NCERT Class 9 Science Book: Chapters, PDF and What’s Inside

The NCERT Class 9 Science book runs 13 chapters across 272 printed pages, and the official PDF of every chapter is on this page. Each row of the download table links straight to an official NCERT file on ncert.nic.in — no login, no third-party host.

What this page adds is a reading of the book itself. Every chapter below is listed with its named sections, activities, indexed figures and page range — counts measured from the official PDFs, not copied from a syllabus page.

If you were asked about cells, or mixtures, or the atom, you can see in one scroll which chapter answers and how long it runs.

The same index drives the chapter study pages further down, so the numbers stay consistent across this site.

Download the official Class 9 Science textbook PDF

These are NCERT’s own files. Every link below goes directly to an official NCERT PDF hosted on ncert.nic.in — the same files NCERT publishes on its own textbook page, from the opening chapter’s PDF through to Chapter 13. No login, no third-party host, no print copy required.

At a glance: the NCERT Science Class 9 PDF

• 13 chapters in this edition of the book
• 13 verified official PDFs — one per chapter, in the table above
• 272 printed pages across the book
• 173 named sections — NCERT’s own numbered headings
• 268 verified numbered figures indexed from the textbook
• 21 activities — hands-on tasks the book sets

These counts are rendered on this page by code, so you can check them against the directory below. They come from the NCERT textbook entries on this page — not from the CBSE subject scheme, which is a separate document.

Because this 13-chapter edition renumbers several topics compared with older editions, search by topic name: motion is Chapter 4, force is Chapter 6, work and energy sit in Chapter 7.

What is actually inside each chapter

A section is one of NCERT’s own numbered headings inside the chapter; a figure is a numbered figure indexed from the book; an activity is a hands-on task the book sets; a question is an end-of-chapter exercise.

One honest gap: the index has not yet extracted end-of-chapter question sets for this edition, so every chapter renders 0 in that column. Treat that as an index gap, not a claim that the book has no questions.

Chapter 1: Exploration: Entering the World of Secondary Science

The book opens by showing how science looks at everyday things — a vegetable seller’s pan balance (Fig 1.1), a total solar eclipse (Fig 1.2), rice cooking on a gas stove (Fig 1.3). It then asks how modelling works and tells the real story of an airplane fuel miscalculation, ending with questions that carry into the rest of the book.

1. Meet a Scientist
2. Simplifying the stars
3. Activity 1.1: Let us model
4. Threads of Curiosity
5. Ready to Go Beyond
6. Airplane fuel miscalculation
7. Pause and Ponder

It runs just 7 pages with 4 indexed figures, the shortest chapter in the book and the only one with no numbered sections.

Chapter 2: Studying the cell — microscopes, organelles and cell division

This chapter builds the cell from the ground up: how cells are studied, from the limit of the unaided eye to the light microscope (Fig 2.2), then the cell membrane and cell wall. It moves through the nucleus and organelles such as the mitochondrion and chloroplast (Figs 2.14-2.15), and closes with mitosis, meiosis and cell theory.

1. How to Study Cells? (p. 9)
2. Structure of a Cell (p. 11)
3. The Cell Interior — A Coordinated Working System (p. 14)
4. How do Normal Cells Grow and Divide? (p. 20)
5. Cell Theory—The Unifying Principle of Biology (p. 23)

With 20 pages, 10 named sections, 1 activity and 20 indexed figures, it is the book’s cell-biology foundation — the planted-onion-root activity (Fig 2.16) is the hands-on task tied to cell division.

Chapter 3: Tissues in Action (pp. 28-47)

The chapter explains why plant and animal tissues differ, then covers meristems and permanent tissues (Figs 3.3-3.9) and the four animal tissue families — epithelium, connective, muscle and nervous tissue. It finishes with the musculoskeletal system, joints and skeleton, using poses of classical dance and Surya Namaskar (Figs 3.17-3.18) to show the system in action.

1. Why are Plant and Animal Tissues Different? (p. 29)
2. Tissues for Growth in Plants (p. 29)
3. Animal Tissues (p. 34)
4. The Musculoskeletal System (p. 38)
5. Types of Joints (p. 40)
6. Skeletal System (p. 41)

Its 20 pages carry 18 named sections — the most finely divided biology chapter in the book — with 1 activity and 20 indexed figures.

Chapter 4: Motion — describing, graphing and calculating movement

Motion starts with position, distance and displacement, then average speed, velocity and acceleration (pp. 49-54). It turns to position-time and velocity-time graphs (pp. 56-63), the kinematic equations for constant acceleration (p. 63), and ends with motion in a plane and uniform circular motion (p. 66). Figure 4.20 — safe distance between two moving vehicles — is the clearest real-life application.

