Class 11 Physics practical list: virtual lab with viva questions

95 experiments for Class 11 Physics, each one a 3D virtual lab you can open in your browser. 6 are free. Pick an experiment below to read its aim, theory and viva questions, then run it yourself.

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A virtual lab lets you repeat a practical as often as you like before you do it on the bench: you see the apparatus, change one value at a time and watch how the reading changes. It is useful to prepare for the practical exam, to revise the theory behind each experiment and to understand where errors come from. PractiSci follows the NCERT chapters, so the experiments are grouped chapter by chapter below.

Chapter 1: Units and Measurement

Dimensional analysis of a pendulum period
To use dimensional analysis to find how the period of a simple pendulum depends on m, L and g, and to check the homogeneity of equations.
Graph analysis: best-fit line, slope and error
To learn graph analysis: drawing the best-fit straight line, reading slope and intercept, and estimating their errors by least squares.
Screw Gauge: reading a wire diameter (free)
To measure the diameter of a thin wire with a screw gauge, find its least count and correct for zero error.
Significant figures and error propagation
To understand measurement errors, significant figures and how errors propagate when a quantity is calculated from several measurements.
Spherometer: radius of curvature
To measure the radius of curvature of a spherical surface using a spherometer.
Vernier calipers: least count and zero error (free)
To measure the diameter of a small cylinder with a vernier calipers, determine the least count and correct for zero error.

Chapter 2: Motion in a Straight Line

Free fall with and without air drag
To study motion under gravity (free fall), verify the equations of uniformly accelerated motion and see how air resistance changes the motion.
x-t, v-t, a-t graphs of a moving car (free)
To understand motion graphs: relation between position, velocity and acceleration through slopes and areas.
Relative velocity: two trains and a river boat
To understand relative velocity and frames of reference by studying two moving trains.

Chapter 3: Motion in a Plane

Projectile motion with optional air drag
To study motion of a projectile as the superposition of uniform motion along x and uniformly accelerated motion along y, and to verify the formulas for time of flight…
Projectile on an inclined plane
To analyse projectile motion on an inclined plane: range along the slope, time of flight, maximum height from the slope and the angle for maximum range.
River crossing: shortest time vs shortest path
To study motion of a boat in a river using relative velocity: minimum time of crossing and shortest path.
Uniform circular motion and centripetal acceleration
To study uniform circular motion, understand centripetal acceleration and its dependence on speed and radius.
Vector addition: triangle and parallelogram law (free)
To add and subtract two vectors graphically and analytically, using the triangle and parallelogram laws, and to resolve a vector into components.

Chapter 4: Laws of Motion

Atwood machine and pulley systems
To apply Newton's second law to connected bodies over a pulley and find acceleration and string tension.
Banked road: maximum safe speed
To understand why roads are banked and find the speed limits for a car turning on a banked curve with friction.
Block on a movable wedge
To analyse a block sliding down a smooth wedge which is itself free to slide on a smooth horizontal floor.
Conical pendulum
To analyse the conical pendulum: relation between speed, cone angle, tension and period.
Block on an inclined plane: static and kinetic friction
To find the coefficient of static friction from the angle of repose and to study motion of a block down a rough incline.
Recoil of a gun: conservation of momentum
To verify conservation of linear momentum using the recoil of a gun.
Movable pulley and string constraints
To solve a pulley system with a movable pulley using the string-length constraint and Newton second law.
Apparent weight in an accelerating lift
To understand apparent weight in a non-inertial frame (accelerating lift).
Two blocks with friction: when does the top block slip?
To study static and kinetic friction between two stacked blocks and find the maximum force before the top block slips.

