AP-PHYS1
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AP® Physics 1 Algebra Based
AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based teaches fundamental kinematics, dynamics, circular motion, energy, and momentum using algebraic methods, preparing students for the AP exam and college-level physics.
180
Minutes
50
Questions
3/5
Passing Score
$98
Exam Cost
Who Should Take This
High school juniors and seniors who have completed introductory algebra and seek to earn college credit through the AP program are ideal candidates. They should be comfortable with algebraic manipulation, ready to apply physics concepts to problem‑solving scenarios, and motivated to master the core principles for exam success.
What's Covered
1
All seven units of the AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based course framework (College Board, effective 2020-present): Unit 1 Kinematics
2
, Unit 2 Dynamics
3
, Unit 3 Circular Motion and Gravitation
4
, Unit 4 Energy
5
, Unit 5 Momentum
6
, Unit 6 Simple Harmonic Motion
7
, Unit 7 Torque and Rotational Motion
What's Included in AccelaStudy® AI
Adaptive Knowledge Graph
Practice Questions
Lesson Modules
Console Simulator Labs
Exam Tips & Strategy
20 Activity Formats
Course Outline
60 learning goals
1
Unit 1: Kinematics
2 topics
One-Dimensional Motion
- Define and distinguish between position, displacement, distance, velocity, speed, and acceleration, using correct units and sign conventions for one-dimensional motion.
- Apply the kinematic equations for uniformly accelerated motion to solve problems involving position, velocity, acceleration, and time in one dimension.
- Interpret and create position-time, velocity-time, and acceleration-time graphs, extracting physical quantities from slopes and areas under curves.
- Analyze free-fall motion under the influence of gravity near Earth's surface, applying kinematic equations with the appropriate sign conventions for vertical motion.
Two-Dimensional Motion
- Resolve vectors into horizontal and vertical components and apply vector addition to analyze displacement, velocity, and acceleration in two dimensions.
- Analyze projectile motion by decomposing it into independent horizontal and vertical components, calculating range, maximum height, and time of flight for objects launched at various angles.
- Describe motion from different reference frames and explain how the choice of reference frame affects the description of velocity and displacement without changing the underlying physics.
- Design an experiment to measure the acceleration due to gravity using projectile motion or free-fall data, specifying the measurements, equipment, and analysis needed to determine g.
2
Unit 2: Dynamics
2 topics
Newton's Laws of Motion
- State Newton's three laws of motion and explain the conditions under which each law applies, including the concept of inertial reference frames for the first law.
- Draw and interpret free-body diagrams showing all forces acting on an object, correctly representing the direction, relative magnitude, and point of application of each force.
- Apply Newton's second law (F_net = ma) to determine the acceleration of an object or system given the forces acting on it, or to determine unknown forces given the acceleration.
- Apply Newton's third law to identify action-reaction force pairs and explain why third-law pairs act on different objects and therefore do not cancel each other.
Contact Forces and Applications
- Describe the nature and behavior of friction (static and kinetic), normal force, tension, and spring force, and apply their mathematical relationships in force analysis problems.
- Solve dynamics problems involving inclined planes by resolving gravitational force into components parallel and perpendicular to the surface and applying Newton's second law along each axis.
- Analyze systems of connected objects (Atwood machines, objects connected by strings over pulleys) by applying Newton's second law to each object and the system as a whole.
- Design an experiment to determine the coefficient of friction between two surfaces, specifying the procedure, measurements, and analysis required to obtain the result.
- Apply Hooke's law to describe the restoring force exerted by a spring and calculate the spring constant from force-displacement data collected experimentally.
- Analyze the forces acting on an object moving through a fluid (drag force, buoyancy) and explain how terminal velocity is reached when the net force on the object equals zero.
3
Unit 3: Circular Motion and Gravitation
2 topics
Uniform Circular Motion
- Describe uniform circular motion and explain that centripetal acceleration is directed toward the center of the circular path with magnitude v-squared over r.
- Identify the net force providing centripetal acceleration in various scenarios (banked curves, vertical loops, horizontal circles) and apply Newton's second law for circular motion to solve quantitative problems.
