Articles

NCERT Chapter Summary: Work and Energy

Work done on an object is defined as the magnitude of the force multiplied by the distance moved by the object in the direction of the applied force. The unit of work is joule: 1 joule = 1 newton × 1 metre.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Gravitation

The law of gravitation states that the force of attraction between any two objects is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. The law applies to objects anywhere in the universe. Such a law is said to be universal.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Lines and Angles

If a ray stands on a line, then the sum of the two adjacent angles so formed is 180° and vice-versa. This property is called as the Linear pair axiom. If two lines intersect each other, then the vertically opposite angles are equal.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Life Processes

Movement of various types can be taken as an indication of life. Maintenance of life requires processes like nutrition, respiration, transport of materials within the body and excretion of waste products.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Chemical Reactions and Equations

A complete chemical equation represents the reactants, products and their physical states symbolically. A chemical equation is balanced so that the numbers of atoms of each type involved in a chemical reaction are the same on the reactant and product sides of the equation. Equations must always be balanced.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Heredity and Evolution

Variations arising during the process of reproduction can be inherited. These variations may lead to increased survival of the individuals. Sexually reproducing individuals have two copies of genes for the same trait. If the copies are not identical, the trait that gets expressed is called the dominant trait and the other is called the recessive trait.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Metals and Non-metals

Elements can be classified as metals and non-metals. Metals are lustrous, malleable, ductile and are good conductors of heat and electricity. They are solids at room temperature, except mercury which is a liquid. Metals can form positive ions by losing electrons to non-metals.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Electricity

A stream of electrons moving through a conductor constitutes an electric current. Conventionally, the direction of current is taken opposite to the direction of flow of electrons. The SI unit of electric current is ampere.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Sound

Sound is produced due to vibration of different objects. Sound travels as a longitudinal wave through a material medium. Sound travels as successive compressions and rarefactions in the medium. In sound propagation, it is the energy of the sound that travels and not the particles of the medium. Sound cannot travel in vacuum.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Cells

The fundamental organisational unit of life is the cell. Cells are enclosed by a plasma membrane composed of lipids and proteins. The cell membrane is an active part of the cell. It regulates the movement of materials between the ordered interior of the cell and the outer environment.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Structure of Atom

Credit for the discovery of electron and proton goes to J.J.Thomson and E.Goldstein, respectively. J.J. Thomson proposed that electrons are embedded in a positive sphere. Rutherford’s alpha-particle scattering experiment led to the discovery of the atomic nucleus.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Atoms and Molecules

During a chemical reaction, the sum of the masses of the reactants and products remains unchanged. This is known as the Law of Conservation of Mass.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Laws of Motion

First law of motion: An object continues to be in a state of rest or of uniform motion along a straight line unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Tissues

Tissue is a group of cells similar in structure and function. Plant tissues are of two main types - meristematic and permanent.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Matter

Matter is made up of small particles. The matter exists in three states - solid, liquid and gas. The forces of attraction between the particles are maximum in solids, intermediate in liquids and minimum in gases.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Relations and Functions (Class 11)

Much of mathematics is about finding a pattern - a recognisable link between quantities that change. In our daily life, we come across many patterns that characterise relations such as brother and sister, father and son, teacher and student.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Trigonometric Functions

The word ‘trigonometry’ is derived from the Greek words ‘trigon’ and ‘metron’ and it means ‘measuring the sides of a triangle’. The subject was originally developed to solve geometric problems involving triangles.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Complex Numbers and Quadratic Equations

The equation x2 + 1 = 0 has no real solution as x2 + 1 = 0 gives x2 = -1 and square of every real number is non-negative.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Determinants

If we interchange any two rows (or columns), then sign of determinant changes. If any two rows or any two columns are identical or proportional, then value of determinant is zero.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Continuity and Differentiability

A real valued function is continuous at a point in its domain if the limit of the function at that point equals the value of the function at that point. A function is continuous if it is continuous on the whole of its domain.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Application of Derivatives

If a quantity y varies with another quantity x, satisfying some rule y = f(x), then f'(x) represents the rate of change of y with respect to x.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Integrals

Differential Calculus is centred on the concept of the derivative. The original motivation for the derivative was the problem of defining tangent lines to the graphs of functions and calculating the slope of such lines.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Application of Integrals

In geometry, we have learnt formulae to calculate areas of various geometrical figures including triangles, rectangles, trapezias and circles. Such formulae are fundamental in the applications of mathematics to many real life problems.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Differential Equations

In Class XI and in Chapter 5 of the present book, we discussed how to differentiate a given function f with respect to an independent variable, i.e., how to find f'(x) for a given function f at each x in its domain of definition.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Vector Algebra

In our day to day life, we come across many queries such as - What is your height? How should a football player hit the ball to give a pass to another player of his team? Observe that a possible answer to the first query may be 1.6 meters, a quantity that involves only one value (magnitude) which is a real number. Such quantities are called scalars.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Three Dimensional Geometry

In Class XI, while studying Analytical Geometry in two dimensions, and the introduction to three dimensional geometry, we confined to the Cartesian methods only. In the previous chapter of this book, we have studied some basic concepts of vectors.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Linear Programming

In earlier classes, we have discussed systems of linear equations and their applications in day to day problems. In Class XI, we have studied linear inequalities and systems of linear inequalities in two variables and their solutions by graphical method. Many applications in mathematics involve systems of inequalities or equations.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Probability (Class 12)

