AP Physics
Summer Assignment for 2012-2013
Mr. DeCecco
Goal
The goal of this summer assignment is to set you up with a very solid base for the course you are about
to take. Everything we did in Physics I will be completed by our second test of the year in AP. That
means that you are required to have base knowledge that allows us to apply that information quickly as
well as correctly. You will not be doing a lot of difficult math over the summer, but you will do a good
amount of reading and writing. You will cover almost all of the concepts over the summer that we will
during the course. Do the work over the summer so we can have more fun during the school year.
Equations
Become familiar with the variables and notations for the equations on the reference sheet
(http://wths-dececco.wikispaces.com/PhysicsAP ). You should be able to organize them according to
chapter or topic and know what they are used for.
Greek Letters
In Physics, we use variables to denote a variety of unknowns and concepts. Many of these variables are
letters of the Greek alphabet. If you are not familiar with these letters, you should become so. While there
is no practice work for this section and while you do not have to outright memorize these letters at this
point, you need to have this exposure so that when class starts and you see this on the board: μ you
don’t call it, “that funny-looking m-thing”.
These variables have specific names and I
will be using these names. You need to do
this as well. Greek Letter
α
Name
Commonly used for
Alpha (lowercase)
β
Δ
Beta (lowercase)
Delta (uppercase)
ε
φ
Epsilon (lowercase)
Phi (lowercase)
γ
λ
μ
π
θ
ρ
Σ
Gamma (lowercase)
Lambda (lowercase)
Mu (lowercase)
Pi (lowercase)
Theta (lowercase)
Rho (lowercase)
Sigma (uppercase)
τ
ω
ξ
Tau (lowercase)
Omega (lowercase)
Xi (uppercase)
Angular acceleration,
radiation particle
Radiation particle
Showing a change in a
quantity
Permittivity
Magnetic Flux, work
function
Radioactivity, relativity
Wavelength
coefficient of friction
Mathematical constant
Angle name
Density, resistivity
Showing the sum of
numbers
Torque
Angular velocity
Electromotive force;
induced voltage
The Metric System
Everything in physics is measured in the metric system. The only time that you will see English units is
when you convert them to metric units. The metric system is also called SI (from the French, “Système
International”). In the SI system fundamental quantities are measured in meters, kilograms, and seconds.
Here are the metric prefixes that we will use Numerical value
Abbreviation
throughout the year: Name of prefix
pico10-12
p
-9
nano10
n
micro10-6
μ
milli10-3
m
-2
centi10
c
kilo103
k
6
mega10
M
Giga
109
G
Reading
You will have a copy of Conceptual Physics 10th edition by Paul G. Hewitt. This is a very easy read and
it does a fantastic job at simplifying and explaining scenarios. If we don’t understand it at this level when
we start in September 2012, we will be behind already.
Read Chapters 2-10,22-25
Also check out the College Board Course Description (http://wths-dececco.wikispaces.com/PhysicsAP)
Assignment
Review Questions from certain chapters will be due at different intervals during the summer. You will
have to submit them via Google docs. They are to be typed and organized similar to the way presented
in the book.
From Hewitt Conceptual Physics
Due by July 27: (All new info, not taught in Physics I) 105 total
Ch. 22 1-22
Ch. 23 1-40
Ch. 24 1-23
Ch. 25 1-20 (Ch. 25 is preferred to be in this cluster, it may be turned in with the next group on 8/17)
Due by August 17: (review)
Ch. 5 1-22
Due by September 4: (review)
Ch. 8 6-32
Graphing:
There are some graphing problems toward the end of the packet for you to complete for the first day of
class.
Math Maintenance:
You must practice the methods of solving physics problems so that we do not have to relearn that
process when we return. These are problems that apply at least two chapters worth of math and
concepts.
COMPLETE THIS (1-3) Due the first day of class
1.You fire a 2-kg toy rocket straight up into the air. The angle of launch was 88° and it left with a speed of 54.5m/s.
a) calculate the maximum height that the rocket will reach from the launch point.
b) calculate the total time the rocket is in the air before it hits the ground, if it lands 5 meters
below where it was launched.
c) if there is not wind and the rocket flies a perfect parabolic path, how far away from the
launch pad will it land?
d) what is the value of the x- and y- velocity at the max. height?
e) what is the acceleration of the rocket when it reaches max. height?
f) at what time(s) is the rocket at a height of 80m?
g) what is the velocity of the rocket at a height of 80m?
h) what is the velocity of the rocket when it hits the ground? (velocity is a vector)
i) if the rocket penetrates the ground 10 cm when it lands, what was the force required to
change the momentum of the rocket?
j) how much chemical potential energy was stored in the rocket engine?
2.
3. From what maximum height can a 75 kg person jump without breaking the lower leg bone of either leg? Ignore
air resistance and assume the center of mass of the person moves a distance of 0.60 m from the standing to the
seated position (that is in breaking the fall). Assume the breaking strength (force per unit area) of bone is 170 x 106
N/m2, the person lands squarely on both legs, and its smallest cross-sectional area is 2.5 x 10-4 m2. [answer. 69m]
Unit Vectors:
Probably one of the most miserable aspects of higher level physics. Memorizing the dot product and
cross product will make your life better!!!!!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enr7JqvehJs&feature=relmfu (watch this so that you can do this
problem on your own.)
