TU B.Sc. First Year Physics (PHY 101) — Complete Syllabus Overview

Physics is one of the three major subjects a student can choose in the Four-Year Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) programme of Tribhuvan University’s Institute of Science and Technology (IoST), Kirtipur, Kathmandu. The First Year Physics course, officially titled Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Statistical Physics and Electricity & Magnetism (Course No. PHY 101), is a 100-mark theory paper accompanied by a 50-mark practical paper (PHY 102), making the combined First Year Physics assessment worth 150 marks. The current curriculum is the B.Sc. Four Year System 2015 (2072 BS) syllabus, finalized by the Physics Subject Committee and approved by the Academic Council of TU.

The theory course spans 160 lecture hours across four major blocks — Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Statistical Physics, and Electricity & Magnetism — and forms the conceptual backbone for every advanced physics paper a student will take in the remaining three years, from Optics and Modern Physics in Second Year to Quantum Mechanics in Fourth Year.

Subject Information at a Glance

• Course Title: Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Statistical Physics and Electricity & Magnetism
• Course No.: PHY 101 (Theory, Major) | PHY 102 (Practical)
• Year: First Year — Four Year B.Sc. Physics Programme
• Full Marks: 100 (Theory) + 50 (Practical) = 150 total
• Pass Marks: 35 (Theory) | 20 (Practical) — both must be passed separately
• Total Lecture Hours: 160 (Theory) + 180 (Practical)
• Examination: Annual (end-of-year board exam conducted by IoST, TU)
• Conducting Institution: Institute of Science and Technology (IoST), Tribhuvan University
• Curriculum Version: B.Sc. Four Year System 2015 (2072 BS), Central Department of Physics
• Eligibility: Passed +2 Science with 200 full marks of Mathematics and minimum ‘C’ grade in all subjects; must pass the IoST entrance examination
• Allied Subjects: Physics is studied alongside two allied subjects chosen from Chemistry, Mathematics, Statistics, Geology, or Environmental Science

Why Physics?

Physics is the most fundamental of the natural sciences — the discipline that explains how matter, energy, space, and time behave, from the motion of a thrown ball to the propagation of electromagnetic waves. Every branch of engineering, every advance in materials science, and much of modern medical imaging and communication technology rests on principles first worked out in classical mechanics, thermodynamics, and electromagnetism — precisely the three pillars covered in PHY 101.

In Nepal’s context, a solid grounding in physics feeds directly into engineering entrance preparation (IOE, IOM), hydropower and renewable energy careers, telecommunications, meteorology, and geophysics — fields of direct national importance given Nepal’s hydropower potential and seismic risk. The TU B.Sc. Physics programme is structured so that First Year mechanics and thermodynamics lead naturally into Second Year optics and electronics, Third Year mathematical physics and classical mechanics, and Fourth Year quantum mechanics and nuclear/solid-state physics — building a complete classical-to-modern physics foundation over four years.

PHY 101 Theory Syllabus — Unit-wise Detail

Unit 1: Mechanics (54 teaching hours)

Laws of motion: review of Newton’s laws, frames of reference, conservative and non-conservative forces, potential energy curves and their interpretation Linear and angular momentum: conservation principles, elastic and inelastic collisions, variable-mass systems and rocket motion Central force motion: motion under a central force, orbital equations, Kepler’s laws of planetary motion derived from Newton’s law of gravitation Gravitation: gravitational field and potential, Gauss’s law for gravitation, Poisson’s and Laplace’s equations applied to gravitational fields Rigid body dynamics: theorems on moment of inertia, moment of inertia of a rectangular lamina, a uniform bar of rectangular cross-section, a circular disc, a solid cylinder, and a solid sphere and spherical shell Rotational motion: kinetic energy of rotating and rolling bodies, dynamics of a body rolling down an incline, angular momentum and torque Oscillations: simple, compound, and torsional pendulums; damped harmonic oscillations; forced oscillations and resonance Wave motion: plane progressive waves, energy density and intensity of a wave, transverse and longitudinal wave propagation Elasticity: elastic constants and their relations, bending of beams, cantilevers and their applications Fluid mechanics: streamline and turbulent flow, Bernoulli’s theorem and its applications, Poiseuille’s equation for viscous flow, Reynold’s number and the onset of turbulence

