Official syllabus
WBHSE Class 12 Physics Syllabus 2026 – 27
Explore the official topics, exam pattern and source PDF in one place.
Overview
Course focus: Class 12 Physics advances electrostatics, current electricity, magnetism, electromagnetic induction, alternating current, optics, modern physics and electronic devices.
Course structure: The theory syllabus is organised across two semesters, with practical work and project work presented in their dedicated sections.
Full syllabus
Semester III — Units 1–5 part
| Unit No. | Topics | Contact Hours | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
ELECTROSTATICS
Electric Charges and Fields: Electric charges and conservation; Coulomb’s law; superposition and continuous charge distributions; electric field and field lines; dipoles and torque; electric flux; Gauss’s theorem and applications. Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance: Potential and potential difference; equipotential surfaces; potential energy; conductors, insulators and dielectrics; capacitors in series and parallel; parallel-plate and spherical capacitors; energy stored in a capacitor. |
18 | 8 |
| 2 |
CURRENT ELECTRICITY
Electric current, flow of electric charge in a metallic conductor. Drift velocity, mobility and their relation with electric current. Ohm's law, electrical resistance, resistivity and conductivity. V-I characteristics for ohmic resistance, temperature dependence of resistance. Series, parallel and mixed grouping of resistances. Internal resistance of a cell, potential difference and emf of a cell, combination of cells in series and in parallel and in mixed grouping. Parallel combination of two cells of unequal emfs, series combination of n cells of unequal emfs. Kirchhoff's law and simple applications. Wheatstone bridge principle, Metre Bridge principle (end error correction not required). Potentiometer: principle and its applications to measure the potential difference and for comparing emfs of two cells and measurement of internal resistance of a cell. |
16 | 8 |
| 3 |
MAGNETIC EFFECTS OF CURRENT AND MAGNETISM
SUB TOPICS: MOVING CHARGE AND MAGNETIC FIELD Concept of magnetic field, Oersted's experiment. Biot - Savart law, calculation of magnetic field for linear and circular current carrying conductors and its simple applications. Ampere's circuital law and its application to infinitely long straight wire and straight solenoid. Force on a moving charge in a uniform magnetic and electric fields - Lorentz force. Motion of a charged particle in a perpendicular magnetic field (Cyclotron frequency). Force on a current carrying conductor in a uniform magnetic field. Force between two parallel current carrying conductors - definition of ampere. Torque experienced by a current carrying loop in uniform magnetic field, moving coil galvanometer -its current sensitivity. Conversion of galvanometer into ammeter and voltmeter. SUB TOPICS: MAGNETISM AND MATTER Current loop as a magnetic dipole and its magnetic dipole moment. Magnetic dipole moment of a revolving electron. Magnetic field intensity due to a magnetic dipole (bar magnet) along its axis and perpendicular to its axis. Torque on a magnetic dipole (bar magnet) in a uniform magnetic field, magnetic field lines. Magnetic properties of materials; permeability, susceptibility, magnetization, retentivity and coercivity; hysteresis loop; Earth’s magnetic field and elements; dia-, para- and ferromagnetic substances; electromagnets and factors affecting their strength. |
16 | 8 |
| 4 |
ELECTROMAGNETIC INDUCTION AND ALTERNATING CURRENT
Magnetic flux; Faraday’s and Lenz’s laws; induced emf; eddy current; self and mutual inductance; alternating current, RMS and peak values; reactance, impedance and phasors; R, L, C, LR, CR and LCR circuits; resonance; power factor; AC generator and transformer. |
15 | 8 |
| 5 |
ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES
Displacement current; characteristics and transverse nature of electromagnetic waves; electromagnetic spectrum and elementary uses of radio, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-rays and gamma rays. |
5 | 3 |
Semester III contact hours: Theory 70, Practical 30, Remedial/Tutorial 10; Total 110 hours.
Semester III covers electrostatics, current electricity, magnetism, electromagnetic induction, alternating current and electromagnetic waves.
Semester IV — Units 6–10 part
| Unit No. | Topics | Contact Hours | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 |
OPTICS
Ray Optics and Optical Instruments: Reflection, refraction, total internal reflection, optical fibres, spherical surfaces, lenses, prisms, scattering, the human eye, microscopes and telescopes. Wave Optics: Huygens’ principle; interference and Young’s experiment; diffraction; resolving power; polarization and Brewster’s law. |
25 | 14 |
| 7 |
DUAL NATURE OF RADIATION AND MATTER
Photoelectric effect; Hertz and Lenard observations; Einstein’s photoelectric equation; particle nature of light; matter waves and de Broglie relation. |
7 | 4 |
| 8 |
ATOMS AND NUCLEI
Rutherford and Bohr models; energy levels and hydrogen spectrum; X-rays and Moseley’s law; nuclear composition, isotopes, radioactivity, decay law, mass–energy relation, binding energy, fission and fusion. |
10 | 6 |
| 9 |
ELECTRONIC DEVICES
Vacuum diode and triode; energy bands; intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors; p–n junction diode; LED, photodiode, solar cell and Zener diode; transistor action, amplifier and switch; analogue and digital signals; binary numbers and logic gates. |
15 | 8 |
| 10 |
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
Elements of communication systems; amplitude and frequency modulation; signal and transmission bandwidth; ground, sky and space-wave propagation. |
5 | 3 |
Semester IV contact hours: Theory 60, Practical 20, Remedial/Tutorial 10; Total 90 hours.
