Science and Technology
148 key terms for this subject — each defined in plain language, with where it helps in the exam and a link to the study note it comes from.
- 5G
5th gen mobile network; 20 Gbps; <1 ms latency
Read the study note →- Absolute Zero
0 K = −273.15°C; lowest possible temperature
Read the study note →- Adaptive Immunity
Specific immunity involving B and T lymphocytes
Read the study note →- Aditya-L1
India's solar observatory at L1 point; launched Sept 2, 2023
Read the study note →- Agni-V
India's ICBM-range ballistic missile; 5,000–8,000 km; MIRV tested 2024
Where it helps Strategic deterrent
Read the study note →- AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Simulation of human cognitive functions by machines
Read the study note →- AIRAWAT
AI Research, Analytics and Knowledge Assimilation Platform — India's national AI compute infrastructure
Where it helps PYQ 2023 — 10 marks
Read the study note →- ALARA
As Low As Reasonably Achievable; radiation protection principle
Where it helps Radiation safety
Read the study note →- Alloy
Homogeneous mixture of two or more metals (or metal + non-metal)
Where it helps Alloy composition
Read the study note →- Alpha Radiation
⁴He nucleus; low penetration (stopped by paper); high ionisation
Read the study note →- Analgesic
Drug that relieves pain without loss of consciousness; e.g., paracetamol
Where it helps Drug classification
Read the study note →- Antibiotic
Chemical that kills or inhibits bacterial growth; e.g., penicillin (1928)
Where it helps Drug classification
Read the study note →- Antiseptic
Chemical applied to living tissues to prevent infection; e.g., Dettol
Where it helps Drug classification
Read the study note →- AR (Augmented Reality)
Digital overlay on real world (Pokémon Go, Google Maps AR)
Read the study note →- Atomic Number (Z)
Number of protons in nucleus; uniquely identifies element
Where it helps Atomic structure 2-mark
Read the study note →- Band Gap
Energy difference between valence and conduction bands
Read the study note →- BharatNet
World's largest rural broadband project — optical fibre to 2.5 lakh gram panchayats
Where it helps Digital India 5-mark
Read the study note →- Big Data
Massive datasets characterised by 5 Vs
Read the study note →- Biomagnification
Increase in concentration of toxins as you move up food chain
Read the study note →- Bioprinting
3D printing of living tissue using bio-inks
Where it helps Artificial organs
Read the study note →- Bleaching Powder
Ca(OCl)Cl; made from Ca(OH)₂ + Cl₂; used for disinfection and whitening
Where it helps Everyday chemistry
Read the study note →- Blockchain
Distributed ledger; chain of cryptographically linked blocks
Where it helps Blockchain 5-mark
Read the study note →- Blood Group AB
Both antigens; no antibodies; universal recipient
Read the study note →- Blood Group O
No antigens; both antibodies; universal donor
Read the study note →- Boson
Integer-spin particle following Bose-Einstein statistics; named after Satyendra Nath Bose
Where it helps Indian Scientists 2/5 mark
Read the study note →- BrahMos
India-Russia supersonic cruise missile; Mach 2.8; exported to Philippines 2022
Read the study note →- Bt cotton
GM cotton with Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal gene; India 2002
Read the study note →- BWC
Biological Weapons Convention (1972); India ratified 1974; no verification
Where it helps Biological weapons
Read the study note →- Calorific Value
Energy released per unit mass of fuel on complete combustion (MJ/kg)
Read the study note →- Carbon Nanotube (CNT)
Cylindrical graphene — 100× stronger than steel; used in composites and electronics
Where it helps PYQ 2023 — 10 marks
Read the study note →- CARTOSAT-3
India's sharpest optical satellite (0.25 m resolution); 2019
Read the study note →- CASGEVY
First CRISPR-based drug; FDA 2023; sickle cell disease
Where it helps CRISPR application
Read the study note →- Catenation
Carbon's ability to bond with itself forming long chains
Where it helps Organic chemistry basis
Read the study note →- CBDC
Central Bank Digital Currency — digital fiat issued by central bank
Where it helps Digital Rupee 5-mark
Read the study note →- CERT-In
Computer Emergency Response Team India — national cyber incident response agency under IT Act Section 70B
Where it helps Cyber Security 5/10 mark
Read the study note →- Chandrayaan-3
India's Moon mission; first landing at lunar south pole (Aug 23, 2023)
Read the study note →- Chloroplast
