Class 12 Physics practical list: virtual lab with viva questions

106 experiments for Class 12 Physics, each one a 3D virtual lab you can open in your browser. 5 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: Electric Charges and Fields

Electric field on the axis of a ring and a disc
To find the electric field on the axis of a uniformly charged ring and disc using the principle of superposition.
Coulomb's law and superposition (free)
To study the force between two point charges (Coulomb's law), its dependence on distance and medium, and to visualise the electric field.
Electric dipole in uniform field: torque
To study the torque and potential energy of an electric dipole in a uniform electric field and its oscillations about stable equilibrium.
Electric field lines and dipole field
To visualise electric field lines for different charge configurations and calculate the field by superposition.
Gauss's law: flux through closed surfaces
To verify Gauss's law by computing the electric flux through different closed surfaces numerically.
Field and potential of a charged shell and a solid sphere
To use Gauss's law to find E and V inside and outside a charged shell and a uniformly charged solid sphere.
Charging by friction, induction, conduction (electroscope) (free)
To study charging by friction, conduction and induction and the working of a gold-leaf electroscope.

Chapter 2: Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance

Connecting two capacitors: charge sharing and energy loss
To study charge sharing between two capacitors: the common potential and the energy lost (as heat in the resistance).
Capacitors in series/parallel, charging energy
To find the equivalent capacitance of series and parallel combinations of capacitors and the charge, potential difference and energy on each.
Capacitor with a dielectric slab
To study the effect of a dielectric slab on the capacitance, charge, voltage, field and energy of a parallel plate capacitor.
Equipotential surfaces and potential energy
To understand electric potential and equipotential surfaces, the relation between E and V, and potential energy of a charge.
Parallel plate capacitor with dielectric
To study the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor, the effect of a dielectric slab, energy stored and the RC charging process.
Van de Graaff generator
To understand how a Van de Graaff generator builds up a very high potential and what limits it.

Chapter 3: Current Electricity

Internal resistance of a cell, combination of cells
To study the internal resistance of a cell, the terminal potential difference and the grouping of cells.
Drift velocity of electrons in a conductor
To understand the drift of free electrons in a conductor, the microscopic form of Ohm's law and the meaning of drift velocity, relaxation time and mobility.
Galvanometer: resistance and figure of merit (half-deflection)
To find the resistance G and the figure of merit k of a moving-coil galvanometer by the half-deflection method.
Kirchhoff's laws on circuits
To analyse a two-loop circuit using Kirchhoff's junction rule and loop rule.
Metre bridge and Wheatstone bridge
To determine the resistance of an unknown wire/coil using a metre bridge (a practical form of the Wheatstone bridge).
Ohm's law: V–I characteristics (free)
To verify Ohm's law for a metallic wire, find its resistance and resistivity, and to compare ohmic and non-ohmic conductors.
Potentiometer: emf comparison, internal resistance
To compare the emfs of two cells and determine the internal resistance of a cell using a potentiometer.
Resistivity and temperature dependence of a wire
To study the dependence of resistance on length, area and temperature and to find the temperature coefficient of resistance.
Resistor colour code and series/parallel combinations (free)
To read the value of a resistor from its colour code and verify the equivalent resistance, current and power of series and parallel combinations.
Resistance versus temperature: metal, platinum RTD and NTC thermistor
To study the variation of resistance with temperature for a metal, a platinum RTD and an NTC thermistor and to find the temperature coefficient of resistance.
Thermocouple: Seebeck effect, neutral and inversion temperature
To study the Seebeck effect in a thermocouple: thermo-emf vs temperature, neutral temperature and temperature of inversion.
Wheatstone bridge: balance condition and galvanometer current
To study the Wheatstone bridge, find the balance condition and measure an unknown resistance.