Chapter 5: Work, Energy and Power

Ballistic pendulum: bullet speed from the swing
To use a ballistic pendulum to find the speed of a bullet and to study the energy lost in a perfectly inelastic collision.
Elastic and inelastic collisions in 1D and 2D
To study elastic and inelastic collisions in one and two dimensions and verify conservation of linear momentum.
Newton's cradle: elastic collisions in a chain
To explain Newton's cradle using conservation of momentum and kinetic energy in elastic collisions of equal masses.
Power of an engine: P = Fv, top speed and acceleration
To understand mechanical power P = F·v and how the top speed of a vehicle is fixed by the balance of engine power and resistive forces.
Spring potential energy and power
To study elastic potential energy stored in a spring, work done by a variable force and its conversion to kinetic energy.
Motion in a vertical circle (death-well / loop-the-loop)
To study motion in a vertical circle, find the minimum speeds needed to complete the circle and understand how tension/normal force vary along the path.
Work-energy theorem on a rough track
To verify the work–energy theorem: net work done on a body equals its change in kinetic energy.

Chapter 6: Systems of Particles and Rotational Motion

Conservation of angular momentum: rotating stool
To verify conservation of angular momentum and see how a change in moment of inertia changes angular velocity.
Centre of mass of a system and of a rigid body
To find the centre of mass of a system of particles and to show that it moves as if all the mass and all external forces were concentrated there.
Gyroscope precession
To understand the precession of a gyroscope: why a spinning wheel supported at one end does not fall but turns slowly about the vertical.
Ladder against a wall: friction and equilibrium
To apply the conditions of equilibrium (ΣF = 0, Στ = 0) to a ladder resting on a rough floor against a smooth wall.
Moment of inertia of different bodies, parallel/perpendicular axis
To find the moment of inertia of different bodies, verify the parallel-axis theorem and relate torque, moment of inertia and angular acceleration.
Atwood machine with a massive pulley
To solve the Atwood machine with a pulley that has rotational inertia (not massless) using translational and rotational dynamics.
Rolling without slipping: ring, disc and sphere race
To study rolling motion down an incline and understand the role of moment of inertia and friction in rolling without slipping.
Torque and equilibrium of a rigid body (see-saw)
To study the equilibrium of a rigid body under coplanar forces: the conditions ΣF = 0 and Στ = 0, using a beam balanced on a pivot.

Chapter 7: Gravitation

Escape velocity and orbital velocity
To derive and use the escape velocity v_e = √(2GM/R) and the orbital velocity v_o = √(GM/R), and to see the difference between bound and unbound motion.
Variation of g with height and depth
To study how acceleration due to gravity changes with height above, depth below the surface and latitude.
Kepler's laws: orbits, areal velocity, periods
To understand Kepler's three laws of planetary motion and see that they follow from Newton's law of gravitation.
Satellite orbits: orbital and escape velocity
To understand the motion of satellites around the Earth: orbital velocity, period, energy, geostationary orbit and escape velocity.
Two-body gravitational problem (binary stars)
To study the gravitational two-body problem: both bodies orbit the common centre of mass, and Kepler's third law in its general form.

Chapter 8: Mechanical Properties of Solids

Bulk and shear modulus
To understand the bulk modulus and shear modulus and compare how solids and liquids respond to compression and shear.
Stress–strain curve: Young's modulus, yield and fracture
To study the stress–strain behaviour of a wire, verify Hooke's law and find Young's modulus, yield strength and ultimate tensile strength.
Young's modulus by Searle's apparatus
To determine Young's modulus of a metal wire using Searle's apparatus.

