Civil Service Preliminary Syllabus Physics - Optional
1. Mechanics
and Waves
Dimensional analysis. Newton's laws of motion and
applications, variable mass systems, projectiles. Rotational dynamics-kinetic
energy, angular momentum, theorems of moment of intertia and calculations in
simple cases. Conservative forces, frictional forces. Gravitaional potential and
intensity due to spherical objects. Central forces, Kepler's problem, escape
velocity and artificial satellites (including GPS). Streamline motion,
viscosity, Poiseuille's equation. Applications of Bernoulli's equation and
Stokes' law.
Special relativity and Lorentz transformation-length
contraction, time dilation, mass-energy relation.
Simple harmonic motion, Lissajous figures. Damped
oscillation, forced oscillation and resonance. Beats, Phase and group
velocities. Stationary waves, vibration of strings and air columns, longitudinal
waves in solids. Doppler effect. Ultrasonics and applications.
2. Geometrical
and Physical 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. Simple optical
instruments-magnifier, eyepieces, telescopes and microscopes.
Huygens' principle-reflection and refraction of waves.
Interference of light-Young's experiment, Newton's rings, interference by thin
films, Michelson interferometer. Fraunhofer diffraction-single slit, double
slit, diffraction grating, resolving power. Fresnel diffraction-half-period
zones and zone plate. Production and detection of linearly, circularly and
elliptically polarised light. Double refraction, quarter-waves plates and
half-wave plates. Polarizing sheets. Optical activity and applications. Rayleigh scattering and applications.
Elements of fibre optics-attenuation; pulse dispersion in
step index and parabolic index fibres; material dispersion. Lasers,
characteristics of laser light-spatial and temporal coherence. Focussing of
laser beams and applciations.
3. Heat
and Thermodynamics
Thermal equilibrium and temperature. The zeroth law of
thermodynamics. Heat and the first law of thermodynamics. Efficiency of Carnot
engines. Entropy and the second law of thermodynamics. Kinetic theory and the
equation of state of an ideal gas. Mean free path, distribution of molecular
speeds and energies. Trasport phenomena. Andrew's experiements-van der Waals
equation and applications. Joule-Kelvin effect and applications. Brownian
motion. Thermodynamic potentials-Maxwell relations. Phase transitions.
Kirchhoff's laws. Black-body radiation-Stefan-Boltzmann law, spectral radiancy,
Wien displacement law, application to the cosmic microwave background radiation,
Planck radiation law.
4. Electricity
and Magnetism
Electric charge, Coulomb's law, electric field, Gauss' law.
Electric potential, van de Graff accelerator. Capacitors, dielectrics and
polarization. Ohm's law, Kirchhoff's first and second rules, resistors in series
and parallel, applications to two-loop circuits. Magnietic field-Gauss'law for
magnetism, atomic and nuclear magnetism, magnetic susceptibility, classification
of magnetic materials. Cirulating charges, cyclotron, synchrotron. Hall effect.
Biot-Savart law, Ampere's law, Faraday's law of induction., Lenz's law.
Inductance. Alternating current circuits-RC, LR, single-loop LRC circuits,
impedance, resonance, power in AC circuits. Displacement current, Maxwell's
equations (MKS units), electromagnetic waves, energy transport and Poynting
vector.
5. Atomic
and Nuclear Physics
Photoelectric effect, Einstein's photon theory. Bohr's theory
of hydrogen atom. Stern-Gerlach experiment, quantisation of angular momentum,
electron spin. Pauli exclusion principle and applications. Zeeman effect. X-ray
spectrum, Bragg's law, Bohr's theory of the Mosley plot. Compton effect, Compton
wavelength. Wave nature of matter, de Broglie wavelength, wave-particle duality.
Heisenberg's uncertainty relationships. Schroedinger's equation-eigenvalues and
eigenfunctions of (i) particle in a box, (ii) simple harmonic oscillator and
(iii) hydrogen atom. Potential step and barrier penetration. Natural and
artificial radioactivity. Binding energy of nuclei, nuclear fission and fusion.
Classification of elementary particles and their interactions.
6. Electronics
Diodes in half-waves and full-wave rectification, qualitative ideas of
semiconductors, p type and n type semiconductors, junction diode, Zener diode,
transistors, binary numbers, Logic gates and truth tables, Elements of
microprocessors and computers.