NECO Areas Of Concentration For Physics 2025/2026

The NECO Areas Of Concentration For Physics 2025/2026 examination provides a structured framework to help students effectively prepare for their exams. It is based on the Senior Secondary School teaching syllabus, focusing on key concepts in Physics such as matter, motion, energy, waves, atomic and nuclear physics, and electronics.

This comprehensive syllabus is designed to guide students through the essential topics they need to understand in order to succeed in the exam. It emphasizes a conceptual approach, making it easier for candidates to grasp the foundational principles and their real-world applications.

The main objectives of the NECO Areas Of Concentrations are to equip candidates with a solid understanding of fundamental physics principles and their practical uses. The syllabus aims to foster scientific skills and attitudes that are vital for further academic and professional endeavors in science.

It encourages students to develop critical thinking abilities, scientific curiosity, and the capacity to apply physics concepts in everyday life. Through this approach, candidates are also trained to appreciate the value of scientific methods and their limitations, while also gaining an understanding of the safety and accuracy required in scientific practices.

In addition to outlining the content, the NECO Physics syllabus also includes aims focused on the development of practical skills. These include fostering scientific attitudes such as objectivity, integrity, precision, and inventiveness, as well as encouraging safe and efficient scientific practices.

The NECO Physics exam consists of three papers: Paper 1, a multiple-choice section lasting 1¼ hours and worth 50 marks, covering topics such as mechanics, electricity, magnetism, atomic physics, and wave-particle duality.

Paper 2 has two sections: Section A, with seven short-structured questions (15 marks), and Section B, with five essay questions (45 marks).

Section A focuses on basic concepts, definitions, and calculations, while Section B requires deeper understanding, derivations, and problem-solving.

Paper 3 is a practical test lasting 2¾ hours for school candidates, requiring answers to 2 out of 3 practical questions (50 marks). For private candidates, an alternative paper tests practical physics knowledge and the ability to interpret data, with 3 questions from which 2 must be answered.

READ ALSO:NECO Registration Form, Fee, Date, Deadline & Guidlines 2025/2026

NECO Areas Of Concentration For Physics 2025/2026

1. Concepts of Matter

• Structure: Matter is made up of particles (atoms, molecules) that are in constant motion.
• States of Matter: Solid (fixed shape/volume), Liquid (fixed volume, shape changes), Gas (no fixed shape/volume).
• Particle Nature Evidence: Brownian motion shows particles are in constant motion.
• Kinetic Theory: Explains properties like gas pressure, evaporation, boiling, and cohesion/adhesion.
• Crystalline vs Amorphous: Crystalline solids have a regular atomic structure (e.g., face-centred, body-centred), while amorphous solids lack order.

2. Fundamental and Derived Quantities and Units

• Fundamental Quantities: Length, mass, time, electric current, luminous intensity, temperature, amount of substance.
• Derived Quantities: Volume, density, speed, and units like m³, kg/m³, m/s.

3. Position, Distance, and Displacement

• Position: Location of a point in space using coordinates.
• Distance vs Displacement: Distance is scalar; displacement is a vector quantity (with direction).
• Measurement: Use of tools like metre rules, vernier calipers, and protractors.

4. Mass and Weight

• Mass: Amount of matter, measured in kg.
• Weight: Force due to gravity, measured in newtons (N).
• Measurement: Use of balances for mass, spring balance for weight.

5. Time

• Concept: Time is the interval between events.
• Measurement: Stopwatch, pendulum, ticker-timer.
• Unit: Second (s).

6. Fluid at Rest

• Pressure in Fluids: Pressure is force per unit area, increases with depth.
• Archimedes’ Principle: Buoyant force equals the weight of displaced fluid.
• Hydraulic Applications: E.g., car brakes, hydraulic press.

7. Motion

• Types of Motion: Linear, rotational, oscillatory, etc.
• Force: Causes motion (push/pull).
• Friction: Static (between stationary bodies) and dynamic (between moving bodies).
• Fluid Friction: Viscosity and terminal velocity.

