage of 200 marks, summing up to a total of 400 marks for this optional subject. Among the various optional subjects offered by UPSC in IFS, Physics Optional Question Paper is one of the 14 optional subjects available to candidates.

Physics

Syllabus of Physics Optional Question Paper

Paper I

Classical Mechanics: Dynamics, Systems, and Rigid Bodies Exploration

Particle dynamics: Centre of mass and laboratory coordinates conservation of linear and angular momentum. The rocket equation. Rutherford scattering, Galilean transformation, inertial and non-inertial frames, rotating frames, centrifugal and Coriolis forces, Foucault pendulum.
System of particles: Constraints, degrees of freedom, generalized coordinates and moments. Lagrange’s equation and applications to linear harmonic oscillator, simple pendulum and central force problems. Cyclic coordinates, Hamiltonian Lagrange’s equation from Hamilton’s principle.
Rigid body dynamics: Eulerian angles, inertia tensor, principal moments of inertia. Euler’s equation of motion of a rigid body, force-free motion of a rigid body, Gyroscope.

Special Relativity, Waves & Geometrical Optics: A Comprehensive Exploration

Special Relativity: Michelson-Morley experiment and its implications. Lorentz transformations-length contraction, time dilation, addition of velocities, aberration and Doppler effect, massenergy relation, simple applications to a decay process. Minkowski diagram, four dimensional momentum vector. Covariance of equations of physics.
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.
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.

Physical Optics: Interference, Diffraction, and Modern Optics

Interference- Interference of light-Young’s experiment, Newton’s rings, interference by thin films, Michelson interferometer. Multiple beam interference and Fabry-Perot interferometer. Holography and simple applications.
Diffraction: Fraunhofer diffraction-single slit, double slit, diffraction grating, resolving power. Fresnel diffraction: – half-period zones and zones plates. Fresnel integrals. Application of Cornu’s spiral to the analysis of diffraction at a straight edge and by a long narrow slit. Diffraction by a circular aperture and the Airy pattern.
Polarisation and Modern Optics: Production and detection of linearly and circularly polarised 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. Focussing laser beams. Three-level scheme for laser operation.

Electricity and Magnetism: Fields to Statistical Thermodynamics

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, polarisation. Solutions to boundary-value problemsconducting and dielectric spheres in a uniform electric field. Magnetic shell, uniformly magnetized sphere. Ferromagnetic materials, hysteresis, energy loss.
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. LR CR and LCR circuits-series and parallel resonance. Quality factor. Principal of transformer.
Electromagnetic Theory & Black Body Radiation: Theoretical Foundations
1. Electromagnetic Theory: Displacement current and Maxwell’s equations. Wave equations in vacuum, Pointing theorem. Vector and scalar potentials. Gauge invariance, Lorentz and Coulomb gauges. 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. Normal and anomalous dispersion. Rayleigh scattering.
2. Blackbody radiation: Balckbody radiation ad Planck radiation law-Stefan-Boltzmann law, Wien displacement law and Rayleigh-Jeans law. Planck mass, Planck length, Planck time,. Planck temperature and Planck energy.
Thermal and Statistical Physics : Laws, Processes, and Statistical Concepts
1. Thremodynamics: Laws of thermodynamics, reversible and irreversible processes, entropy. Isothermal, adiabatic, isobaric, isochoric processes and entropy change. Otto and Diesel engines, Gibbs’ phase rule and chemical potential. van der Waals equation of state of a real gas, critical constants. Maxwell-Boltzman distribution of molecular velocities, transport phenomena, equipartition and virial theorems. Dulong-Petit, Einstein, and Debye’s theories of specific heat of solids. Maxwell relations and applications. Clausius-Clapeyron equation. Adiabatic demagnetisation, Joule-Kelvin effect and liquefaction of gases.
2. Statistical Physics: Saha ionization formula. Bose-Einstein condensation. Thermodynamic behavior of an ideal Fermi gas, Chandrasekhar limit, elementary ideas about neutron stars and pulsars. Brownian motion as a random walk, diffusion process. Concept of negative temperature

Paper II

Quantum Mechanics I: Principles and Applications

45 Wave-particle duality. Schroedinger equation and expectation values. Uncertainty principle. Solutions of the one-dimensional Schroedinger equation free particle (Gaussian wave-packet), particle in a box, particle in a finite well, linear harmonic oscillator. Reflection and transmission by a potential step and by a rectangular barrier. Use of WKB formula for the life-time calculation in the alpha-decay problem.
Quantum Mechanics II & Atomic Physics:
- Quantum Mechanics II: Particle in a three dimensional box, density of states, free electron theory of metals. The angular momentum problem. The hydrogen atom. The spin half problem and properties of Pauli spin matrices.
- Atomic Physics: Stern-Gerlack experiment, electron spin, fine structure of hydrogen atom. LS coupling, J-J coupling. Spectroscopic notation of atomic states. Zeeman effect. FrankCondon principle and applications. 3. Molecular Physics: 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. Elementary ideas about Lamb shift and its significance.

Nuclear Physics: Insights into Fundamental Forces

Basic nuclear properties-size, binding energy, angular momentum, parity, magnetic moment. Semi-empirical mass formula and applications. Mass parabolas. Ground state of a deuteron magnetic moment and non-central forces. Meson 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.
Particle Physics & Solid State Physics:
- Particle Physics: 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.
- Solid State Physics: Cubic crystal structure. Band theory of solids-conductors, insulators and semiconductors. Elements of superconductivity, Meissner effect, Josephson junctions and applications. Elementary ideas about high temperature superconductivity.

