AP-PHYS2
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AP® Physics 2 Algebra Based
AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based teaches fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, electric forces, circuits, and magnetism, emphasizing core laws, constants, and mathematical relationships essential for AP exam success.
180
Minutes
50
Questions
3/5
Passing Score
$98
Exam Cost
Who Should Take This
High school juniors and seniors preparing for the AP Physics 2 exam, as well as community‑college students seeking a solid algebra‑based foundation in mechanics and electromagnetism, should enroll. Ideal learners have completed algebra‑level physics, are comfortable with algebraic manipulation, and aim to master the concepts and problem‑solving skills required for college‑level physics.
What's Covered
1
All seven units of the AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based course framework (College Board, effective 2024-present): Unit 1 Fluids
2
, Unit 2 Thermodynamics
3
, Unit 3 Electric Force, Field, and Potential
4
, Unit 4 Electric Circuits
5
, Unit 5 Magnetism and Electromagnetic Induction
6
, Unit 6 Geometric and Physical Optics
7
, Unit 7 Quantum, Atomic, and Nuclear Physics
What's Included in AccelaStudy® AI
Adaptive Knowledge Graph
Practice Questions
Lesson Modules
Console Simulator Labs
Exam Tips & Strategy
20 Activity Formats
Course Outline
66 learning goals
1
Unit 1: Fluids
2 topics
Pressure and Static Fluids
- Define pressure as force per unit area and identify the SI units, gauge pressure, and absolute pressure in static fluid systems.
- Explain how pressure varies with depth in a fluid using the relationship P = P0 + rho*g*h and apply Pascal's law to hydraulic systems.
- Apply Archimedes' principle to determine buoyant forces on submerged and floating objects and predict whether objects will sink, float, or remain neutrally buoyant.
Fluid Dynamics
- State the continuity equation for incompressible fluid flow and explain how flow speed changes with cross-sectional area in a pipe.
- Apply Bernoulli's equation to analyze pressure, velocity, and height relationships in flowing fluid systems including airplane wings and venturi tubes.
- Design an experiment to measure fluid flow rate and use collected data to verify the continuity equation or Bernoulli's principle.
2
Unit 2: Thermodynamics
3 topics
Kinetic Molecular Theory and Ideal Gases
- State the assumptions of the kinetic molecular theory and relate microscopic molecular motion to macroscopic quantities such as temperature and pressure.
- Apply the ideal gas law (PV = nRT) to calculate changes in pressure, volume, temperature, or amount of gas during thermodynamic processes.
- Explain the relationship between the average translational kinetic energy of gas molecules and the absolute temperature of the gas using KE_avg = (3/2)kT.
Laws of Thermodynamics
- State the zeroth law of thermodynamics and explain how thermal equilibrium defines temperature measurement.
- Apply the first law of thermodynamics (delta-U = Q - W) to calculate internal energy changes, heat transfer, and work done during isobaric, isochoric, isothermal, and adiabatic processes.
- Explain the second law of thermodynamics in terms of entropy increase and describe why heat spontaneously flows from hot to cold objects but not in reverse without external work.
- Analyze PV diagrams to determine the work done by or on a gas, the net heat added or removed, and the change in internal energy for complete thermodynamic cycles.
Heat Transfer and Thermal Processes
- Identify and compare the three modes of heat transfer—conduction, convection, and radiation—and describe the physical mechanisms underlying each.
- Construct a thermodynamic argument explaining why perpetual motion machines of the first and second kind violate the laws of thermodynamics.
- Evaluate the efficiency of heat engines and refrigerators using the second law constraints and compare actual efficiency to Carnot efficiency limits.
3
Unit 3: Electric Force, Field, and Potential
3 topics
Electric Charge and Coulomb's Law
- Identify the fundamental properties of electric charge including conservation, quantization, and the distinction between conductors and insulators.
- Apply Coulomb's law to calculate the magnitude and direction of electrostatic forces between two or more point charges in one and two dimensions.
- Analyze the net force on a charge due to multiple surrounding charges by applying vector addition of Coulomb forces in two-dimensional configurations.
Electric Fields
- Define the electric field as force per unit positive test charge and sketch electric field line patterns for point charges, dipoles, and parallel plates.
- Calculate the electric field at a point due to one or more point charges and determine the force experienced by a charge placed in a known electric field.
