How to prepare Physics
I have scored 273 marks in physics in CSE-2008 and the figure was 312 in CSE-2009. An improvement of merely 39 marks. But only I know how much extra efforts were done for this to happen. Physics is an optional which demands a lot of hard work. Actually this statement is equally applicable for all the optionals. But here what increases the difficulty is to reproduce what you have studied. A derivation is simple to read but requires a lot of effort to memorize. In arts optionals, the advantage is that you just need to memorize the important keywords and the rest you can write in your own words but in Physics (or in general for any science optional), you can not use your own words but have to write exactly in the same form as is written in books. So, in these optionals one requires a lot of practice. You need to do all the derivations with your own hand al least 10 times before the actual exam, so that in the exam it should flow like a river. In exam you just do not get any time to think. If you know it, you will be able to write it otherwise nothing. So, its complete digital, either 1 or 0 but nothing in between.
I am not discouraging the aspirants with physics as an optional, but this is what the reality is. At the same time, one can get high marks if one’s efforts are focused as Mr. Supreet Singh Gulati (CSE-2007, 2nd rank) got 378.
So not to worry.
Here I am mentioning resources that have to be followed religiously:
For Paper 1:
Mechanics: First follow A.K.Sikri’s book on mechanics. Then you should move on to Gupta Kumar Sharma. No need to follow J C Upadhyaya as this is based on Hamiltonian approach which is no longer in the syllabus. For Fluid dynamics one can follow D.S.Mathur’s book.
Waves and Optics: Here choice is limited one. Only two standard books are there. One is optics by Ajoy Ghatak. The other is optics by Lal and Subramanium. Follow both books in a coherent manner. Some topics are better covered in Ghatak and some in the other. But practice numericals from Lal-Subramium only.
Electricity and Magnetism: Here books are
D.C.Tayal electromagnetism
E.M theory by Chopra-Aggarwal
Electromagnetics by Satyapraksh
Griffith .
Now, follow Chopra-Aggarwal religiously. Moreover either follow chopra-aggarwal or satyapraksh as they are more or less carbon copies of each other. I like Chopra aggarwal.
Rest of topics which you are not getting from chopra-aggarwal, can be gound from tayal or Griffith .
Heat, Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics: For Heat and thermodynamics follow two books
Heat Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics by Satya Prakash
Thermal Physics by Garg/Bansal/Ghosh
Actually I was following Satyapraksh book only till I met Mr. Supreet. On his advice I read Garg Bansal Ghosh during my 3rd attempt. I found it better than Satyparaksh. So you can go for Garg Bansal Ghosh 1st and then if needed, go for satyparkash
For Statistical Phyics I have followed one book of the Statistical Physics by A.K.Sikri. That’s more than sufficient.
For paper 2
Quantum Mechanics: It’s the most difficult part of physics which can be most scoring too, if sufficient amount of practice is done. The books are: First follow H.C.Verma’s Quantum Physics. It’s the best book on this. It clears the fundamentals in the best possible manner.
Then one should also follow Gupta Kumar Sharma. This covers some good derivations which HC verma misses. At last, if one could solve some unsolved examples from Ghatak Lokanathan’s QM, then nothing like that.
Nuclear Physics: Basic book is S B Patel (Nuclear Physics), Then go for D.C tayal’s Nuclear Physics. Then follow Pandya Yadav (for Particle Physics and other selected topics). The book is titled Elements of Nuclear Physics.
Patel is a good source for most topics. I particularly like the way it deals with Liquid Drop model, semi empirical mass formula and mass parabolas, deutron problem and non-central forces.
Mossbauer spectroscopy is in Chapter 9 of Patel. Nuclear fission is done well in Eisberg. Eisberg is also a must for nuclear fusion, role of quantum mechanics (barrier penetration) and energy production in stars.
For Elementary Particles do the Chapter in Pandya Yadav and follow Tayal’s book too. Physics of neutrinos is done in Patel.
Solid state physics: Follow S.O.Pillai first and then go for Kittel. S.O Pillai does not deal with reverse lattice in detail. But its very important topic. Do follow Kittel for this.
At the end, I just want to say that do the ten year papers strictly in exam conditions. Do feel the heat of limited time, changed pattern and unseen questions. If possible, do solve the ten year physics papers of Indian Forest Services too.
For Electronics: As I have done B.Tech in Electronics and Communications, so have many books for this. If you are a student of electronics engineering, then never leave electronics but if you are not, then choice is yours.
Do follow J.B.Gupta’s book for oscillators whose questions generally come, also other analog electronics topics are done well in this. The digital electronics questions are easy and can be done from any good book e.g. Anand Kumar’s digital electronics is sufficient. Microprocessors can be done from Gaonker’s book.
That’s what I can tell you
May Waheguru G make U an IAS officer.
