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Class 12 Physics Formulas: Complete Chapter-wise Directory

This page collects the complete Class 12 Physics formulas chapter-wise list in one place: all fourteen chapters of the rationalised NCERT syllabus, each with a short description of the formulas it covers and a direct link to that chapter’s formula page.

It is for CBSE students revising for board exams, practising numericals, or scanning formulas at the last minute. Find the chapter you need in the directory, tap through to its page, and revise the formulas with their symbols, SI units and derivations.

This Class 12 page sits inside the Physics Formulas hub, which holds formula revision notes for every class.

Class 12 Physics Formulas Chapter-wise Directory

The complete Class 12 Physics syllabus, chapter by chapter, in textbook order. The directory table below links each chapter to its formula page; the notes that follow summarise what every chapter covers.

What each chapter covers, in the same order:

Book Ch Chapter notes
Physics Part I 1 Electric Charges and Fields
Physics Part I 2 Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance
Physics Part I 3 Current Electricity
Physics Part I 4 Moving Charges and Magnetism
Physics Part I 5 Magnetism and Matter
Physics Part I 6 Electromagnetic Induction
Physics Part I 7 Alternating Current
Physics Part I 8 Electromagnetic Waves
Physics Part Ii 9 Ray Optics and Optical Instruments
Physics Part Ii 10 Wave Optics
Physics Part Ii 11 Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter
Physics Part Ii 12 Atoms
Physics Part Ii 13 Nuclei
Physics Part Ii 14 Semiconductor Electronics: Materials, Devices and Simple Circuits

  1. Electric Charges and Fields — Coulomb’s law, electric field intensity, field lines, electric dipoles and Gauss’s law; the electrostatics foundation later chapters build on.
  2. Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance — electric potential and potential energy, equipotential surfaces, capacitors in series and parallel, and the energy stored in a capacitor.
  3. Current Electricity — Ohm’s law, resistivity and conductivity, Kirchhoff’s rules, the Wheatstone bridge and combinations of cells; the formulas behind most numerical-based board questions.
  4. Moving Charges and Magnetism — Biot-Savart law, Ampere’s law, magnetic force on moving charges and current-carrying conductors, plus the cyclotron and the moving coil galvanometer.
  5. Magnetism and Matter — bar magnets as magnetic dipoles, torque on a magnet in a magnetic field, Earth’s magnetism, and the classification of magnetic materials.
  6. Electromagnetic Induction — Faraday’s law, Lenz’s law, motional emf, self and mutual inductance, and the working formula of the AC generator.
  7. Alternating Current — RMS and peak values, inductive and capacitive reactance, impedance of series LCR circuits, resonance and power factor.
  8. Electromagnetic Waves — displacement current, the properties and speed of electromagnetic waves, and the electromagnetic spectrum from radio to gamma rays.
  9. Ray Optics and Optical Instruments — mirror and lens formulas, refraction, total internal reflection, prism deviation, and the magnifying power of microscopes and telescopes.
  10. Wave Optics — Huygens’ principle, Young’s double-slit interference, diffraction and polarisation; the wave model of light in formula form.
  11. Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter — Einstein’s photoelectric equation, stopping potential, de Broglie wavelength, and the Davisson–Germer experiment.
  12. Atoms — Rutherford’s nuclear model, Bohr’s postulates, hydrogen atom energy levels, and the spectral series of the hydrogen atom.
  13. Nuclei — mass defect and binding energy, alpha, beta and gamma decay, half-life, and the energy released in nuclear fission and fusion.
  14. Semiconductor Electronics: Materials, Devices and Simple Circuits — intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors, the p-n junction diode, rectifiers, and basic logic gates with their truth tables.

How to Use These Formula Pages for Revision

Work through one chapter at a time, five minutes per chapter:

  1. Pick the chapter from the directory and open its formula page.
  2. Read each formula and say what every symbol means before moving on.
  3. Check the SI unit of each quantity in the formula.
  4. Solve one numerical using that formula, step by step.
  5. Tick the topic off and move to the next chapter.

The mistake most students make is memorising a formula without its symbols and SI units. Wrong substitutions in numericals almost always trace back to a unit mismatch, so verify units before you put values into any formula.

What You Get on Each Chapter Page

Every chapter page is a complete formula revision note, not a bare list. You get:

  • Key formulas with the meaning of every symbol.
  • SI units for every quantity.
  • Derivations the board expects, such as Gauss’s law in electrostatics and the lens maker’s formula in ray optics.
  • Solved numerical examples showing the substitution steps.
  • Common errors flagged at the point where students slip.

One honest note: formulas describe ideal situations — point charges, thin lenses, zero internal resistance. Each chapter page flags where the real-world exception matters in a numerical.

Formula-Heavy Chapters to Prioritise for the Board Exam

If time is short, start where formula-based numericals concentrate:

  • Electric Charges and Fields
  • Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance
  • Current Electricity
  • Moving Charges and Magnetism
  • Electromagnetic Induction
  • Alternating Current
  • Ray Optics and Optical Instruments

This list follows the current rationalised NCERT syllabus, so it matches the chapters in the directory above. Treat it as a revision-priority guide, not a prediction, because weightage shifts every board year. To verify the chapter list against the prescribed textbook, check the NCERT Class 12 Physics Part I textbook index on ncert.nic.in.

Class 12 Physics Formulas FAQ

How many chapters are there in Class 12 Physics for formulas?

Fourteen, from Electric Charges and Fields to Semiconductor Electronics. The list matches the rationalised NCERT syllabus, so it reflects exactly what the current board exam draws from.

Which Class 12 Physics chapters have the most important formulas?

Current Electricity, Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance, Moving Charges and Magnetism, Electromagnetic Induction, Alternating Current and Ray Optics carry most of the formula-based numericals. Start with these when revision time is short.

Do the Class 12 Physics formula pages include derivations and SI units?

Yes. Every chapter page lists formulas with the meaning of each symbol, gives the SI unit of every quantity, and includes derivations the board expects, such as Gauss’s law and the lens maker’s formula.

How do I revise Class 12 Physics formulas the night before the exam?

Follow the five-minute routine per chapter described above, and cover the formula-heavy chapters first.

Reference: NCERT textbooks (CBSE).

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