Surface Tension is among the most important and repeated topic in the JEE Advanced 2025 syllabus (Physics). Over the past 10 years, concepts such as bubbles, capillary action, surface energy, and the effect of temperature on surface tension have been consistently asked in the JEE Advanced exam.

Most important Topics for JEE Advanced 2025 (Surface Tension):

Based on the JEE Advanced previous year paper trends, the following are the high-weightage topics in JEE Advanced 2025:

✔ Surface Energy & Surface Tension Force

✔ Excess Pressure in Drops and Bubbles

✔ Capillary Rise & Jurin’s Law

✔ Angle of Contact & Wetting

✔ Effect of Temperature on Surface Tension

✔ Detergents and Surface Tension Reduction

JEE Advanced previous year question papers can assist IIT Aspirants to achieve higher rankings in JEE Advanced 2025.

Must Read Articles:

Listed below the most repeated questions JEE Advanced Previous Year Questions (PYQs) for Surface Tension along with detailed solutions

1. When water is filled carefully in a glass, one can fill it to a height h above the rim of the glass due to the surface tension of water. To calculate h just before water starts flowing, model the shape of the water above the rim as a disc of thickness h having semicircular edges, as shown schematically in the figure. When the pressure of water at the bottom of this disc exceeds what can be withstood due to the surface tension the water surface breaks near the rim and water starts flowing from there. If the density of water its surface tension and the acceleration due to gravity are 10³ kg m⁻³, 0.07 N m⁻¹, and 10 m s⁻², respectively, the value of h (in mm) is
the shape of the water above the rim as a disc of thickness h
JEE Advanced - 2020 JEE Advanced
 

View Solution

2. A big water drop is formed by the combination of ?n? small water drops of equal radii. The ratio of the surface energy of ?n' drops to the surface energy of big drop is



JEE Advanced - 2017 JEE Advanced
 

View Solution

3. A spherical soap bubble inside an air chamber at pressure P₀ = 10⁵ Pa has a certain radius so that the excess pressure inside the bubble is ΔP = 144 Pa. Now, the chamber pressure is reduced to 8P₀/27 so that the bubble radius and its excess pressure change. In this process, all the temperatures remain unchanged. Assume air to be an ideal gas and the excess pressure ΔP in both the cases to be much smaller than the chamber pressure. The new excess pressure ΔP in Pa is
 
JEE Advanced - 2024 JEE Advanced
 

View Solution

4. Two large circular discs separated by a distance of 0.01 m are connected to a battery via a switch as shown in the figure. Charged oil drops of density 900 kg m⁻³ are released through a tiny hole at the center of the top disc. Once some oil drops achieve terminal velocity, the switch is closed to apply a voltage of 200V across the discs. As a result, an oil drop of radius 8 × 10⁻⁷ m stops moving vertically and floats between the discs. The number of electrons present in this oil drop is (neglect the buoyancy force, take acceleration due to gravity = 10 m s⁻² and charge on an electron (e) = 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ C)
Two large circular discs separated
JEE Advanced - 2020 JEE Advanced
 

View Solution

5. A Soft plastic bottle, filled with water of density 1 gm/cc, carries an inverted glass test-tube with some air (ideal gas) trapped as shown in the figure. The test-tube has a mass of 5 gm, and it is made of a thick glass of density 25 gm/cc. Initially, the bottle is sealed at atmospheric pressure p₀ = 10⁵ Pa so that the volume of the trapped air is v₀ = 33 cc. When the bottle is squeezed from outside at constant temperature, the pressure inside rises and the volume of the trapped air reduces. It is found that the test tube begins to sink at pressure p₀ + Δp without changing its orientation. At this pressure, the volume of the trapped air is v₀ - Δv. Let Δv = X cc and Δp = Y × 10³ Pa. The value of Y is ______
JEE Advanced
 