- Explain the behavior of conductors in electrostatic equilibrium, including the fact that the electric field inside a conductor is zero and excess charge resides on the surface.
Electric Potential and Capacitance
- Define electric potential and potential difference, explain their relationship to electric field and work, and distinguish potential from potential energy.
- Calculate the electric potential at a point due to one or more point charges and determine the potential energy of a charge configuration.
- Explain how a parallel-plate capacitor stores energy, describe the effect of inserting a dielectric material, and calculate capacitance, charge, and stored energy.
- Design an experimental procedure to measure the capacitance of a parallel-plate capacitor and evaluate how plate separation and dielectric material affect stored energy.
4
Unit 4: Electric Circuits
3 topics
Current, Resistance, and Ohm's Law
- Define electric current as the rate of charge flow, identify conventional current direction, and describe the microscopic model of current in conductors.
- Apply Ohm's law to calculate current, voltage, and resistance in simple circuits and explain the physical basis of resistance in terms of material properties.
- Calculate electric power dissipated in resistors using P = IV, P = I^2R, and P = V^2/R, and explain how energy is transformed in circuit components.
Series and Parallel Circuits
- Calculate equivalent resistance for resistors connected in series and in parallel, and determine the current and voltage across each component.
- Apply Kirchhoff's junction and loop rules to analyze multi-loop circuits and determine unknown currents and voltages at each node.
- Analyze the behavior of capacitors in series and parallel configurations, calculating equivalent capacitance and the charge and voltage across each capacitor.
RC Circuits and Measurement
- Describe the charging and discharging behavior of RC circuits qualitatively, including the role of the time constant in determining how quickly the capacitor reaches steady state.
- Explain how ammeters and voltmeters are connected in a circuit to measure current and voltage, and predict the effect of meter resistance on circuit measurements.
- Design a circuit experiment to determine the internal resistance of a battery using voltage and current measurements and graph analysis.
5
Unit 5: Magnetism and Electromagnetic Induction
2 topics
Magnetic Fields and Forces
- Identify sources of magnetic fields including permanent magnets, current-carrying wires, and solenoids, and sketch the resulting magnetic field line patterns.
- Apply the right-hand rule to determine the direction of the magnetic force on a moving charged particle or current-carrying wire in an external magnetic field.
- Calculate the magnitude of the magnetic force on a moving charge (F = qvB sin theta) and on a current-carrying conductor (F = BIL sin theta) in a uniform field.
- Analyze the circular motion of a charged particle in a uniform magnetic field and determine the radius of curvature and period of revolution.
Electromagnetic Induction
- Define magnetic flux and explain how changes in flux through a conducting loop induce an electromotive force according to Faraday's law.
- Apply Lenz's law to predict the direction of induced current and explain how electromagnetic induction conserves energy.
- Evaluate the operation of generators, transformers, and other electromagnetic devices by applying Faraday's law and energy conservation principles.
- Construct a physical argument explaining how Maxwell's insight that changing electric fields produce magnetic fields leads to the prediction of electromagnetic waves.
6
Unit 6: Geometric and Physical Optics
3 topics
Reflection and Refraction
- State the law of reflection and describe how plane mirrors form virtual images with specific size, orientation, and distance characteristics.
- Apply Snell's law to calculate the angle of refraction when light passes between media of different refractive indices and predict when total internal reflection occurs.
- Explain how the speed and wavelength of light change during refraction while frequency remains constant, connecting this to the index of refraction.
Lenses and Mirrors
- Draw ray diagrams for converging and diverging lenses and concave and convex mirrors to locate the image and determine its characteristics.
- Apply the thin lens equation (1/f = 1/do + 1/di) and magnification equation to calculate image distance, size, and orientation for various object positions.
- Analyze multi-lens systems by treating the image formed by the first lens as the object for the second lens to determine the final image properties.
Wave Optics
- Describe the conditions required for constructive and destructive interference and explain how Young's double-slit experiment demonstrates the wave nature of light.
- Calculate the positions of bright and dark fringes in double-slit interference patterns using the path-length difference equation d sin theta = m lambda.
- Explain thin-film interference by analyzing the phase changes at boundaries and the path-length difference within the film to predict reflected color patterns.
- Describe single-slit diffraction patterns and explain how the slit width relative to the wavelength determines the angular width of the central maximum.