Complete the following questions for the first day of class.
Stolen From Five Steps to a 5: AP physics by Josh Schulman and Greg Jacobs, pending
publication, McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Physics has a poor reputation. I know this from experience: people are often asking what I do for
a living, so I tell them “I teach high school physics.” Nine times out of ten, the person’s response is,
“Eww. I hated physics.” I have grown to realize that what these strange people hated was not physics,
itself. Rather, they hated their experience learning physics.
What I try to teach my students is not simply the theory and application of physics. Instead, I try to
teach them how to approach the process of problem solving, how to think like a scientist. Physics is just
the medium through which I choose to communicate these abstract lessons in thinking. When I look back
on physics class, it is the good times, the camaraderie, the “eureka!” moments that I remember.
It usually takes one to two months for physics students to get the hang of the class. It is in this
initial portion of the school year that most of the frustration occurs. Every year I find myself wishing that
my new students knew some fundamental, inalienable truths about how to approach a physics course.
Of course, I understand that some of these things can only be learned by experience. But here’s my list
of instructions. Read them, try to take them to heart, and maybe at the end of the year you’ll see what I
was talking about.
I. Ignore your grade.
This seems to be the most ridiculous statement you’ve ever read. You probably are asking, “Are
you sure you’re a teacher?” But this may be the most important of these here ten suggestions. You
should not ask yourself or your teacher “How could I have gotten more points on this assignment?” or
“Are you going to grade this?” You’ll worry so much about giving the teacher merely what he wants that
you won’t learn physics in the way that’s best for you. Rather, whether your score is perfect or near zero,
ask, “did I really understand all aspects of these problems?”
Remember, the AP exam tests your physics knowledge. If you understand physics thoroughly,
you will have no trouble at all on the AP. But while you may be able to argue yourself a better grade in
your physics class even if your comprehension is poor, the AP graders are not so easily moved.
If you take my advice, if you really, truly ignore your grade and focus on physics, your grade will
come out in the wash – you’ll find that you got a very good grade after all, because you understood the
subject so well. But you won’t care, because you’re not worried about your grade!
II. Don’t bang your head against a brick wall.
My meaning here is figurative, not literal. Never spend more than 10 minutes or so staring at a
problem without getting somewhere. If you honestly have no idea what to do at some stage of a problem,
STOP. Put the problem away. Physics has a way of becoming clearer after you take a break.
And if you’ve put forth a real effort, you’ve come back to the problem many times, and you can’t
get it: relax. Ask the teacher for the solution, and allow yourself to be enlightened. You will not get a
perfect score on every problem. But you don’t care about your score, remember?
III. Work with other people.
When you put are struggling with a problem, it always helps to discuss that problem with others.
Form study groups; have a buddy in class with whom you are consistently comparing solutions.
Though you may be able to do all your work in every other class without help, there is no student I have
ever met who is capable of solving most physics problems completely on his or her own. It is not
shameful to ask for help. Nor is it dishonest to seek assistance – as long as you’re not copying, or
allowing a friend to carry you through the course, group study is permitted and encouraged in virtually
every physics class around the globe.
IV. Ask questions when appropriate.
I know that physics teachers have a reputation as mean or unapproachable; but in reality, we
very much want to help you understand our subject. Sometimes the teacher will not answer you directly,
but will give you a hint, something to think about so that you might guide yourself to your own answer.
Don’t interpret this as refusing to answer your question. You must learn to think for yourself, and your
teacher is helping you develop the analysis skills you need for success in physics.
V. Don’t Cram.
Yes, I know that you got an “A” on your history final because, after you slept through class all
semester, you studied for 15 straight hours the day before the test and learned everything. And yes, I
know you are willing to do the same thing this year for physics. I shall warn you, both from my and from
others’ experience: it won’t work. Physics is not about memorization and regurgitation. True, there are
some equations you need to memorize. But problem solving skills cannot be learned overnight.
Furthermore, physics is cumulative. The topics you discuss in December rely on the principles
you learned in September. If you don’t understand basic vector analysis and force diagrams (a.k.a. free
body diagrams), how can you understand the relationship between an electric field (which is a vector
quantity) and an electric force? Or the multitude of other vector quantities which you will eventually
study?
So, the answer is to keep up with the course. Spend some time on physics every night, even if
that time is only a couple minutes, even if you have no assignment due the next day. Spread your “cram
time” over the entire semester. The night before a major exam, I have always told my students not to
study after 5 or 6 P.M. If they have done all the homework, understood all the quizzes, and gone over
what they missed on minor tests, they will do fine on the big one.
VI. Never forget, physics is phun.
The purpose of all these problems, these equations, the exams, is to gain a knowledge of
physics, a deeper understanding of how the natural world works. Don’t be so caught up in the grind of
your coursework that you fail to say “Wow!” occasionally. Some of the things you’re learning are truly
amazing. Physics gives insight into some of humankind’s most critical discoveries, our most powerful
inventions, our most fundamental technologies. Enjoy yourself. You have an opportunity to emerge from
your physics course with wonderful and useful knowledge, and unparalleled intellectual insight. Do it.