The Indian National Astronomy Olympiad (INAO) is an exam conducted by the Homi Bhabha Center for Science Education (HBCSE) in association with the Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT). The main intention of this exam is not to spread the aroma of competition among the students but to nurture and nourish their interests and thrust of acquiring expertise in the field of Astronomy. There is no prescribed syllabus for the INAO exam. However, the subsequent sections of this page provide insight into important concepts that are covered in the INAO exam pattern.
The INAO syllabus is the same as the NSEA Syllabus and includes the syllabus prescribed by CBSE in the NCERT books. The senior secondary level curriculum concepts are covered in the syllabus of the INAO exam. Though the syllabus is the same as that of the CBSE curriculum, the level of questions asked in the exam is of a higher standard. Most of the questions are application based and demand higher-order thinking skills. The questions asked in the National level Olympiads are of higher difficulty level than that in the International Olympiads. The topics covered from various subjects in the Indian National Astronomy Olympiad syllabus are summarized below.
INAO Syllabus varies across the subjects and the students are expected to be thorough with the following concepts from the subject ‘Elementary Astronomy’.
Astronomy
Gravitation
Escape Velocity
Kepler’s Law
Miscellaneous
The important concepts to be learned by the students in Mathematics are the basics of Mathematics, Number theory, circles, orthogonality, parametric equations, the concept of complex numbers, lines, triangles, solid shapes and conic sections under Geometry, ellipse, parabola and hyperbola, limits, integration and differentiation under Calculus, L'Hospital's rule, permutations and combinations, Statistics and Probability (coin, dice and cards problems), quadratic equations and nature of roots, sequences and series, Sine and cosine rules, Napier’s analogy, straight lines, equations of lines, trigonometric identities and ratios, heights and distances. These are the most commonly appearing concepts in the question paper. However, the questions may also appear from other miscellaneous concepts in Mathematics.
The Most Commonly Covered Concepts in INAO Exam Syllabus from Physics Subject are:
Capacitance, energy stored in a capacitor, parallel plate capacitors.
Circular motion and kinematics of circular motion.
Current electricity and its temperature dependence, use of Kirchoff’s current law and voltage law.
Electromagnetic waves, electrostatic field, electric field, and electric potential.
Measurement errors and maximum permissible error.
Fluid mechanics and Archimedes Principle.
Geometrical optics, mirrors: plane and spherical, optical instruments, eye defects.
Transfer of heat: conduction, convection and radiation, Steffen’s and Wein’s law.
Kinematics, a projectile from a tower, rectilinear motion, trajectory.
Thermodynamics, adiabatic process, kinetic theory of gases.
Heating, magnetic and chemical effect of electric current.
Force and Newton’s laws of motion, action-reaction pairs.
Projectile motion, relative motion in one and two dimension.
Rigid body dynamics and torque.
Sound, doppler effect, organ pipe and resonance.
Surface energy and surface tension.
Units and dimensions of physical quantities.
Q1. What is the INAO Exam?
Ans: The Indian National Astronomy Olympiad is a competitive examination conducted by the Homi Bhabha Center for Science Education (HBCSE). It motivates the students for participation in more numbers and explores more about the deeper understanding of Elementary Astronomy among the student community. This exam is conducted as a second level of qualification for the International Astronomy Olympiad (INO). The exam is conducted by the governing authorities across the country in around 15 centers located in various states and union territories.
Q2. Who is Eligible for the INAO Exam?
Ans: The INAO exam is conducted as the second stage of the International Astronomy Olympiad. The candidates who qualify in the National Standard Exam for Astronomy (NSEA) are eligible to take up the INAO exam. However, they should also qualify the age requirements and other formal norms. Moreover, the candidates should be Indian citizens who are pursuing their 11th and 12th education in any of the Indian Schools and Colleges.
Q3. Is There an Enrollment Fee for the INAO Exam?
Ans: The fact is that there is no special enrollment procedure for the INAO exam. The only way through which the student can take up the INAO exam is by getting a qualified score in the NSEA exam conducted at the first level. The candidates may enroll for the NSEA exam on the official website of the Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) or IAPT (Indian Association of Physics Teachers). There may be a prescribed nominal registration fee to enroll. At the time of enrollment, the students should not forget to enter the appropriate and accurate personal information to avoid complications in the future.
Q4. What is the INAO Admit Card?
Ans: The INAO exam has a sequence of enrollment processes that the candidate has to complete before taking up the exam. The candidate should possess a hardcopy of an admit card issued by the Science Olympiad Foundation to have entered into the examination hall. The admit card is usually released online which can be accessed on the official website of IAPT. The student can take a printout of the same and produce on-demand in the examination hall. Students are allowed to download and print the admit cards before a few weeks of the scheduled exam date.
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