Physics Syllabus for Indian Forest Service Examination (IFS)
General properties of matter and mechanics: Units and dimensions; Scalar and vector quantities; Moment of inertia, work, energy and momentum: Fundamental laws of mechanics; Rotational motion; Gravitation; Simple harmonic motion; Simple and compound pendulum; Kater's pendulum; Elasticity; Surface tension. Viscosity of liquids. Rotary pumps. Meleod gauge.
Sound: Damped, forced and free vibrations; Wave motion. Doppler effect; Velocity of sound waves; effect of pressure, temperature, humidity on velocity of sound in a gas; Vibration of strings. bars, plates and gas columns; Resonance; Beats; Stationary waves. Measurement of frequency, velocity and intensity of sound; Musical scales; Acoustics in architecture; Elements of ultrasonic. Elementary principles of gramophones, talkies and loudspeakers.
Heat Thermodynamics: Temperature and its measurement; thermal expansion; Isothermal and adiabatic changes in gases; Specific heat and thermal conductivity; Elements of the kinetic theory of matter; Physical ideas of Boltzman's distribution law. Van der Waal's equation of States; Joule-Thomson effect, liquid action of gases. Heat Engines; Carnot's theorem; Laws of thermodynamics and simple applications; Black-body radiation.
Light: Geometrical optics, Velocity of light; Reflection and refraction of Light at plane and spherical surfaces; Defects in optical images and their corrections; Eye and other optical instruments; Wave Theory of light; Interference; simple interferometer; Diffraction; Diffraction Grating; Polarization of light; Elements of spectroscopy.
Electricity and Magnetism: Calculation of electric field intensity and potential in simple cases, Gauss theorem and simple application; Electrometers, Energy due to a field; Electrical and magnetic properties of matter; Hysteresis, permeability and susceptibility; magnetic field due to electrical current; Moving magnet and moving coil galvanometers; measurement of current and resistance.
Properties of reactive circuit elements and their determination; thermoelectric effects. Electromagnetic induction. Production of alternating currents. Transformers and motors; Electronic valves and their simple applications.
Elements of Bohr's theory of atom; Electrons, Cathode rays and X-rays; Measurement of electronic charge and mass.
