AP® Physics C: Mechanics
Text: Serway, Raymond A., and John W. Jewett, Jr., Principles of Physics – A Calculus-based
Text, 4th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2006.
C8 – Curricular Requirement: Introductory differential and integral calculus is
used throughout the course.
Course evaluation:
- Grade determination
→Final Exam – 15%
→Unit Exams – 42.5%
→Daily Work – 42.5%
- chapter assignments, quizzes
- laboratory activities
- formal lab report
Unit assessments are composed of multiple choice and free response questions from AP exams.
Assignments for each chapter/unit are completed using Quest (https://quest.cns.utexas.edu/).
The laboratory component of this course is described in detail after the course outline.
Course outline
Summer Review
- Chapter 1 – Introduction
→Topics Covered
- Standards of length, mass, and time
- Dimensional analysis
- Conversion of units
- Geometry / Trigonometry / Algebra / Calculus
- Significant figures
- Coordinate systems
- Vectors and scalars
Unit 1 C1 – Curricular Requirement: Kinematics
C6 – Curricular Requirement: Oscillations and gravitation
- Instructional time: 4 weeks
- Chapter 2 – Motion in One Dimension
→Topics covered
- Displacement
- Velocity
→average velocity
→instantaneous velocity
- Acceleration
→average acceleration
→instantaneous acceleration
- Motion/Strobe diagrams
- One-dimensional motion with constant acceleration
- Free-fall
→Chapter 2 Quiz
- Chapter 3 – Motion in Two Dimensions
→Topics covered
- Vectors and Scalars
- Components of vectors
- Projectile motion
- Uniform circular motion
- Relative velocity
→Chapter 3 Quiz
- Unit 1 Assessment
Unit 2 C2 – Curricular Requirement: Newton’s laws of motion
C6 – Curricular Requirement: Oscillations and gravitation
- Instructional time: 4 weeks
- Chapter 4 – The Laws of Motion
→Topics covered
- Force
- Newton’s first law
- Newton’s second law
- Newton’s third law
- Weight
- Normal force
→Chapter 4 Quiz
- Chapter 5 – More Applications of Newton’s Laws
→Topics covered
- Forces of friction
- Circular motion
- Velocity-dependent resistive forces
- Fundamental forces of nature
→Chapter 5 Quiz
- Unit 2 Assessment
Unit 3 C3 – Curricular Requirement: Work, energy and power
C4 – Curricular Requirement: Systems of particles, linear momentum
C6 – Curricular Requirement: Oscillations and gravitation
- Instructional time: 4 weeks
- Chapter 6 – Energy and Energy Transfer
→Topics covered
- Systems and environments
- Work
→Work done by a varying force
→Work done by a spring
- Kinetic energy and the work-kinetic energy theorem
- Work done by friction
- Nonisolated systems
-Power
→Chapter 6 Quiz
- Chapter 7 – Potential Energy
→Topics covered
- Potential energy of a system
- Conservation of energy
- Conservative and nonconservative forces
- Conservative forces and potential energy
- Potential energy for gravitational and electric forces
→Chapter 7 Quiz
- Chapter 8 – Momentum and Collisions
→Topics covered
- Momentum
- Conservation of momentum
- Impulse
- Elastic and inelastic collisions
- Center of mass and the motion of a system of particles
→Chapter 8 Quiz
- Unit 3 Assessment
Unit 4 C5 – Curricular Requirement: Circular motion and rotation
C6 – Curricular Requirement: Oscillations and gravitation
- Instructional time: 4 weeks
- Chapter 10 – Rotational Motion
→Topics covered
- Angular position, speed, and acceleration
- Rotational kinematics
- Tangential and centripetal acceleration
- Moment of inertia and rotational kinetic energy
- Torque
- Rotational equilibrium
- The rigid object under a net torque
- Work and energy in rotational motion
- Angular momentum
- Conservation of angular momentum
- Chapter 11 – Gravity, Planetary Orbits, and the Hydrogen Atom
→Topics covered
- Keplar’s laws
→Chapters 10 and 11 Quiz
- Chapter 12 – Oscillatory Motion
→Topics covered
- Motion of a particle attached to a spring
- Mathematical representation of simple harmonic motion
- Energy considerations in simple harmonic motion
- The simple pendulum
- The physical pendulum
- Damped oscillations
- Resonance
→Chapter 12 Quiz
- Unit 4 Assessment
Fall Semester Final Exam
Laboratory Activities
The majority of the following laboratory activities are computer-based using PASCO materials.
Activities are incorporated in the curriculum to provide students experience with and/or
understanding of the following as described in “Objectives for the AP® Physics Courses”: 1)
experimental design; 2) observation and measurement of real phenomena; 3) data analysis; 4)
error analysis; and 5) communication of results. During a regular 5-day week, students are in
class for 265 minutes (53 minutes/day) and are engaged in hands-on activities for at least 60
minutes. Students are required to maintain a portfolio of all laboratory activities. Students have
one formal lab write up over a major activity (60 minutes or longer) of their choosing.
C7 – Curricular Requirement: The course utilizes guided inquiry and student-centered
learning to foster the development of critical thinking skills.
C9 – Curricular Requirement: The course includes a laboratory component
comparable to a semester-long, college-level physics laboratory. Students spend a
minimum of 20 percent of instructional time engaged in laboratory work. A hands-on
laboratory component is required. Each student should complete a lab notebook or
portfolio of lab reports.
Mechanics
- Graphing position, velocity, and acceleration (hands-on/60 minutes)
→investigate the relationship between graphical representations
- Acceleration due to gravity (hands-on/60 minutes)
→determine acceleration due to gravity
- Newton’s 2nd law (hands-on/45 minutes)
→investigate the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration
- Freefall with coffee filters (hands-on/60 minutes)
→determine terminal velocity and time constant
- Atwood’s machine (hands-on/60 minutes)
→investigate the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration
- Projectile motion (hands-on/75 minutes)
→investigate the relationship between initial velocity, , and projected distance
- Circular motion (hands-on/60 minutes)
→investigate the relationship between tangential velocity, radius, centripetal
acceleration, mass, and force (tension)
- Conservation of momentum (hands-on/60 minutes)
→investigate the relationship between mass and velocity in collisions and
“explosions”
- Conservation of momentum in two dimensions (hands-on/60 minutes)
→investigate the conservation of momentum in two dimensions for elastic and
inelastic collisions
- Conservation of energy (hands-on/60 minutes)
→investigate transfer of potential energy (gravitational and elastic) and kinetic
energy
- Conservation of energy using projectile motion (hands-on/60 minutes)
→investigate the transformation of kinetic energy into potential energy
- Coefficient of kinetic friction (hands-on/60 minutes)
→determine coefficients of kinetic friction
- Rotational Inertia (hands-on/60 minutes)
→determine the rotational inertia of objects
- Conservation of angular momentum (hands-on/60 minutes)
→measure final angular speed and compare to calculated value
Waves/Oscillations
- Hooke’s law and simple harmonic motion (hands-on/60 minutes)
→determine spring constants and understand their impact on the simple harmonic
motion of a mass-spring system
- Springs in series and parallel (hands-on/45 minutes)
→investigate the period of oscillation of springs in series and parallel
- Simple harmonic motion - pendulums (hands-on/60 minutes)
→graphically investigate the motion of a pendulum and relate conservation of
energy concepts