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Answer first
Atoms and Nuclei PYQs (previous year questions) for JEE Main: Atoms and Nuclei (Physics) had 14 questions across the 11 official JEE Main papers we tagged (2016–2026), and appeared in 11 of them. Asked in 3 of 3 years. The concepts asked in the most papers: Binding Energy, Bohr Model, Hydrogen Spectrum.
Year-wise question count
Asked in 3 of 3 years.
| Year | Papers | Questions | Per paper |
|---|---|---|---|
| JEE Main 2026 | 9 | 11 | 1.2 |
| JEE Main 2017 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| JEE Main 2016 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Most-asked concepts
Sorted by the number of papers a concept appeared in.
| Concept | Questions | Papers | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binding Energy | 3 | 3 | 2026 |
| Bohr Model | 2 | 2 | 2026 |
| Hydrogen Spectrum | 2 | 2 | 2026 |
| Radioactive Decay | 2 | 2 | 2017, 2016 |
| Alpha Decay | 1 | 1 | 2026 |
| Energy Levels | 1 | 1 | 2017 |
| Mass Defect | 1 | 1 | 2026 |
| Nuclear Reactions | 1 | 1 | 2026 |
| Rutherford Scattering | 1 | 1 | 2026 |
How to practise Atoms and Nuclei PYQs
- Start with the concepts at the top of the table. They have come back the most.
- Solve one year’s Atoms and Nuclei questions from the official PDF against the clock, then check the answer listed below.
- Log every miss as a concept gap, a calculation slip or a misread. Each needs a different fix.
- Once a concept is clean in two papers, move to the next. Then sit a full paper from the year pages.
Questions by year
Each line gives the question number and paper, type, concept, our one-line summary and the official answer, with a link to the official PDF.
JEE Main2026
- Q.44 (2 April, shift 1) · MCQ · Bohr Model: Energy of hydrogen electron with angular momentum 3h/pi (official answer: option 3) PDF
- Q.44 (2 April, shift 2) · MCQ · Binding Energy: Binding energy per nucleon of Bi-209 from given masses (official answer: option 2) PDF
- Q.47 (2 April, shift 2) · Numerical · Bohr Model: Ratio of magnetic fields at nucleus for electrons in orbits 2 and 4 (official answer: 32) PDF
- Q.29 (4 April, shift 1) · MCQ · Binding Energy: Energy released when two A=3 nuclei and one A=4 nucleus fuse to A=10 (official answer: option 3) PDF
- Q.43 (4 April, shift 2) · MCQ · Rutherford Scattering: Reasons why only a few alpha particles rebound in Rutherford's experiment (official answer: option 4) PDF
- Q.36 (5 April, shift 1) · MCQ · Hydrogen Spectrum: Wavelength of photon for transition with orbit radius ratio 16:4 (official answer: option 3) PDF
- Q.44 (5 April, shift 2) · MCQ · Mass Defect: Mass defect of carbon-12 in MeV/c² (official answer: option 2) PDF
- Q.44 (6 April, shift 1) · MCQ · Hydrogen Spectrum: Ratio of photon momenta of first two Balmer lines (official answer: option 4) PDF
- Q.48 (6 April, shift 1) · Numerical · Nuclear Reactions: Energy released when given mass of Li-7 converts to He-4 via protons (official answer: 6) PDF
- Q.41 (6 April, shift 2) · MCQ · Binding Energy: Energy released when deuterium nuclei fuse to form helium-4 (official answer: option 2) PDF
- Q.44 (8 April, shift 2) · MCQ · Alpha Decay: Ratio of alpha-particle energies for two nuclei with equal Q value (official answer: option 3) PDF
JEE Main2017
JEE Main2016
- Q.22 · MCQ · Radioactive Decay: Ratio of decayed nuclei of two samples with different half-lives PDF
Atoms and Nuclei in other exams
The same chapter in other official papers we tagged: JEE Advanced (31 questions), NEET (3 questions).
Other Physics chapters
- Units and Measurements PYQs
- Kinematics PYQs
- Laws of Motion PYQs
- Work, Energy and Power PYQs
- Rotational Motion PYQs
- Gravitation PYQs
- Properties of Solids and Liquids PYQs
- Thermodynamics PYQs
- Kinetic Theory of Gases PYQs
- Oscillations and Waves PYQs
- Electrostatics PYQs
- Current Electricity PYQs
- Magnetic Effects of Current and Magnetism PYQs
- Electromagnetic Induction and AC PYQs
- Electromagnetic Waves PYQs
- Optics PYQs
- Dual Nature of Matter and Radiation PYQs
- Electronic Devices PYQs
- Experimental Skills PYQs
FAQ
How many Atoms and Nuclei questions come in JEE Main?
In the official papers we tagged: 11 in 2026 (9 papers), 2 in 2017 (1 paper) and 1 in 2016 (1 paper). That is 14 questions in all, about 5% of Physics.
Which Atoms and Nuclei topics repeat in JEE Main?
Asked in the most papers: Binding Energy, Bohr Model, Hydrogen Spectrum. The concept table lists every one with its count.
Are these official JEE Main questions?
Yes. Every question is from an official JEE Main paper hosted on our year pages. The one-line summaries are ours; open the PDF linked beside each question for the full text.