AP Physics C Syllabus

Mechanics

Scoring Components Page(s)

SC1 The course covers Newtonian mechanics in depth and provides instruction in 5
kinematics.
SC2 The course covers Newtonian mechanics in depth and provides instruction in 5
Newton’s laws of motion.
SC3 The course covers Newtonian mechanics in depth and provides instruction in 5
work.
SC4 The course covers Newtonian mechanics in depth and provides instruction in 5
energy.
SC5 The course covers Newtonian mechanics in depth and provides instruction in 5
power.
SC6 The course covers Newtonian mechanics in depth and provides instruction in 5
systems of particles.
SC7 The course covers Newtonian mechanics in depth and provides instruction in 5
linear momentum.
SC8 The course covers Newtonian mechanics in depth and provides instruction in 6
circular motion.
SC9 The course covers Newtonian mechanics in depth and provides instruction in 6
rotation.
SC10 The course covers Newtonian mechanics in depth and provides instruction in 6
oscillations.
SC11 The course covers Newtonian mechanics in depth and provides instruction in 6
gravitation.
SC12 Introductory differential and integral calculus are used throughout the course. 1, 2
SC13 The course utilizes guided inquiry and student-centered learning to foster the 2, 3, 4
development of critical thinking skills.
SC14 Students spend a minimum of 20% of instructional time engaged in laboratory 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
work.
SC15 A hands-on laboratory component is required. 2
SC16 Each student should complete a lab notebook or portfolio of lab reports. 2, 4

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Overview of AP Physics C

Any student who has completed a year of physics and one term of calculus or will be concurrently
enrolled in calculus may registered for an AP Physics C: Mechanics course.
AP Physics C is a national calculus-based [SC12] physics course, the syllabus of which is designed
by the College Board. The course is equivalent to an introductory physics course for the university
students. The emphasis is given on the understanding of concepts and skills and using the
formulae to solve problems. Laboratory problems is an integral part of this course.

Textbooks

The main textbook for AP Physics C course is the following:

R.A. Serway, J.W. Jewett, Physics for scientists and engineers, 8th ed. Brooks/Cole Cengage
Learning, 2010.
For further reading we use the textbooks:
H.D. Young and R.A. Freedman, University physics with modern physics, 12th ed. Pearson
Education Limited 2008.
D. Halliday, R. Resnick, K.S. Krane, Physics, 5th ed. 2 vols. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.,
1991.
Both books fit the style of the main textbook and exhibit even more interesting exercises and
problems.

Schedule

During the fall semester, classes meet four times a week for 65 min periods. Laboratory
experiments are interspersed throughout the course where they are appropriate for the subjects
under studying. On average, I spend one period per week performing an experiment [SC14].
Quizes as well as tests come once every two to three weeks covering more than one topic.

Course design, objectives and teaching strategies

Whiteboard problem solving

The theoretical background of each topic is presented on the whiteboard. When solving problems
in class, rather than having each student solve it in his or her own notebook, I give each pair of
students a whiteboard and a dry erase marker. Because they have only one marker, they must
communicate effectively with each other to work through the problem. I can see their work clearly
and offer suggestions when appropriate. When they are done, one pair of students presents their
solution. I emphasize clarity of the written work and the oral presentation. Attention to clarity is
critical in developing good problem.

Organization around experiments

The aim of the AP Physics C courses is to provide an excellent first-year, college-level calculus-
based physics education [SC12]. The course is organized in physics topics accompanied by the

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appropriate experiments. Students learn to look at a physical situation and see how it involves
principles of dynamics, kinematics, energy etc. Although this is not the best way to introduce a
new powerful concept, such as energy conservation, the students are already familiar with the
basic tools of physics. I don’t want to simplify the experiments to highlight a particular concept to
make it clear. Instead, I want my students to deepen their understanding and be able to pick out
familiar concepts from more complicated (and realistic) situations. [SC13]. I use experiments to
introduce new topics, such as air resistance and rotation. After seeing new phenomena in the lab,
there is motivation for the students to explore them in class through demonstrations and theory.
Each experiment incorporates several aspects of physics, so students don’t see them as isolated
examples of particular concepts. The course has a hands-on laboratory component covering an
array of experiments [SC15].

Final grade

The final grade is determined from the combination of the following scores:

Homework 10%
Labs/Oral 20%
Quizes 30%
Tests 40%

Labs and Syllabus

Students perform the experiments in groups of two students each, but each student must write
his or her own report [SC14 & SC15 & SC16]. The experience gained by manipulating equipment
[SC15], organizing data and drawing conclusions through data and error analysis should be a vital
part of any physics course. Much of the newer technology-based lab equipment does not fit my
style because once it is setup, the data is taken and necessary calculations performed, graphs
are produced at the push of a button without much thought by the students. To me, a valuable
learning opportunity is lost when students are not required to work with the data and organize it
into a form in which a conclusion can be drawn. At this point, they are allowed to use a Microsoft
Excel equivalent software for their graphs. The least square error analysis involved in these
models is a key to students’ understanding and success throughout the course. Students are
required to keep all lab data, calculations, etc., in a lab notebook [SC16].

Mechanics Outline

Mechanics is covered during the fall semester, with each subject covered in the same order as in
Serway. Problem-solving techniques are introduced through a combination of lectures and
question-and-answer sessions. Calculus is used appropriately throughout [SC12].

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Teaching strategies

Lecture and Question-and-Answer Sessions

In each lesson, class time is taken up with lecture and question-and-answer sessions. A lecture
consumes 20 to 25 minutes during which a concept presented in the reading is reviewed,
stressing important definitions and limitations. The remainder of the period usually involves
showing relevant demonstrations and then introducing an assigned problem or set of problems
related to the demonstration. The students are then guided in a discussion (whole class or small
group) to develop solutions to the problem(s). During all of these activities, I encourage
discussion, questions, hypotheses, and proposals to flow among the students and between the
students and me [SC13].

