AP Physics 1
AP Physics will NOT be offered during the 2021-22 school year.
BUT Physics Honors WILL BE offered as a prerequisite course in 2021-22.
Course Description
AP Physics 1 is an algebra-based, introductory college-level physics course. Students cultivate their understanding of Physics through inquiry-based investigations as they explore topics such as Newtonian mechanics (including rotational motion); work, energy, and power; mechanical waves and sound; and introductory, simple circuits.
Students explore principles of Newtonian mechanics (including rotational motion); work, energy, and power; mechanical waves and sound; and introductory, simple circuits. The course is based on six Big Ideas, which encompass core scientific principles, theories, and processes that cut across traditional boundaries and provide a broad way of thinking about the physical world. The following are Big Ideas:
• Objects and systems have properties such as mass and charge. Systems may have internal structure.
• Fields existing in space can be used to explain interactions.
• The interactions of an object with other objects can be described by forces.
• Interactions between systems can result in changes in those systems.
• Changes that occur as a result of interactions are constrained by conservation laws.
• Waves can transfer energy and momentum from one location to another without the permanent transfer of mass and serve as a mathematical model for the description of other phenomena.
BUT Physics Honors WILL BE offered as a prerequisite course in 2021-22.
Course Description
AP Physics 1 is an algebra-based, introductory college-level physics course. Students cultivate their understanding of Physics through inquiry-based investigations as they explore topics such as Newtonian mechanics (including rotational motion); work, energy, and power; mechanical waves and sound; and introductory, simple circuits.
Students explore principles of Newtonian mechanics (including rotational motion); work, energy, and power; mechanical waves and sound; and introductory, simple circuits. The course is based on six Big Ideas, which encompass core scientific principles, theories, and processes that cut across traditional boundaries and provide a broad way of thinking about the physical world. The following are Big Ideas:
• Objects and systems have properties such as mass and charge. Systems may have internal structure.
• Fields existing in space can be used to explain interactions.
• The interactions of an object with other objects can be described by forces.
• Interactions between systems can result in changes in those systems.
• Changes that occur as a result of interactions are constrained by conservation laws.
• Waves can transfer energy and momentum from one location to another without the permanent transfer of mass and serve as a mathematical model for the description of other phenomena.
What are the prerequisites for the course?
To be most successful, students should have completed Math 3 (AFM is also recommended)
Students must successfully complete Physics Honors in semester 1
Students must successfully complete Physics Honors in semester 1
How is the class scheduled?
AP Physics will NOT be taught in the 2021-22 school year.
AP Physics is a 90 minute, 180 day course. The first semester students receive credit for Physics Honors and in the second semester credit is earned for AP Physics. In the upcoming school year, AP Physics will be 2nd block the entire school year.
AP Physics is a 90 minute, 180 day course. The first semester students receive credit for Physics Honors and in the second semester credit is earned for AP Physics. In the upcoming school year, AP Physics will be 2nd block the entire school year.
What is the class like?
Students should expect to be actively engaged in class each day. A typical day consists of taking notes for 30 minutes followed by working out practice problems for 20 minutes. The remainder of class is spent doing group labs or other activities. Students will also complete a 3-page paper and read multiple science articles each month. It takes about 1.5 weeks to cover one chapter in the text and 4 tests are given per grading period. Tests contain both multiple choice and extended response questions. Students should expect to spend at least 40 minutes on homework each night.
View the free response questions from a past AP exam: |
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