Plant organelle for photosynthesis; contains chlorophyll
Read the study note →- Cloud Computing
Internet-delivered computing resources on demand (IaaS/PaaS/SaaS)
Read the study note →- Cochlear implant
Electronic device restoring hearing by stimulating auditory nerve
Where it helps Artificial organs
Read the study note →- CRISPR-Cas9
Gene editing using guide RNA + Cas9 enzyme; Nobel 2020
Read the study note →- Critical Mass
Minimum fissile material to sustain a chain reaction
Read the study note →- CT Scan
Multiple X-ray images reconstructed into 3D cross-sections
Where it helps Medical diagnostics
Read the study note →- CWC
Chemical Weapons Convention (1993); OPCW enforces; India ratified 1996
Where it helps Chemical weapons
Read the study note →- DAKSHA
DRDO's remote-controlled bomb disposal robot deployed by Army and NSG
Read the study note →- Data Fiduciary
Entity that determines purpose and means of data processing (DPDP Act 2023)
Read the study note →- Data Principal
Individual whose personal data is being processed (DPDP Act 2023 terminology)
Read the study note →- DDT
Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane; organochlorine pesticide; banned 1989 (India, agri)
Where it helps Pesticides, POPs
Read the study note →- Deep Learning
ML using multi-layer neural networks; image/NLP tasks
Read the study note →- DigiLocker
Cloud-based digital document wallet for verified government documents
Where it helps Digital India 5-mark
Read the study note →- Digital Rupee (e₹)
India's CBDC issued by RBI; launched Nov-Dec 2022
Where it helps PYQ 2024 — 2-mark
Read the study note →- DNS
Domain Name System — translates domain names to IP addresses
Where it helps Internet infrastructure
Read the study note →- Doppler Effect
Apparent frequency change due to relative motion of source/observer
Where it helps Radar, medical ultrasound
Read the study note →- DPDP Act
Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 — India's first comprehensive data privacy law
Where it helps Data Privacy 5/10 mark
Read the study note →- Edge Computing
Data processing near source (<5 ms latency); IoT enabler
Read the study note →- EM Induction
EMF induced by changing magnetic flux (Faraday, 1831)
Where it helps Generator, transformer
Read the study note →- Entropy
Measure of disorder; increases in irreversible processes (2nd law)
Read the study note →- Escape Velocity
Minimum velocity to escape gravitational field; Earth = 11.2 km/s
Where it helps Gravitation, satellites
Read the study note →- Eukaryote
Cell with membrane-bound nucleus and organelles
Read the study note →- FelUDA
India's CRISPR-Cas9-based COVID-19 diagnostic test (CSIR-IGIB, 2021)
Read the study note →- Fermentation
Anaerobic microbial breakdown of organic matter
Where it helps Bioethanol, curd, antibiotics
Read the study note →- Fullerene
C60 carbon allotrope in soccer-ball structure; used in drug delivery and lubricants
Where it helps PYQ 2023 — 10 marks
Read the study note →- Gaganyaan
India's first human spaceflight programme; 3-day, 400 km orbit; 2025 target
Where it helps Human spaceflight
Read the study note →- Gamma Radiation
High-energy EM waves; highest penetration; stopped by thick lead
Read the study note →- GEAC
Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee; GMO approval body
Where it helps GMO regulation India
Read the study note →- Generative AI
AI creating new content (text, images, code) — GPT-4, Gemini, DALL-E
Read the study note →- Green Chemistry
Chemical design minimising hazardous substances; 12 principles (1998)
Where it helps New 2026 syllabus
Read the study note →- Half-Life (T½)
Time for half the radioactive nuclei to decay
Where it helps Radioactivity 5-mark
Read the study note →- Hemodialysis
Artificial kidney function — blood filtration via membrane
Where it helps Artificial organs
Read the study note →- IGMDP
Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme; 1983; APJ Kalam
Where it helps Missile programme
Read the study note →- IN-SPACe
Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (2020)
Read the study note →- IndiaAI Mission
₹10,371 crore mission (2024–29) for AI infrastructure, models, skills, startups
Where it helps AI/Digital India 10-mark
Read the study note →- Inertia
Tendency of body to resist change in state of rest or motion
Where it helps Newton's First Law
Read the study note →- Innate Immunity
Non-specific inborn immunity — skin, phagocytes, fever
Read the study note →- IoT
Network of physical objects with sensors and internet connectivity