Semester IV covers optics, dual nature, atoms and nuclei, electronics and communication systems.
Marks & examination pattern
| Assessment | Marks | Weightage |
|---|---|---|
| Semester III Theory | 35.00 | |
| Practical Experiments | 16.00 | |
| Semester IV Theory | 35.00 | |
| Viva Voce | 4.00 | |
| Laboratory Notebook / Practical File | 3.00 | |
| Project Work | 7.00 |
Semester III Theory
Units 1–5; 70 theory contact hours.
Practical Experiments
Two experiments carrying 8 marks each.
Semester IV Theory
Units 6–10; 60 theory contact hours plus 10 remedial/tutorial hours.
Viva Voce
Oral assessment linked to the practical work.
Laboratory Notebook / Practical File
Assessment of the maintained Physics practical file.
Project Work
One guided Physics project: theoretical study or working model.
Practical & Projects
Class XII Practical Work — Section A
Class XII Physics Practical
Full marks: 30 Contact hours: 50 (Semester III: 30; Semester IV: 20)
Practical Works + Viva: 16 + 4 = 20 marks. Students perform experiments from Current Electricity and Magnetism, and from Ray Optics and Semiconductor Devices. Record observations in tables, plot graphs where applicable, and report calculations with appropriate significant figures.
Section A
| Experiment No. | Official Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 |
Verify Ohm’s law for a uniform wire by plotting potential difference against current; calculate resistance and resistance per centimetre from the graph. |
| 2 |
Determine the resistance of a uniform wire using a metre bridge and calculate its resistivity when dimensions are supplied. |
| 3 |
Verify the law of series combination of resistances using a metre bridge. |
| 4 |
Verify the law of parallel combination of resistances using a metre bridge. |
| 5 |
Compare the emfs of two cells using a potentiometer. |
| 6 |
Determine the internal resistance of a cell using a potentiometer. |
| 7 |
Determine galvanometer resistance by the half-deflection method and find its figure of merit. |
| 8 |
Convert a galvanometer into an ammeter and voltmeter of desired ranges and verify them. |
| 9 |
Draw magnetic field lines for a bar magnet aligned northward and determine its neutral points. |
Class XII Practical Work — Section B
In the examination, each student performs one experiment from Section A and one from Section B.
Section B
| Experiment No. | Official Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 |
Determine focal length of a concave mirror using image and object distances and a 1/v–1/u graph. |
| 2 |
Determine focal length of a convex mirror using a convex lens. |
| 3 |
Determine focal length of a convex lens using u–v and 1/u–1/v graphs. |
| 4 |
Determine focal length of a concave lens using a convex lens. |
| 5 |
Determine the angle of minimum deviation of a prism using an incidence–deviation graph. |
| 6 |
Determine refractive index of a glass slab using a travelling microscope. |
| 7 |
Plot forward- and reverse-bias I–V characteristics of a p–n junction diode. |
| 8 |
Plot Zener-diode reverse-bias characteristics and determine breakdown voltage. |
| 9 |
Study a common-emitter NPN or PNP transistor and determine dynamic resistance and amplification factor. |
Project Work, Practical File and Marks Scheme
Project Work — 7 Marks
Each candidate completes one Physics-related project under the teacher’s guidance: either a theoretical project or a working model.
Theory-project report:
- Title and introduction
- Content and theoretical discussion
- Analysis or supporting material such as graphs, data, structures or diagrams
- Conclusion and comments
Model-project report:
- Title
- Model construction
- Principle used and concise report
- Conclusion and comments
Practical File — 3 Marks
The practical file should contain the working formula, figure or circuit diagram, observations in a proper table, results and relevant precautions. Full procedures are generally not required.
Practical Marks Scheme
| Component | Marks |
|---|---|
| Experiment 1 | 8 |
| Experiment 2 | 8 |
| Viva | 4 |
| Laboratory Notebook / Practical File | 3 |
| Project | 7 |
| Total | 30 |
Prescribed Books
Refer to the official source; no separate requirements have been recorded.