AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based Course Outline

Welcome to your comprehensive guide to AP Physics 1! This algebra-based course explores the fundamental principles of physics through inquiry-based investigations. From kinematics to electricity, you'll develop a deep understanding of physical concepts and learn to apply mathematical models to solve physics problems.

"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." — Sir Isaac Newton

Kinematics Calculator

Select Equation:

Unit 1: Kinematics

This foundational unit explores the mathematical description of motion. You'll learn to analyze and predict the motion of objects using position, velocity, and acceleration concepts, without considering the forces that cause the motion.

Unit Overview: Kinematics

A comprehensive introduction to the fundamental concepts and mathematical tools used to describe and analyze motion.

Position, Velocity, and Acceleration

Master the core kinematic quantities that describe motion, including displacement, instantaneous and average velocity, and acceleration.

Representations of Motion

Learn to interpret and create multiple representations of motion, including graphs, diagrams, mathematical equations, and verbal descriptions.

Unit 2: Dynamics

This unit explores the causes of motion by examining forces and their relationship to acceleration. You'll apply Newton's laws to predict and explain the motion of objects under various force conditions.

Unit Overview: Dynamics

An introduction to the study of forces and their effects on motion, building on kinematic foundations to explore cause-and-effect relationships.

Systems

Learn to define and analyze physical systems, identifying internal and external forces and selecting appropriate system boundaries.

The Gravitational Field

Explore how gravity acts as a force field, understanding weight, free fall, and how mass influences gravitational interactions.

Contact Forces

Study various contact forces including normal force, friction, tension, and spring forces, understanding their origins and applications.

Newton's First Law

Examine the law of inertia and its implications for objects at rest or in motion, introducing the concept of equilibrium.

Newton's Third Law and Free-Body Diagrams

Master action-reaction pairs and learn to create free-body diagrams that represent all forces acting on an object.

Newton's Second Law

Understand the mathematical relationship between force, mass, and acceleration, forming the foundation for quantitative dynamics problems.

Applications of Newton's Second Law

Apply Newton's second law to various scenarios including inclined planes, connected objects, and systems with multiple forces.

Unit 3: Circular Motion and Gravitation

This unit explores objects moving in curved paths and the forces required to maintain circular motion. You'll also study gravitational interactions between objects and extend Newton's laws to circular motion scenarios.

Unit Overview: Circular Motion and Gravitation

An introduction to the principles governing objects moving in curved paths and the fundamental nature of gravitational interactions.

Vector Fields

Learn how vector fields represent forces that vary with position in space, creating a framework for understanding gravitational effects.

Fundamental Forces

Explore the basic forces in nature, focusing on gravity and electricity, and how they influence interactions between objects.

Gravitational and Electric Forces

Compare and contrast gravitational and electric forces, recognizing their similarities in mathematical form and differences in effect.

Gravitational Field on Different Planets

Understand how gravitational field strength varies on different planetary bodies and how this affects the acceleration of objects.

Inertial vs. Gravitational Mass

Explore the distinction between mass as resistance to acceleration and mass as the source of gravitational attraction.

Centripetal Acceleration and Force

Study the acceleration directed toward the center of circular paths and the forces required to maintain circular motion.

Free-Body Diagrams for Circular Motion

Learn to create and analyze force diagrams specifically for objects undergoing uniform circular motion in various scenarios.

Applications of Circular Motion

Apply circular motion and gravitational principles to real-world scenarios such as orbital motion, banked curves, and vertical circles.

Unit 4: Energy

This unit examines energy as a fundamental physical concept. You'll learn about different forms of energy, work, power, and how the conservation of energy principle provides powerful tools for analyzing physical systems.

Unit Overview: Energy

An introduction to energy concepts that provide alternative approaches to understanding and predicting physical phenomena.

Open and Closed Systems: Energy

Learn to distinguish between open and closed energy systems, understanding energy transfer across system boundaries.

Work and Mechanical Energy

Study the relationship between work and energy, examining how forces transfer energy and transform it between potential and kinetic forms.

Conservation of Energy and Power

Explore energy conservation principles, the work-energy theorem, and how to calculate power in mechanical systems.

Unit 5: Momentum

This unit explores momentum and its conservation in physical interactions. You'll learn how momentum and impulse provide another powerful approach to analyzing mechanical systems, especially collisions and explosions.

Unit Overview: Momentum

An introduction to momentum as a fundamental quantity in physics that provides unique insights into interactions between objects.

Momentum and Impulse

Understand momentum as the product of mass and velocity, and impulse as the change in momentum caused by applied forces.

Representations of Changes in Momentum

Learn to analyze and represent momentum changes using various mathematical, graphical, and diagrammatic approaches.