Chapter 9: Mechanical Properties of Fluids

Archimedes' principle and floating bodies
To verify Archimedes' principle and understand why bodies float or sink.
Bernoulli's principle: venturimeter
To study the flow of an ideal fluid through a pipe of varying cross-section, verify the equation of continuity and Bernoulli's theorem, and use a venturimeter to…
Surface tension: capillary rise and contact angle
To study capillary rise (or fall) of liquids in narrow tubes and determine surface tension from the height.
Pressure on a dam wall and the centre of pressure
To study hydrostatic pressure on a dam wall: variation of pressure with depth, total force and the position of the centre of pressure.
Pascal's law and hydraulic lift (free)
To verify Pascal's law and understand the hydraulic lift as a force multiplier.
Poiseuille flow: viscous flow through a tube
To study viscous flow through a narrow tube: Poiseuille's law, the parabolic velocity profile and the laminar–turbulent limit (Reynolds number).
Excess pressure in drops and bubbles
To understand excess pressure inside drops and bubbles and the behaviour of two connected soap bubbles.
Stokes' law: terminal velocity and viscosity
To determine the coefficient of viscosity of a liquid by observing the terminal velocity of a small sphere falling through it.
Surface energy: merging and splitting water drops
To understand surface energy: energy released when small drops merge into a big drop and the energy needed to split a drop.
Surface tension: temperature and detergent effect
To measure the surface tension of water by capillary rise and see how temperature and detergent change it.
Torricelli's law: liquid from a hole in a tank
To verify Torricelli's theorem — speed of efflux v = √(2gh) — and find the hole position for maximum range.

Chapter 10: Thermal Properties of Matter

Black-body radiation: Wien and Stefan laws
To study black-body radiation: the Planck spectrum, Wien displacement law (λ_max T = b) and the Stefan–Boltzmann law (P = σAT⁴).
Calorimetry: specific heat by method of mixtures
To determine the specific heat capacity of a metal by the method of mixtures.
Heat conduction through a rod
To study conduction of heat along a rod, the steady-state temperature gradient and thermal conductivity.
Heating curve of ice to steam: latent heat
To draw the heating curve of water through its three phases and determine the specific heat capacities and latent heats of fusion and vaporisation from it.
Linear expansion of a metal rod
To study linear thermal expansion and determine the coefficient of linear expansion α of a rod.
Newton's law of cooling
To study how a hot body cools in surroundings and verify Newton's law of cooling.
Thermal stress in a clamped rod
To understand thermal expansion of solids and the thermal stress developed when the expansion is prevented.

Chapter 11: Thermodynamics

Clement-Desormes: ratio of specific heats gamma
To determine the ratio of specific heats γ = C_p/C_v of a gas by the Clement–Desormes method.
Carnot engine and p-V diagram
To study a Carnot engine: heat absorbed, heat rejected, work per cycle, efficiency and power, and compare with a real engine.
Free expansion and entropy
To understand irreversibility and entropy through the free expansion of a gas into vacuum, and why the reverse process is practically impossible.
Joule's paddle wheel: mechanical equivalent of heat
To determine the mechanical equivalent of heat J by converting mechanical work into heat (Joule's experiment).
Otto and Diesel engine cycles on a P-V diagram
To study the Otto and Diesel cycles on the P–V diagram and see how efficiency depends on the compression ratio and γ.
Refrigerator and heat pump (COP)
To study refrigerators and heat pumps as reversed heat engines and understand the coefficient of performance (COP).
Isothermal, adiabatic, isobaric, isochoric processes and the Carnot cycle
To study the first law of thermodynamics for an ideal gas undergoing isothermal, adiabatic, isobaric and isochoric processes, and the working of a Carnot engine.

Chapter 12: Kinetic Theory

Brownian motion and the Einstein relation
To study Brownian motion and verify that ⟨r²⟩ = 4Dt with the Einstein relation D = kT/6πηa.
Degrees of freedom and equipartition of energy
To understand degrees of freedom and the law of equipartition of energy, and to calculate U, C_v, C_p and γ for different gases.
Boyle's, Charles' and Gay-Lussac's law with molecules
To verify Boyle's law, Charles' law and Gay-Lussac's law for a gas and connect them to the ideal-gas equation.
Kinetic theory: pressure from molecular collisions
To relate the macroscopic pressure and temperature of an ideal gas to the random motion of its molecules, and to see the Maxwell distribution of molecular speeds.
Maxwell speed distribution
To understand the distribution of molecular speeds in a gas (Maxwell–Boltzmann) and the relation between v_p, v̄ and v_rms.
Mean free path and brownian motion
To understand the mean free path of molecules in a gas and observe Brownian motion as a consequence of molecular collisions.

