Syllabus Physics for Class 12 2023-24

Class 12 CBSE Physics Syllabus 2023-24

The Central Board of Secondary Education, popularly known as CBSE, is responsible for creating the CBSE Syllabus for Class 12 Physics and conducting the exam. Students can download the latest released CBSE Class 12 Physics Syllabus PDF from the link below. Going through the syllabus will help students to know the topics they are going to study in Physics during the academic year. The PDF also contains the list of Physics experiments consisting of the complete detail of the practical syllabus.

This chapter teaches students about the electric charges, Coulomb’s law force between two-point charges, conservation of charge, forces between charges, continuous charge distribution and the superposition principle.

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 polarization, 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 (no derivation, formulae only).

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, V-I characteristics (linear and non-linear), electrical energy and power, electrical resistivity and conductivity, 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 rules, Wheatstone bridge.

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 and its applications to infinitely long straight wire. Straight solenoid (only qualitative treatment), force on a moving charge in uniform magnetic and electric fields. 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; Current loop as a magnetic dipole and its magnetic dipole moment, moving coil galvanometer- its current sensitivity and conversion to ammeter and voltmeter.

 Chapter–5:

 Magnetism and Matter Bar magnet, bar magnet as an equivalent solenoid (qualitative treatment only), magnetic field intensity due to a magnetic dipole (bar magnet) along its axis and perpendicular to its axis (qualitative treatment only), torque on a magnetic dipole (bar magnet) in a uniform magnetic field (qualitative treatment only), magnetic field lines. Magnetic properties of materials- Para-, dia- and ferro - magnetic substances with examples, Magnetization of materials, effect of temperature on magnetic properties.

Chapter–6:

 Electromagnetic Induction Electromagnetic induction; Faraday's laws, induced EMF and current; Lenz's Law, Self and mutual induction.

 Chapter–7: 

Alternating Current Alternating currents, peak and RMS value of alternating current/voltage; reactance and impedance; LCR series circuit (phasors only), resonance, power in AC circuits, power factor, wattless current. AC generator, Transformer

Chapter–8:

 Electromagnetic Waves Basic idea of displacement current, Electromagnetic waves, their characteristics, their transverse nature (qualitative idea only). Electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma rays) including elementary facts about their uses.

Chapter–9: 

Ray Optics and Optical Instruments Ray Optics: Reflection of light, spherical mirrors, mirror formula, refraction of light, total internal reflection and optical fibers, refraction at spherical surfaces, lenses, thin lens formula, lens maker’s formula, magnification, power of a lens, combination of thin lenses in contact, refraction of light through a prism. 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 Huygen’s principle. Interference, Young's double slit experiment and expression for fringe width (No derivation final expression only), coherent sources and sustained interference of light, diffraction due to a single slit, width of central maxima (qualitative treatment only). 

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. Experimental study of photoelectric effect Matter waves-wave nature of particles, de-Broglie relation

Chapter–12: 

Atoms Alpha-particle scattering experiment; Rutherford's model of atom; Bohr model of hydrogen atom, Expression for radius of nth possible orbit, velocity and energy of electron in nth orbit, hydrogen line spectra (qualitative treatment only).

 Chapter–13:

 Nuclei Composition and size of nucleus, nuclear force Mass-energy relation, mass defect; binding energy per nucleon and its variation with mass number; nuclear fission, nuclear fusion.

Chapter–14:

 Semiconductor Electronics: Materials, Devices and Simple Circuits Energy bands in conductors, semiconductors and insulators (qualitative ideas only) Intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors- p and n type, p-n junction Semiconductor diode - I-V characteristics in forward and reverse bias, application of junction diode -diode as a rectifier. 

Practical

The record to be submitted by the students at the time of their annual examination has to include:

 Record of at least 8 Experiments [with 4 from each section], to be performed by the students.

 Record of at least 6 Activities [with 3 each from section A and section B], to be performed by the students.

 The Report of the project carried out by the students

Evaluation scheme

Two experiments one from each section 7+7 Marks

 Practical record [experiments and activities] 5 Marks

 One activity from any section 3 Marks 

Investigatory Project 3 Marks

 Viva on experiments, activities and project 5 Marks 

Total 30 marks

 Experiments

 SECTION–A

 1. To determine resistivity of two / three wires by plotting a graph for potential difference versus current.

 2. To find resistance of a given wire / standard resistor using metre bridge. 

3. To verify the laws of combination (series) of resistances using a metre bridge. OR To verify the laws of combination (parallel) of resistances using a metre bridge.

 4. To determine resistance of a galvanometer by half-deflection method and to find its figure of merit. 5. To convert the given galvanometer (of known resistance and figure of merit) into a voltmeter of desired range and to verify the same. OR To convert the given galvanometer (of known resistance and figure of merit) into an ammeter of desired range and to verify the same.

 6. To find the frequency of AC mains with a sonometer.

 Activities 

1. To measure the resistance and impedance of an inductor with or without iron core.

 2. To measure resistance, voltage (AC/DC), current (AC) and check continuity of a given circuit using multimeter.

 3. To assemble a household circuit comprising three bulbs, three (on/off) switches, a fuse and a power source.

 4. To assemble the components of a given electrical circuit.

 5. To study the variation in potential drop with length of a wire for a steady current.

 6. To draw the diagram of a given open circuit comprising at least a battery, resistor/rheostat, key, ammeter and voltmeter. Mark the components that are not connected in proper order and correct the circuit and also the circuit diagram. 

SECTION-B

 Experiments

 1. To find the value of v for different values of u in case of a concave mirror and to find the focal length.

 2. To find the focal length of a convex mirror, using a convex lens. 

3. To find the focal length of a convex lens by plotting graphs between u and v or between 1/u and 1/v. 4. To find the focal length of a concave lens, using a convex lens.

 5. To determine angle of minimum deviation for a given prism by plotting a graph between angle of incidence and angle of deviation.

 6. To determine refractive index of a glass slab using a travelling microscope. 

7. To find the refractive index of a liquid using convex lens and plane mirror. 

8. To find the refractive index of a liquid using a concave mirror and a plane mirror. 

9. To draw the I-V characteristic curve for a p-n junction diode in forward and reverse bias. 

Activities

 1. To identify a diode, an LED, a resistor and a capacitor from a mixed collection of such items. 

2. Use of multimeter to see the unidirectional flow of current in case of a diode and an LED and check whether a given electronic component (e.g., diode) is in working order.

 3. To study effect of intensity of light (by varying distance of the source) on an LDR.

 4. To observe refraction and lateral deviation of a beam of light incident obliquely on a glass slab.

 5. To observe diffraction of light due to a thin slit.

 6. To study the nature and size of the image formed by a (i) convex lens, or (ii) concave mirror, on a screen by using a candle and a screen (for different distances of the candle from the lens/mirror).

 7. To obtain a lens combination with the specified focal length by using two lenses from the given set of lenses.