IF by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And - which is more - you'll be a Man my sonDid not ourselves the cubits warp

ASPIRATION by Emily Dickinson

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Physics - Mains (Part III)

Mechanics: The syllabus has changed quite significantly, so keep a look out for better sources. Textbook: J C Upadhyaya

Mechanics of Particles: Upadhyaya does not have topics related to gravitation. Most of the others are covered well. Centre of mass and laboratory reference frames can be done from Kleppner-Kolenkov.

Rigid Bodies: Again, Upadhyaya is quite good. “Top” is covered in it but the treatment is very mathematical. I referred to T W B Kibble to get a good physical understanding of the topic.

Continuous media is a new topic and I don’t know about it.

Relativity is done well in Upadhyaya especially Minkowski, Four vector, covariance. But the book won’t give conceptual clarity. Read Bieser for concepts before starting with Upadhyaya.

Waves and optics:

Waves is covered well in Bajaj. Stick to the syllabus and see previous years questions to get the orientation. Huygens principle is from Ghatak (Optics).

Geometrical Optics can be done from Ghatak. Nodal Planes are not explained well. They can be done from B S Aggarwal.

For Interference, Diffraction and Polarization follow Brijlal Subramaniam. Certain topics which are not in it can be done from Ghatak. Circular aperture is a tough topic, but I did the needed mathematics from Ghatak. Focusing of laser beams is another tough topic but it is given in Ghatak. Don’t go into mathematical details of holography. Just a simple “General Studies” approach.

Physics - Mains (Part II)

Nuclear and Particle Physics: Textbook S B Patel (Nuclear Physics), Pandya Yadav (for Particle Physics. The book is titled Elements of Nuclear Physics).

Patel is a good source for most topics. I particularly like the way it deals with Liquid Drop model. However, it is not as conceptually correct as I would like it to be.

Semi empirical mass formula and mass parabolas, deutron problem and non-central forces are done well in Patel. While discussing mass parabolas be sure to mention all the four cases with examples.

Shell model should be done from Resnick-Eisberg (It is a good reference book for entire Paper II). Do the need for the model, assumptions, results, physical interpretation, successes and failures – done well in Eisberg and somewhat in Patel.

Violation of parity in beta decay is done extremely well in Irving Kaplan. A must read for this topic.

Mossbauer spectroscopy is in Chapter 9 of Patel. But it does not give good applications (especially regarding application in general relativity). Do some of the applications from Eisberg. See question asked in Indian Forest Service Examination 2007.

Nuclear fission is done well in Eisberg. Eisberg is also a must for nuclear fusion, role of quantum mechanics (barrier penetration) and energy production in stars.

B S Aggarwal deals ok with critical mass required in nuclear reactors. Four factor formula is done well in Patel. But no book goes into detail of types of nuclear reactors. All just give an overview. Be happy with it.

For Elementary Particles do the Chapter in Pandya Yadav. Physics of neutrinos is done in Patel. Unification of forces is from Beiser. Eisberg may also be referred to but at a later stage.

Solid State Physics: Textbook S.O. Pillai. Handles most topics well.

Space groups are just given a passing reference in Pillai. It is a very tough topic and details may be omitted. Details of Point Groups are available on internet. Curious Aspirants may go through 32 point groups from internet.

I don’t know about electron microscopies.

In Band theory, Pillai does not give proof for Bloch Theorem. That may be done from C L Arora. Omit the solution of determinant in Kronig Penney model and just give the final equation obtained after solution followed by the interpretation as given in Pillai.

Superconductivity: Done ok in Pillai. Deifference between a superconductor and perfect conductor is done well in J P Srivastava (Prentice Hall India publication). High Temperature Superconductivity and BCS Theory need a “General Studies” answer. Prepare 20 marks answer for them.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Physics - Mains (Part I)

I have secured 378 (208 + 170) in Physics in CSE 2007. I had 269 in CSE 2006. The improvement was primarily due to emphasis I gave to answer writing practice during the attempt. I practiced (and memorised) most of the questions asked in past 15 years and prepared relevant notes.

Notes are a must for this optional. Best way is to read a topic, solve past years papers and improve the answers to the best of your ability. The answers form your notes. Go through this process religiously. It will help because the paper does not give time to think. Only rigorous practice can help in writing answers well in the time alloted.

