ICSE Class 10 Physics Syllabus

ICSE Class 10 Physics Syllabus For Academic Session 2025-2026

The ICSE Class 10 Physics syllabus is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of fundamental physics concepts and their practical applications. Below is a detailed breakdown of the ICSE Class 10 Physics syllabus:

1. Force, Work, Power, and Energy

Force: Definitions and units of force; effects of force; balanced and unbalanced forces; resultant force.
Work: Definition and formula; units of work; work done by a force when the displacement is in the direction of the force; work done against gravity.
Energy: Definition; forms of energy (kinetic and potential); mechanical energy.
Power: Definition and formula; units of power; examples of power consumption in daily life.
Conservation of Energy: Principle of conservation of mechanical energy; simple numerical problems.
Machines: Types of simple machines; mechanical advantage; velocity ratio; efficiency.

2. Light

Reflection of Light: Laws of reflection; plane mirrors; characteristics of the image formed by a plane mirror.
Spherical Mirrors: Types of spherical mirrors; important terms related to spherical mirrors (pole, center of curvature, radius of curvature, principal axis, principal focus, focal length); image formation by spherical mirrors; uses of concave and convex mirrors.
Refraction of Light: Laws of refraction; refractive index; critical angle; total internal reflection and its applications.
Lenses: Types of lenses (convex and concave); image formation by lenses; lens formula; magnification; power of a lens.
Optical Instruments: Working principles of a simple microscope, compound microscope, and astronomical telescope.

3. Sound

Nature of Sound Waves: Production and propagation of sound; longitudinal and transverse waves; sound waves in different media.
Reflection of Sound Waves: Echo and reverberation; conditions for hearing an echo.
Characteristics of Sound Waves: Frequency, wavelength, amplitude, velocity, and their relationships; audible range of sound frequencies.
Applications of Sound: SONAR; use of ultrasonic waves.

4. Heat

Thermal Expansion: Concept of thermal expansion; coefficients of linear, areal, and volumetric expansion; anomalous expansion of water.
Specific Heat Capacity: Definition and formula; units of specific heat capacity; specific heat capacity of water.
Latent Heat: Definition and types (latent heat of fusion and latent heat of vaporization); examples and calculations.
Transmission of Heat: Conduction, convection, and radiation; examples and applications.

5. Electricity and Magnetism

Electric Current: Definition and units; Ohm’s Law; resistance, resistivity; factors affecting resistance; series and parallel combinations of resistors; electric power; heating effect of current.
Electromagnetism: Magnetic effects of current; electromagnetic induction; applications like electric bell, electric motor, and generator.
Household Circuits: Concept of household wiring; fuse and its necessity; earthing.

6. Modern Physics

Radioactivity: Natural and artificial radioactivity; types of radioactive emissions (alpha, beta, and gamma rays); properties and effects of radioactive emissions; half-life; safety measures in handling radioactive materials.
Nuclear Energy: Concept of nuclear fission and fusion; applications of nuclear energy; advantages and disadvantages.

7. Practical Work

Experiments based on the above topics, such as verifying the laws of reflection and refraction, determining the focal length of lenses, studying the characteristics of sound waves, and exploring the heating effect of electric current.

8. Internal Assessment

Projects and assignments related to the syllabus topics, involving practical experiments, data analysis, and presentation.

Important Points:

Exam Pattern: The ICSE Class 10 Physics exam typically consists of two parts: Theory and Practical.
- Theory: The written exam is 2 hours long and carries 80 marks. Questions may be of various types, including objective questions, short answers, and long answer questions.
- Practical: Internal assessment includes practical work and projects, which account for 20 marks.