Problem Assignments

At the beginning of each unit, I give students a list of “what you should know and be able to do”
by the end of the unit, a day-to-day schedule with assignments, the experiments scheduled, and
when a quiz on the material can be expected. Providing this informs the students about the work
required to master the objectives of the unit. The assigned problems are either from the textbook
or from a supplementary problem handout. Problems are chosen to give students experience with
a wide range of applications of the subject covered in the unit. When the textbook does not have
a problem covering a particular application, I use one from another text or write one. These make
up the supplementary problem list. When working problems or in question-and-answer sessions,
I always stress starting from a general principle and moving toward a specific application. Instead
of spending class time on working a problem all the way through to the answer, we work on
building a general-to-specific routine in solving problems. This is an important skill to develop for
success in future course work in the long term and for success on the AP Exam in the short term,
since most problems students encounter will not be of the specific type they have worked before.

Lab experiments

1. Analysis of an Experiment. Introduction to graphing techniques to derive an equation relating

to experimental quantities. Least square method.

2. Motion with Uniform Acceleration. Air track and interval timers used to gather data to
produce a ν versus t graph. Covers slope differential and area-integral concepts. Acceleration of
gravity (g) is found experimentally. Introduction to least squares fit.

3. Measuring the Acceleration of Gravity. Choice of two experimental methods for measuring
g.

4. Newton’s Second Law. This demonstration experiment uses an air track, pulley, and decade
timer combination to derive the second law.

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5. Uniform circular motion: Relationships between centripetal force Fc and radius r.
6. Hooke’s law. Measurement of the spring’s constant.
7. The Coefficient of Kinetic Friction, μk. This demonstration experiment is used to determine
the coefficient of friction between an air track cart and masking tape.
8. Simple machines: Fulcrum balance.
9. Mass inertia using different masses.
10. Rotational Motion. The students explore the relationship between linear and angular velocity.
11. Moment of inertia. The moment of inertia is demonstrated by rolling a series of cylinders
down an inclined plane.

12. Mechanical advantage. The use of more than one pulley.

13. Simple harmonic oscillation – Pendulum.
14. Atwood’s Machine. A simple mass-pulley, Atwood’s machine is used to measure the
acceleration of the system and compare it with the theoretical acceleration found using Newton’s
laws. The apparatus is then used to measure the mass of a penny.

Each lab require:

• A hypotheses based on in-class discussion of the problem or experiment [SC13].
• Design of an experiment or multiple experiments to test the hypothesis or hypotheses
[SC13].
• Data taken and observations or measurements.
• Calculations using the collecting data.
• Conclusions about how well the hypothesis held up based on the experiment.
• Discussion in the class and error analysis.
• A written report [SC16].

The detailed list of units/topics covered in the course is depicted in the following table.

Unit Topics Chapters Number Number

in Serway of days of days
in lab
1 SI Units, Dimensional Analysis and vectors 1, 2 5
Introduction to lab,
Analysis of an experiment. Least square method 2
(lab) [SC14]
2 Rectilinear Motion 3 5
Kinematics with constant acceleration

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 Kinematics with time-varying acceleration [SC1]
Motion with uniform acceleration (lab) [SC14] 1
3 Planar motion 7
General motion where x and y vary in time
Kinematics of projectiles
Kinematics of circular motion [SC1]
Measuring the Acceleration of Gravity (lab) [SC14] 1
4 Introduction to Newton’s Laws [SC2] 5 5
Newton’s three laws
Free-body diagrams
Introduction to weight, normal and friction forces
Newton’s second law (lab) [SC14] 1
5 Applications of Newton’s Laws [SC2] 5, 6 8
Pulley system
Uniform circular motion
Nonuniform circular motion
Nonconstant friction force
Uniform circular motion (lab) [SC14] 1
6 Vector multiplication 7, 11 3
7 Work, Energy and Power [SC3, SC4 & SC5] 7 4
Work by constant force
Work by position-varying force
Work-energy theorem
Power
Hooke’s law (lab) [SC14] 1
8 Conservation of Energy 8 8
Energy conservation
Work by non-conservative forces
Potential energy functions
Potential energy vs. position graphs
The coefficient kinetic friction (lab) [SC14] 1
Simple machines (lab) [SC14] 1
9 Impulse, Momentum and Collisions [SC6, SC7] 10, 11 7

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 Impulse-momentum relationship
Conservation of linear momentum
Elastic and inelastic collisions
Position and velocity of center of mass
Mass inertia (lab) [SC14] 1
10 Rotational kinematics 10, 11 4
Kinematics with time-varying angular acceleration
Kinematics with constant angular acceleration
Introduction to torque and angular momentum
Rotational motion (lab) [SC14] 1
11 Rotational Dynamics [SC8 & SC9] 10, 11 7
Moment of inertia
Newton’s laws for rotation
Conservation of energy with rotation
Conservation of angular momentum
Moment of inertia (lab) [SC14] 1
12 Translational and Rotational Equilibrium [SC8 12 4
& SC9]
13 Gravitation 14 6
Kepler’s laws
Newton’s law of gravitation
Energy and angular momentum
Mechanical advantage [SC14] 2
14 Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM) [SC10 & SC11] 13 6
Kinetics of SHM
Dynamics of SHM
Simple harmonic oscillation (lab) [SC14] 1
Adwood’s machine [SC14] 1
Total class time 79
Total laboratory class time 16
Laboratory class time / total class time = 20%