AP PHYSICS B SYLLABUS
Major Textbook and Resources:
Giancoli, D. (2002). Physics: Principles with Applications, 5th rev. ed. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 0-13-061143-3
Puri, O.P., Zober, P.J., and Zober, G.P. (2001) Physics: A laboratory manual, Boston,
MA: Pearson Custom Publishing. ISBN 0-13-061146-8
Grading Policy:
Tests – 60%
Tests are given every two-three weeks, usually after each unit. Each test will consist of
multiple choice questions and free-response questions.
Labs and Quizzes – 30%
Labs will be preferably open-ended with an objective and a list of equipment. Students
will choose the procedure, collection of data and data evaluation. Each experiment will
require a written report to be kept in an organized lab notebook [C6]
Quizzes: Quizzes will be covering selected homework problems and/or recently covered
material.
Homework – 10%
Homework is assigned every class period and will include textbook problems and/or AP
free-response problems.
Course Outline
FALL SEMESTER
I. NEWTONIAN MECHANICS [C1]
Unit 1: Kinematics in one and two dimensions (2 weeks) (Ch.2,3)
 Vectors and scalars, addition of vectors
 Velocity and acceleration, position-time and velocity-time graphs
 Equation of motion under constant acceleration
 Free fall
 Projectile motion: horizontal launch and launch at an angle
Lab Projectile Motion: by measuring range and time of a tennis ball, students will
determine the initial velocity of the ball thrown
Assessments:
Quiz Ch.2; Quiz Ch.3; Test: Motion-acceleration (Ch.2,3)
Unit 2: Forces (2 weeks) (Ch.4)
 Newton’s first law and inertia
 Newton’s second and third law
 Net forces and free body diagrams
 Friction
 Inclined plane
Lab: Dependence of acceleration on mass and applied force using PASCO tracks and
carts
Assessments:
Quiz: Newton’s laws; quiz: friction and inclined plane; Test: Forces (Ch.4)
Unit 3: Work and Energy (2 weeks) (Ch.6)
 Kinetic energy- potential energy
 Work-energy theorem
 Power
 Conservation of mechanical energy
Lab: Conservation of mechanical energy on an inclined plane (with PASCO track
system)
Assessments:
Quiz: work, power; quiz: conservation of energy; Test: Work-energy (Ch. 6)
Unit 4: Momentum (1 week) (Ch. 7)
 Impulse-momentum theorem
 Conservation of momentum in elastic and inelastic collisions
Lab: conservation of momentum; students will determine initial speed of a tennis ball
thrown into a cardboard box using the law of conservation of momentum and the law
of conservation of energy by measuring the distance the box is pushed forward by the
ball
Assessments: Quiz Momentum; Test will be given on both momentum and circular
motion at the end of Unit 5
Unit 5: Circular motion (2 weeks) (Ch.5)
 Centripetal acceleration and force
 Horizontal and vertical circles
 Universal gravitation and satellite motion
 Torque and rotational equilibrium
Assessments:
Quiz: circular motion (Ch.5, Sections 1-3); quiz: universal gravitation and satellite
motion (Ch.5, Sections 6-8); quiz: torque (Ch.8, Section 4 and Ch.9, Section 2,3);
Test: Momentum and circular motion (Ch. 5, 7)
II. FLUID MECHANICS and THERMAL PHYSICS [C2]
Unit 7: Fluid mechanics (2 weeks) (Ch.10)
 Pressure
 Pascal’s principle, hydraulics
 Archimedes’ principle and buoyancy
 Bernoulli’s equation
Demo: fast-rotating plastic bottle mounted on a movable cart is exposed to strong air
flow from a fan blowing at right angle to orientation of the cart; pressure difference
predicted from Bernoulli’s principle will pull/push the cart.
Lab: students will determine the density of submersed and floating objects.
Assessments:
Quiz: Archimedes’ principle and Pascal’s principle; quiz: Bernoulli’s equation;
Test: Fluid mechanics (Ch.10)
Unit 8: Thermal Physics (2 weeks) (Ch.13-15)
 Internal energy, heat, temperature
 Linear expansion
 Kinetic theory of gases
 Ideal gas law
 First and second law of thermodynamics, pV diagrams
Assessments:
Quiz: Internal energy, heat, temperature, gas laws; quiz: first and second law of
thermodynamics; Test: Thermal physics (Ch.13-15).