Read the study note →- IPv6
128-bit internet addresses; unlimited capacity
Read the study note →- Isobars
Same A, different Z
Where it helps Atomic structure
Read the study note →- Isotopes
Same Z, different A; differ in neutrons
Where it helps C-14 dating, I-131 therapy
Read the study note →- ISRO
Indian Space Research Organisation; est. 1969, Bengaluru
Where it helps Space institution
Read the study note →- IT Rules 2021
India's social media + OTT governance rules under IT Act 2000
Where it helps Social media 5-mark
Read the study note →- ITER
International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor; France; 35 nations
Read the study note →- Jaipur Foot
Low-cost prosthetic; 1968; Dr. P.K. Sethi; 1.3 million users
Where it helps Artificial organs, Rajasthan
Read the study note →- Kepler's Third Law
T² ∝ r³; period squared ∝ semi-major axis cubed
Where it helps Planetary motion
Read the study note →- Krutrim
India's first homegrown LLM (Ola, 2024) handling 22 Indian languages
Where it helps PYQ 2024-style AI LLM
Read the study note →- Lagrange Point L1
Gravitationally stable point 1.5 million km from Earth toward Sun
Read the study note →- LAN
Local Area Network — within a building/campus
Read the study note →- LLM (Large Language Model)
Neural network trained on massive text to generate language
Where it helps ChatGPT, PYQ 2023/24
Read the study note →- LVM3
Launch Vehicle Mark 3 (ex-GSLV-Mk III); 4t to GTO; Chandrayaan-3 vehicle
Read the study note →- Machine Learning
AI subset; systems learn from data without explicit programming
Read the study note →- Mangalyaan (MOM)
India's Mars Orbiter Mission; launched 2013; arrived Sept 24, 2014
Read the study note →- Mass Number (A)
Total protons + neutrons in nucleus
Where it helps Atomic structure 2-mark
Read the study note →- Memory Cells
Long-lived immune cells enabling rapid re-exposure response
Where it helps Vaccination basis
Read the study note →- Metalloid
Element with properties between metals and non-metals; e.g., Silicon
Read the study note →- MIRV
Multiple Independently targetable Reentry Vehicles; one missile, multiple warheads
Read the study note →- Mitochondria
Organelle for aerobic respiration; ATP production
Read the study note →- Momentum
p = mv; conserved in absence of external force
Where it helps Collision, impulse
Read the study note →- MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging; magnetic field + RF pulses; no radiation
Where it helps Medical diagnostics
Read the study note →- mRNA vaccine
Vaccine delivering mRNA to produce antigen in host cells
Where it helps COVID-19 vaccines
Read the study note →- MUNTRA
Mission UN-manned TRAcked — DRDO unmanned ground vehicle in S/M/N variants
Read the study note →- Nagastra-1
India's first loitering munition; inducted Army 2024; range 15–30 km
Read the study note →- Nano Mission
DST programme (2007, ₹1,000 crore) for nanoscience R&D in India
Where it helps PYQ 2018 — 5 marks
Read the study note →- Nanometre
10⁻⁹ metre; scale at which nanotechnology operates (1–100 nm)
Where it helps Nanotechnology definition
Read the study note →- NavIC
Navigation with Indian Constellation; India's GPS with 7 satellites (2018)
Where it helps EM waves / navigation
Read the study note →- NCIIPC
National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre — protects critical digital infrastructure
Where it helps Cyber Security 5-mark
Read the study note →- Nerve agent
Chemical weapon (sarin, VX) inhibiting acetylcholinesterase
Where it helps Chemical weapons
Read the study note →- NQM
National Quantum Mission — ₹6,003 crore, 2023–2031, four T-Hubs
Where it helps Quantum Computing 5/10 mark
Read the study note →- NSM
National Supercomputing Mission — ₹4,500 crore, 70+ supercomputers at IITs/NITs
Where it helps PYQ 2023 — 5 marks
Read the study note →- Nuclear Fission
Heavy nucleus splitting into lighter nuclei + energy (~200 MeV per event)
Where it helps Nuclear chemistry
Read the study note →- Nuclear Fusion
Light nuclei combining to form heavier nucleus + energy; powers the Sun
Where it helps Nuclear chemistry
Read the study note →- ONDC
Open Network for Digital Commerce — interoperable e-commerce protocol (2022)
Where it helps Digital India 5-mark
Read the study note →- OPCW
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons; Nobel 2013
Read the study note →- Ore
Naturally occurring mineral from which metal can be economically extracted
Read the study note →- OTT