Unit 2: Thermodynamics (38 teaching hours)

Thermodynamic systems: state variables, equilibrium, and quasi-static processes — isothermal, adiabatic, isobaric, and isochoric changes Laws of thermodynamics: zeroth and first law, internal energy; second law, Carnot’s theorem and the Carnot cycle; concept of entropy and its statistical interpretation Thermodynamic potentials: internal energy, enthalpy, Helmholtz free energy, and Gibbs free energy; derivation and physical meaning of Maxwell’s thermodynamic relations Real and ideal gases: deviations from ideal gas behaviour, the van der Waals equation of state, Joule-Thomson effect and porous plug experiment Low-temperature physics: methods of producing low temperatures, principles of refrigeration cycles Transport phenomena: coefficient of viscosity, thermal conductivity, and diffusion in gases; Brownian motion and Einstein’s theoretical treatment of it Radiation: black body radiation, Stefan-Boltzmann law, Wien’s displacement law, and Planck’s radiation law as the bridge to quantum theory

Unit 3: Statistical Physics (15 teaching hours)

Phase space: concept of microstates and macrostates, statistical ensembles Classical statistics: Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution law, Boltzmann’s canonical distribution Equipartition of energy: the law of equipartition and its application to specific heats of gases Quantum statistics: introductory treatment of Bose-Einstein statistics and Fermi-Dirac statistics Applications: statistical derivation of black body radiation (Planck’s law) and the free-electron (Fermi) gas model of metals

Unit 4: Electricity and Magnetism (53 teaching hours)

Vector calculus foundations: gradient, divergence, and curl operators; Gauss’s, Stoke’s, and Green’s theorems; the Laplacian in polar coordinate systems Electrostatics: Coulomb’s law, the electric field and electric flux, Gauss’s law and its applications, equipotential surfaces, Poisson’s and Laplace’s equations, the method of electrical images, potential and field due to an electric dipole Dielectrics: polarization of dielectric media, the Clausius-Mossotti relation, the Langevin-Debye formula for polar molecules Magnetic fields: Biot-Savart’s law, Ampere’s circuital law and its applications to current-carrying conductors and solenoids Magnetic properties of matter: diamagnetism, paramagnetism, and ferromagnetism; hysteresis and magnetic domains Electromagnetic induction: Faraday’s law of induction, Lenz’s law, self-inductance and mutual inductance, transformer principles Alternating current circuits: LCR series and parallel circuits, impedance and phase relationships, resonance and quality factor (Q-factor) Maxwell’s equations: the concept of displacement current, Maxwell’s four equations, and their use in deriving the propagation of electromagnetic waves

PHY 102 Practical Syllabus (50 Marks)

The First Year physics laboratory requires students to complete at least 20 experiments out of the prescribed list, over 180 working hours (3 hours of lab work, twice a week), drawn from three broad categories: Mechanical Experiments, Heat and Thermodynamics Experiments, and Electricity & Magnetism Experiments. Every experiment must be recorded in a laboratory notebook, checked, and signed by the concerned teacher.

1. Mechanical Experiments

• Determination of acceleration due to gravity (g) using a Bar Pendulum and Kater’s reversible pendulum
• Determination of the moment of inertia and angular acceleration of a flywheel
• Determination of Young’s modulus by the bending of a beam (cantilever/uniform bending method)
• Determination of the coefficient of viscosity of a liquid by Poiseuille’s method
• Determination of surface tension of a liquid by Jaeger’s method or capillary rise method
• Verification of the laws of a torsional pendulum and determination of the rigidity modulus

2. Heat and Thermodynamics Experiments

• Determination of thermal conductivity of a bad conductor by Lee’s disc method
• Determination of the mechanical equivalent of heat (J) by Callender and Barnes’ method
• Determination of Stefan’s constant using a black body radiation setup
• Determination of the ratio of specific heats (Cp/Cv) of a gas by Clement and Desormes’ method

3. Electricity and Magnetism Experiments

• Measurement of high and low resistance using a Carey Foster’s bridge / Post Office box
• Measurement of capacitance using a ballistic galvanometer
• Determination of the specific charge (e/m) of an electron using a fine beam tube
• Study of the charging and discharging of a capacitor through a resistor (time-constant determination)
• Verification of Ohm’s law and determination of internal resistance of a cell using a potentiometer

Practical evaluation is based on a combination of laboratory record file, execution of the experiment, error/graph analysis, and a viva-voce examination conducted by the internal and external examiners.

