Physics

AP Physics 1 is an algebra-based, introductory college-level physics course. Students cultivate their understanding of Physics through inquiry-based investigations as they explore topics such as Newtonian mechanics (including rotational motion); work, energy, and power; mechanical waves and sound; and introductory, simple circuits.

Students explore principles of Newtonian mechanics (including rotational motion); work, energy, and power; mechanical waves and sound; and introductory, simple circuits. The course is based on six Big Ideas, which encompass core scientific principles, theories, and processes that cut across traditional boundaries and provide a broad way of thinking about the physical world. The following are Big Ideas:

  • Objects and systems have properties such as mass and charge. Systems may have internal structure.

  • Fields existing in space can be used to explain interactions.

  • The interactions of an object with other objects can be described by forces.

  • Interactions between systems can result in changes in those systems.

  • Changes that occur as a result of interactions are constrained by conservation laws.

  • Waves can transfer energy and momentum from one location to another without the permanent transfer of mass and serve as a mathematical model for the description of other phenomena.