Physics — Important Diagrams
All diagrams that appear in TGBIE 1st Year Physics exams — listed chapter-wise with the key labels you must include in your exam drawings. Practice drawing and labelling each one.
Ch. 3 & 4 Motion
Projectile Motion
Labels to include: Point of projection, angle θ, horizontal range R, maximum height H, trajectory (parabola), velocity components at various points
Velocity-Time Graph (uniform acceleration)
Labels to include: v-axis, t-axis, slope = acceleration, area under graph = displacement
Position-Time Graph (uniform velocity and uniform acceleration)
Labels to include: Slope = velocity, curved line for acceleration, straight line for constant velocity
Ch. 5 Laws of Motion
Free Body Diagram — block on inclined plane
Labels to include: Weight mg (downward), Normal force N (perpendicular to incline), friction f (up the incline), component mg·sinθ (down the incline)
Conical pendulum / Banking of road
Labels to include: Radius r, angle θ, centripetal force mv²/r (horizontal), weight mg (vertical), resultant tension T
Ch. 7 Rotational Motion
Moment of Inertia of common bodies
Labels to include: Rod about centre I=ML²/12; rod about end I=ML²/3; disc I=MR²/2; sphere I=2MR²/5
Rolling motion
Labels to include: Centre of mass velocity v_cm, angular velocity ω = v_cm/R, contact point (instantaneous rest), top of sphere (speed 2v_cm)
Ch. 8 Oscillations
Simple Harmonic Motion — displacement, velocity, acceleration vs time
Labels to include: x = A sinωt (sine curve), v = Aω cosωt (cosine, phase π/2 ahead), a = −Aω² sinωt (180° out of phase with x)
Energy in SHM vs displacement
Labels to include: KE = ½mω²(A²−x²) (parabola), PE = ½mω²x² (parabola), Total E = constant horizontal line
Simple pendulum
Labels to include: Pivot, length L, bob mass m, equilibrium, displacement x, restoring force component mg·sinθ
Ch. 9 Gravitation
Variation of g with altitude and depth
Labels to include: g on y-axis, distance from centre on x-axis; g increases linearly from centre to surface, then decreases as 1/r² above surface
Geostationary satellite orbit
Labels to include: Earth at centre, orbit at 42,000 km, equatorial plane, T = 24 h
Ch. 10 Mechanical Properties of Solids
Stress-Strain curve
Labels to include: O (origin), elastic limit, yield point, ultimate tensile strength, fracture point; proportional limit, elastic region, plastic region
Ch. 13 Thermodynamics
Carnot Cycle (P-V diagram)
Labels to include: A→B isothermal expansion at T₁, B→C adiabatic expansion, C→D isothermal compression at T₂, D→A adiabatic compression; area = net work done
Various thermodynamic processes on P-V diagram
Labels to include: Isothermal (hyperbola), adiabatic (steeper than isothermal), isobaric (horizontal line), isochoric (vertical line)
Exam Tip: How to Draw Physics Diagrams
- • Draw diagrams in pencil; label clearly in pen.
- • Always label every arrow (direction and quantity).
- • For P-V diagrams: label each axis, each process, and direction of process (arrow).
- • For motion diagrams: show all force components clearly; avoid messy overlapping arrows.
- • Diagrams that are absent even when asked lose diagram marks (usually 1 out of 7).