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About the Course
Learn about the foundational principles of physics as you explore Newtonian mechanics; work, energy, and power; simple harmonic motion; and fluids. You’ll do hands-on laboratory work to investigate phenomena.
Note: Save your lab notebooks and reports; colleges may ask to see them before granting you credit.
AP Physics Revisions 2024-25
We revised the 4 AP Physics courses and exams for the 2024-25 school year.
Skills You'll Learn
Creating representations that depict physical phenomena
Conducting analyses to derive, calculate, estimate, or predict
Describing experimental procedures, analyzing data, and supporting claims
Equivalency and Prerequisites
College Course Equivalent
A first-semester introductory college course in algebra-based physics.
Recommended Prerequisites
You should have completed a geometry course and be concurrently taking Algebra II or an equivalent course.
Exam Date
About the Units
The course content outlined below is organized into commonly taught units of study that provide one possible sequence for the course. Your teacher may choose to organize the course content differently based on local priorities and preferences.
Course Content
Unit 1: Kinematics
You’ll be introduced to the study of motion.
Topics may include:
- Scalars and vectors in one dimension
- Displacement, velocity, and acceleration
- Representing motion
- Reference frames and relative motion
- Vectors and motion in two dimensions
On The Exam
10%–15% of multiple-choice exam score
Unit 2: Force and Translational Dynamics
You’ll revisit the concepts you worked with in Unit 1 to explore force, which is the interaction of an object with another object.
Topics may include:
- Systems and center of mass
- Forces and free-body diagrams
- Newton’s Third Law
- Newton’s First Law
- Newton’s Second Law
- Gravitational force
- Kinetic and static friction
- Spring forces
- Circular motion
On The Exam
18%–23% of multiple-choice exam score
Unit 3: Work, Energy, and Power
You’ll learn the definitions of and relationships between work, energy, and power.
Topics may include:
- Translational kinetic energy
- Work
- Potential energy
- Conservation of energy
- Power
On The Exam
18%–23% of multiple-choice exam score
Unit 4: Linear Momentum
You’ll explore the relationship between force, time, and momentum and learn to use the law of conservation of momentum to analyze physical situations.
Topics may include:
- Linear momentum
- Change in momentum and impulse
- Conservation of linear momentum
- Elastic and inelastic collisions
On The Exam
10%–15% of multiple-choice exam score
Unit 5: Torque and Rotational Dynamics
You’ll use the tools, techniques, and models you’ve learned in previous units to analyze bodies that rotate, and what causes those rotations.
Topics may include:
- Rotational kinematics
- Connecting linear and rotational motion
- Torque
- Rotational inertia
- Rotational equilibrium and Newton’s First Law in rotational form
- Newton’s Second Law in rotational form
On The Exam
10%–15% of multiple-choice exam score
Unit 6: Energy and Momentum of Rotating Systems
You’ll explore the energy and momentum of an object rotating around an axis and you’ll connect those concepts to their linear analogs.
Topics may include:
- Rotational kinetic energy
- Torque and work
- Angular momentum and angular impulse
- Conservation of angular momentum
- Rolling
- Motion of orbiting satellites
On The Exam
5%–8% of multiple-choice exam score
Unit 7: Oscillations
You’ll use all the tools, techniques, and models you’ve learned in previous units to analyze a new kind of motion: simple harmonic motion.
Topics may include:
- Defining simple harmonic motion (SHM)
- Frequency and period of SHM
- Representing and analyzing SHM
- Energy of simple harmonic oscillators
On The Exam
5%–8% of multiple-choice exam score
Unit 8: Fluids
You’ll explore the behavior and motion of materials that can change shape and analyze how that behavior interacts with other objects.
Topics may include:
- Internal structure and density
- Pressure
- Fluids and Newton’s laws
- Fluids and conservation laws
On The Exam
10%–15% of multiple-choice exam score
Credit and Placement
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Course Resources
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AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based can lead to a wide range of careers and college majors