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About the Course
Explore concepts such as kinematics; Newton’s laws of motion, work, energy, and power; systems of particles and linear momentum; rotation; oscillations; and gravitation. You’ll do hands-on laboratory work and in-class activities to investigate phenomena and use calculus to solve problems.
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, supporting claims
Equivalency and Prerequisites
College Course Equivalent
A semester-long, introductory calculus-based college course in physics.
Recommended Prerequisites
You should have taken calculus or be taking calculus at the same time as this course.
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 begin your study of motion and the quantities associated with the motion of an object: position, velocity, acceleration, and time.
Topics may include:
- Kinematics in one dimension
- Kinematics in two dimensions
On The Exam
10%–15% of multiple-choice score
Unit 2: Force and Translational Dynamics
You’ll investigate Newton’s laws of motion, which describe the relationship among moving objects and the forces acting on them.
Topics may include:
- Center of mass
- Systems
- Newton’s laws of motion: first and second law
- Circular motion
- Newton’s laws of motion: third law
- Gravitation
On The Exam
20%–25% of multiple-choice score
Unit 3: Work, Energy, and Power
You’ll learn to define and calculate work, energy, and power and become familiar with the principle of conservation as a foundational model of physics.
Topics may include:
- Work–energy theorem
- Forces and potential energy
- Conservation of energy
- Power
On The Exam
15%–25% of multiple-choice score
Unit 4: Linear Momentum
You’ll be introduced to the concepts of impulse and momentum, and the conservation of linear momentum.
Topics may include:
- Impulse and momentum
- Conservation of linear momentum, collisions
On The Exam
10%–20% of multiple-choice score
Unit 5: Torque and Rotational Dynamics
You’ll gain an in-depth comprehension of rotational motion by investigating torque and rotational statics, kinematics, and dynamics.
Topics may include:
- Torque and rotational statics
- Rotational kinematics
- Rotational dynamics and energy and Newton’s second law in rotational form
On The Exam
10%–15% of multiple-choice 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
Angular momentum
Rolling
Orbits
On The Exam
10%–15% of multiple-choice 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:
Periodic motion
Pendulums
Physical Pendulums
On The Exam
10%–15% of multiple-choice score
Credit and Placement
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Course Resources
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AP Physics C: Mechanics can lead to a wide range of careers and college majors