With some exceptions, most topics require more than one book. Pick up a standard text book for the topic (I'll mention mine topic wise below) and study the parts mentioned in syllabus thoroughly from it. For books for other topics follow borrow, beg, steal, buy policy in the correct order.
Quantum Mechanics: Textbook Ghatak. It's a tough book but I am happy about my choice. Atleast it does not give wrong concepts, only tough concepts. Covers most topics well. But here's what's not in it.

Exact proof of uncertainity principle: It does not solve the general case. But do it on your own. To simplify use properties of Hermitian operators which I did from a borrowed Gupta-Kumar-Sharma.Satya Prakash also deals Hermitian operators well. Do see and solve question on uncertainity principle in CSE 2004 examination.

Proof that Gaussian wavepacket is minimum wave packet: It is given in unsolved with hint but does not solve the equation. Be brave, go ahead and solve the differential equation. Do normalise the final result.

Ehrenfest Theorem: It is in unsolved with hint but in three dimensions using del operator. Solve it in one dimension using integration by parts. Or see solution from Satya Prakash.

Finite well: It solves the problem but it's much better in H C Verma Quantum Mechanics. Please read H C Verma for this.

Linear Harmonic Oscillator: Follow the book and reach till Hermite polynomials. The only problem is it's quite lengthy. So delete the part where the author proves that s = 1 is invalid. Start with assuming s =0 i.e. remove s from the picture altogether. Not correct according to rigorous mathematics, but we are talking Physics. This topic will require lots of practice to finish in the time alloted.

Hydrogen atom Problem is a head ache, but there is no shortcut. If a question is asked in examination, read it thoroughly and see whether it demands a complete solution or not.

Do operator algebra and Pauli spin matrices from Satya Prakash. It's a must
Atomic and Molecular Physics: Raj Kumar for Atomic Physics and Banwell for Molecular Physics are a must and good enough. Stick to the syllabus. The topic missing is "Importance of neutral .......". The only question asked till date is H21 cm line. Prepare answer on it from internet.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Important Current Affairs topics for CSE 2008

Prepare answers (facts + analysis + organise answer) in your own words for them and treat them as a part of syllabus.
India and World
============
Indo - US relations (due to nuclear deal)
Indo - Pak relations (due to recent political developments in Pakistan and firing across LoC)
Indo - China (Tibet issue and boundary talks)
Indo - France (Visit by Sarkozy)
Steps by India to get civilian nuclear cooperation
Energy Security (due to Nuclear deal)
SAARC
International Affairs
===============
Developments in Nepal
Developments in Pakistan
Developments in West Asia Peace Process
Developments on Iran nuclear issue (do mention turnabout in US policy)
G8 summit
Lisbon Treaty
Economy
=======
Inflation
WTO and Agriculture
Global recession and oil price rise
FAO summit on food crisis
WIPO and its Development agenda
Science and Technology
=================
DNA, its structure and functions (A pioneer in the field - Gunther Stent - died recently)
Genetic Engineering
Chandrayaan/India's space programme (it was postponed from February this year to sometime next year)
India's three stage nuclear programme
Polity
====
Trust Vote
Role of Speaker
Parliamentary control over executive
2 markers on Rule 184 and Rule 192
Trial by Media (Arushi murder case). See some points from P M Bakshi for this topic.
National, Social and Environmental issues
=============================
Climate change and India's Climate Change Action Plan
Project Tiger
Internal Security
Try to add relevant points from Current Affairs even in traditional questions. For example:
(1) On Parliamentary control over executive make a reference to current govt. taking trust vote on a deal with foreign country even though no law has been passed for it yet.
(2) In Project Tiger give the recent developments on it (National Tiger Conservation Authority has been formed recently for Project Tiger areas. Give its functions too)
(3) In Internal Security give reference to recent blasts and steps taken by govt.
Climate Change could be an essay topic this year.

Coaching Institutes and their relevance

This is what I've attended:
(a) two years with my uncle Dr. Brijpal Singh for gs/essay/interview (2nd and 3rd attempt)
(b) DIAS for physics and interview (during 4th attempt)
(c) Sriram's for gs/interview (during 4th attempt)
(d) Mock interviews at Samkalp (3rd and 4th attempts)
I only read Civil Services Chronicle magazine. If any other institute/magazine makes claim, please inform me which one and where did it advertise. I'm in a position from where i can follow it up and take them to task.
Coaching institutes are just a guide to preparation. Please don't depend on them solely. Lots of individual effort is required in understanding needs of this paper and finding one's strengths in it. My preparation is much deeper than what coaching institutes taught me. One size fits all approach won't work. Plan and practice for each and every topic given in the syllabus.