1. Motion in a Straight Line (p. 49)
2. Graphical Representation of Motion (p. 56)
3. Kinematic Equations for Motion in a Straight Line with Constant Acceleration (p. 63)
4. Motion in a Plane (p. 66)

With 24 pages, 12 named sections, 1 activity and 24 indexed figures, it is the book’s graph-heavy mechanics chapter — the graphs in Figs 4.12-4.19 are the ones a student is expected to plot and read.

Chapter 5: Exploring Mixtures and their Separation (pp. 72-93)

The chapter classifies mixtures as homogeneous or heterogeneous (Figs 5.1-5.2), then moves into solutions, concentration and solubility (pp. 74-77).

Separation methods follow in book order: crystallization (p. 77), distillation (p. 80) with the Deg-Bhapka method used in salt manufacture (Fig 5.13), paper chromatography (p. 82), immiscible liquids (p. 83) and sublimation (p. 84). Suspensions, colloids and the Tyndall effect close the chapter (pp. 85-88).

1. How Can We Classify Mixtures? (p. 73)
2. Solutions (p. 74)
3. Methods of Separation of Homogeneous Mixtures (p. 77)
4. How Can We Separate the Components of Heterogeneous Mixtures? (p. 83)
5. Tyndall Effect (p. 87)

Covering 22 pages with 15 named sections, 2 activities and 20 indexed figures, it is the book’s most practical chemistry chapter — every method is one you could use to recover salt, camphor or a dye from a mixture.

Chapter 6: How Forces Affect Motion (pp. 94-115)

The chapter opens with the concept of force and its measurement on a spring balance (p. 95), then balanced and unbalanced forces (p. 95) and friction (p. 97).

Newton’s three laws run from p. 100 to p. 110 — catching a cricket ball (6.18), an inflated airbag (6.19) and a rocket launch (6.30) make the physics visual — and forces on a system of objects close the chapter.

Watch the common error: friction is a force acting on the object, not a property of the surface. Students who forget it misread the coin-stack activity (Figs 6.12-6.13).

1. The Concept of Force (p. 94)
2. Balanced and Unbalanced Forces (p. 95)
3. The Force of Friction: Often Overlooked but Always Present (p. 97)
4. Newton’s First Law of Motion (p. 100)
5. Newton’s Second Law of Motion (p. 102)
6. Newton’s Third Law of Motion (p. 107)
7. Forces Acting on a System of Objects (p. 111)

This 22-page chapter carries the heaviest diagram load in the book — 36 indexed figures — across just 8 named sections and 2 activities.

Chapter 7: Work, Energy, and Simple Machines (pp. 116-139)

Work here means force times displacement (p. 117), with zero, positive and negative work distinguished (pp. 118-119). The work-energy theorem (p. 120) leads into mechanical energy — kinetic and potential — and its conservation (pp. 121-126), then power (p. 129). Simple machines — pulley, inclined plane and lever — close the chapter.

The force-displacement graph (7.4) and the escape ramp (7.21) are the two figures worth re-reading.

1. Work Done by a Constant Force (p. 117)
2. The Work-Energy Theorem (p. 120)
3. Forms of Energy (p. 121)
4. Mechanical Energy (p. 121)
5. Power (p. 129)
6. Simple Machines (p. 130)

Running 24 pages with 14 named sections, 2 activities and 31 indexed figures, it is the natural sequel to Chapter 6 — force first, then the energy that force transfers.

Chapter 8: Journey Inside the Atom (pp. 140-161)

The chapter walks the historical spine of atomic models — Thomson (p. 142), Rutherford’s gold foil experiment (p. 143, Fig 8.4) and Bohr (p. 146) — then adds protons, neutrons and the discovery of the neutron (p. 147). Symbols, atomic number, mass number, electron distribution in the K, L and M shells, valency, and isotopes and isobars complete the picture.

1. Rediscovering the Roots of Atomic Theory (p. 141)
2. A Short Historical Journey Through Atomic Models (p. 141)
3. What Components Contribute to the Mass of an Atom? (p. 147)
4. Symbols of Elements (p. 148)
5. Atomic Number (p. 149)
6. Mass Number (p. 150)
7. How Are Electrons Distributed in Different Energy Levels? (p. 151)
8. Combining Capacity of an Atom: Valency (p. 153)
9. A Deeper Look into Atomic Structure (p. 154)

With 22 pages, 16 named sections, no activities and 16 indexed figures, it is the book’s read-and-memorise chapter — and the one to finish before Chapter 9, because the bonding diagrams there assume it.

Chapter 9: Chemical combination — how atoms bond and how formulae are written

Chemical combination opens with the law of conservation of mass (p. 165), the law of constant proportions (p. 167) and Dalton’s atomic theory (p. 168).

