Re-Articulation Committee Hamza Balci, Kent State University, Kent, OH Suzanne Brahmia, University of Washington, Seattle, WA Eric Burkholder, Stanford University, Stanford, CA Robert Davis, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT Kathy Harper, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH Mark Hossler, Landmark Christian School, Fairburn, GA Stefan Jeglinski, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC Kathy Koenig, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH Kristine Lang, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO Joe Mancino, Glastonbury High School, Glastonbury, CT Ricardo Markland, Miami Coral Park Senior High School, Miami, FL Dee Dee Messer, William Mason High School, Mason, OH Holley Mosley, Liberty High School, Frisco, TX Matt Sckalor, Great Neck South High School, Great Neck, NY Peter Sheldon, Randolph College, Lynchburg, VA Gay Stewart, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV Shelly Strand, West Fargo High School, West Fargo, ND Oather Strawderman, Lawrence Free State High School, Lawrence, KS Brian Utter, University of California Merced, Merced, CA Matt Vonk, University of Wisconsin, River Falls, WI 2 Course Units AP Physics: Mechanics AP Physics: Electricity & Magnetism Unit 1: Kinematics Unit 8: Electric Charges, Fields, and Unit 2: Force and Translational Dynamics Gauss’s Law Unit 3: Work, Energy, and Power Unit 9: Electric Potential Unit 4: Linear Momentum Unit 10: Conductors and Capacitors Unit 5: Torque and Rotational Dynamics Unit 11: Electric Circuits Unit 6: Energy and Momentum of Rotating Unit 12: Magnetic Fields and Systems Electromagnetism Unit 7: Oscillations Unit 13: Electromagnetic Induction Curriculum Framework Overview This curriculum framework provides a clear and detailed description of the course requirements necessary for student success. The framework specifies what students must know, be able to do, and understand to qualify for college credit or placement. The curriculum framework includes two essential components: • AP Physics Science Practices (p. 4) The science practices are central to the study and practice of physics.
Students should develop and apply the described practices on a regular basis over the span of the course. • Course Content (Physics C: Mechanics begins on p. 7 & and Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism begins on p. 40) The course content is organized into commonly taught units of study that provide a suggested sequence for the course and detail required content and conceptual understandings that colleges and universities typically expect students to master to qualify for college credit and/or placement.
3 AP Physics Science Practices Science Practice 1: Science Practice 2: Science Practice 3: Creating Representations Mathematical Routines Scientific Questioning & Argumentation Create representations that depict Conduct analyses to derive, calculate, Describe experimental procedures and physical phenomena. estimate, or predict physical methods, interpret their results, and phenomena. scientifically support claims.A Create diagrams, tables, 2.A Derive a symbolic expression 3.A Create experimental charts, or schematics to from known quantities by procedures that are represent physical situations. selecting and following a appropriate for a given logical mathematical scientific question.B Create quantitative graphs 2.B Calculate or estimate an 3.B Identify and describe with appropriate scales and unknown quantity with units possible sources of units, including plotting data.
from known quantities, by experimental uncertainty. selecting and following a logical computational pathway.C Create qualitative sketches of 2.C Apply an appropriate law, graphs that represent physical quantities between definition, theoretical features of a model or the two or more scenarios or at relationship, or model to behavior of a physical system. different times and/or make a claim. locations within a single scenario.D Quantitatively predict new 3.D Support a claim using values or factor of change of evidence from experimental physical quantities when data, physical variables are changed using representations, or physical the functional dependence principles or laws.
4 Big Ideas The AP Physics course framework is intended to provide a clear and detailed description of the course requirements necessary for student success. The framework specifies what students must know, be able to do, and understand, and encourages instruction that allows students to make connections through a broader way of thinking about the physical world. All four AP Physics courses are structured around four “big ideas” of physics which encompass core scientific principles, theories, and processes of the discipline. (See the Appendix for a table of how the Big Ideas and Enduring Understandings spiral through the topics.) The big ideas provide a focusing conceptual lens, with which we can understand the physical world around us.
They help to connect and organize facts, skills and experiences into more than just a list of information to be memorized. Enduring Understandings are the long term takeaways related to the big ideas that leave a lasting impression on students. Students build and earn these understandings over time by exploring and applying course content throughout the year. Big ideas have great transfer value and can be applied to many other inquiries and issues, both horizontally across subjects and vertically through the years in later courses.
Big ideas in physics encompass more than just ideas. For example, Newton’s laws of motion are three of the biggest ideas ever presented. Suddenly, thousands of seemingly unrelated facts and phenomena – objects falling, ocean tides, the moon’s orbit – had not only a meaningful explanation but can be seen as part of a huge and coherent system with endless predictive and connective power. 5 Big Ideas Enduring Understandings Systems have physical characteristics represented by physical quantities, some of SYS-1 which depend on the reference frame of the observer.
A physical system is a portion of the SYS-2 Systems may have physical characteristics that are independent of each other. Systems physical universe chosen for analysis. The properties of a system are dependent on the motion of, and interactions between, the objects that comprise SYS-3 the system. SYS-4 The selection of a system influences the analysis and description of that system's properties and behavior.