- Analyze the forces on an object at the top and bottom of a vertical circular loop, determining the minimum speed needed at the top to maintain contact with the track.
Gravitation
- State Newton's law of universal gravitation and calculate the gravitational force between two masses, explaining how the force depends on mass and separation distance.
- Explain the concept of gravitational field strength (g = F/m) and how it varies with distance from a massive object, connecting it to free-fall acceleration near Earth's surface.
- Analyze satellite orbits by combining Newton's law of gravitation with circular motion principles to derive orbital velocity and period, explaining why astronauts experience apparent weightlessness.
- Compare the gravitational field strength at different locations (surface, altitude, between two masses) and explain how gravitational potential energy changes with distance from a massive body.
4
Unit 4: Energy
4 topics
Work and Kinetic Energy
- Define work as the product of force and displacement in the direction of the force, calculate work done by constant forces at various angles, and identify when work is positive, negative, or zero.
- State and apply the work-energy theorem relating the net work done on an object to its change in kinetic energy to solve problems involving forces acting over distances.
Potential Energy and Conservation of Energy
- Define gravitational potential energy (mgh) and elastic potential energy (half k x-squared) and explain that potential energy is stored energy associated with the configuration of a system.
- Apply the law of conservation of energy to solve problems in which mechanical energy (kinetic plus potential) is conserved, setting up energy equations for systems with gravity and springs.
- Analyze systems where mechanical energy is not conserved due to friction or other non-conservative forces, accounting for the energy transformed into thermal energy or other forms.
- Construct energy bar charts to represent the energy transformations in a system at different points during a process, using them to set up and solve conservation of energy problems.
Power
- Define power as the rate of energy transfer or the rate at which work is done, calculate power using both P = W/t and P = Fv, and express results in appropriate units.
- Design an experiment to measure the power output of a mechanical device, specifying the measurements, procedure, and calculations needed to determine the power delivered.
Energy in Complex Systems
- Apply conservation of energy to systems involving both springs and gravity, setting up energy equations that account for kinetic, gravitational potential, and elastic potential energy simultaneously.
- Synthesize force analysis and energy methods to determine which approach is more efficient for solving a given mechanics problem, justifying the choice of method.
5
Unit 5: Momentum
2 topics
Impulse and Momentum
- Define linear momentum as the product of mass and velocity and calculate the momentum of individual objects and systems of objects in one and two dimensions.
- Define impulse as the product of average force and time interval and apply the impulse-momentum theorem to relate the impulse exerted on an object to its change in momentum.
- Interpret force-time graphs to determine impulse and connect the area under the curve to the change in momentum of the object.
Conservation of Momentum and Collisions
- State the law of conservation of linear momentum for a closed system with no net external force and apply it to analyze collisions and explosions in one dimension.
- Classify collisions as elastic or inelastic based on whether kinetic energy is conserved, and solve elastic and perfectly inelastic collision problems using conservation of momentum and energy.
- Apply conservation of momentum to two-dimensional collisions by resolving momenta into perpendicular components and solving the resulting system of equations.
- Define the center of mass of a system of particles and explain how the motion of the center of mass relates to the net external force on the system.
- Design an experiment to verify conservation of momentum in a collision, specifying how to minimize external forces, measure velocities, and calculate momentum before and after the collision.
- Analyze explosion scenarios where a single object breaks apart, applying conservation of momentum to determine the velocities of the resulting fragments.
6
Unit 6: Simple Harmonic Motion
1 topic
Properties of Simple Harmonic Motion
- Describe the defining characteristics of simple harmonic motion including the restoring force proportional to displacement, and identify systems that exhibit SHM such as mass-spring systems and simple pendulums.
- Calculate the period and frequency of oscillation for mass-spring systems (T = 2pi sqrt(m/k)) and simple pendulums (T = 2pi sqrt(L/g)), explaining the factors that affect each.
- Analyze the energy transformations in a simple harmonic oscillator, describing how kinetic and potential energy exchange throughout one complete cycle while total mechanical energy is conserved.
- Relate the graphs of position, velocity, and acceleration versus time for a simple harmonic oscillator, identifying the phase relationships between these quantities.