8. Speed and Velocity

• Speed: Distance/time (scalar).
• Velocity: Displacement/time (vector).
• Graphs: Distance vs time, velocity vs time graphs for motion analysis.

9. Rectilinear Acceleration

• Acceleration: Rate of change of velocity.
• Equations of Motion: Used for constant acceleration (e.g., motion under gravity).

10. Scalars and Vectors

• Scalars: Quantities with magnitude only (e.g., mass, speed).
• Vectors: Quantities with both magnitude and direction (e.g., displacement, velocity).
• Vector Operations: Addition, resolution, and graphical representation.

11. Equilibrium of Forces

• Principle of Moments: The sum of moments around any point is zero for equilibrium.
• Centre of Gravity: Stability of objects depends on their centre of gravity.

12. Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM)

• SHM: Motion where restoring force is proportional to displacement.
• Key Terms: Amplitude, frequency, period.
• Energy: Kinetic and potential energy in SHM.

13. Newton’s Laws of Motion

• First Law: An object remains at rest or in uniform motion unless acted upon by an external force (inertia).
• Second Law: F = ma (Force is mass times acceleration).
• Third Law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

14. Energy

• Forms: Mechanical, heat, electrical, light, etc.
• Sources: Renewable (solar, wind) and non-renewable (coal, oil).
• Conservation of Energy: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.

15. Work, Energy, and Power

• Work: Energy transferred when a force moves an object.
• Energy: Capability to do work.
• Power: Rate of doing work.
• Mechanical Advantage: Efficiency of simple machines.

16. Heat Energy

• Temperature: Degree of hotness.
• Heat Transfer: Conduction, convection, radiation.
• Thermal Expansion: Materials expand when heated.
• Latent Heat: Heat required to change phase (fusion, vaporization).

17. Production and Propagation of Waves

• Mechanical Waves: Transverse or longitudinal.
• Wave Properties: Amplitude, frequency, wavelength, and velocity.
• Equation: v = fλ.

18. Types of Waves

• Transverse Waves: Particles move perpendicular to wave direction (e.g., light).
• Longitudinal Waves: Particles move parallel to wave direction (e.g., sound).

19. Properties of Waves

• Reflection: Bouncing off a surface.
• Refraction: Bending when passing through different mediums.
• Diffraction: Spreading out of waves.
• Interference: Superposition of waves.

20. Light Waves

• Reflection: Mirrors, formation of images.
• Refraction: Bending of light in lenses, optical instruments.
• Dispersion: Splitting white light into a spectrum.

21. Electromagnetic Waves

• Types: Radio, microwave, infrared, visible light, UV, X-rays, gamma rays.
• Uses: Communication, medical imaging, etc.

22. Sound Waves

• Transmission: Requires a medium (solid, liquid, gas).
• Speed: Depends on medium (fastest in solids).
• Resonance: Amplification of sound at natural frequencies.
• Properties: Frequency, pitch, loudness.

23. Gravitational Field

• Acceleration due to gravity (g): It is the acceleration experienced by an object due to Earth’s gravitational pull. It is approximately 9.8 m/s29.8 \, \text{m/s}^29.8m/s2 near Earth’s surface.
• Gravitational Force between two masses (Newton’s law of gravitation): The force FFF between two masses m1m_1m1​ and m2m_2m2​ is given by: F=Gm1m2r2F = G \frac{m_1 m_2}{r^2}F=Gr2m1​m2​​ where GGG is the universal gravitational constant, G=6.67×10−11 N m2/kg2G = 6.67 \times 10^{-11} \, \text{N} \, \text{m}^2/\text{kg}^2G=6.67×10−11Nm2/kg2, and rrr is the distance between the centers of the two masses.
• Gravitational Potential and Escape Velocity:
  • Gravitational potential (V): The potential energy per unit mass at a point in a gravitational field.
  • Escape velocity (v_e): The minimum velocity an object must have to break free from a gravitational field without further propulsion. It is given by: ve=2GMRv_e = \sqrt{\frac{2GM}{R}}ve​=R2GM​​ where MMM is the mass of the planet, and RRR is the radius of the planet.