Chapter 4: Moving Charges and Magnetism

Force between parallel current-carrying wires
To study the magnetic force between two parallel current-carrying conductors and the definition of the ampere.
Biot–Savart law: field of a straight wire, circular loop and solenoid
To calculate and visualise the magnetic field produced by steady currents using the Biot–Savart law, and compare with the standard results for a wire, a coil and a…
Charged particle in uniform E and B fields
To study the motion of a charged particle in uniform magnetic and electric fields and to relate the radius, period and pitch of its path to q, m, v and B.
Torque on a current loop and magnetic moment
To study the torque on a current-carrying loop in a uniform magnetic field, its magnetic moment and potential energy.
Cyclotron
To understand the working of a cyclotron and the resonance condition between the oscillating voltage and the orbital motion.
Galvanometer to ammeter and voltmeter
To convert a moving-coil galvanometer into an ammeter of a given range using a shunt, and into a voltmeter using a high series resistance.
Hall effect: carrier sign, density and mobility
To study the Hall effect: find the sign and density of the charge carriers in a conductor or semiconductor from the Hall voltage.
Helmholtz coils: a uniform magnetic field
To understand the Helmholtz coil arrangement that produces a nearly uniform magnetic field and compare with other coil separations.
Moving coil galvanometer, ammeter and voltmeter conversion
To study the moving coil galvanometer, its sensitivity, and to convert it into an ammeter and a voltmeter.
Magnetic field of a solenoid and a toroid
To study the magnetic field of a solenoid and a toroid using Ampere's circuital law.
Tangent galvanometer: I = K tan(theta)
To study the tangent galvanometer: relation tanθ = B_coil/B_H, the reduction factor K and the measurement of a current.
Velocity selector and mass spectrometer
To understand the velocity selector and the mass spectrometer, and separate isotopes by their mass.

Chapter 5: Magnetism and Matter

Bar magnet: field lines and the tan-A / tan-B positions
To study the magnetic field of a bar magnet, plot its field lines, and verify the axial and equatorial field formulas using a deflection magnetometer.
Earth's magnetism: dip, declination
To understand the elements of Earth's magnetic field — declination, dip and horizontal component — and how they vary with latitude.
Magnetic hysteresis loop (B-H curve)
To trace the B–H hysteresis loop of ferromagnetic materials and understand retentivity, coercivity and energy loss.
Para-, dia- and ferromagnetism
To distinguish diamagnetic, paramagnetic and ferromagnetic substances by their response to a magnetic field and temperature.

Chapter 6: Electromagnetic Induction

AC generator
To understand the principle of the AC generator: a coil rotating in a uniform magnetic field produces a sinusoidal emf.
Eddy currents and magnetic braking
To demonstrate eddy currents and magnetic braking (Lenz's law) using a magnet falling through a conducting tube.
Faraday's experiments and Lenz's law
To demonstrate electromagnetic induction (Faraday's experiments), verify Lenz's law and study how induced emf depends on the rate of change of flux.
Lenz's law: a magnet falling through a coil
To verify Faraday law and Lenz law with a magnet falling through a coil and to see magnetic braking.
LR circuit: current growth, decay and back emf
To study the growth and decay of current in an LR circuit and understand back emf and the inductive time constant τ = L/R.
Motional emf on a rod in magnetic field
To study motional emf, Lenz's law and the energy balance for a rod moving in a magnetic field.
RC circuit: charging, discharging and time constant
To study the charging and discharging of a capacitor through a resistor and understand the time constant τ = RC.
EMF of a rotating rod and a Faraday disc
To find the emf induced in a rod rotating in a magnetic field (and in a Faraday disc) using motional emf.
Self and mutual inductance, L-R growth
To study self-inductance, mutual inductance, the growth of current in an L-R circuit and the energy stored in an inductor.

Chapter 7: Alternating Current

AC through R, L and C: phasors
To study the behaviour of an AC circuit with only a resistor, only an inductor or only a capacitor and understand phase relations and reactance.
LC oscillations with damping
To study electrical oscillations in an LC circuit, energy exchange between electric and magnetic fields, and the effect of resistance (damping).
Power in AC circuits and power factor
To study power in AC circuits, the power factor and the wattless current, and the effect of power-factor correction.
RC and RL filters: cut-off frequency and gain
To study RC and RL low-pass and high-pass filters: cut-off frequency, gain and phase.
AC waveforms: RMS, average power and the phasor
To understand rms and average values of AC, the phasor representation and the average power P = V_rms I_rms cosφ.
Series LCR circuit and resonance
To study the response of a series LCR circuit to an AC source, find the resonant frequency and understand phase relations, impedance, Q-factor and power factor.
Transformer: step-up, step-down, losses and efficiency
To study the working of a transformer, verify the turns-ratio relations and understand energy losses and efficiency.

