The Class 11 physics syllabus is a big jump from Classes 9-10. The ideal place to start is the NCERT textbook. Reading this book will build a strong foundation on the subject. I will talk about the book now, so read on!
Chapter 1 introduces you to the world of physics. Just go through it, no need to memorize it.
Chapter 2 talks about units and measurements. You have of course seen some of this stuff before. Nevertheless, do not neglect this chapter, specially the stuff on errors. The chapter explains different kinds of errors and illustrates the concepts through worked out examples in a very organized manner, which you will find in many other books. Also, thoroughly understand the material on dimensional analysis and its applications. There is a very good chance that you will see questions on the aforementioned in your exams. Also, remember to solve the problems at the end of the chapter.
Chapter 3 is about motion in a straight line. You will need to use some calculus in this chapter and the chapter itself does a good job of explaining it. Get used to drawing and interpreting the different kinds of graphs. Also, learn to derive and memorize the kinematic equations as you will see them in your exams. The chapter does a very good job of explaining everything from the basics. There’s tons of problems for practice as well. There’s even an appendix at the end of the chapter where differential and integral calculus are discussed in brief. Take a look at them.
Chapter 4 talks about motion in a plane. It starts off with a very good explanation on vectors and its properties which you will need throughout the rest of the chapter. All the explanations of the different topics start from the basics and are meant for beginners. So, understand them well. Solve the worked out problems and exercises as well. They will help you internalize the material.
Chapter 5 is about the laws of motion. The theory in the chapter starts with the very basics. Even if you’ve come across the material before, read through this chapter. It will clear any conceptual difficulties you might have. It contains very good explanations on classical mechanics: Newton’s laws of motion, conservation of momentum, equilibrium of a particle, friction, circular motion which are extremely important topics for competitive exams and help build the foundation for later chapters. Solving the problems will further clear your concepts.
Chapter 6 is on the very important topic of work, power and energy. It starts with a brief discussion on vectors and then starts with the different concepts related to work and energy and the interrelations between them in a very organized and methodical manner. There are several scenarios explained very well in the chapter which are of utmost importance. You will see stuff like this in your exams. Then there is a brief description of different types of energy which you will need later on. So, study this chapter thoroughly. The chapter ends with a discussion on collisions which is another very important topic. In short, learn the theory in this chapter well and practice the problems before moving onto other books.
Chapter 7 talks about systems of particles and rotational motion. The first chapter contains a very nice introduction. Make sure you understand the theory at the beginning of the chapter before you move on. The next few sections contains very compact and easy to understand discussions on different aspects of center of mass and it’s applications. This is a very confusing topic, but the chapter does an excellent job of explaining it and illustrating it with examples. There is a brief discussion on vector products which you will need for the next few sections on different aspects of rotational motion. This is again a confusing topic, but the theory in the chapter will help you develop clear concepts regarding the material. You will use these concepts in the next sections on equilibrium, center of gravity and moment of inertia and their applications. This is a very important chapter for competitive exams. Learn it well. Solve as many of the problems as you can.
Chapter 8 is on gravitation. This is relatively simple topic compared to the other topics in the book. The theory in the chapter is again very sound and contains pretty much everything you need to know, even for competitive exams. Practice the problems in the chapter to start with. You can practice more advanced problems from other books later on.
Chapter 9 on mechanical properties of solids is also a short chapter and the material is simple, so it shouldn’t give you too much trouble. Study all the regions of the stress-strain curve well. The rest of the chapter and the problems are relatively simple, so you shouldn’t have much problems with them.
Chapter 10 is on mechanical properties of fluids. The theory along with the applications and the problems are very good and pretty much everything you need to know about the topic, you will find here.
Chapter 11 is on thermal properties of matter. This is again a very important chapter. You will use the concepts presented in this chapter in the next chapter on thermodynamics as well. So, make sure you understand everything and practice the problems.
Chapter 12 on thermodynamics is an extremely confusing chapter for beginners. I will talk about excellent books on thermodynamics later on which contain pretty much everything you need to know on the topic, including problems, for your exams. However, you can start with this book. It’s good as an introduction on this topic but it’s not sufficient for competitive exams. Like I said, I will talk about other books later.
