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AP® Physics 1

Basic & On Demand

Enrollment for Basic and On Demand courses is open on a rolling basis.

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Plus

Teachers can use the complete Plus course curriculum for flexible instruction.

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Course Summary

Explore motion, gravity, mechanics, and electricity in this introductory physics course. Through interactive media, labs, inquiry projects, and assignments, students investigate classical mechanics. Study physics fundamentals through problem-solving and quantitative reasoning, and explore Newton’s Laws, conservation, harmonic and relational motion, and other topics. 

This course prepares students for the AP® Physics 1 exam.

Curriculum

This is a 2-semester course. We do not recommend taking both semesters simultaneously.

Unit 1: Kinematics
  • Motion in One Dimension
  • Motion in Two Dimensions
Unit 2: Dynamics, Newton's Laws
  • Newton's 1st, 2nd and 3rd Laws
  • Applications of Newton's Laws
Unit 3: Work, Energy, and Conservation of Energy
  • Work and Work Energy Theorem
  • Conservative Forces and Potential Energy
  • Conservation of Energy and Power
Unit 4: Center of Mass Impulse and Momentum
  • Center of Mass, Impulse, and Momentum
  • Conservation of Linear Momentum, Collisions
Unit 5: UCM and Gravitation
  • Uniform Circular Motion
  • Universal Gravitation
  • Orbits of Planets and Satellites
Unit 6: Simple Harmonic Motion
  • Simple Harmonic Motion
  • Mass on a Spring
  • Pendulums and Other Oscillators
Unit 7: Rotational Motion
  • Torque
  • Rotational Statics
  • Rotational Kinematics
  • Rotational Dynamics
  • Rotational Inertia
  • Rotational Energy
Unit 8: Fluid Statics and Dynamics
  • Hydrostatic Pressure
  • Buoyancy
  • Fluid Flow Continuity
  • Bernoulli's Equation