The Four-Year TU B.Sc. Physics Programme Structure

• First Year: PHY 101 Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Statistical Physics & E&M (Theory) + PHY 102 (Practical) + two allied subjects (Theory + Practical each, chosen from Chemistry, Mathematics, Statistics, Geology, Environmental Science) + Scientific Communication (Compulsory) = 500 marks, 975 lecture hours
• Second Year: Physics — Optics, Modern Physics & Electronics (Theory + Practical) + Applied Statistics (Compulsory) + the same two allied subjects continued from First Year = 500 marks, 975 lecture hours
• Third Year: One subject continued as the major — Mathematical Physics and Classical Mechanics (Theory + Practical) + Research Methodology (Compulsory) + two elective papers from the subject pool = 500 marks, 900 lecture hours
• Fourth Year: Quantum Mechanics and Nuclear & Solid State Physics (compulsory major papers, Theory + Practical) + Material Science or Project Work (student’s choice) + an interdisciplinary paper in Econophysics (Economics & Finance in Physics) = 500 marks, 900–1050 lecture hours

Across all four years, the programme totals 2,000 marks and roughly 3,750 lecture hours (3,900 if project work is chosen in the final year) — making TU’s B.Sc. Physics one of the most rigorous undergraduate science programmes offered in Nepal.

Career Opportunities for TU B.Sc. Physics Graduates

• Engineering and technical entrance preparation: strong PHY 101 fundamentals directly support IOE and IOM engineering entrance preparation and lateral entry pathways
• Hydropower and energy sector: Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), private hydropower developers, and renewable energy companies recruit physics graduates for instrumentation, planning, and technical roles
• Meteorology and seismology: Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM), National Seismological Centre, and disaster-risk research institutions
• Telecommunications and electronics: Nepal Telecom, private ISPs, and electronics manufacturing/assembly firms value the electricity & magnetism and later electronics coursework
• Research institutions: Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Central Department of Physics (TU), and international collaborations in astrophysics, nuclear, and condensed matter physics
• Academic institutions: higher secondary level Physics teaching (with B.Ed. or teaching licence); university-level teaching and research after M.Sc.
• Higher studies abroad: M.Sc./Ph.D. programmes in Physics, Applied Physics, Astrophysics, Medical Physics, and Engineering Physics at universities in India, Europe, Japan, and the USA — often supported by scholarships

Recommended Textbooks and References

Primary Textbooks (aligned with the official PHY 101 syllabus)

• Mathur, D.S. (revised by P.S. Hemne). Mechanics. S. Chand & Company — the standard reference for the Mechanics unit
• Singhal, S.S., Agarwal, J.P. and Prakash, S. Heat, Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics. Himalayan Publishing House / S. Chand & Company
• Reitz, J.R., Milford, F.J. and Christy, R.W. Foundations of Electromagnetic Theory. Pearson/Addison-Wesley — the primary reference for the Electricity & Magnetism unit

Additional Recommended References

• Resnick, R., Halliday, D. and Walker, J. Fundamentals of Physics. Wiley — useful for building conceptual clarity across all four units
• Garg, S.C., Bansal, R.M. and Ghosh, C.K. Thermal Physics: Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics for Undergraduates.
• Tata McGraw-Hill Griffiths, D.J. Introduction to Electrodynamics. Cambridge University Press — for students wanting deeper treatment of vector calculus and Maxwell’s equations
• Rana, N.C. and Joag, P.S. Classical Mechanics. Tata McGraw-Hill — a helpful bridge toward the Third Year Classical Mechanics paper