It then distinguishes bonding by sharing electrons — the covalent bond (p. 169) — from bonding by electron transfer — the ionic bond (p. 172). Writing chemical formulae (p. 175), property differences and the molecular and formula unit masses (p. 179) complete the chapter, with the formation figures (Figs 9.6-9.12) making the sharing and transfer visible.

1. Law of Conservation of Mass (p. 165)
2. Law of Constant Proportions (p. 167)
3. Dalton’s Atomic Theory (p. 168)
4. How Atoms Combine? (p. 169)
5. Writing Chemical Formulae (p. 175)
6. Properties of the Ionic and the Covalent Compounds (p. 177)
7. Molecular Mass of Covalent Compounds (p. 179)
8. Formula Unit Mass of Ionic Compounds (p. 179)

Like Chapter 8 it has no activities — 22 pages, 12 named sections, 15 indexed figures — so the work here is memorising the laws, the bonding rules and the formula-writing steps.

Chapter 10: Sound Waves: Characteristics and Applications (pp. 184-207)

The chapter treats sound as vibration — a taal, a rubber band, vocal cords (pp. 184-185) — then propagation and the need for a medium (pp. 186-187, vacuum bell jar Fig 10.7). Sound waves along a slinky lead to wavelength, frequency, time period, amplitude and intensity (pp. 188-196), and the human ear (Fig 10.24) closes the perception side.

Reflection, echo and reverberation (pp. 200-201) set up the final topic — ultrasonic and infrasonic waves, with echolocation and sonar (pp. 202-203).

1. Production of Sound (p. 184)
2. Propagation of Sound (p. 186)
3. Sound Waves (p. 188)
4. Energy of Sound Waves (p. 191)
5. Graphical Representation of a Sound Wave (p. 192)
6. Characteristics of a Sound Wave (p. 194)
7. Reflection of Sound (p. 200)
8. Ultrasonic and Infrasonic Waves, and their Applications (p. 202)

With 24 pages, 17 named sections, 4 activities and 25 indexed figures, it carries the second-highest activity count in the book — and the ear diagram (Fig 10.24) is the figure students are most often asked to label.

Chapter 11: Reproduction: How Life Continues (pp. 208-227)

The chapter opens with asexual reproduction — vegetative propagation by cutting, layering, grafting and tissue culture (pp. 209-210), and budding in yeast and hydra (p. 211). Sexual reproduction follows, with meiosis creating variation, then flowers, pollination, fertilisation and seed formation (pp. 212-216).

Reproduction in animals leads to human beings: reproductive maturity, the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and prevention of unwanted pregnancy (pp. 219-224). The menstrual cycle figure (11.21) deserves the most time.

1. Asexual Reproduction (p. 209)
2. Sexual Reproduction (p. 212)
3. Sexual Reproduction in Animals (p. 218)
4. Variations in Reproduction in Animals (p. 218)
5. Reproduction in Human Beings (p. 219)

It holds the book’s highest counts in two columns at once — 21 named sections and 5 activities across 20 pages and 22 indexed figures.

Chapter 12: Biodiversity — from India’s species to the five kingdom system

The chapter opens with India as a biodiversity hotspot — the Nilgiri tahr, lion-tailed macaque and Nepenthes khasiana (Fig 12.1) — and asks why we classify organisms at all. The five kingdom classification, from Monera to Animalia (pp. 233-240, Fig 12.5), sits at the centre.

Adaptations and the hierarchy of classification (p. 244), binomial scientific naming (p. 245), fossils as evidence (p. 247) and biodiversity under threat finish the run.

1. India as a Biodiversity Hotspot (p. 229)
2. How has the Biodiversity Evolved? (p. 229)
3. How to Classify Organisms? (p. 230)
4. The Need for Classification (p. 232)
5. Biological Classification Systems Over Time (p. 233)
6. Five Kingdom Classification (p. 233)
7. Adaptations as Outcomes of Structural Change (p. 244)
8. Scientific Naming — The Binomial System (p. 245)
9. Fossils as Evidence (p. 247)
10. Biodiversity Under Threat (p. 247)

Running 24 pages with 16 named sections, 2 activities and 18 indexed figures, its revision core is the five kingdom table — one kingdom, one defining feature, one example per kingdom.

Chapter 13: Earth’s climate — heating, winds, ocean currents and the cycles of matter

The closing chapter starts from uneven heating of the Earth — solar radiation, latitude and the atmosphere (pp. 253-258) — and shows how that drives local and planetary winds and ocean currents (pp. 259-261). The water, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen cycles follow (pp. 262-265).

The Keeling curve (Fig 13.14) is a real data graph worth reading aloud: the sawtooth is seasonal Northern-Hemisphere plant growth, and the rising trend is the actual story. Human impact, including eutrophication (p. 265), closes the chapter.

