Physics / Topic coverage

Mechanics

Own rotation + energy + relative motion — still the largest Physics share every year.

Weight highIntensity Core · dailyTrend Falling share300-target 33.5 /100high

Path to 300

Mark budget for this portion

At ~32.3% of physics weight, this portion should reliably deliver ~34 of your 100 physics marks — treat misses here as rank-droppers.

25Floor marks

33.5Target marks

38.4Stretch marks

32.3%Of subject weight

100Subject target

At a glance

Coverage metrics

76Tagged questions

32.3%Of Physics

10.86Average / year

2021Peak year (17 Q)

7/7Years present

Official · 2026

Syllabus map for this portion

Full Physics syllabus →

Core Mechanics from the official syllabus (kinematics through gravitation/SHM). Fluids and waves are separate app topics but sit under Mechanics officially.

Must cover from syllabus

Rolling without slipping + angular momentum conservation
COM collisions; impulse
Forced/damped oscillation & resonance
Gravitation: satellites, escape, Kepler

Gaps / exclusions to watch

Uniformly accelerated frames
Collision of point masses with rigid bodies

Unit 01

Mechanics — Kinematics, Newton, Energy, Collisions, Rigid Body, Oscillation, Gravitation

high

Exam focusRolling, angular momentum about smart axis, COM collisions, forced/damped SHM.

Syllabus points

1D/2D kinematics (Cartesian); projectiles; UCM; relative velocity
Newton’s laws; inertial & uniformly accelerated frames; friction; work, energy, power; momentum conservation
Systems of particles; COM; impulse; elastic/inelastic collisions
Rigid body: MI, parallel/perpendicular axes; angular momentum; torque; rolling without slipping; collisions with rigid bodies
Forced and damped oscillation (1D), resonance; linear and angular SHM
Hooke’s law, Young’s modulus
Gravitation: potential/field, g, Kepler, geostationary, satellites, escape velocity

Do / check

Draw free-body + choose axis before torque equations
Separate spin ω from orbital ω in relative rotation

Unit 02

General (Units, Errors, Experiments)

medium

Exam focusDimensional analysis, significant figures, experiment setups named in syllabus.

Syllabus points

Units and dimensions; dimensional analysis; least count; significant figures
Error analysis for listed experiments: Vernier, screw gauge, g by pendulum, Young’s modulus, surface tension by capillary, calorimeter specific heat, u–v focal length, resonance column, Ohm’s law, meter bridge / post office box

Do / check

Write least count and % error formula before computing
Know what each named experiment measures

2020–2026

Year-wise appearance

Counts of tagged questions for this topic each year.

2015

2117

229

239

248

259

269

Reading the pattern

Mechanics accounts for ~32.3% of tagged physics questions (2020–2026).
Trend signal: falling (early-window avg 13.7/yr vs recent avg 8.7/yr).
Appears in 7/7 tagged years; peak 2021 (17 Q), low 2024 (8 Q).
Dominant subtopics: Rotation (21), Mixed (16), Projectile/Kinematics (10), Gravitation (7).
Question-type mix: Numerical 38.2%, Single correct 32.9%, Multi correct 25.0%, Matching 3.9%.

Internal breakdown

Subtopic coverage

Start with the top subtopics — they usually carry most of this portion’s weight.

Rotation21 · 27.6%
Mixed16 · 21.1%
Projectile/Kinematics10 · 13.2%
Gravitation7 · 9.2%
Collision/COM7 · 9.2%
Units & Dimensions4 · 5.3%
Experimental4 · 5.3%
Work-Energy3 · 3.9%
General3 · 3.9%
Equilibrium/Rigid1 · 1.3%

Subtopic	Count	Share	Years (count)
Rotation	21	27.6%	2020·5 2021·3 2022·3 2023·3 2024·1 2025·3 2026·3
Mixed	16	21.1%	2020·3 2021·4 2022·1 2023·3 2024·3 2025·2
Projectile/Kinematics	10	13.2%	2020·3 2021·3 2022·1 2023·2 2026·1
Gravitation	7	9.2%	2021·2 2023·1 2024·1 2025·2 2026·1
Collision/COM	7	9.2%	2021·3 2024·2 2026·2
Units & Dimensions	4	5.3%	2020·1 2022·1 2024·1 2026·1
Experimental	4	5.3%	2021·1 2022·1 2025·1 2026·1
Work-Energy	3	3.9%	2020·1 2022·1 2025·1
General	3	3.9%	2020·1 2021·1 2022·1
Equilibrium/Rigid	1	1.3%	2020·1

Exam form

Type & difficulty mix

Question types

Numerical — 29 questions (38.2%)
Single correct — 25 questions (32.9%)
Multi correct — 19 questions (25%)
Matching — 3 questions (3.9%)

Difficulty (heuristic)

H — 40 questions
M — 36 questions

Use for planning load only — not an official difficulty label.