Chapter 13 talks about the kinetic theory of gases. This topic is one of the simpler ones, but do not underestimate it. Understand the theory in the chapter and solve the problems. You are bound to see questions from this topic in your exams.
Chapter 14 and Chapter 15 are on oscillations and waves. The theory is good and there are a lot of different scenarios explained in the chapter which you might see in your exams. Study them thoroughly. You will use concepts on oscillations when you study waves, so make sure you understand the theory on oscillations well before you move onto waves.
Cheers and good luck!
I will talk about the Class 12 NCERT textbook now. Hope it’s helpful!
Chapter 1 is on electric charges and fields. The theory is ideal for students new to the topic. It introduces key concepts which you will use in later chapters in detail. The chapter pretty much covers everything you need to know on the topic. I have seen problems similar to the ones worked out in the chapter and the exercises at the end of the chapter, so I would suggest thoroughly practicing them.
Chapter 2 is on electrostatic potential and capacitance. It builds on the concepts on Chapter 1 and is just as important. Capacitance is a very important topic for your boards and competitive exams, so make sure you learn it well. The theory is presented in a clear and organized way, something that I have not found in many other books on the same topic. Reading the chapter from front to back and solving the problems, both worked out and otherwise, will clear your concepts. So go ahead with it.
Chapter 3 is on current electricity, something that most of you have encountered earlier. But, nevertheless do not underestimate the topic and go through the whole chapter and practice the problems and you’re good as far as this topic is concerned.
Chapter 4 is on moving charges and magnetism which is again a very important topic for your exams. You can expect multiple questions from this topic. Later chapters will build on some of the material in this chapter. So, you need to understand it well. Read the chapter from front to back and solve the problems and you’ll be in good shape.
Chapter 5 is on magnetism and matter and builds on some of the concepts in Chapter 4. You will even use some of the formulae derived in Chapter 4, so that’s something to keep in mind. There’s a lot of theory in this chapter which I recommend you understand well. The most important part of this chapter is Gauss’s law for magnetism. Practice the worked out problems and the exercises related to the latter topic again and again until you’re comfortable with it because you are bound to see questions on this topic in your exams.
Chapter 6 is on electromagnetic induction. Once again, the book does a very good job of explaining the topic in detail. It pretty much contains everything to know on the topic. understand the theory and practice all the worked out and end of chapter problems and you’ll be prepared for your boards and even competitive exams.
Chapter 7 is on alternating current. You have learnt about direct current. This chapter is about alternating current. The basic concepts are somewhat similar. You can start with studying the theory and solving the problems in this chapter, but you will need to refer to other books for a couple of things, which I will talk about later.
Chapter 8 on electromagnetic waves builds on the concepts introduced in the previous chapters. If you’ve understood the concepts in the previous chapters well, this chapter should not be a problem for you. Nevertheless, do not underestimate the chapter. Read the theory and practice the problems well.
Chapter 9 is on ray optics and optical instruments. Everything is explained in an organized and detained manner. This chapter contains some of the best theory I have seen on the topic. Read the chapter from front to back and solve the problems and you should be good.
Chapter 10 on wave optics again uses concepts introduced in previous chapters. All the theory you need to know on the topic is presented well in the chapter. Study the part on Young’s experiment well, you can expect questions from it in your exams. The problems, both worked out and at the of the chapter will help clear your concepts, so practice them well.
Chapter 11 discusses the dual nature of radiation and matter. This is a relatively short and easy topic and the chapter contains everything you need to know on the topic. Go through the theory and practice the problems without hesitation and you’ll be good.
Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 are on atoms and nuclei respectively. These topics are again short and simple and the discussion in the book is excellent and covers everything you need to know and you shouldn’t have much trouble with these two chapters. Even the problems will give you good practice.
Chapter 14 is on semiconductor electronics. The explanations of the concepts are excellent and chapter contains everything you need to know on the topic not just for your boards but also competitive exams. Expect mainly theoretical questions on this chapter. Study the chapter and practice the problems thoroughly and you’ll be ready for both theoretical questions and problems as well.
Chapter 15 is on communication systems. This is a relatively short chapter. Once again it contains excellent theory and everything you need to know is in the chapter. So study it well. There are a few end of chapter problems which you can practice. You can always use other books for practice which I will talk about later.
Good luck!
