2015-16
AP Physics C Syllabus
Mr. J. Clark
Course Format:
This course is designed around the AP Physics C Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism exams
and is equivalent to the first 2 semesters of calculus based university physics. As a college course, it is
very rigorous and will require students to do a substantial amount of work outside of the classroom.
Students should expect to spend 45 minutes to one hour per night doing independent work (reading,
problem solving, lab reports, etc.)
The Mechanics curriculum covers: kinematics, Newton's Laws, energy, momentum, rotational
kinematics and dynamics, angular momentum, gravitation, and oscillations. You will have seen many of
these concepts before but you will now be applying calculus to them and increasing overall problem
complexity.
The Electricity and Magnetism (E&M) portion is second semester and covers electrostatics,
electric circuits, conductors, capacitors, dielectrics, magnetic fields, and electromagnetism. This material
will be almost completely new and will utilize multivariable calculus extensively to model these concepts
in 3D space.
After school AP exam review sessions will begin third quarter on a day of the week to be
determined at that time. A few weeks before the exam, we will start to review for the AP exam in class.
The AP Physics exam will be given on Monday, May 9th in the afternoon. Students are expected to take
the AP exam as this is considered to be part of the AP course. Success on the AP exam is tied very
strongly to the amount of time students spend at after-school review sessions. Even strong students with
good grades all year in the course will jeopardize their chances of scoring well if they fail to attend the
review sessions.
Cooperative Learning Groups:
You will work in the lab and on some assignments in 2-4 person groups. Members of your group
will make oral presentations before the whole class in which you present your ideas and answer questions
from your classmates. The emphasis of the presentations is on the general understanding of the principles
involved and how you solved the problem (showing work) in addition to the correct answer. In addition
the groups’ knowledge/skill/teamwork will be assessed during lab practicums.
Study Skills:
You are expected to bring to class daily your three-ring binder with tab dividers and loose-leaf
paper. You will keep all of your course materials for a given unit (notes, worksheets, quizzes, etc.) in
your binder. Since the material in this course builds from one unit to the next, you are also required to
retain all of your work from previous units. This will allow you to review for final exams more
productively.
Calculators:
A graphing calculator is not required but is strongly encouraged. I strongly urge you to engrave
your name on your calculator to make it easier for me to return a lost calculator to you. A calculator is
allowed on both the multiple choice and free response portion.
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Homework:
The problems assigned as homework in this class are designed to help you really understand the
concepts developed in class. Some test & quiz questions will be similar to the problems you encounter in
the homework, warm-ups and on-line assignments. Writing clear solutions with explanations (rather than
just answers) will help you prepare for the tests and whiteboard presentations.
Each homework assignment will be checked at the beginning of the period on the day it is due.
This initial check will consist of a score from 0-4 points, broken down as shown below:
4 points: 100% of problems/parts have been attempted, with evidence of a quality attempt shown in detail.
3 points: 75-99% of problems/parts have been attempted, with evidence of a quality attempt shown.
2 points: 50-74% of problems/parts have been attempted, with evidence of a quality attempt shown.
1 points: 25-49% of problems/parts have been attempted, with evidence of a quality attempt shown.
0 points: 0-24% of problems/parts have been attempted.
In addition, students will be using an online (Internet based) homework service. The online
homework will be worth a significant part of the homework grade. Students are expected to regularly
access this online service to view their assignments and register their answers. HHS provides several
locations where students may access the Internet from school (e.g. library, teacher classrooms, etc.), and
each student should have at least one class period every two days where such access can be arranged.
Free Internet access is also available at many public libraries throughout the region. As students have at
least 22½ - 46½ hours from the end of one science class to the beginning of the next, no excuses will be
accepted for technical problems or lack of planning for Internet access. These assignments will
typically given a week or so in advance of the due date.
Tests & Quizzes:
Throughout a unit, quizzes will be given to check for your understanding. Quizzes/tests will be of
two types. Mr. Clark creates one type and the other is created from old AP questions. “AP type”
quizzes/tests will be graded on a scale of 1-5 just like the AP exam, using AP scoring guidelines. When
counted in your class grade I will use a formula that translates AP scores to equivalent course grades from
college classes. A “5” is an “A” in the equivalent college course. A “4” is an “A-, B+, B” range. A “3”
is equivalent to a “B-, C+, C”, etc. These types of quizzes/tests are intended to give you practice with the
AP format as well as test your understanding of the material. Tests are given at the end of major units and
are typically longer than quizzes. Test questions will be pulled from various sources including past AP
exams. The format will be similar to the AP test in that it will include both multiple choice and free
response types of problems. This is the same type of format as the actual AP exam.