Over-The-Top; internet-delivered media bypassing traditional TV
Read the study note →- p-n Junction
Junction of p-type and n-type semiconductors; allows one-way current
Where it helps Diode, LED, solar cell
Read the study note →- PCR
Polymerase Chain Reaction; DNA amplification in vitro
Where it helps COVID-19 diagnosis
Read the study note →- PET Scan
Positron emission tomography; F-18 FDG tracer; cancer detection
Where it helps Medical diagnostics
Read the study note →- pH
−log[H⁺]; scale 0–14 measuring acidity/alkalinity
Where it helps Daily life, body fluids
Read the study note →- Polymer
Large molecule made of repeating monomer units; natural (rubber) or synthetic (nylon)
Where it helps Carbon compounds
Read the study note →- Pragyan rover
6-wheeled rover from Chandrayaan-3; detected sulphur at south pole
Read the study note →- Prokaryote
Cell without membrane-bound nucleus (e.g., bacteria)
Read the study note →- Proof of Stake (PoS)
Ethereum's consensus (post-2022); validators stake crypto; 99.9% less energy
Read the study note →- Proof of Work (PoW)
Bitcoin's consensus mechanism; energy-intensive mining
Read the study note →- PSLV
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle; 4-stage solid-liquid; ISRO's workhorse
Read the study note →- Quantum Entanglement
Correlation between two qubits such that measuring one instantly determines the other
Where it helps Quantum Computing 5-mark
Read the study note →- Qubit
Basic unit of quantum information — can be 0, 1, or both simultaneously (superposition)
Where it helps NQM, Quantum Computing 2-mark
Read the study note →- Raman Effect
Inelastic scattering of photons by molecules, shifting frequency; basis of Raman spectroscopy (C.V. Raman, 1928)
Where it helps Indian Scientists 5/10 mark
Read the study note →- Recombinant DNA
DNA from two different organisms joined artificially
Where it helps Genetic engineering
Read the study note →- Refraction
Bending of light at medium boundary; n = c/v
Read the study note →- Refractive Index
n = c/v; ratio of speed of light in vacuum to speed in medium
Read the study note →- Remote sensing
Collecting Earth data without physical contact using satellite sensors
Read the study note →- Restriction enzyme
Molecular scissors cutting DNA at specific sequences
Read the study note →- Rhizobium
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in legume root nodules
Read the study note →- RISAT
Radar Imaging Satellite; all-weather, day-night SAR imaging
Where it helps Remote sensing/defence
Read the study note →- Sievert (Sv)
Effective radiation dose unit accounting for biological effectiveness
Where it helps Radiation safety
Read the study note →- Smart Contract
Self-executing code on blockchain (Ethereum)
Where it helps Blockchain applications
Read the study note →- Solar Cell
p-n junction converting photon energy to electrical energy
Where it helps EM / semiconductors
Read the study note →- SSLV
Small Satellite Launch Vehicle; 3-stage solid; 500 kg to LEO; $3–4 million
Where it helps New launch vehicles
Read the study note →- Superposition
Quantum property where a qubit exists in multiple states simultaneously until observed
Where it helps Quantum vs Classical 2-mark
Read the study note →- Total Internal Reflection (TIR)
Reflection when angle > critical angle in denser medium
Where it helps Optical fibre, diamond
Read the study note →- Turing Test
1950, Alan Turing; machine passes if indistinguishable from human
Read the study note →- Ultrasound
Sound waves > 20,000 Hz; used in medical imaging and sonar
Where it helps Medical diagnostics
Read the study note →- UPI
Unified Payments Interface — real-time interbank mobile payment system by NPCI (2016)
Where it helps Digital India 2/5 mark
Read the study note →- Valency
Number of electrons an atom gains/loses/shares in bonding
Where it helps Chemical bonding
Read the study note →- Vikram lander
Chandrayaan-3's landing module; soft-landed at 69.37° S
Read the study note →- VR (Virtual Reality)
Fully immersive computer-generated environment via headset
Read the study note →- Vulcanisation
Heating rubber with sulphur to form cross-links; Goodyear 1839
Where it helps Carbon compounds
Read the study note →- Web 3.0
Decentralised, blockchain-based internet; user-owned data
Read the study note →- X-rays
EM radiation 0.01–10 nm; penetrates soft tissue; discovered Röntgen 1895
Read the study note →- ZyCoV-D
World's first approved DNA vaccine (India, Zydus Cadila, 2021)
Where it helps Vaccine milestone
Read the study note →