- Design an experiment using a diffraction grating and laser to measure the wavelength of light and evaluate sources of experimental uncertainty.
7
Unit 7: Quantum, Atomic, and Nuclear Physics
3 topics
Quantum Phenomena
- Describe the photon model of light including the relationships E = hf and p = h/lambda and explain how this model accounts for the photoelectric effect.
- Apply the photoelectric equation (KE_max = hf - phi) to calculate the maximum kinetic energy of ejected electrons and the threshold frequency for a given metal.
- Explain wave-particle duality and calculate the de Broglie wavelength of a particle, describing the conditions under which wave behavior becomes observable.
Atomic Structure and Spectra
- Describe the Bohr model of the hydrogen atom, including quantized energy levels, and explain how transitions between levels produce discrete emission and absorption spectra.
- Calculate the energy and wavelength of photons emitted or absorbed during transitions between quantized energy levels in the hydrogen atom.
- Evaluate the limitations of the Bohr model and explain how the quantum mechanical model provides a more complete description of atomic structure.
Nuclear Physics
- Identify the components of the atomic nucleus and describe the strong nuclear force that binds protons and neutrons together despite electromagnetic repulsion.
- Describe the three types of radioactive decay (alpha, beta, and gamma), write balanced nuclear equations, and explain how each changes the atomic and mass number.
- Apply the concept of half-life to calculate the fraction of a radioactive sample remaining after a given time period and interpret decay curves.
- Explain mass-energy equivalence (E = mc^2) and how mass defect and binding energy per nucleon account for energy released in fission and fusion reactions.
- Compare nuclear fission and fusion processes in terms of reactants, products, energy released, and binding energy per nucleon, and evaluate their potential as energy sources.
- Construct an integrated argument connecting quantum mechanical principles, nuclear stability, and mass-energy equivalence to explain why certain isotopes are radioactive.
Scope
Included Topics
- All seven units of the AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based course framework (College Board, effective 2024-present): Unit 1 Fluids (10-12%), Unit 2 Thermodynamics (12-18%), Unit 3 Electric Force, Field, and Potential (18-22%), Unit 4 Electric Circuits (10-14%), Unit 5 Magnetism and Electromagnetic Induction (10-12%), Unit 6 Geometric and Physical Optics (12-14%), Unit 7 Quantum, Atomic, and Nuclear Physics (10-12%).
- Fluid mechanics: pressure in static fluids, Pascal's law, buoyancy and Archimedes' principle, fluid dynamics including the continuity equation and Bernoulli's equation, and applications to real-world fluid systems.
- Thermodynamics: kinetic molecular theory, ideal gas law, thermal energy and temperature, heat transfer mechanisms (conduction, convection, radiation), the laws of thermodynamics (zeroth through second), entropy, and PV diagrams for thermodynamic processes.
- Electrostatics: Coulomb's law, electric field and field lines, electric potential and potential difference, capacitors and dielectrics, and charge distribution on conductors.
- Electric circuits: current, resistance, Ohm's law, Kirchhoff's rules, series and parallel resistor and capacitor networks, RC circuits, power dissipation, and ammeters and voltmeters.
- Magnetism: magnetic fields due to current-carrying wires and solenoids, magnetic force on moving charges and current-carrying conductors, electromagnetic induction and Faraday's law, Lenz's law, and applications of electromagnetic induction.
- Optics: reflection, refraction, Snell's law, total internal reflection, thin lens and mirror equations, ray diagrams, diffraction, interference (double-slit and thin-film), and polarization.
- Modern physics: photon model of light, photoelectric effect, atomic energy levels and spectra, wave-particle duality, de Broglie wavelength, nuclear structure, radioactive decay, mass-energy equivalence, and nuclear reactions (fission and fusion).
- Science practices including mathematical reasoning with algebra and trigonometry, experimental design, data analysis, and constructing evidence-based arguments.
Not Covered
- Calculus-based derivations, differential equations, and integral formulations of physical laws covered in AP Physics C.
- Advanced quantum mechanics, relativistic mechanics beyond mass-energy equivalence, and quantum field theory.
- Solid-state physics, materials science, plasma physics, and astrophysics topics beyond the AP Physics 2 framework.
- Classical mechanics topics (kinematics, dynamics, work-energy, momentum, rotation) covered primarily in AP Physics 1.
Official Exam Page
Learn more at College Board
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