Physics Board Exam Strategy – 5 Chapters in One
Day
■ General One-Day Strategy
• Spend ~2 hours per chapter (Concept sweep → NCERT skim → Notes → Questions).
• Focus on definitions, formulas, derivations, and diagrams.
• Do NCERT back questions and solved examples (boards copy directly).
• At the end of the day, revise all formulas, key derivations, and tricky questions.
• Skim NCERT quickly for highlighted lines and diagrams – not full reading.
■ Chapter: Electrostatic Potential & Capacitance – Board Exam
Checklist
Key Definitions
• Electric potential at a point
• Potential difference
• Electrostatic potential due to a point charge
• Equipotential surface
• Capacitance
• Dielectric constant (relative permittivity)
• Energy density of electric field
Important Derivations
• Potential due to a point charge
• Potential due to an electric dipole (axial + equatorial)
• Work done in moving a charge in an electric field
• Relation between electric field and potential: E = -dV/dx
• Capacitance of an isolated spherical conductor
• Capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor (with/without dielectric)
• Energy stored in a capacitor
• Energy density of electric field in a capacitor
Formulas to Memorize
• V = (1/4πε0) * (q/r)
• V (dipole) = (1/4πε0) * (p cosθ / r²)
• E = -dV/dr
• C = ε0 A/d
• C with dielectric = κ ε0 A/d
• U = ½ CV² = Q²/2C = ½ QV
• u = ½ ε0 E²
• Series: 1/Ceq = 1/C1 + 1/C2 + ...
• Parallel: Ceq = C1 + C2 + ...
Diagrams to Practice
• Equipotential surfaces around a point charge & between parallel plates
• Graph of V vs r for point charge
• Capacitor with dielectric slab inserted
• Combination of capacitors (series + parallel)
Examples & NCERT Questions
• Solved Examples: 2.1, 2.3, 2.5, 2.9 (may vary by edition)
• Back exercise questions: focus on derivations, numericals (esp. energy + equivalent
capacitance), and conceptual short questions
Common Board-Style Questions
• Define potential at a point.
• Draw equipotential surfaces for: (i) a point charge, (ii) uniform electric field.
• Derive capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor with dielectric.
• Explain how energy is stored in a capacitor and obtain its expression.
• Numerical: equivalent capacitance in series/parallel combination.