Chapter 8: Electromagnetic Waves

Displacement current in a charging capacitor
To understand Maxwell’s displacement current and why Ampère’s law needed to be modified.
Electromagnetic spectrum explorer
To see the electromagnetic spectrum as a single family of waves, from radio to gamma rays, and relate frequency, wavelength and photon energy.
Propagation of an electromagnetic wave
To understand that light and radio waves are electromagnetic waves: transverse, with E ⟂ B ⟂ direction of propagation, travelling at c, and to see how the spectrum is…

Chapter 9: Ray Optics and Optical Instruments

Refractive index of a glass slab with a travelling microscope
To determine the refractive index of a glass slab using a travelling microscope.
Focal length of a concave lens (lens-combination method)
To find the focal length of a concave lens by combining it (in contact) with a convex lens of smaller focal length.
Human eye and its defects (myopia, hypermetropia)
To understand image formation in the human eye, accommodation, and the correction of myopia, hypermetropia and presbyopia with spectacles.
Convex and concave lenses, lens maker's formula
To study image formation by convex and concave lenses for different object positions and to verify the lens formula and magnification.
Compound microscope and telescopes
To study the compound microscope and telescopes: ray diagrams, magnifying power and the length of the instrument.
Concave and convex mirrors: image formation (free)
To study image formation by concave and convex mirrors and verify the mirror formula and magnification.
Optical fibre: acceptance angle, numerical aperture and dispersion
To study how light is guided in an optical fibre by total internal reflection, and to find the acceptance angle, numerical aperture and modal dispersion.
Prism: deviation curve and dispersion
To trace light through a prism, find the angle of minimum deviation and the refractive index, and understand dispersion.
Rainbow: refraction and internal reflection in a water drop
To understand the formation of the primary and secondary rainbows by refraction, internal reflection and dispersion in water drops.
Refraction, Snell's law, critical angle and total internal reflection
To verify Snell's law of refraction, find refractive index, critical angle, and observe total internal reflection.
Two-lens system: image, magnification and equivalent focal length
To find the final image formed by two thin lenses separated by a distance d, its magnification and the equivalent focal length of the combination.

Chapter 10: Wave Optics

Diffraction grating: orders, dispersion and resolving power
To study the diffraction grating: positions of the principal maxima, dispersion and resolving power, and to find an unknown wavelength.
Fresnel biprism: fringe width and wavelength
To determine the wavelength of light using a Fresnel biprism by measuring fringe width, source separation and distance to the screen.
Huygens' principle: reflection and refraction of wavefronts
To understand Huygens' principle of secondary wavelets and derive the laws of reflection and refraction from it.
Newton's rings: radius of curvature and wavelength
To observe Newton's rings and determine the radius of curvature of a plano-convex lens or the wavelength of light.
Polarisation, Malus' law and Brewster angle
To study the polarisation of light, verify Malus' law and find the Brewster angle of glass.
Resolving power and the Rayleigh criterion
To understand diffraction-limited resolution of a telescope and the Rayleigh criterion for resolving two point sources.
Single slit diffraction
To study the diffraction pattern of a single slit and verify the position of minima and the width of the central maximum.
Thin film interference: soap film, oil film and anti-reflection coating
To understand interference in thin films: colours of soap bubbles and oil slicks, and how an anti-reflection coating works.
Young's double slit experiment
To observe interference of light from two coherent sources (Young's experiment) and determine the fringe width and wavelength.