Attempting the Mains Examination (Part I)

My attempt in mains exam: Here is the breakup which may surprise many:
(a) GS:
Paper I: I didn't know 10 two markers. I was very dissatisfied with my answers on Regionalism (30 marks) and Child Labour (30 marks). My score 203.
Paper II: Again, I didn't know 10 two markers. I didn't know anything about Q.5 (2 * 15 marks) i.e. i played blind in that question, wrote hardly 140-160 words for Q.4 of 250 words, was very dissatisfied with my answers to Q.7(a) paper ii (impact of globalisation on state system). My score 160.
(b) Electrical Engineering: My correct attempt is 410. 210 in Paper I and 200 in Paper II. My scores are 186 and 166 respectively.
(c) Physics: I have a correct attempt of about 550. I missed out about 25 marks in each paper. My score is 378 ( 208 + 170).
My experience with the exam is that no marks are rewarded for writing wrong or irrelevant stuff. Stick to what is asked and answer it very clearly. Organise the answer in a coherent manner.
The important thing is that if I read a topic, I am thorough with it. I make sure I'll put up among the best answers for topics that I read. That approach has worked for me.
Even last year (CSE 2006), I had 991 marks in Mains and my attempts were 420 in EE (score 298), 390-400 in Physics (score 270).
GS paper 2006 gave me excellent feedback. I'll share it.
GS I: I am weak in Social issues and National Movement was very tough that year. I stretched my attempt to 280 in GS Paper I even though I hardly knew about 200 marks. My score - 118.
GS II: I knew 230-240 marks and attempted them very well. I left 12 economy 2 markers!!, one 15 mark question and many 2 markers which I didn't know. Attempt of about 240-250. I scored 168.
This may or may not work for every one. But last year topper Mr. Muthyalaraju Revu had the same experience.
Here are the inputs from last year topper Mr. Muthyalaraju Revu regarding his attempt last year. I quote him:
"Most of the aspirants believe that they have to attempt more questions rather than concentrating on quality. I would like to share my experience as it may provide some help to future aspirants.
GS1: I do not know ten 2 markers. I attempted three 30 mark questions in last 25 minutes. My score is 173.
GS2: I attempted only four 2 markers in economy. I wrongly interpreted one 30 marks question and one 15 marks question. My score is 147.
Maths 1: I got answers for 278 marks. I got 179.
Maths 2: I got answers for 234 marks. I got 172.
Electrical 1: I attempted correctly for 253 marks. I scored 200.
Electrical 2: I attempted correctly for 245 marks. I scored 195. "

Electrical Engineering - Mains

Till 2007 the syllabus of this optional differed vastly from IES. However, since 2008 syllabus is nearly as per IES syllabus. that's good if you want to prepare for both the exams. But please don't take 2 science optionals. I have covered that in a later post.
Circuits: A. Chakrabarti (Dhanpat Rai) Circuit Analysis and Synthesis covers the entire syllabus well.
Signals and Systems: I had Oppenheim and Willsky. The only thing missing was handling initial conditions in z-transform. Any Indian author book that has this can be used as a supplement.
Power Electronics: PS Bhimbra is enough. Stick to syllabus, prepare notes for this topic. They'll be quite handy.
Machines: Nagrath-Kothari or Ashfaq Hussain is enough. I had Ashfaq.
EMTheory: Follow any standard book. K D Prasad is considered The Bible for this topic of the exam.
Communication(Analog/Digital):Whatever the book followed in college, supplemented by Singh/Sapre (TMH) should be enough.
Measurements: Sawhney is the only book. Solve IES EE papers for this topics (a must). Questions are repeated.
Power System and Power System Protection: Ashfaq hussain and Wadhwa for Power Systems. Bardriram-Vishwakarma for PSP. Again IES papers are a must.
Controls: Kuo is good even though I haven't read it. I read Nagrath-Gopal.
Digital Electronics: Any book that covers the syllabus.
Analog Electronics: I followed Boylestad though I wasn't happy with it. Sedra-Smith goes too much into depth that isn't needed for this exam. I also had Millman-Grabel.
Don't try to go for full attempt. It may prove disastrous. Stick to what you know. I got 352 on a correct attempt of 415.
Thanks to last year topper Mr. Muthyalaraju Revu for guiding me in this optional.

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When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

supreet gulati air2,2008

Words of Edwin Markham

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