View Solution

JEE Advanced 2025 Exam Pattern For Physics

Aspect Paper 1 (Physics Section) Paper 2 (Physics Section)
Total Questions 17 questions 17 questions
Total Marks 60 marks 60 marks
Sections 4 sections 4 sections
Types of Questions - Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) with single correct answer
- MCQs with multiple correct answers
- Numerical Value Questions
- Matching-Type Questions		 Similar to Paper 1: MCQs (single and multiple correct), Numerical Value, Matching-Type
Marking Scheme - Full marks for correct answers (varies: +3 or +4 per question)
- Partial marks for partially correct MCQs (e.g., +1 or +2)
- Negative marking for incorrect answers in some sections (-1 or -2)
- Zero marks for unattempted questions		 Similar to Paper 1: Full, partial, and negative marking apply, with specifics varying by section
Duration 3 hours (shared with Chemistry and Mathematics) 3 hours (shared with Chemistry and Mathematics)

JEE Advanced Difficulty Level 2025 For Physics (Expected)

Aspect Paper 1 (Physics Section) Paper 2 (Physics Section)
Overall Difficulty Moderate Moderate to Difficult
Conceptual Questions Moderate, focusing on fundamentals like Mechanics, Thermodynamics, and Optics Slightly tougher, with more application-based questions on Electromagnetism and Modern Physics
Numerical Complexity Moderate, with some lengthy calculations Higher, involving complex problem-solving in topics like Rotational Dynamics and Fluid Mechanics
Topic Focus Balanced between Class 11 and 12; more weight on Mechanics, Thermodynamics Slightly more Class 12 topics like Magnetism, Electromagnetic Induction, and Capacitors
Student Feedback Likely to be manageable with strong basics Expected to feel tougher due to intricate calculations and abstract concepts

Download Last 10 years JEE Advanced Previous Year Question Papers (2024 - 2016)

IIIT JEE Advanced Previous Year Question Papers

You can download free IIT JEE Advanced Previous Year Question Paper PDFs from the table provided below:-

JEE Advanced Paper Name Question Paper Link
JEE Advanced 2024 Question Paper PDF Click Here
JEE Advanced 2023 Question Paper PDF Click Here
JEE Advanced 2022 Question Paper PDF Click Here
JEE Advanced 2021 Question Paper PDF Click Here
JEE Advanced 2020 Question Paper PDF Click Here
JEE Advanced 2019 Question Paper PDF Click Here
JEE Advanced 2018 Question Paper PDF Click Here
JEE Advanced 2017 Question Paper PDF Click Here
JEE Advanced 2016 Question Paper PDF Click Here

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is surface tension in IIT JEE?

Surface tension refers to the property of a liquid because of cohesive forces between molecules in a surface. In Physics JEE Advanced, problems relating to surface tension may include fluid mechanics, capillarity, and wetting, and they need concepts related to molecular interactions, Laplace's law, and Young-Laplace equation.

2. What is a safe score for JEE Advanced IIT?

Fundamentally safe score in JEE Advanced 2025 is reliant, on difficulty level and cutoff patterns. In general, 40-50% of total marks can fetch a rank within the IIT admission category. For any top IITs (IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Madras), a rank below 2500 is desired. Monitor the category-wise cutoff patterns and last year JEE Advanced cutoffs.

3. What is the difficulty level of JEE Advanced?

JEE Advanced is particularly famous for being of high difficulty, challenging the conceptual clarity, application-based solving of problems, and time management. The mathematics part includes higher-order algebra, calculus, and coordinate geometry; physics demands an understanding of electromagnetism, mechanics, and modern physics at a deeper level; and chemistry has a combination of organic reaction mechanisms, physical chemistry calculations, and inorganic memorization. The test aims to check critical thinking and application of multiple concepts.

4. What is the formula for tension in JEE?

In Mechanics in JEE Advanced, tension force (T) in a string varies with conditions of the system:

For simple vertical motion,

T=mg+ma (if moving upwards with acceleration).

For an inclined plane block, apply Newton's second law:

T=mgsinθ.

In Atwood's Machine, T = 2m1m2gm1 + m2

Pulleys, free-body diagrams, and Newton's laws are common in questions related to dynamics and kinematics.