Electronics: Fundamentals to Applications

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.

Download UPSC IFS physics Optional question paper: 2018-2022 Prep Boost in PDF

UPSC physics Optional question papers from 2018 to 2022 are readily available for aspirants seeking to enhance their preparation. We provided access to the UPSC IFS physics Optional question paper in PDF format, an invaluable resource for your preparation.

Year	Paper
UPSC IFS Physics Optional Question Paper 2018	Download Paper I Download Paper II
UPSC IFS Physics Optional Question Paper 2019	Download Paper I Download Paper II
UPSC IFS physics Optional question paper 2020	Download Paper I Download Paper II
UPSC IFS physics Optional question paper 2021	Download Paper I Download Paper II
UPSC IFS physics Optional question paper 2022	Download Paper I Download Paper II

UPSC IFS Optional: Strategic Insights for Success (Physics Optional Question Paper Included)

Candidates appearing for the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) IFS examination must make a thoughtful choice when selecting their optional subject, as it holds substantial weightage in the evaluation process. With a total of 800 marks allotted, the optional subject constitutes approximately 48% of the combined marks for both the written exam and the personality test.

Physics Optional Success: Insightful IFS Examination Rates

The table below offers a comprehensive overview of the success rate achieved by candidates who opted for physics Optional question papers as their optional.

Year	Number of Candidates
Year	Appeared in Interview	Recommended	Passing (%)
2015	20	12	60
2016	15	6	40
2017	14	8	57.1
2018	6	3	16.7
2019	8	4	50
2020	7	2	28.6

Physics Optional Question Paper

Physics Optional Question Paper Trends: Depth, Past Papers, and Current Affairs Impact

Shift towards In-Depth Knowledge: Recent Papers Emphasize Environmental Knowledge
- Recent question papers may test candidates’ depth of knowledge in various topics like environmental management, diversity conservation etc.
Influence of Previous Year Papers: Strategic Insights for Exam Success
- Many questions are indirectly related to topics previously asked in the preceding years. Therefore, solving questions from previous years will undoubtedly help candidates score well.
Current Affairs Impact on Optional Papers: Recent Impact and Relevance
- In recent years, questions have been posed with relevance to current affairs topics.
Back to the Basics Approach: Basics Mastery for Scoring Success
- In past Physics optional papers, questions haven’t been excessively difficult or beyond the syllabus. Candidates can score well if they have a command over the syllabus and a clear understanding of the subject’s basic fundamentals.

Pros of Physics as an Optional Subject: Choosing Physics as Your UPSC Optional

Background Knowledge: If you have a background in physics or a strong interest in the subject, choosing it as an optional can give you an advantage. Your pre-existing knowledge may make the preparation process more comfortable.
Logical and Analytical Skills- Physics requires logical reasoning and analytical skills. Developing these skills can be beneficial not only for the physics Optional question paper but also for other sections of the exam.
Objective Nature- Physics is a science subject with well-defined theories and laws. The answers are often more objective than in some other subjects, reducing the subjectivity of evaluation.
Overlap with General Studies- Some topics in physics, especially in Paper I, overlap with the General Studies paper. This can help in integrated preparation and revision.
Complexity- Physics is considered one of the more challenging optional subjects due to its conceptual complexity. The mathematical nature of the subject can be intimidating for some candidates.
Scoring Variability- While physics is objective, the scoring can be unpredictable. It depends on how well you present your answers, and a small mistake in a derivation or calculation can cost you marks.
Time-Consuming- Physics preparation can be time-consuming, especially if you don’t have a background in the subject. It may require more hours of study compared to some other optional subjects.
Limited Study Material- Compared to popular optional subjects like history or geography, the availability of comprehensive study materials for physics may be limited. This could pose a challenge for some candidates.
Less Preferred subject- Physics is not a very common optional choice among IFS aspirants. While this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a disadvantage, it might mean that fewer resources and guidance are available compared to more popular optional subjects.

Please note that before selecting Physics as your optional subject, carefully weigh these disadvantages against the advantages and consider your own background, interests, and the time you can dedicate to preparation.

Booklist for Physics Optional Question Paper: Essential Resources for UPSC Exam

Classical Mechanics by Herbert Goldstein
Introduction to Mechanics by Kleppner and Kolenkow
Principles of Quantum Mechanics by R. Shankar
Quantum Mechanics: Concepts and Applications by Nouredine Zettili
Introduction to Electrodynamics by David J. Griffiths
Classical Electrodynamics by John David Jackson
Thermal Physics by Charles Kittel and Herbert Kroemer
Mathematical Physics by B.S. Rajasekaran
Atomic Physics by Max Born
Introductory Nuclear Physics by Kenneth S. Krane
Introduction to Elementary Particles by David J. Griffiths
Introduction to Solid State Physics by Charles Kittel
Solid State Physics by Neil W. Ashcroft and N. David Mermin
Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory by Robert L. Boylestad and Louis Nashelsky
A Course in Electrical and Electronic Measurements and Instrumentation by A. K. Sawhney
Principles of Optics: Electromagnetic Theory of Propagation, Interference and Diffraction of Light by Max Born and Emil Wolf
Modern Physics by Kenneth S. Krane

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