Final review of all topics during week before finals
Finals during last week of fall semester
SPRING SEMESTER
ELECTRICITY and MAGNETISM [C3]
Unit 9: Electric force, electric field, electric potential (2 weeks) (Ch.16, 17)
 Electric force, Coulomb’s law
 Electric fields
 Electric potential, potential energy, work
 Capacitors
Assessments:
Quiz: Coulomb’s law, electric fields; quiz: electric potential, potential energy;
Test: Static electricity (Ch.16, 17)
Unit 10: Currents and circuits (2 weeks) (Ch.18,19)
 Electric circuit, current, Ohm’s law
 Electric power, electric energy
 Series and parallel circuits
Lab: series and parallel circuit analysis
Assessments:
Quiz: current, Ohm’s law, power, energy; quiz: series and parallel circuits;
Test: Electricity of circuits (Ch.18, 19)
Unit 11: Magnetism (2 weeks) (Ch.20)
 Magnets and fields
 Force of a magnetic field on a wire
 Force of a magnetic field on a moving charge
 Right-hand rule for direction of force in a magnetic field
Demo: Iron filings in magnetic field
Assessment:
Quiz: Force of magnetic field on a wire; quiz: force of magnetic field on a moving
charge; Test: Forces of magnetic field (Ch.20)
Unit 12: Electromagnetic induction (2 weeks) (Ch.21)
 Motion between wire and magnetic field, magnetic flux
 Faraday’s experiments and the law of electromagnetic induction
 Lenz’s law
Assessment:
Test: Magnetism and electromagnetic induction (Ch.21)
WAVES and OPTICS [C4]
Unit 13: Simple harmonic motion and waves (1 week) (Ch.11)
 Simple pendulum
 Spring-mass system
 Characteristics of traveling waves, transverse and longitudinal waves
 Standing waves
Lab: simple pendulum
Lab: Force constant and period of a spring
Assessments:
Quiz: pendulum and spring
Unit 14: Sound (1 week) (Ch.12)
 Properties of sound
 Sound intensity, power and relative sound intensity
 The Doppler effect
 Resonance in musical instruments
Lab: Speed of sound in air using a resonance tube
Assessments:
Quiz: sound; Test: Simple harmonic motion and sound (Ch.12)
Unit 15: Reflection, refraction, diffraction (3 weeks) (Ch.23-25)
 Reflection: Law of reflection
 Refraction: Snell’s law and total internal refraction
 Images formed by plane and spherical mirrors
 Images formed by lenses
 Ray diagrams and the lens/mirror equation
 Interference: superposition, path difference
 Diffraction in single slit, diffraction grating, thin films
Lab: index of refraction
Lab: Confirm mirror equation using optical bench with concave and convex mirrors
Lab: Confirm lens equation using convex and concave lenses
Assessments:
Quiz: refraction; quiz: mirrors and lenses; quiz: diffraction;
Test: Optics (Ch.23-25)
ATOMIC and NUCLEAR PHYSICS [C5]
Unit 16: Quantum Physics (2 weeks) (Ch.27)
 Photoelectric effect
 Work function and electron speed
 Wave nature of matter (electrons)
 Atomic mass, mass number, atomic number
 Radioactive decay, nuclear reactions
Assessments:
Quiz: photoelectric effect; Test: Quantum physics
Review of Fall Semester material for AP Test (1 week)
Review of Spring Semester material for AP Test
LABS [C7]
All laboratory experiments are “hands-on” activities. Students are required to keep a lab
notebook containing all lab reports. Approximately half of the labs listed will be
performed by the students in their first-year course of pre-AP Physics. These labs will be
discussed again in the second year AP Physics course.
Fall Lab experiments:
1. Projectile motion: Determination of initial speed and direction based on measured
range and time
2. Newton’s second law: Determination of dependence of acceleration on mass and
force
3. Friction: Determination of friction coefficient on an inclined plane
4. Conservation of mechanical energy: Determination of potential and kinetic energy on
an inclined plane.
5. Conservation of momentum: Determination of the initial speed of a tennis ball thrown
into a cardboard box allowed to slide on a table.
Spring Lab Experiments:
6. Density of submersed and floating objects: Determination of an object’s density by
Archimedes’ principle
7. Resistors in series and in parallel: Verification of the rules of combining resistors
8. Simple pendulum: Determination of the gravity constant
9. Hooke’s law: Determination of the force constant of a spring
10. Sound: Determination of the speed of sound in air using a resonance tube
11. Refraction: Determination of the index of refraction
12. Geometric optics: Verification of the mirror equation using images formed by
spherical mirrors
13. Geometric optics: Verification of the lens/mirror equation by using images formed
by convex lenses