JAMB Physics Questions and Answers 2027 | How to Pass JAMB Physics | Physics Topics for JAMB 2026/2027 | JAMB Physics Likely Questions This Year
Introduction: How to Conquer JAMB Physics in 2026/2027
Physics is one of the most feared and yet one of the most scoring-friendly subjects in JAMB, provided you understand the concepts and not just memorize formulas. JAMB Physics for 2026/2027 will test your knowledge across mechanics, heat, waves, electricity, magnetism, optics, and modern physics. The examination rewards students who can apply principles to solve numerical problems, not just recite definitions.
Every science student writing JAMB must decide whether to take Physics as one of their four subjects. For students targeting Medicine, Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, and related courses, Physics is compulsory. Even for students where it is optional, scoring high in Physics can significantly boost your aggregate.
This guide presents 50 predicted JAMB Physics questions and detailed answers built on the JAMB Physics syllabus and past question patterns from 2018 to 2025. Master these, understand the formulas behind each numerical answer, and you will approach your CBT examination with confidence.
JAMB Physics Syllabus Breakdown
The JAMB Physics syllabus covers: Measurements and Units, Scalars and Vectors, Motion (kinematics and dynamics), Friction, Work, Energy and Power, Simple Machines, Elasticity, Pressure, Fluids, Temperature and Heat, Waves (sound and light), Optics, Electricity and Magnetism, Modern Physics (radioactivity, photoelectric effect, X-rays), and Electronics. All topics carry significant marks. Do not skip Modern Physics, as many students do, because JAMB consistently draws 6 to 8 questions from this section alone.
50 Predicted JAMB 2026/2027 Physics Questions and Answers
Q1. What is Newton’s First Law of Motion?
Answer: An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion continues in uniform motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an external unbalanced force. This is the Law of Inertia.
Q2. Define ‘electric current’ and state its SI unit.
Answer: Electric current is the rate of flow of electric charge through a conductor. Its SI unit is the Ampere (A).
Q3. What is the difference between ‘scalar’ and ‘vector’ quantities?
Answer: Scalar quantities have magnitude only (e.g., speed, mass, temperature). Vector quantities have both magnitude and direction (e.g., velocity, force, acceleration).
Q4. State Ohm’s Law.
Answer: The current through a conductor is directly proportional to the potential difference across it, provided temperature and other physical conditions remain constant. V = IR.
Q5. A body of mass 5 kg is acted upon by a force of 20 N. Calculate its acceleration.
Answer: Using F = ma: a = F/m = 20/5 = 4 m/s². The acceleration is 4 m/s².
Q6. What is the principle of conservation of energy?
Answer: Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transformed from one form to another. The total energy in an isolated system remains constant.
Q7. Define ‘refraction’ of light.
Answer: Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one medium to another with a different optical density, causing a change in speed and direction.
Q8. What is ‘resonance’ in wave physics?
Answer: Resonance occurs when an object is forced to vibrate at its natural frequency by an external periodic force, resulting in maximum amplitude of oscillation.
Q9. Calculate the work done when a force of 10 N moves a body through 5 m in the direction of the force.
Answer: Work = Force x Distance = 10 x 5 = 50 Joules.
Q10. What is ‘specific heat capacity’?
Answer: The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1 Kelvin (or 1°C). Unit: J/kg·K.
Q11. Define ‘radioactivity’.
Answer: The spontaneous disintegration of unstable atomic nuclei, emitting radiation in the form of alpha particles, beta particles, or gamma rays.
Q12. What is ‘terminal velocity’?
Answer: The constant maximum velocity reached by a falling object when the drag force (air resistance) equals the gravitational force (weight), resulting in zero net force and zero acceleration.
Q13. State Archimedes’ Principle.
Answer: When a body is wholly or partially immersed in a fluid, it experiences an upthrust equal to the weight of the fluid displaced.
Q14. What is ‘electromagnetic induction’?
