JEE Main Physics syllabus 2026, unit-wise

Physics units and topics

1. Unit 1: Physics and Measurement

   5.3% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #10

   Units and measurements, SI units, least count, significant figures, errors in measurements, dimensions of physical quantities and dimensional analysis.

2. Unit 2: Kinematics

   5.4% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #9

   Frame of reference, motion in a straight line, speed and velocity, uniformly accelerated motion, velocity-time and position-time graphs, relative velocity, projectile motion, uniform circular motion.

3. Unit 3: Laws of Motion

   3.5% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #15

   Newton's three laws, momentum, impulse, conservation of linear momentum, equilibrium of concurrent forces, static and kinetic friction, dynamics of uniform circular motion, banked roads.

4. Unit 4: Work, Energy and Power

   3.5% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #16

   Work by constant and variable forces, kinetic and potential energy, work-energy theorem, power, potential energy of a spring, conservation of mechanical energy, motion in a vertical circle, elastic and inelastic collisions.

5. Unit 5: Rotational Motion

   5.7% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #7

   Centre of mass, torque, angular momentum and its conservation, moment of inertia, radius of gyration, parallel and perpendicular axes theorems, equilibrium of rigid bodies, equations of rotational motion.

6. Unit 6: Gravitation

   2.8% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #18

   Universal law of gravitation, variation of g with altitude and depth, Kepler's laws, gravitational potential energy and potential, escape velocity, satellites.

7. Unit 7: Properties of Solids and Liquids

   8.5% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #2

   Elastic behaviour, stress-strain, Hooke's law and elastic moduli, fluid pressure, Pascal's law, viscosity, Stokes' law, terminal velocity, Bernoulli's principle, surface tension and capillary rise, calorimetry, thermal expansion and heat transfer.

8. Unit 8: Thermodynamics

   3.7% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #14

   Thermal equilibrium, zeroth law, heat, work and internal energy, first law, isothermal and adiabatic processes, second law, reversible and irreversible processes.

9. Unit 9: Kinetic Theory of Gases

   3% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #17

   Equation of state of a perfect gas, kinetic theory assumptions and pressure, kinetic interpretation of temperature, RMS speed, degrees of freedom, law of equipartition, specific heats, mean free path, Avogadro's number.

10. Unit 10: Oscillations and Waves

    4.6% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #11

    Periodic motion, simple harmonic motion and its equation, phase, spring oscillations, energy in SHM, simple pendulum, wave motion, superposition, standing waves in strings and organ pipes, beats.

11. Unit 11: Electrostatics

    8.3% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #3

    Coulomb's law, electric field and dipole, Gauss's law and its applications, electric potential, equipotential surfaces, conductors and dielectrics, capacitors and their combinations, energy stored in a capacitor.

12. Unit 12: Current Electricity

    6.2% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #5

    Drift velocity, Ohm's law, resistivity, series and parallel combinations, temperature dependence of resistance, cells with internal resistance, Kirchhoff's laws, Wheatstone bridge, metre bridge.

13. Unit 13: Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism

    6.3% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #4

    Biot-Savart law, Ampere's law, force on moving charges and current-carrying conductors, parallel currents, moving coil galvanometer, current loop as a magnetic dipole, bar magnet, para-, dia- and ferromagnetism.

14. Unit 14: Electromagnetic Induction and Alternating Currents

    5.7% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #6

    Faraday's and Lenz's laws, induced emf, eddy currents, self and mutual inductance, AC, RMS values, reactance and impedance, series LCR circuit, resonance, power in AC circuits, AC generator and transformer.

15. Unit 15: Electromagnetic Waves

    2.5% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #19

    Displacement current, characteristics and transverse nature of electromagnetic waves, the electromagnetic spectrum and its applications.

16. Unit 16: Optics

    10.1% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #1

    Reflection and mirrors, refraction, total internal reflection, lenses and the lens maker's formula, prism, microscope and telescope, wave optics: Huygens' principle, Young's double slit, single-slit diffraction, polarisation and Brewster's law.

17. Unit 17: Dual Nature of Matter and Radiation

    3.9% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #12

    Photoelectric effect, Hertz and Lenard's observations, Einstein's photoelectric equation, particle nature of light, matter waves and the de Broglie relation.

18. Unit 18: Atoms and Nuclei

    5.5% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #8

    Alpha-particle scattering, Rutherford and Bohr models, energy levels, hydrogen spectrum, nuclear composition and size, mass-energy relation, mass defect, binding energy, fission and fusion.

19. Unit 19: Electronic Devices

    3.7% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #13

    Semiconductors, p-n junction diode characteristics, rectifier, LED, photodiode, solar cell, Zener diode as a voltage regulator, logic gates.

20. Unit 20: Experimental Skills

    1.7% of Physics in 2024–2026 · #20

    The 18 listed experiments: vernier calipers, screw gauge, simple pendulum, Young's modulus, surface tension, viscosity, speed of sound, specific heat, metre bridge, Ohm's law, galvanometer, focal lengths, prism, diode characteristics.

    • Vernier calipers: internal and external diameter and depth of a vessel
    • Screw gauge: thickness or diameter of a thin sheet or wire
    • Simple pendulum: dissipation of energy by plotting amplitude squared against time
    • Metre scale: mass of an object using the principle of moments
    • Young's modulus of elasticity of a metallic wire
    • Surface tension of water by capillary rise, and the effect of detergents
    • Coefficient of viscosity of a liquid from the terminal velocity of a sphere
    • Speed of sound in air at room temperature using a resonance tube
    • Specific heat capacity of a solid and a liquid by the method of mixtures
    • Resistivity of a wire material using a metre bridge
    • Resistance of a wire using Ohm's law
    • Resistance and figure of merit of a galvanometer by the half-deflection method
    • Focal length of a convex mirror, concave mirror and convex lens using the parallax method
    • Plot of angle of deviation against angle of incidence for a triangular prism
    • Refractive index of a glass slab using a travelling microscope
    • Characteristic curves of a p-n junction diode in forward and reverse bias
    • Characteristic curves of a Zener diode and its reverse breakdown voltage
    • Identifying a diode, LED, resistor and capacitor from a mixed collection

Not in this syllabus: Communication Systems. See removed chapters →

Frequently asked questions

Topic lists paraphrase the JEE Main 2026 syllabus published by NTA. Weightage figures come from the Careers360 JEE Main analysis for 2022–2026. Confirm the latest syllabus on the official NTA website.