28/05/2026
IIT-JAM Physics Syllabus -
The IIT JAM Physics (PH) syllabus is divided into 7 core modules:
Mathematical Methods, Mechanics, Oscillations/Waves/Optics, Electricity and Magnetism, Thermodynamics, Modern Physics, and Solid State/Electronics. It tests fundamental physics comprehension through MCQs, MSQs, and NATs.
1. Mathematical MethodsCalculus & Vector Calculus: Single and multivariable calculus, vector algebra, vector calculus (Divergence, Gradient, Curl), Green’s, Stokes’, and Gauss’s theorems.Algebra & Matrices: Matrices, operations, determinants, eigenvalues, eigenvectors, linear vector spaces, and basis changes.Differential Equations: First-order equations, second-order linear differential equations with constant coefficients.
2. Mechanics and General Properties of MatterNewtonian Mechanics: Kinematics, Newton's laws, conservation of momentum and energy.Rotational & Rigid Body: Center of mass, torque, angular momentum, moment of inertia.Central Forces: Planetary motion, Kepler's laws.Special Relativity: Lorentz transformations, length contraction, time dilation, mass-energy equivalence.
3. Oscillations, Waves, and OpticsOscillations: Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM), damped and forced oscillators, resonance, coupled oscillators.Wave Motion: Wave equation in 1D, phase and group velocity, standing waves, Doppler effect.Optics: Fermat’s principle, interference, diffraction (Fraunhofer, diffraction gratings), polarization (linear, circular, elliptical).
4. Electricity and MagnetismElectrostatics: Coulomb's law, Gauss's law, electric field, potential, Laplace's equation, conductors, dielectrics, polarization.Magnetostatics: Biot-Savart law, Ampere's law, Faraday's law of induction, self and mutual inductance.Circuits & Waves: DC and AC circuits with \(R\), \(L\), and \(C\) components; displacement current, Maxwell’s equations, plane EM waves, Poynting vector.
5. Kinetic Theory, ThermodynamicsLaws of Thermodynamics: Zeroth, 1st, and 2nd laws; isothermal and adiabatic processes, Carnot cycle, entropy, thermodynamic potentials, Maxwell relations.Gases: Kinetic theory of gases, Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, ideal and van-der-Waals gases, mean free path.Statistical Physics: Partition functions, blackbody radiation, Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac distributions.
6. Modern PhysicsQuantum Mechanics: Photoelectric effect, Compton scattering, de Broglie waves, uncertainty principle, Schrödinger equation (1D), particle in a box.Atomic/Nuclear Physics: Bohr's theory, hydrogen atom, radioactivity, binding energy, liquid drop model.
7. Solid State Physics, Devices, and ElectronicsSolid State: Crystal structures, Bravais lattices, X-ray diffraction, free electron theory of metals.Devices & Electronics: Intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors, \(p-n\) junctions, Zener diodes, BJT, operational amplifiers (inverting, non-inverting), Boolean algebra, and logic gates (OR, AND, NOT, NAND, NOR).
