General Science
Core ideas
Physics: SI units, motion, force, work and energy, heat, light, sound, electricity, and magnetism. Chemistry: elements, compounds, mixtures, acids, bases and salts, metals, water, and air. Biology: the cell, tissues, human systems (digestive, respiratory, circulatory, nervous), nutrition, vitamins, diseases, plant parts, and ecology.
Traps
Unit and symbol confusion is common: force is measured in newtons, power in watts, and pressure in pascals. Distinguish mass from weight. Learn vitamins and deficiency diseases, communicable versus non-communicable diseases, and acid-base indicators.
Rule of thumb
Use SI units and dimensional sense. If a question asks for a unit, eliminate options with the wrong dimension before calculating.
Worked example
A runner covers 100 m in 20 s. Speed = distance/time = 100/20 = 5 m/s. In km/h, 5 × 18/5 = 18 km/h. The conversion factor prevents the common error of writing 5 km/h.
Environment
Know renewable and non-renewable resources, pollution, biodiversity hotspots, and conservation. The Western Ghats are a global biodiversity hotspot, and Karnataka's forests support elephants, tigers, and many endemic species.
Health and nutrition
Link deficiency diseases to vitamins and minerals, and link diseases to pathogens or lifestyle.