- Design an experiment to determine the spring constant of a spring or the acceleration due to gravity using simple harmonic motion, specifying the measurements and analysis needed.
7
Unit 7: Torque and Rotational Motion
3 topics
Torque and Rotational Equilibrium
- Define torque as the product of force, lever arm distance, and the sine of the angle between them, and calculate the net torque about a specified axis for multiple forces.
- Apply the conditions for static equilibrium (zero net force and zero net torque) to solve problems involving beams, levers, and other rigid bodies supported by multiple forces.
Rotational Kinematics and Dynamics
- Define angular displacement, angular velocity, and angular acceleration, and apply the rotational kinematic equations to describe uniformly accelerating rotational motion.
- Explain the concept of moment of inertia as the rotational analog of mass and calculate it for point masses and simple geometric shapes, explaining how mass distribution affects rotational inertia.
- Apply Newton's second law for rotation (net torque equals moment of inertia times angular acceleration) to solve problems involving rotating rigid bodies.
- Calculate rotational kinetic energy (half I omega-squared) and apply conservation of energy to problems involving both translational and rotational motion, including rolling without slipping.
- Explain the relationship between linear and angular kinematic quantities (displacement, velocity, acceleration) for a point on a rotating object using the formulas v = r omega and a = r alpha.
Angular Momentum
- Define angular momentum (L = I times omega) and state the law of conservation of angular momentum, explaining the conditions under which angular momentum is conserved.
- Apply conservation of angular momentum to analyze scenarios where moment of inertia changes, such as figure skaters pulling in arms, and predict the resulting change in angular velocity.
- Synthesize linear and rotational conservation laws to analyze complex systems involving both translational and rotational motion, constructing coherent arguments using multiple representations.
- Relate the angular impulse-angular momentum theorem to the change in angular momentum of a system, identifying the torque and time interval responsible for the change.
Scope
Included Topics
- All seven units of the AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based course framework (College Board, effective 2020-present): Unit 1 Kinematics (12-18%), Unit 2 Dynamics (16-20%), Unit 3 Circular Motion and Gravitation (6-8%), Unit 4 Energy (20-28%), Unit 5 Momentum (12-18%), Unit 6 Simple Harmonic Motion (2-4%), Unit 7 Torque and Rotational Motion (12-18%).
- Kinematics: position, displacement, velocity, acceleration, motion in one and two dimensions, projectile motion, representations of motion (graphs, equations, diagrams), and reference frames.
- Dynamics: Newton's three laws of motion, free-body diagrams, contact forces (normal, friction, tension, spring), gravitational force near Earth's surface, net force and acceleration, systems of objects, and Atwood machines.
- Circular motion and gravitation: uniform circular motion, centripetal acceleration and force, Newton's law of universal gravitation, gravitational field, and satellite orbits.
- Energy: work done by forces, kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy, elastic potential energy (springs), work-energy theorem, conservation of energy, power, and energy bar charts.
- Momentum: linear momentum, impulse, impulse-momentum theorem, conservation of linear momentum in closed systems, elastic and inelastic collisions in one and two dimensions, and center of mass.
- Simple harmonic motion: characteristics of SHM, mass-spring systems, simple pendulums, period and frequency, energy in SHM, and conditions for SHM.
- Torque and rotational motion: torque, rotational equilibrium, moment of inertia, rotational kinematics, Newton's second law for rotation, angular momentum, conservation of angular momentum, and rolling without slipping.
- Exam-aligned skills including experimental design, data analysis, mathematical reasoning with algebra and trigonometry, and argumentation as tested in AP Physics 1 free-response and multiple-choice questions.
Not Covered
- Calculus-based derivations and methods; all mathematical analysis is limited to algebra and trigonometry.
- Fluid mechanics and thermal physics, which were historically part of AP Physics 1 but have been removed from the current framework.
- Electricity, magnetism, and electromagnetic waves covered in AP Physics 2 and AP Physics C.
- Optics (reflection, refraction, diffraction, interference) and wave phenomena beyond simple harmonic motion.
- Modern physics topics including quantum mechanics, special relativity, nuclear physics, and particle physics.
Official Exam Page
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