AP PHYSICS C: MECHANICS
SYLLABUS AND COURSE EXPECTATIONS
INSTRUCTOR: MR. MARCH-STEINMAN
2015-2016
Resources:
Textbook – Halliday, David, Robert Resnick, and Jearl Walker. Fundamentals of Physics. 10th ed.
New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2010.
Online homework system – WileyPlus by Wiley
Contact Information:
Email: wsteinman@gbwl.org
Extra Help: Monday, Room 65
Grades: birchwathenlenox.haikulearning.com
Course Structure and Expectations:
This course follows the AP Physics C: Mechanics curriculum provided by the College Board. It
consists of intensive study of Newtonian mechanics, and covers the following topics: forces,
kinematics, momentum, impulse, work, conservation laws, rotation, and gravitation. All students
must be at least co-enrolled in a calculus course. Both differential and integral calculus are used
throughout the course. Class meets for three 40-minute sessions per week and two 85-minute
sessions per week. At least one 85-minute session per week will be dedicated to laboratory work. The
midterm examination will feature a secure AP practice examination. Tests will be in the format of the
AP Physics: C examination, so you will have sufficient practice with the style and grading.
Your organization, effort, and interest are mandatory. As a member of this class, you must:
 Attend class on time and with adequate preparation.
 Show respect for yourself and all you encounter during your day.
 Adhere to the regulations and requirements set forth in the Upper School Student
Handbook.
 Make up missed assignments in a timely fashion, and make every effort to complete
assignments early when you are aware of an upcoming absence.
 Complete assignments in a timely manner.
 Invest yourself fully when working with a group.
 Take the AP examination.
We will be investigating the principles behind how everything functions. As a result, you will
struggle to gain knowledge that will be difficult and frustrating in pieces, but elegant and beautiful
when these fragments are united. You will be assigned homework every night. You will be
assigned group exercises often, and you will present your work frequently. You will perform at
least one experiment per week, and will be expected to complete high-quality laboratory reports for
many of them. You will be quizzed often, and tested at the end of each unit.
Materials:
Notebook, engineering paper, writing utensils, assignments.
Grading:
The grading scale is based on the Upper School handbook.
Homework: 15%
Homework will largely be assigned through WileyPlus. We will go over how to access this
service in class. You may also be assigned homework in other formats. Homework will be posted
to Haiku, and given in class. Homework is worth 10 points, and is due at the beginning of class.
Late homework will receive half credit.
Labs/Recitations: 25%
Laboratory reports and assignments will be given weekly. Each laboratory experiment will
require extensive analysis. Some will require full, formal reports. You will be provided guidelines
with each experiment. You are expected to keep a portfolio of these reports throughout the year.
Two main aspects of laboratory analysis will be equation derivation and graph linearization. All
calculations, derivations, and graphs must be completed manually on the engineering paper that
you will be provided with. Late laboratory work will receive half credit.
Recitations involve group exercises that will be completed outside of class and presented in
class upon submission. Recitation presentations will be assigned in random order, and will be
graded through peer and instructor review. Late recitation work will receive no credit.
Tests/Quizzes: 60%
Quizzes will be unannounced and will focus on concepts, readings, and labs. Tests will be given
at the end of each unit. All tests are cumulative. Tests will be formatted in the same manner as the
AP examination, and will be graded using AP free-response rubrics. You will be exposed to how
examinations are scored using anonymous free-response samples and official rubrics. You must
make up a test or quiz within one week to receive credit.
Academic Honesty:
I expect all work you complete to be entirely a result of your own effort. Any sources you use for
information must be cited clearly and consistently, through the use of both in-text citations and a
bibliography. Any deviation from this requirement will result in severe consequences, detailed
within the student handbook. Your calculations must be your own, as must your analysis. All
group members should put forth their best efforts when completing assignments together.
AP Examination:
All students enrolled in the course are expected to take the AP examination. The test will be
held on the afternoon of Monday, May 9th. We will have covered all content by the end of April,
and will use the final two weeks to review for the assessment. If students agree, Saturday review
sessions will also be available during this time.
STUDENT CONTRACT:
I, ___________________________, have read this expectation sheet and understand what is expected in this class. I will
adhere to the code of conduct, and will commit to taking the AP examination in May.
_____________________________________________
(Student's signature)
_____________________________________________
(Parent/Guardian's signature)
Date:______________
Date:_____________
Unit 01 (4 weeks)
Labs:
Static Equilibrium
Static and Kinetic Friction
Friction on an incline
Forces in Equilibrium and the Nature of Friction
Topics:
Vector addition, components, Newton’s 3 Laws,
compound systems, static and kinetic friction
Unit 02 (5 weeks)
Labs:
Instantaneous velocity
Kinematics in 1- and 2-Dimensions
Topics:
Position, velocity, and acceleration w/ calculus, graphs
of motion – slopes and areas; independence of 2-D
components; projectiles in freefall; circular motion –
both uniform & variable
Lunar Lander (PhET sim)
PASCO Projectile Launcher – 3 ring
challenge
Flying Pigs
Unit 03 (3 weeks)
Labs:
PASCO Launcher II: Launcher Spring
constant
Cart-Force probe collision impulse
Unit 04 (4 weeks)
Labs:
Mass of meter stick from system CoM
Interactions Smorgasbord – recoil, elastic,
partially elastic, completely inelastic
scenarios
Unit 05 (4 weeks)
Labs:
Smart pulley rotational acceleration
PVC Pipe armature rotational inertia
Rolling objects inertia
PASCO Launcher into PVC Armature
Unit 06 (4 weeks)
Labs:
My Solar System “G” (PhET sim)
Bouncing vertical oscillator energy
Exam Review (2 weeks)
Impulse & work Momentum & Kinetic energy
Topics:
Impulse/momentum th’m development and applications;
varying mass scenarios – rocket thrust; work/kinetic
energy th’m development and applications; def’n of
power (All above w/ calculus)
Conservation of Momentum and Energy
Topics:
Potential energy defined from conservative force
functions; center of mass of compound systems;
system momentum defined; recoil, inelastic, and
elastic interactions
Rotation
Topics:
Rotational kinematics, rotational kinetic energy and
inertia, rotational dynamics, rolling w/o slipping, net
torque and angular momentum, conservation of
angular momentum, rolling w/ slipping
Law of Universal Gravitation and Harmonic Motion
Topics:
LUG kinematics and dynamics of circular orbits;
LUG energetics and angular momentum of circular
and elliptical orbits; SHM kinematics and dynamics;
harmonic motion energetics and non-Hookean
oscillators (weak damping, torsional & physical
pendula)