Chapter 13: Oscillations

Damped and forced oscillations: resonance
To study damped and forced oscillations and understand resonance and the quality factor.
Pendulum in an accelerating frame: effective gravity
To show that a pendulum in an accelerating frame sees an effective gravity g_eff = g − a and find its time period.
Physical pendulum and torsion pendulum
To study a physical (compound) pendulum and a torsion pendulum and compare them with the simple pendulum.
SHM as projection of uniform circular motion
To show that simple harmonic motion is the projection of uniform circular motion on a diameter and to read x, v and a from the reference circle.
Simple pendulum: g from T and large-angle correction (free)
To study the motion of a simple pendulum, measure its time period and find the acceleration due to gravity g, and to see where the small-angle approximation T =…
Springs in series and parallel: equivalent k and SHM
To find the equivalent spring constant of two springs in series and in parallel and verify T = 2π√(m/k_eq).
Spring-mass SHM: energy, springs in series/parallel
To study simple harmonic motion of a spring–mass system, verify T = 2π√(m/k) and understand energy exchange; to find the effective spring constant of series and…
SHM of a liquid column and a floating cylinder
To show that a displaced liquid column in a U-tube and a floating cylinder both execute simple harmonic motion and to find their periods.

Chapter 14: Waves

Beats from two close frequencies
To study the phenomenon of beats produced by superposition of two sound waves of nearly equal frequency and determine the beat frequency.
Doppler effect
To understand the Doppler effect for sound and apply the formula for the apparent frequency when the source and/or observer move.
Melde's experiment: standing waves on a string
To study transverse standing waves on a string with Melde's apparatus and verify v = √(T/μ) and f = (p/2L)√(T/μ).
Resonance tube (open and closed organ pipes)
To find the speed of sound in air using a resonance tube and to study the harmonics of closed and open pipes.
Resonance tube: speed of sound and end correction
To determine the speed of sound in air and the end correction of a tube using a resonance tube and a tuning fork.
Sonometer: frequency, tension, length laws
To verify the laws of transverse vibration of a stretched string using a sonometer and to find the frequency of a tuning fork.
Sound intensity, inverse-square law and decibels
To understand sound intensity, the inverse-square law and the decibel scale; to add intensities from several sources.
Standing waves on a string and Melde's experiment
To study standing waves on a stretched string, find the resonant frequencies and verify f = (n/2L)√(T/μ) (Melde's experiment).
Transverse and longitudinal waves on a medium
To understand transverse and longitudinal mechanical waves, and the relation v = fλ.
Reflection and transmission of a pulse at a boundary
To see how a pulse is reflected and transmitted at a fixed end, a free end and at the junction of two strings of different linear mass density.

Frequently asked questions

Can I do the Class 11 Physics practicals online?

Yes. PractiSci has 95 interactive 3D physics experiments for Class 11. You change the values, watch the result in real time and read the numbers off live graphs, on a phone or a laptop, with nothing to install.

Are these the experiments in the NCERT Physics practical syllabus?

The labs follow the NCERT Class 11 Physics chapters and practicals, and add NEET and JEE level experiments. Your school or board may set its own list, so check it with your teacher and use this page to find the matching experiment.

Do the labs have viva questions?

Yes. 95 of the 95 physics labs list the viva questions an examiner may ask, together with the aim, theory and formulas, on the experiment's page.

Is it free?

A number of labs in every subject are free forever and need no card (6 of these 95 physics labs are free). The NEET-level and advanced labs are part of a PractiSci plan.

Can I use it in Hindi?

Yes. Switch between English and हिन्दी from the header at any time.

Other lists: Class 12 Physics · Class 11 Chemistry · Class 12 Chemistry