Answer: The process of generating an electric current in a conductor by changing the magnetic flux through it, as described by Faraday’s Law.
Q15. A stone is dropped from a height of 45 m. How long does it take to reach the ground? (g = 10 m/s²)
Answer: Using h = ½gt²: 45 = ½ x 10 x t², t² = 9, t = 3 seconds.
Q16. What is the photoelectric effect?
Answer: The emission of electrons from a metal surface when light of sufficient frequency (above the threshold frequency) is incident on it. This demonstrated the particle nature of light.
Q17. Define ‘capacitance’ and state its SI unit.
Answer: Capacitance is the ability of a capacitor to store electric charge. It equals charge stored per unit potential difference. SI unit: Farad (F).
Q18. What is ‘half-life’ in radioactivity?
Answer: The time required for half the atoms in a radioactive sample to decay. It is constant for any given radioactive isotope.
Q19. Explain the difference between ‘transverse’ and ‘longitudinal’ waves.
Answer: In transverse waves, particles vibrate perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation (e.g., light waves). In longitudinal waves, particles vibrate parallel to the direction of propagation (e.g., sound waves).
Q20. What is ‘latent heat’?
Answer: The heat absorbed or released by a substance during a change of state (e.g., melting or boiling) without any change in temperature.
Q21. State the Law of Universal Gravitation.
Answer: Every mass in the universe attracts every other mass with a force directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. F = Gm₁m₂/r².
Q22. What is the principle of moments?
Answer: For a body in equilibrium, the sum of clockwise moments about any point equals the sum of anticlockwise moments about the same point.
Q23. Define ‘refractive index’.
Answer: The ratio of the speed of light in vacuum (or air) to the speed of light in a given medium. n = c/v. It indicates how much a medium slows down light.
Q24. What is ‘alternating current’ (AC)?
Answer: Electric current that periodically reverses direction, with a frequency typically of 50 Hz (Nigeria) or 60 Hz (USA). It is the form of electricity supplied to homes.
Q25. Calculate the kinetic energy of a 2 kg object moving at 10 m/s.
Answer: KE = ½mv² = ½ x 2 x 10² = ½ x 2 x 100 = 100 Joules.
Q26. What is ‘total internal reflection’?
Answer: When light travels from a denser medium to a less dense medium and the angle of incidence exceeds the critical angle, all the light is reflected back into the denser medium.
Q27. Define ‘pressure’ and state its SI unit.
Answer: Pressure is force per unit area. P = F/A. SI unit: Pascal (Pa) or N/m².
Q28. What is a ‘semiconductor’?
Answer: A material with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. Its conductivity increases with temperature. Examples: silicon and germanium.
Q29. What is ‘simple harmonic motion’ (SHM)?
Answer: Motion in which the restoring force is directly proportional to the displacement from the equilibrium position and acts toward it. Examples: pendulum, spring-mass system.
Q30. State Lenz’s Law.
Answer: The direction of an induced current is such that it opposes the change in magnetic flux that caused it. (This is a consequence of energy conservation.)
Q31. What happens to the resistance of a metallic conductor as temperature increases?
Answer: The resistance increases as temperature increases, because more collisions occur between electrons and vibrating ions.
Q32. What is the function of a transformer?
Answer: A transformer changes (steps up or steps down) the voltage of an alternating current using electromagnetic induction between two coils wound on an iron core.
Q33. Define ‘power’ in physics and state its SI unit.
Answer: Power is the rate of doing work or rate of energy transfer. P = W/t. SI unit: Watt (W).
Q34. What is ‘Boyle’s Law’?
Answer: At constant temperature, the pressure of a fixed mass of gas is inversely proportional to its volume. PV = constant. P₁V₁ = P₂V₂.
Q35. What is ‘interference’ of waves?
Answer: The superposition of two or more waves that results in a new wave pattern. Constructive interference (crests meet crests) increases amplitude; destructive interference (crests meet troughs) decreases or cancels amplitude.