Chapter 11: Dual Nature of Radiation and Matter

Compton scattering: photon-electron collision
To study the Compton scattering of X-rays by electrons and verify the wavelength shift Δλ = (h/mc)(1 − cosθ).
de Broglie waves and Davisson-Germer experiment
To see the wave nature of electrons: reproduce the Davisson–Germer experiment and verify the de Broglie wavelength λ = h/√(2meV).
Thermionic, field and photo-emission
To compare thermionic, field and photoelectric emission and see how the work function φ controls electron emission from a metal.
Millikan's oil-drop experiment: charge quantisation
To measure the charge on oil drops with Millikan's apparatus and show that charge is quantised in units of e = 1.6×10⁻¹⁹ C.
Photoelectric effect: stopping potential and Einstein's equation
To study the photoelectric effect, verify Einstein's photoelectric equation and determine Planck's constant and the work function.
Thomson's experiment: specific charge e/m of the electron
To determine the specific charge e/m of the electron using J. J. Thomson's crossed electric and magnetic fields.
Heisenberg uncertainty principle with single-slit electron diffraction
To illustrate the Heisenberg uncertainty principle ΔxΔp ≥ ħ/2 with the diffraction of electrons through a single slit and a minimum-uncertainty wave packet.
X-rays: continuous spectrum, characteristic lines, Moseley and Bragg
To study X-ray production: the continuous spectrum with cut-off λ_min, characteristic lines, Moseley's law and Bragg diffraction from a crystal.

Chapter 12: Atoms

Bohr model: energy levels and spectral series
To understand Bohr's model of the hydrogen-like atom, calculate orbit radii, energies and spectral lines, and see how emission and absorption of photons correspond to…
Franck-Hertz experiment: quantised atomic energy levels
To demonstrate the existence of discrete atomic energy levels by the Franck–Hertz experiment with mercury vapour.
Hydrogen spectral series (Lyman, Balmer, Paschen)
To study the line spectrum of hydrogen and relate every spectral series to electron transitions between Bohr orbits.
Rutherford alpha-particle scattering
To understand Rutherford's alpha-particle scattering experiment and deduce that the atom has a tiny, massive, positively charged nucleus.

Chapter 13: Nuclei

Binding energy per nucleon curve
To plot the binding energy per nucleon curve, explain mass defect, and see why fission and fusion release energy.
Carbon dating and the two-stage decay chain
To use the radioactive decay law for radiocarbon dating and to study a parent–daughter decay chain (transient and secular equilibrium).
Nuclear fission chain reaction and fusion
To understand nuclear fission (chain reaction, control, critical mass) and fusion (Coulomb barrier, temperature) and the energy each releases.
Alpha, beta, gamma penetration and a Geiger counter
To use a Geiger–Müller counter to study radioactive radiation: absorption of α, β, γ and the inverse-square law.
Nuclear reactions and the Q-value
To calculate the Q-value of nuclear reactions and decays from atomic masses and to understand exothermic, endothermic reactions and the threshold energy.
Radioactive decay law and half-life
To study the statistical nature of radioactive decay, verify the exponential decay law and determine half-life and mean life.

Chapter 14: Semiconductor Electronics

Energy bands, intrinsic carriers and Fermi level
To understand energy bands in solids (conductor, semiconductor, insulator), the band gap, thermal generation of carriers and the effect of doping on the Fermi level.
LED, photodiode and solar cell
To study the three optoelectronic junction devices — LED, photodiode, and solar cell — and understand their I–V behaviour.
Logic gates and combinations
To learn the logic gates (NOT, AND, OR, NAND, NOR, XOR, XNOR), their truth tables and Boolean expressions, and to build a half-adder; to see why NAND/NOR are universal…
Operational amplifier: inverting, non-inverting and summing circuits
To study operational amplifier circuits — inverting, non-inverting, voltage follower and summing — using the golden rules of an ideal op-amp.
p–n junction: depletion layer and I–V characteristic
To study the p–n junction: formation of the depletion layer and barrier potential, and the I–V characteristics in forward and reverse bias.
Half-wave and full-wave rectifiers with capacitor filter
To study half-wave and full-wave rectification with a p–n junction diode and the smoothing action of a capacitor filter.
Transistor characteristics and CE amplifier
To study the n-p-n transistor characteristics in common-emitter configuration and use it as a voltage amplifier.
Zener diode as a voltage regulator
To study the reverse characteristics of a Zener diode and use it as a voltage regulator; observe line and load regulation.

Frequently asked questions

Can I do the Class 12 Physics practicals online?

Yes. PractiSci has 106 interactive 3D physics experiments for Class 12. 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 12 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. 106 of the 106 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 (5 of these 106 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.

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