ICSE Class 10 Physics Syllabus

Before going through the detailed syllabus of the ICSE Class 10 Physics, students must have a look at the exam pattern.

ICSE Class 10 Physics (Theory Paper) Exam Pattern

Knowing the exam pattern for a subject like Physics, which comprises vast concepts and numerical problems, will help students to know what type of questions they can expect from each chapter. The exam pattern includes the number of questions for each section, the weightage of the questions and how many questions are compulsory to attempt.

For Physics ( 2 Hrs)

Section I  – Short answer questions worth 40 marks

Section II  – 6 questions, out of which 4 are to be solved, worth 40 marks.

The ICSE Class 10 Physics exam is divided into 2 sections, namely Section I, which consists of 40 marks and Section II, which also consists of 40 marks. The duration of the exam is 2 hours, with a total of 80 marks. Section I of the Physics paper will contain short answer questions which are all compulsory questions. Section II will consist of 6 questions, out of which students can attempt any 4 questions.

Latest ICSE Class 10 Physics Syllabus for the Year 2024

The Class 10 Physics paper is one of the most important examinations in the ICSE. Students who are going to appear for the ICSE exam must be completely familiar with the ICSE Class 10 Syllabus of Physics to excel in the exam. Students must follow the ICSE Class 10 Syllabus on a regular basis while preparing for their examination.

1. Force, Work, Power and Energy

(i) Turning forces concept; moment of a force; forces in equilibrium; centre of gravity. [discussions using simple examples and simple numerical problems].

(ii) Uniform circular motion

(iii) Work, energy, power and their relation with force

(iv) Different types of energy (e.g., chemical energy, Mechanical energy, heat energy, electrical energy, nuclear energy, sound energy, light energy).

(v) Machines as force multipliers; load, effort, mechanical advantage, velocity ratio and efficiency; simple treatment of levers, pulley systems showing the utility of each type of machine.

(vi) Principle of conservation of energy

2. Light

(i) Refraction of light through a glass block and a triangular prism – qualitative treatment of simple applications such as real and apparent depth of objects in water and apparent bending of sticks in water. Applications of refraction of light.

(ii) Total internal reflection: Critical angle; examples in triangular glass prisms; comparison with reflection from a plane mirror (qualitative only). Applications of total internal reflection.

(iii) Lenses (converging and diverging) including characteristics of the images formed (using ray diagrams only); magnifying glass; location of images using ray diagrams and thereby determining magnification.

(iv) Using a triangular prism to produce a visible spectrum from white light; Electromagnetic spectrum. Scattering of light.

3. Sound

(i) Reflection of Sound Waves; echoes: their use; simple numerical problems on echoes.

(ii) Natural vibrations, Damped vibrations, Forced vibrations and Resonance – a special case of forced vibrations.

(iii) Loudness, pitch and quality of sound.

4. Electricity and Magnetism

(i) Ohm’s Law; concepts of emf, potential difference, resistance; resistances in series and parallel, internal resistance.

(ii) Electrical power and energy

(iii) Household circuits – main circuit; switches; fuses; earthing; safety precautions; three-pin plugs; colour coding of wires.

(iv) Magnetic effect of a current (principles only, laws not required); electromagnetic induction (elementary); transformer.

5. Heat

(i) Calorimetry: meaning, specific heat capacity; principle of method of mixtures; Numerical Problems on specific heat capacity using heat loss and gain and the method of mixtures.

(ii) Latent heat; loss and gain of heat involving change of state for fusion only.

6. Modern Physics

(i) Radioactivity and changes in the nucleus; background radiation and safety precautions.

(ii) Nuclear fission and fusion; basic introduction and equations.

ICSE Physics Experiments for Class 10

The ICSE practical exam for Physics Class 10 consists of 20 marks. The Physics Practical Syllabus consists of various interesting experiments. Students should revise their practical notes before their examination. They should try out each experiment at least once at the Physics laboratory by following the procedure mentioned in the lab manual in their school to acquire the necessary skills set for the examination.