ICSE Physics Class 09 Syllabus 2023-24

There is one paper of two hours duration carrying 80 marks and Internal Assessment of practical work carrying 20 marks. The paper is divided into two sections: Section I (40 marks) and Section II (40 marks).

Section I (compulsory) contains short answer questions on the entire syllabus. Section II contains six questions. You are required to answer any four of these six questions.

1. Measurements and Experimentation

(i) International System of Units. Other commonly used system of units - fps and cgs.

(ii) Measurements using common instruments, Vernier calipers and micro-metre screw gauge for length, and simple pendulum for time.

2. Motion in One Dimension

Scalar and vector quantities, distance, speed, velocity, acceleration; graphs of distance-time and speed-time; equations of uniformly accelerated motion with derivations.

3. Laws of Motion

(i) Contact and non-contact forces; cgs & SI units.

(ii) Newton's First Law of Motion (qualitative discussion) to introduce the idea of inertia, mass and force.

(iii) Newton's Second Law of Motion (including F = ma); weight and mass.

(iv) Newton's Third Law of Motion (qualitative discussion only); simple examples.

(v) Gravitation

4. Fluids

(i) Change of pressure with depth (including the formula p = hρg); Transmission of pressure in liquids; atmospheric pressure.

(ii) Buoyancy, Archimedes’ Principle; floatation; relationship with density; relative density; determination of relative density of a solid.

5. Heat and Energy

(i) Concepts of heat and temperature.

(ii) Anomalous expansion of water; graphs showing variation of volume and density of water with temperature in the 0 to 10°C range. Hope's experiment and consequences of Anomalous expansion.

(ii) Expansion of solids, liquids and gases (qualitative discussion only); uses and consequences of expansion (simple examples); anomalous expansion of water.

(iii) Energy flow and its importance: Understanding the flow of energy as Linear and linking it with the laws of Thermodynamics - Energy is neither created nor destroyed and No Energy transfer is 100% efficient.

(iv) Energy sources

Solar, wind, water and nuclear energy (only qualitative discussion of steps to produce electricity). Renewable versus non-renewable sources (elementary ideas with example).

(v) Global warming and Green House effect: Meaning, causes and impact on the life on earth. Projections for the future; what needs to be done.

6. Light

(i) Reflection of light; images formed by a pair of parallel and perpendicular plane mirrors

(ii) Spherical mirrors; characteristics of image formed by these mirrors. Uses of concave and convex mirror. (Only simple direct ray diagrams are required).

7. Sound

(i) Nature of Sound waves. Requirement of a medium for sound waves to travel; propagation and speed in different media; comparison with speed of light.

(ii) Infrasonic, sonic, ultrasonic frequencies and their applications.

8. Electricity and Magnetism

(i) Simple electric circuit using an electric cell and a bulb to introduce the idea of current (including its relationship to charge); potential difference; insulators and conductors; closed and open circuits; direction of current (electron flow and conventional).

(ii) Induced magnetism, Magnetic field of earth. Neutral points in magnetic fields.

(iii) Introduction of electromagnet and its uses.