Difference Between NEB Grade 12 Physics and TU B.Sc. First Year Physics

Students entering TU B.Sc. First Year Physics from NEB Grade 12 already have exposure to mechanics, heat, and electricity & magnetism at an introductory level — so the transition feels familiar at first. The depth, however, changes sharply. Where NEB Grade 12 treats moment of inertia and rotational motion briefly with standard formulas, PHY 101 requires full derivations for a rectangular lamina, circular disc, solid cylinder, and spherical shell from first principles. Where NEB covers the first and second laws of thermodynamics conceptually, PHY 101 introduces thermodynamic potentials and Maxwell’s relations — a level of mathematical formalism NEB does not touch. Statistical Physics (phase space, ensembles, Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac statistics) has no NEB equivalent at all, and vector calculus (gradient, divergence, curl, Gauss’s/Stoke’s/Green’s theorems) is introduced from scratch as the mathematical language for the entire Electricity & Magnetism unit. The PHY 102 practical course also demands a level of experimental rigor — error analysis, graphical interpretation, and viva defense of results — well beyond NEB’s practical requirements.

Tips to Succeed in TU B.Sc. First Year Physics

• Get comfortable with vector calculus early — it underpins the entire E&M unit: Gradient, divergence, curl, and the Gauss/Stoke/Green theorems are not optional mathematical background in PHY 101 — Gauss’s law, Poisson’s equation, and Maxwell’s equations are all expressed and derived using them. Students who treat vector calculus as a first-week priority find the rest of the E&M unit far more manageable.
• Build a derivation notebook, not just a formula sheet: TU papers consistently test full derivations — Kepler’s laws from Newton’s gravitation, Maxwell’s thermodynamic relations, the moment of inertia of standard bodies, and Maxwell’s equations for wave propagation. Practicing these derivations repeatedly, rather than memorizing final results, is what separates strong scores from average ones.
• Treat Statistical Physics as high-value, low-effort marks: At only 15 teaching hours, this unit is the shortest in PHY 101, yet it reliably contributes straightforward, well-defined questions on distributions and equipartition of energy — an efficient place to secure marks with focused revision.
• Practice numericals from Mechanics, Thermodynamics, and AC circuits every week: Numerical problems on oscillators, viscosity and surface tension, Carnot cycle efficiency, and LCR resonance appear almost every year. Weekly numerical practice — not just before exams — builds the speed and accuracy TU’s three-hour theory papers demand.
• Log every practical with proper error analysis: PHY 102 evaluation weighs the laboratory record, execution, error/graph analysis, and viva together. Recording readings accurately, calculating percentage error, and being able to explain sources of error in the viva consistently raises practical scores more than technique alone.
• Use Mathur for Mechanics and Reitz-Milford-Christy for E&M as your anchor texts: These two books map closely to the PHY 101 unit structure and are widely available in Nepal; building your notes around them, rather than juggling many disconnected sources, keeps preparation focused.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the official course code and title for TU B.Sc. First Year Physics?

The theory paper is PHY 101 — Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Statistical Physics and Electricity & Magnetism, carrying 100 marks with a pass mark of 35. The practical paper is PHY 102, carrying 50 marks with a pass mark of 20. Both must be passed independently. Total lecture hours for theory: 160.

How many units are covered in PHY 101 and what are their teaching hours?

PHY 101 covers four units across 160 teaching hours: Mechanics (54 hours), Thermodynamics (38 hours), Statistical Physics (15 hours), and Electricity & Magnetism (53 hours).

How many experiments are required in the First Year Physics lab?

Students must complete a minimum of 20 experiments over 180 working hours, drawn from Mechanical, Heat & Thermodynamics, and Electricity & Magnetism categories, with each experiment recorded and signed off by the concerned teacher.

Which allied subjects can be studied alongside Physics in First Year?

Students majoring in Physics choose two allied subjects from Chemistry, Mathematics, Statistics, Geology, or Environmental Science. These allied subjects continue into Second Year alongside Physics before narrowing to a smaller set of electives in Third and Fourth Year.

What comes after PHY 101 in the four-year programme?

Second Year Physics moves to Optics, Modern Physics & Electronics; Third Year covers Mathematical Physics and Classical Mechanics along with Research Methodology; Fourth Year culminates in Quantum Mechanics and Nuclear & Solid State Physics, alongside a choice between Material Science or Project Work.

Where can I find Physics notes and past papers for TU B.Sc. First Year?

You can find study resources on nneducation.com. The official PHY 101 syllabus PDF is embedded at the top of this page. Past papers for Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Statistical Physics and Electricity & Magnetism are available through EducateNepal (educatenepal.com) and the IoST TU official website (tuiost.edu.np).

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