Q36. What is the charge of an electron?
Answer: The charge of an electron is -1.6 x 10⁻¹⁹ Coulombs.
Q37. Define ‘absolute zero’.
Answer: The lowest theoretically possible temperature, equal to 0 Kelvin or -273.15°C, at which all molecular motion theoretically ceases.
Q38. What is ‘mechanical advantage’ in machines?
Answer: The ratio of the load (output force) to the effort (input force) applied to a machine. MA = Load/Effort.
Q39. What is the difference between ‘heat’ and ‘temperature’?
Answer: Heat is the total thermal energy transferred between objects; temperature measures the average kinetic energy of particles in a substance. Heat is measured in Joules; temperature in Kelvin or Celsius.
Q40. What is a ‘photon’?
Answer: A photon is a discrete packet (quantum) of electromagnetic energy. It has no mass and travels at the speed of light (3 x 10⁸ m/s in vacuum).
Q41. State Charles’s Law.
Answer: At constant pressure, the volume of a fixed mass of gas is directly proportional to its absolute temperature. V/T = constant.
Q42. What is ‘nuclear fission’?
Answer: The splitting of a heavy atomic nucleus (such as uranium-235) into two smaller nuclei with the release of a large amount of energy, used in nuclear reactors and atomic bombs.
Q43. What is ‘dispersion’ of light?
Answer: The splitting of white light into its constituent colors (spectrum) when it passes through a prism, due to different wavelengths refracting by different amounts.
Q44. Define ‘efficiency’ of a machine.
Answer: The ratio of useful output energy (or power) to the total input energy (or power), expressed as a percentage. Efficiency = (Useful output/Total input) x 100%.
Q45. What is the function of a diode?
Answer: A diode allows electric current to flow in only one direction, used for rectification (converting AC to DC) in electronic circuits.
Q46. What is ‘Coulomb’s Law’?
Answer: The force between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. F = kq₁q₂/r².
Q47. A wave has a frequency of 500 Hz and a wavelength of 0.68 m. Calculate its speed.
Answer: Speed = frequency x wavelength = 500 x 0.68 = 340 m/s (the speed of sound in air at room temperature).
Q48. What is ‘potential difference’ (voltage)?
Answer: The work done per unit charge to move a charge between two points in a circuit. V = W/Q. Measured in Volts (V).
Q49. What is ‘fluorescence’?
Answer: The emission of light by a substance that has absorbed radiation of a shorter wavelength, stopping immediately when the excitation source is removed.
Q50. What distinguishes alpha, beta, and gamma radiation?
Answer: Alpha particles are helium nuclei (2 protons, 2 neutrons), slow-moving, and stopped by paper. Beta particles are fast electrons, stopped by thin aluminium. Gamma rays are high-energy electromagnetic waves, reduced by thick lead or concrete.
CBT Tips for JAMB Physics
Always show your working mentally when solving numericals. Identify what is given, what formula applies, and what unit the answer should be in. Never skip units; JAMB often includes distractors with correct numbers but wrong units. For definition questions, focus on the key phrase that distinguishes that concept from similar ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the most important topics in JAMB Physics 2026/2027?
A: The most important topics are Mechanics (motion, force, energy), Electricity and Magnetism, Waves, Optics (light), and Modern Physics (radioactivity, photoelectric effect). These five areas account for the majority of questions.
Q: How many questions does JAMB set for Physics?
A: JAMB sets 40 questions for Physics in the UTME examination.
Q: Which formula sheet can I use in JAMB Physics?
A: No formula sheet is allowed in JAMB CBT. All formulas must be memorized. Create a personal formula sheet during your study and review it daily until everything is internalized.
You May Also Like:
Related articles: JAMB Physics Syllabus 2026/2027 Full Download | JAMB Physics Past Questions and Answers PDF | How to Solve JAMB Physics Calculations | Best Textbooks for JAMB Physics | JAMB Chemistry vs Physics: Which is Harder?
