Properties of Matter covers three NCERT chapters: Mechanical Properties of Solids, Mechanical Properties of Fluids and Thermal Properties of Matter. Together they give NEET two to three questions almost every year. This properties of matter NEET PYQ analysis shows which formulas NTA keeps testing, how to solve each type quickly, and where students lose marks.
For the full subject plan, see our complete NEET Physics strategy. This article gives you the chapter-level detail.
Want to test yourself first? Solve the free Mechanical Properties of Solids PYQs, Mechanical Properties of Fluids PYQs and Thermal Properties of Matter PYQs, then use this guide to fix the gaps.
Table of Contents
Why This Unit Is Worth Your Time
In the NMC syllabus, these three chapters form one unit called “Properties of Solids and Liquids”. The questions are mostly formula-based and ratio-based, so they are quick to solve once you know how each quantity depends on the others.
Check where the unit sits in the NEET 2027 chapter weightage, and see every Physics unit with its PYQs in our full Physics chapter list.
Properties of Matter NEET PYQ Analysis: The Repeated Question Types
When you sort a decade of NEET physics PYQs from these chapters, six question types cover almost everything.
| Question type | Chapter | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Elastic moduli and extension of a wire | Solids | Very frequent |
| Excess pressure and capillary rise | Fluids | Very frequent |
| Terminal velocity and viscosity | Fluids | Very frequent |
| Continuity and Bernoulli’s equation | Fluids | Regular |
| Heat transfer and radiation laws | Thermal | Very frequent |
| Thermal expansion and calorimetry | Thermal | Regular |
Fluids gives the most questions of the three. The heat chapter also links with our thermodynamics overlap explained guide. For a quick warm-up before the full set, try these five quick thermal properties questions.
Solids: Young’s Modulus and Elastic Energy
- Formula: Y = (F × L) / (A × ΔL)
- Extension of a wire: ΔL = FL / (AY), so for the same material and force, ΔL ∝ L / r²
- Bulk modulus: B = −P / (ΔV / V)
- Elastic energy per unit volume: ½ × stress × strain
Remember that steel is more elastic than rubber, because it has a higher Young’s modulus. Many of these are ratio questions, and our dimensional analysis shortcut tricks help you check them fast.
Fluids: The Four Ideas That Repeat
Surface tension
- Excess pressure inside a liquid drop = 2T / R
- Excess pressure inside a soap bubble = 4T / R (it has two surfaces)
- Capillary rise: h = 2T cosθ / (ρ g r)
Viscosity and terminal velocity
- Stokes’ law: F = 6π η r v
- Terminal velocity: v ∝ r², so doubling the radius makes it four times
Flow of fluids
- Equation of continuity: A₁v₁ = A₂v₂
- Bernoulli’s principle: P + ½ρv² + ρgh = constant
- Speed of efflux: v = √(2gh)
Energy ideas from mechanics carry over directly here, as our Work and Energy PYQ patterns article shows.
Thermal Properties: Expansion and Heat Transfer
- Expansion: the coefficients are in the ratio α : β : γ = 1 : 2 : 3
- Calorimetry: heat lost = heat gained; Q = mcΔT, and Q = mL for a change of state
- Conduction: rate of heat flow = KA(T₁ − T₂) / L
- Stefan’s law: energy radiated ∝ T⁴
- Wien’s law: λₘT = constant
Radiation questions are usually simple ratios.
Worked PYQ-Pattern Questions
Q1. A wire of length L and radius r stretches by x under a force F. How much will a wire of the same material with length 2L and radius 2r stretch under the same force?
Answer: x/2. ΔL ∝ L / r², so the new extension is (2/4)x.
Q2. A small sphere of radius r falls through a liquid with terminal velocity v. What is the terminal velocity of a sphere of the same material with radius 2r?
Answer: 4v. Terminal velocity is proportional to r².
Q3. What is the excess pressure inside a soap bubble of radius R and surface tension T?
Answer: 4T/R. A soap bubble has two free surfaces, so the value is twice that of a liquid drop.
Q4. Water flows through a pipe whose cross-section becomes half. What happens to the speed of flow?
Answer: It doubles. From A₁v₁ = A₂v₂, halving the area doubles the speed.
Q5. The absolute temperature of a black body is doubled. By what factor does the energy radiated per second increase?
Answer: 16 times. Energy radiated ∝ T⁴, and 2⁴ = 16.
Common Traps in This Unit
- Using 2T/R for a soap bubble instead of 4T/R
- Forgetting the r² dependence of terminal velocity
- Using Celsius instead of kelvin in radiation laws
- Using diameter in place of radius for capillary rise
- Thinking rubber is more elastic than steel
Practise Every Properties of Matter PYQ
This properties of matter NEET PYQ analysis gives you the formulas and patterns. Practice makes them automatic. Every previous year question from these three chapters is available chapter-wise, free:
👉 Solve Mechanical Properties of Solids PYQs
👉 Solve Mechanical Properties of Fluids PYQs
👉 Solve Thermal Properties of Matter PYQs
Before each set, write down how each quantity depends on radius and temperature. Most questions here test exactly that.
Conclusion
This unit looks long, but it is a collection of short formulas and proportionalities. Use this properties of matter NEET PYQ analysis to master wire extension, surface tension, terminal velocity, Bernoulli’s principle and the radiation laws. Then practise ratio questions until you can answer them without writing much.
❓ FAQ
Q: How many questions come from Properties of Matter in NEET? A: Usually two to three questions across Mechanical Properties of Solids, Mechanical Properties of Fluids and Thermal Properties of Matter.
Q: Which chapter is most important in this unit? A: Mechanical Properties of Fluids usually gives the most questions, especially on excess pressure, viscosity and Bernoulli’s equation.
Q: Why is the excess pressure in a soap bubble 4T/R? A: A soap bubble has two free surfaces, an inner one and an outer one, so the excess pressure is twice that of a liquid drop, which is 2T/R.
Q: Is steel more elastic than rubber? A: Yes. Elasticity is measured by the modulus of elasticity, and steel has a much higher value than rubber.
Q: How do I revise this unit quickly? A: Use a properties of matter NEET PYQ analysis to list the repeated formulas, learn the proportionalities, and practise ratio-based past questions.
Q: Where can I practise these PYQs for free? A: You can solve every previous year question from all three chapters for free using the practice links in this article.