General Science: Physics, Chemistry and Biology Essentials
What the science paper covers
General Science in CEPTAM STA-B Tier-I draws on physics, chemistry and biology at a class 10–12 level, with occasional computer-awareness items. Depth is modest but breadth is wide, so revise definitions, units, laws and everyday applications rather than long derivations.
Core areas
- Physics: Newton's three laws, SI units, work–power–energy, Ohm's law V = IR, series and parallel resistance, reflection and refraction, sound and its speed, basic magnetism.
- Chemistry: atomic number versus mass number, periodic trends, acids, bases and the pH scale, common salts - washing soda Na₂CO₃·10H₂O, baking soda NaHCO₃, plaster of Paris CaSO₄·½H₂O - plus metals, alloys and fuels.
- Biology: cell organelles and plant versus animal cells, human digestive, circulatory and respiratory systems, blood groups, vitamins and their deficiency diseases, and basic ecology.
Worked example
A 6 Ω and a 3 Ω resistor are connected in parallel. Find the equivalent resistance. In parallel, 1/R = 1/6 + 1/3 = 1/6 + 2/6 = 3/6 = 1/2, so R = 2 Ω. The answer is smaller than the smallest resistor, which is a quick sanity check for any parallel combination.
Traps that cost marks
Mixing series and parallel formulas, confusing mass with weight, swapping the pH values of acids and bases, and attributing a deficiency disease to the wrong vitamin. One-line computer questions (RAM versus ROM, input and output devices) also appear, so do not leave them blank.