Laboratory Work and Reports:
Laboratory experiments will be performed periodically to explore key concepts. Unlike your first
year physics course, you will be expected to largely design your own experiments. Equipment will be
provided and I will be there to assist if you get stuck. (Increasingly, the AP exam is including
experiment-based questions on the test.) For each experiment, you will be expected to write a report in a
format you will soon receive. Since you will be given class time to discuss your findings with your
group, you are expected to work together to insure that each member of the group is able to turn in a
quality product. However, this does not mean you can turn in identical reports. Students must turn in
THEIR OWN report, HAND-WRITTEN, in their lab notebook (ISBN 978-09785344-8-6, can be
purchased at the HHS bookstore for $15 or ordered online.). The consequences for plagiarism, as
outlined in the student handbook, will be used. A member who consistently lets his/her partners down
may be removed from the group until he/she demonstrates a willingness to do the work.
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Your % score will be computed based on a weighted average of your scores in
the following categories:
90-100% A
Tests & Quizzes
65%
80-89% B
Lab Reports
15%
70-79% C
Homework/notes
15%
60-69% D
Participation
5%
0-59% F
The scale at left will be used to assign letter grades (I follow normal rules for
rounding.)
Semester grades will be calculated based on a 80-20 formula. Grades accumulate throughout both
quarters and will be worth 80% and the final exam will make up the remaining 20% of the semester grade.
Grades
Extra Help/Make-up Work:
If you are having difficulty with anything in this course, please see me as soon as you feel that you
have a problem. We can schedule a time that is convenient for both of us. I will be available after school
on most days, and during conference period. If a student is absent during the week, it is expected that
they will make up these types of assignments on the Thursday/Friday of the SAME week. If the absence
occurs on a Thursday or Friday, the student will have until the next Friday to complete the assignment.
Failure to make up the assignment by the makeup day will result in a zero grade for the assignment.
AP Exam:
This class follows the AP Physics "C" curriculum as given by the College Board. The AP exam
has two parts, Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism. A separate score is given for each part, and a
separate test fee is charged for each part. This course is designed to prepare students for the Mechanics
and E&M exams. As a participant in this class and the AP program, you are expected to take the AP
exam. You do not need to have an A in this class to do well on the exam! Even if you do not score well,
many colleges look more favorably on a student who took the course AND the exam rather than on
someone who just took the course.
After school AP exam review sessions will begin third quarter on a day of the week to be
determined at that time. A few weeks before the exam, we will start to review for the AP exam in class.
The AP Physics exam will be given May. Students are expected to take the AP exam as this is considered
to be part of the AP course. Success on the AP exam is tied very strongly to the amount of time students
spend at after-school review sessions. Even strong students with good grades all year in the course will
jeopardize their chances of scoring well if they fail to attend the review sessions.
2015-16
Honor Code, Ethics, and Academic Integrity:
On each quiz or test all students must sign the honor pledge: “No aid given, received, or observed.” By signing,
students affirm that they have not cheated off of another student’s work, allowed another student to cheat off of their work, or
observed any of their fellow students cheating. Failure to sign the pledge will result in a conference with the student and
possible disciplinary action and/or loss of credit for the assignment. As an honor student, you are expected to possess a high
level of integrity and ethics, as outlined below (Thanks to Lovejoy High School for the original of this document.) This
information is not to supersede the content in the Hamilton H.S. Handbook, but rather serves as an explanatory enhancement.
Honesty – accurately representing facts and situations to each other
 Operate out of the highest academic and professional motives
 Submit only work that is your own
 Do not provide work to other students unless instructed to do so
 Understand what constitutes plagiarism and correct handling of documentation
Tolerance – the ability to listen to and consider ideas different from your own
 Be receptive to the opinions of other students, even when you disagree – disagreement with you does not necessarily
mean disrespect for you
 Be sensitive to diversity
 Support an atmosphere in the classroom in which individuals are comfortable stating ideas and opinions
 Be aware that what constitutes a mature topic, reading, and/or assignment is individually dependent and is designed
to challenge—not indoctrinate
Respect – a regard for the quality, dignity, and uniqueness of other people
 Distinguish constructive disagreement and academic debate with other students and teachers from personal attack
 Recognize and value the different talents, background, and beliefs of individual students and teachers
 Do not seek to monopolize discussions nor aggressively inculcate others to your perspective. Everyone has the right
to be heard as well as challenged respectfully.
Fairness – reaching a just decision
 Recognize that grades are earned, not given
 A successful AP student is consistently prepared and engaged, resilient to setbacks, resourceful and knows how to
learn on their own, with teacher instruction, from peers, and from outside sources, persistent, thrives in an academic
atmosphere, responsible and organized in their work habits, and believes they are responsible for their own learning.
Engagement – active participation in the classroom community, of which we are all a part
 Engage in the learning opportunities offered with active participation and preparation
 Make a sincere effort to see yourself as part of an academic community
 Avail yourself of opportunities to represent Hamilton High School to the broader community
Responsibility – holding yourself and others to a high standard
 Recognize that as a college equivalency course you are expected to be able to function on your own and thus be held
individually accountable
 Keep informed of assignments, due dates, procedures and policies—ignorance is not an excuse. This information is
posted, and regularly updated, on the Hamilton’s website.
 Consider it your duty to report instances of plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty – someone who is
cheating is not making the effort of you and everyone else, and hiding your knowledge is dishonest and makes you
complicit.
Please acknowledge that you understand what I
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