Focused study

Plan for this portion

Must know

Rolling without slipping constraints
Angular momentum about moving points
COM + collision systems
Variable mass / constraint forces sketches

Common traps

Wrong point for torque/energy
Mixing ω_orb and spin ω
Sign of friction in rolling

Weekly drill checklist

3 rotation problems
2 energy/constraint
1 projectile/COM mix
1 multi-correct

Prerequisite chain

Kinematics→NLM→energy/momentum→rotation→rigid body + rolling

Often joins with

Waves/SHM (oscillating rods in fluids)Thermodynamics (rarely)Magnetism (charged particle in B — edge)

Paper pointers

Sample tagged questions

Use these as deliberate practice targets from past papers.

Year	Paper	Q	Subtopic	Type	Diff
2020	P1	Q1	Equilibrium/Rigid	SC	M
2020	P1	Q2	Rotation	SC	M
2020	P1	Q3	Rotation	SC	M
2020	P1	Q4	Rotation	SC	M
2020	P1	Q8	Work-Energy	MC	H
2020	P1	Q9	Units & Dimensions	MC	H

Connections

Related mixed joins

Where this topic must connect with another concept in one stem.

Physics2026 · Paper 1 · Q1single-correct

Rolling disks + relative rotation on a large disk

Mechanics – Rotation+Rolling without slipping+Relative angular motion

Knowledge bridge

Step 1: relate arc lengths so the small disks roll without slipping on the large circumference (geometry of contact). Step 2: convert path radius R+r into orbital and spin rates (ω/51-type ratios). Step 3: close the remaining angular gap 2π − Δθ to get the meeting time τ.

Why it feels hard

Easy to use the wrong Δθ (2/51 vs 4/51) if relative rolling sense is mishandled.

What to practise

Always draw contact velocities and write v = ωr for every rolling interface before algebra.

Open 2026 year review →

Physics2026 · Paper 2 · Q17–Q18linked-numerical

Disk collision + rotation about pivot + energy loss

Mechanics – Collision+Rotation about a fixed point+Energy & angular momentum

Knowledge bridge

Step 1: apply angular impulse about the pivot C for the particle–disk collision. Step 2: convert post-collision ω into maximum rise of centre O (energy after collision). Step 3: compare mechanical energy before vs after to get the collision energy loss.

Why it feels hard

Choosing the wrong axis or mixing linear KE with rotational KE about C breaks both answers.

What to practise

Linked collision–rotation: conserve angular momentum about the eventual pivot, then energy separately.

Open 2026 year review →

Physics2024 · Paper 1 · Q9–Q10numerical

Rotation numerical beside wave optics

Mechanics – Rotation+Wave optics+Numerical accuracy

Knowledge bridge

Step 1: finish the rotation NUM with a clear MOI/energy chain. Step 2: switch mental model to interference/diffraction for the next NUM. Step 3: protect calculator/decimal hygiene across both.

Why it feels hard

Topic switch mid-numerical section drains working memory.

What to practise

In NUM blocks, write a one-line topic label before each solve.

Open 2024 year review →

Physics2022 · Paper 1 · Q7numerical

EMI/AC numerical among mechanics NUMs

EMI/AC+Mechanics context switching+Numerical

Knowledge bridge

Step 1: isolate the electromagnetic law needed (flux/induced emf/impedance). Step 2: compute the asked scalar. Step 3: consciously leave rotation kinematics behind so constants are not mixed.

Why it feels hard

Topic island inside a Mechanics-heavy NUM sea.

What to practise

Underline the chapter keywords in each NUM stem before writing equations.

Open 2022 year review →

Physics

Other portions

Optics Thermodynamics/Kinetic Theory Electrostatics Waves/SHM/Sound Magnetism/EMI/AC Modern Physics Current Electricity Fluid/Properties of Matter

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