In earlier Classes, we have studied the probability as a measure of uncertainty of events in a random experiment. We discussed the axiomatic approach formulated by Russian Mathematician, A.N. Kolmogorov (1903-1987) and treated probability as a function of outcomes of the experiment.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Relations and Functions (Class 12)

In this chapter, you study different types of relations and equivalence relation, composition of functions, invertible functions and binary operations.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Inverse Trigonometric Functions

In Chapter 1, we have studied that the inverse of a function f, denoted by f–1, exists if f is one-one and onto. There are many functions which are not one-one, onto or both and hence we can not talk of their inverses.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Matrices

A matrix is an ordered rectangular array of numbers or functions. A matrix having m rows and n columns is called a matrix of order m × n.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Cell - The Unit of Life

All organisms are made of cells or aggregates of cells. Cells vary in their shape, size and activities/functions. Based on the presence or absence of a membrane bound nucleus and other organelles, cells and hence organisms can be named as eukaryotic or prokaryotic.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Biomolecules (Class 12)

Although there is a bewildering diversity of living organisms, their chemical composition and metabolic reactions appear to be remarkably similar. The elemental composition of living tissues and non-living matter appear also to be similar when analysed qualitatively. However, a closer examination reveals that the relative abundance of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen is higher in living systems when compared to inanimate matter.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Photosynthesis in Higher Plants

Green plants make their own food by photosynthesis. During this process carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is taken in by leaves through stomata and used for making carbohydrates, principally glucose and starch.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Respiration in Plants

Plants unlike animals have no special systems for breathing or gaseous exchange. Stomata and lenticels allow gaseous exchange by diffusion. Almost all living cells in a plant have their surfaces exposed to air.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Breathing and Exchange of Gases

Cells utilise oxygen for metabolism and produce energy along with substances like carbon dioxide which is harmful. Animals have evolved different mechanisms for the transport of oxygen to the cells and for the removal of carbon dioxide from there. We have a well developed respiratory system comprising two lungs and associated air passages to perform this function.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Body Fluids and Circulation

Vertebrates circulate blood, a fluid connective tissue, in their body, to transport essential substances to the cells and to carry waste substances from there. Another fluid, lymph (tissue fluid) is also used for the transport of certain substances. Blood comprises of a fluid matrix, plasma and formed elements. Red blood cells (RBCs, erythrocytes), white blood cells (WBCs, leucocytes) and platelets (thrombocytes) constitute the formed elements.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Locomotion and Movement

Movement is an essential feature of all living beings. Protoplasmic streaming, ciliary movements, movements of fins, limbs, wings, etc., are some forms exhibited by animals. A voluntary movement which causes the animal to change its place, is called locomotion. Animals move generally in search of food, shelter, mate, breeding ground, better climate or to protect themselves.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Neural Control and Coordination

The neural system coordinates and integrates functions as well as metabolic and homeostatic activities of all the organs. Neurons, the functional units of neural system are excitable cells due to a differential concentration gradient of ions across the membrane.

NCERT Chapter Summary: The Living World

The living world is rich in variety. Millions of plants and animals have been identified and described but a large number still remains unknown. The very range of organisms in terms of size, colour, habitat, physiological and morphological features make us seek the defining characteristics of living organisms.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Biological Classification

Biological classification of plants and animals was first proposed by Aristotle on the basis of simple morphological characters. Linnaeus later classified all living organisms into two kingdoms - Plantae and Animalia. Whittaker proposed an elaborate five kingdom classification - Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae and Animalia.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Morphology of Flowering Plants

Flowering plants exhibit enormous variation in shape, size, structure, mode of nutrition, life span, habit and habitat. They have well developed root and shoot systems. Root system is either tap root or fibrous. Generally, dicotyledonous plants have tap roots while monocotyledonous plants have fibrous roots. The roots in some plants get modified for storage of food, mechanical support and respiration.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Anatomy of Flowering Plants

Anatomically, a plant is made of different kinds of tissues. The plant tissues are broadly classified into meristematic (apical, lateral and intercalary) and permanent (simple and complex). Assimilation of food and its storage, transportation of water, minerals and photosynthates, and mechanical support are the main functions of tissues.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Evolution

The origin of life on earth can be understood only against the background of origin of universe especially earth. Most scientists believe chemical evolution, i.e., formation of biomolecules preceded the appearance of the first cellular forms of life.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Human Health and Disease

Health is not just the absence of disease. It is a state of complete physical, mental, social and psychological well-being. Diseases like typhoid, cholera, pneumonia, fungal infections of skin, malaria and many others are a major cause of distress to human beings.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Microbes in Human Welfare

Microbes are a very important component of life on earth. Not all microbes are pathogenic. Many microbes are very useful to human beings. We use microbes and microbially derived products almost every day.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Biotechnology - Principles and Processes

Biotechnology deals with large scale production and marketing of products and processes using live organisms, cells or enzymes.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Biotechnology and its Applications

Biotechnology has given to humans several useful products by using microbes, plant, animals and their metabolic machinery. Recombinant DNA technology has made it possible to engineer microbes, plants and animals such that they have novel capabilities.

NCERT Chapter Summary: Organisms and Populations

As a branch of biology, Ecology is the study of the relationships of living organisms with the abiotic (physico-chemical factors) and biotic components (other species) of their environment. It is concerned with four levels of biological organisation-organisms, populations, communities and biomes.