24. Electric Field

• Coulomb’s Law: The electric force between two charges q1q_1q1​ and q2q_2q2​ is given by: F=keq1q2r2F = k_e \frac{q_1 q_2}{r^2}F=ke​r2q1​q2​​ where kek_eke​ is Coulomb’s constant, ke=9×109 Nm2/C2k_e = 9 \times 10^9 \, \text{Nm}^2/\text{C}^2ke​=9×109Nm2/C2, and rrr is the distance between the charges.
• Electric Field Intensity (E): The force per unit charge exerted on a small positive test charge. It is defined as: E=FqE = \frac{F}{q}E=qF​
• Capacitance: The ability of a system to store charge per unit voltage. For a parallel-plate capacitor, the capacitance CCC is given by: C=εAdC = \frac{\varepsilon A}{d}C=dεA​ where ε\varepsilonε is the permittivity of the dielectric material, AAA is the area of one plate, and ddd is the separation between the plates.

25. Magnetic Field

• Magnetic Force on a Current-Carrying Conductor: A current III in a conductor placed in a magnetic field BBB experiences a force FFF, given by: F=ILBsin⁡θF = I L B \sin \thetaF=ILBsinθ where LLL is the length of the conductor and θ\thetaθ is the angle between the current and the magnetic field.
• Magnetic Field Around a Current-Carrying Conductor (Biot-Savart Law): The magnetic field at a point around a current-carrying conductor is calculated using the Biot-Savart law.
• Earth’s Magnetic Field: The Earth behaves like a giant magnet, with a magnetic field that influences compass needles and other magnetic devices.

26. Electromagnetic Field

• Electromagnetic Induction (Faraday’s Law): A changing magnetic flux induces an electric current in a conductor. Faraday’s law is given by: E=−NdΦBdt\mathcal{E} = -N \frac{d\Phi_B}{dt}E=−NdtdΦB​​ where E\mathcal{E}E is the induced electromotive force (emf), and ΦB\Phi_BΦB​ is the magnetic flux.
• Lenz’s Law: The direction of the induced current will oppose the change in magnetic flux that produced it.

27. Simple A.C. Circuits

• Resonance in A.C. Circuits: When the inductive reactance XLX_LXL​ and capacitive reactance XCX_CXC​ are equal, resonance occurs, leading to maximum current in the circuit.
• Power in A.C. Circuits: The average power delivered in an A.C. circuit is given by: P=VrmsIrmscos⁡ϕP = V_{\text{rms}} I_{\text{rms}} \cos \phiP=Vrms​Irms​cosϕ where ϕ\phiϕ is the phase angle between the current and voltage.

28. Atomic and Nuclear Physics

• Bohr’s Model: Bohr proposed that electrons in atoms occupy quantized energy levels and that they can absorb or emit energy when transitioning between these levels.
• Radioactivity: The spontaneous decay of unstable atomic nuclei, which can release alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. The half-life is the time taken for half of the nuclei in a sample to decay.
• Nuclear Fission and Fusion: Fission is the splitting of a heavy nucleus into smaller nuclei, releasing energy. Fusion is the combining of light nuclei to form a heavier nucleus, also releasing energy.

29. Wave-Particle Duality

• Electron Diffraction: Demonstrates the wave-like nature of electrons, as they exhibit diffraction patterns similar to light.
• Duality of Matter: Matter (such as electrons) behaves both like particles and waves, a key concept in quantum mechanics.

These are the foundational concepts for the topics covered under the NECO Physics syllabus. If you’d like detailed explanations, formulas, or help solving specific problems related to any of these topics, feel free to ask! us via the comment session.