INT-1 The interaction between any two objects within a system, or between any two systems can be described with forces. Objects and system interactions can INT-2 The behavior of a system depends on the system's interactions with other systems or the environment. Interactions be described using concepts such as force and energy. INT-3 A system has energy that may be converted from one form to another.
INT-4 Light interacts with systems as both particles and waves. (Physics 2 Only) The difference between the initial and final states of a system is determined by the interaction that caused the CHA-1 observed changes. Changes in the properties of a system Change can be used to predict future states CHA-2 Representations can be used to describe physical quantities and changes related to those quantities. of the system.
CHA-3 Changes in a system are the result of interactions. CON-1 Certain physical quantities are conserved. Changes that occur because Conservation of interactions are constrained by CON-2 Systems must follow all conservation laws simultaneously. CON-3 Matter has fundamental properties that are conserved.
(Physics 2 and Physics E&M Only) 6 START OF AP Physics C: Mechanics Notes: ● A significant proportion of LOs/EKs are taken directly from Algebra-Based AP Physics 1 and 2, where applicable. ● The organization of Unit 1: Kinematics differs from Physics 1 due to the additional expectations of vectors and multi-dimensional motion analysis in AP Physics C: Mechanics. ● The unit-topic organization of AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism differs from AP Physics 2, as content is more substantial. However, the foundational concepts and content are the same.
7 UNIT 1: Kinematics Topic # & Name Learning Objectives Essential Knowledge 1.1 Scalars are quantities described by magnitude only; vectors are quantities described by both a magnitude and or scalar quantity using direction.2 Vectors can be visually modeled as arrows with appropriate direction and a length proportional to their direction, as magnitude appropriate.3 Distance and speed are examples of scalar quantities, while position, velocity, and acceleration are examples of vector quantities.4 Vectors can be written in unit-vector notation or as a magnitude and direction.i Unit vector notation can be used to represent vectors as the sum of their constituent components in the x-, y-, and z-directions denoted by i , j , and k , respectively.ii The position vector of a point is given by 𝑟⃗ and the unit vector in the direction of the position vector is denoted 𝑟.iii A resultant vector is the vector sum of the vector addends’ components.5 In a given one-dimensional coordinate system, opposite directions are denoted by opposite signs.1 An object is modeled as a particle with no internal configuration, cannot change shape, and may be treated as a Instantaneous Motion in an object’s position. single point with extensive properties such as mass and charge.2 A change in an object’s position is displacement.1 Average quantities are calculated only considering the initial and final values of that quantity. average velocity and 1.2 Average velocity is the average rate of change of position with time. acceleration of an x object.3 Average acceleration is the average rate of change of velocity with time.4 An object is accelerating if either the magnitude or direction of the object’s velocity is changing.
8 Topic # & Name Learning Objectives Essential Knowledge 1.1 As the change in time used to calculate the average value of a quantity approaches zero, the average value of Instantaneous Motion Describe the that quantity approaches the value of the quantity at that instant, called the instantaneous value.i Instantaneous velocity is the derivative with respect to time of position. displacement, velocity, Relevant equations: and acceleration of an object as a function of dr time. v= dt dx vx = dt 1.ii Instantaneous acceleration is the derivative with respect to time of velocity. Relevant equations: dv a= dt dvx ax = dt 1.1 Motion can be represented by motion diagrams, figures, graphs, equations, and narrative descriptions.
Motion position, velocity, and 1.2 For constant acceleration, three kinematic equations can be used to describe instantaneous linear motion in one- acceleration of an dimension: object using vx = vx 0 + a x t representations of that motion. 1 x = x0 + vx 0t + a xt 2 2 2 2 vx = vx 0 + 2ax ( x − x0 ) Note: The equations above are written to indicated motion in the x-direction, but these equations can be used in any single dimension as appropriate.3 Near the surface of Earth, the vertical acceleration caused by the force of gravity is downward, constant, and has a measured value approximately equal to ag = g 10 m 2 s 1.4 Graphs of position, velocity, and acceleration vs. time can be used to find the relationships between those quantities.i An object’s instantaneous velocity is the slope of a line tangent to a position vs. Relevant equation: 9 Topic # & Name Learning Objectives Essential Knowledge 1.3: Representing dx Motion (cont.ii An object’s instantaneous acceleration is the slope of a line tangent to a velocity vs.
Relevant equation: dvx ax = dt 1.iii The displacement of an object during a time interval is equal to the area under a velocity vs. time graph that corresponds to the motion of the object. Relevant equation: x = vx (t ) dt 1.iv The change in velocity of an object during a time interval is equal to the area under an acceleration vs. time graph that corresponds to the motion of the object.
Relevant equation: vx = ax (t ) dt 1.1 A choice of reference frame determines the direction and the magnitude of quantities measured by an observer & Relative Motion reference frame of a in that reference frame.1 Measurements within a given reference frame may be converted to measurements within another reference motion of objects as frame. seen by observers in 1.2 The observed velocity of an object results from the combination of the object’s velocity and the velocity of the different inertial observer’s reference frame.i Combining the motion of an object and the motion of an observer from a given reference frame involves the addition or subtraction of vectors.ii The acceleration of any object is the same as measured from all inertial reference frames.