1. Uneven Heating of the Earth (p. 253)
2. Uneven Heating Causes Wind and Ocean Currents (p. 259)
3. Biogeochemical Cycles (p. 262)
4. Human Impact on Earth’s Processes (p. 265)

This closing chapter — 21 pages, 14 named sections, 1 activity, 17 indexed figures — ties the chemistry and biology chapters to the planet, ending the book on the cycles that keep it running.

The four subject strands inside the Class 9 Science book

This grouping is an editorial reading of the chapter contents — not a set of NCERT labels — for the student who thinks in subjects.

Three things fall out of the grouping, all checkable in the directory above:

• The physics strand carries 116 of the 268 verified figures in this book’s index (24 + 36 + 31 + 25) — the most visual run in the book.
• The biology strand is the longest at four chapters, spread across the book rather than gathered in one block.
• The three chemistry chapters (5, 8, 9) sit apart from one another, which is exactly why a study order matters.

Chapter study pages for Class 9 Science

Each chapter below has a working index and, where the page exists, a dedicated study page with its own grounding. Statuses follow one vocabulary: Available (published and linked), Drafting (exists but not public), Not yet built (named, coming soon).

How to use the 9th NCERT Science book PDF for revision

The book’s own order is not always the best revision order, because related chapters sit far apart. This sequence works on the actual contents:

1. The mechanics sequence — Chapter 4 (motion, p. 49), then Chapter 6 (forces, p. 94), then Chapter 7 (work and energy, p. 116). They are one story; the formulas of Chapter 7 only make sense after Chapter 6.
2. The chemistry pair — Chapter 8 (the atom, p. 140) before Chapter 9 (bonding and formulae, p. 162). Chapter 9 assumes the atomic models, so do not read in reverse.
3. The biology run — Chapter 2 (cells, p. 9) to Chapter 3 (tissues, p. 29) to Chapter 11 (reproduction, p. 208) to Chapter 12 (biodiversity, p. 229). Each builds on the last.
4. The standalone chapters — 5 (mixtures), 10 (sound) and 13 (climate) can each be revised on their own.

Chapter choice changes the method too. In the activity-heavy chapters (10 and 11), skim every activity: each one points at a figure you may need to interpret. In the no-activity chapters (8 and 9), the work is memorising laws, definitions and formulae.

One reminder before you start: textbook contents and the examinable syllabus are not always identical — check the current official syllabus.

Related resources: the Class 9 hub and the next class

This listing is maintained for the 2026-27 academic session using the NCERT textbook information available to us. NCERT remains the authority for confirming the latest edition.

Class 9 Science sets up the physics, chemistry and biology that Class 10 Science builds on, so the natural next stops are:

• the NCERT books directory — every class and subject this site indexes
• the Class 9 hub — all NCERT subjects for this class that this site indexes
• the Class 10 Science book — where this book’s ideas continue

Sources and data verification

A few things about where the numbers on this page come from:

• Where the figures come from. The counts are read from the NCERT Class 9 Science textbook edition this site indexes, using the official PDFs on ncert.nic.in. Figure captions and section titles are quoted from the textbook.
• What this page lists. It covers all 13 chapters—272 printed pages—with their named sections, activities and figures from the official PDFs; the listing follows the book itself rather than the CBSE syllabus, exam weightage or question papers.
• One gap to know. End-of-chapter question sets are not yet extracted for this book, so the question column renders 0 — an index gap, not a statement about the book. The opening exploration chapter is still flagged for review in the index.
• The academic session. This listing is maintained for the current academic session using the NCERT information available to us.
• Which authority settles what. NCERT settles textbooks, editions and PDFs; CBSE settles curriculum, syllabus and examinations.

Reference: NCERT Class 9 Science textbook, official edition on ncert.nic.in. Figure captions and section titles quoted from the textbook; page references are to the official PDF.

Questions students ask about the Class 9 Science book

How many chapters does the Class 9 Science NCERT book have?

The book has 13 chapters across 272 printed pages. The verified titles in this edition are chapters 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11; the rest are described here by their section content.

Is the Class 9 Science book PDF official and free?

Yes. The download table links directly to NCERT’s own files on ncert.nic.in — no login and no third-party host.

Which chapter covers motion and force?

Motion is Chapter 4 (pp. 48-71), force is Chapter 6 (pp. 94-115), and work and energy is Chapter 7 (pp. 116-139). Because this 13-chapter edition differs from older editions, search by topic name rather than chapter number.

Which chapter covers atoms and chemical bonding?

Chapter 8 (pp. 140-161) covers the atom and its models. Chapter 9 (pp. 162-183) covers the laws of chemical combination, covalent and ionic bonds, and writing chemical formulae.

Where can I find exercise solutions for this book?

The index has not yet extracted end-of-chapter questions for this edition, so no solutions are listed here. The official PDF remains the source of truth, and the chapter study pages will carry the questions as they are built.