Open and Closed Systems: Momentum

Distinguish between systems where momentum is conserved and those where external forces lead to momentum changes.

Conservation of Linear Momentum

Apply the principle of momentum conservation to analyze collisions, explosions, and other interactions between objects.

Unit 6: Simple Harmonic Motion

This unit explores oscillatory motion, focusing on systems that exhibit simple harmonic motion. You'll study springs, pendulums, and the energy transformations that occur in oscillating systems.

Unit Overview: Simple Harmonic Motion

An introduction to the principles governing periodic, oscillatory motion in physical systems and their mathematical descriptions.

Period of Simple Harmonic Oscillators

Study the factors that determine oscillation periods in springs and pendulums, developing mathematical models for predicting motion.

Energy of a Simple Harmonic Oscillator

Analyze the continuous transformation between potential and kinetic energy that occurs during simple harmonic motion.

Unit 7: Torque and Rotational Motion

This unit extends mechanics principles to rotating objects. You'll learn about torque, rotational inertia, and angular momentum, exploring parallels between linear and rotational motion.

Unit Overview: Torque and Rotational Motion

An introduction to the mechanics of rotating objects, developing the rotational analogs to linear motion concepts.

Rotational Kinematics

Study the description of rotational motion using angular position, velocity, and acceleration, drawing parallels to linear kinematics.

Torque and Angular Acceleration

Learn how torque causes angular acceleration, exploring the rotational analog to Newton's second law for linear motion.

Angular Momentum and Torque

Understand angular momentum as a fundamental physical quantity and how torque changes angular momentum over time.

Conservation of Angular Momentum

Apply the principle of angular momentum conservation to analyze rotational systems where no external torques act.

Unit 8: Electric Charges and Electric Force

This unit introduces electrostatics, exploring electric charges and the forces between them. You'll study Coulomb's law and develop an understanding of charge conservation in physical systems.

Unit Overview: Electric Charge and Force

An introduction to the fundamental principles of electricity, focusing on static charges and their interactions.

Conservation of Charge

Understand the principle that electric charge cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred between objects.

Electric Charge

Study the nature of electric charge, how objects become charged, and the fundamental properties of charged particles.

Electric Force

Apply Coulomb's law to calculate electric forces between charged objects, analyzing both attractive and repulsive interactions.

Unit 9: DC Circuits

This unit explores direct current electrical circuits. You'll learn about components like resistors, voltage sources, and how to analyze current and voltage in simple circuits using Ohm's Law and Kirchhoff's Rules.

Unit Overview: DC Circuits

An introduction to the principles governing direct current electric circuits and the behavior of current in resistive networks.

Definition of a Circuit

Understand what constitutes an electric circuit, including essential components and the basic principles of current flow.

Resistivity

Study the intrinsic property of materials that determines their resistance to current flow, examining factors that affect resistivity.

Ohm's Law and Kirchhoff's Loop Rule

Learn the fundamental relationship between current, voltage, and resistance, and how to apply loop analysis to circuit problems.

Resistors in Series and Parallel

Analyze how current and voltage behave in circuits with different resistor configurations, using Kirchhoff's junction rule.

Unit 10: Mechanical Waves and Sound

This final unit explores mechanical waves and sound. You'll study wave properties, behavior, and phenomena like interference and standing waves, applying these concepts to analyze sound waves in various media.

Unit Overview: Mechanical Waves and Sound

An introduction to the principles of wave motion in physical media, with a focus on sound as a mechanical wave phenomenon.

Properties of Waves

Study fundamental wave characteristics including amplitude, wavelength, frequency, period, and wave speed.

Periodic Waves

Explore waves that repeat in regular patterns, focusing on mathematical descriptions and physical behavior.

Interference and Superposition

Analyze how waves combine through superposition, creating interference patterns in tubes and on strings.

Study Tips for AP Physics 1

Problem-Solving Strategies

Draw Diagrams: Create clear diagrams for every problem, showing all forces, velocities, and relevant information
Define Variables: Clearly identify all variables and coordinate systems before applying equations
Identify Principles: Determine which physics principles apply to each situation before attempting calculations
Check Units: Verify that your solutions have appropriate units as a quick check for errors
Estimate Answers: Develop physical intuition by estimating answers before detailed calculations

Conceptual Understanding

Explain Concepts: Practice teaching physics concepts to others to strengthen your understanding
Connect Topics: Create charts showing relationships between physics principles across different units
Question "Why?": Always understand the reasons behind physical phenomena, not just the equations
Real-World Examples: Connect physics concepts to familiar real-world situations you encounter daily
Multiple Representations: Practice translating between verbal, graphical, mathematical, and diagrammatic representations

Calculate Your AP Score