AP© PHYSIS B
Syllabus

AP Physics B is the algebra-trig based course in general Physics. It is equivalent to that of a year-long university level introductory Physics course for non-majors. The course includes a laboratory component. Since this course presents the challenge of a rigorous academic curriculum as set forth by the College Board, students are encouraged to form study groups to work on out of class assignments.

Peer-Instruction, peer review (both based on Mazur’s book (1997), and inquiry labs are utilized throughout the year to create an atmosphere in which the student develops critical thinking skills as the result of directed inquiry and student centered learning.

Classes meet 90-min/day everyday beginning the last week in August and ending the last week in May. The course is designed to cover the AP curriculum requirements so there is time for two weeks of review before the AP Exam.

Textbook: Giancoli, D. (2002). Physics: Principles with Applications, 5th revised edition Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-061143-3

Supplementary Resource: Belloni, M and Christian, W (2004). Physlet® Physics: Interactive Illustrations, Explorations, and Problems for Introductory Physics, Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-101969-4

Grading policy:

Major – 60 percent
Tests are administered after each chapter. Each test is formatted to the AP Exam style and consists of the following two sections:
1. Multiple-choice questions
2. Free-response problems

Labs, Quizzes, and Homework – 40 percent

Labs: Throughout the year, the hands-on labs evolve from problem based to guided inquiry. Each student is required to keep a portfolio of lab reports which is reviewed at the end of each grading period.

Most labs consist of two parts, each contributing 50% to the final lab grade:
1. A formal report which is required to be kept in the student’s lab portfolio.
2. A formal assessment over the lab. When appropriate, the assessment may be modeled after a lab-based question as asked on the AP Exam.

Note: A lab practicum may be given in lieu of the individual assessment when deemed appropriate.

Quizzes: Quizzes are given periodically on an impromptu basis and are used as a learning tool. Quizzes may include O’Kuma’s Ranking (1999) and/or Physlet problems.

Homework: Homework is assigned from the textbook, from old AP exams, and from the University of Texas Homework Service. The student may also be assigned Just-in-Time Teaching questions ( Nowark, M.G., et al, 1999) which are due before the class period.

Course Outline

The course consists of 5 units. The time scheduled for each of the units is determined by the percentage of time listed in the AP Physics Course Description for their respective importance on the AP Exam. This schedule allows for a review the 2-weeks prior to the AP Exam.

I. Newtonian Mechanics (10 weeks)

A. Kinematics ............................................................................................. 7%
1. Motion in one dimension – Chapter 2
2. Motion in two dimensions
a) Projectile motion – Chapter 3
b) Uniform circular motion – Chapter 5
c) Torque and Rotational statics – Chapter 8
d) Angular momentum and its conservation – Chapter 9
B. Newton’s Laws of Motion – Chapters 4 and 9 ....................................... 9%
1. Static equilibrium – 1st law
2. Dynamics of single particle – 2nd law
3. Systems of two or more bodies – 3rd law

C. Work, energy, and power – Chapter 6................................................... 5%
1. Work and the work-energy theorem
2. Conservative forces and potential energy
3. Conservation of energy
4. Power
D. Systems of particles, linear momentum – Chapter 7…........................... 4%
1. Impulse and momentum.
2. Conservation of linear momentum, collisions
E. Oscillations and gravitation – Chapter 5 and 11 ...................................... 6%
1. Simple harmonic motion (dynamics and energy relationships)
2. Mass on a spring
3. Pendulum and other oscillations
4. Newton’s law of gravity
5. Kepler’s laws (circular orbits of planets)

II. Fluid and Thermal Physics (4 weeks)

A. Fluid mechanics – Chapter 10 …............................................................. 6%
1. Hydrostatic pressure
2. Buoyancy
3. Fluid flow continuity
4. Bernoulli’s equation
B. Temperature and heat – Chapter 11 …................................................... 2%
1. Mechanical equivalent of heat
2. Heat transfer and expansion
C. Kinetic theory and thermodynamics ….................................................... 7%
1. Ideal gases – Chapter 13
a) Kinetic model
b) Ideal gas law
2. Laws of thermodynamics – Chapter 15
a) First law (pV diagrams)
b) Second law (entropy and heat engines)

III. Electricity and Magnetism (6 weeks)

A. Electrostatics – Chapter 16 …..................................................................5%
1. Charge, field, and potential
2. Coulomb’s law, point charge field and potential
B. Conductors and capacitors – Chapter 14 …............................................ 4%
1. Electrostatics with conductors
2. Capacitors – Parallel plates
C. Electric circuits ........................................................................................ 7%
1. Current, resistance, and power – Chapter 18
2. Direct current circuits – Chapter 19

D. Magnetostatics – Chapter 20 …............................................................... 4%
1. Forces on moving charges in magnetic fields
2. Forces on current carrying wires in magnetic fields
3. Fields of long current carrying wires
E. Electromagnetic induction and waves – Chapters 21 and 22 ….............. 5%

IV. Waves and Optics (4 weeks)

A. Wave motion (sound and physical optics) .............................................11%
1. Properties of traveling and standing waves – Chapter 11
2. Doppler Effect – Chapter 12
3. Superposition
4. Interference and diffraction – Chapter 24
5. Dispersion of light and the electromagnetic spectrum–Chapters 22, 24
B. Geometric optics – Chapter 23 …........................................................... 5%
1. Reflection and refraction
2. Mirrors
3. Lenses

VI. Modern and Nuclear Physics (2 weeks)

A. Atomic physics and quantum effects – Chapters 27–28 …..................... 7%
1. Photons and the photoelectric effect
2. Atomic energy levels
3. Wave-particle duality
B. Nuclear physics – Chapters 30-31 …...................................................... 3%
1. Nuclear reactions (including conservation of mass # and charge)
2. Mass-energy equivalence

Laboratory:

Labs are interwoven into the curriculum throughout the year. Most Investigations are “hands-on” and inquiry based with a minimum of guidance. The students are often given a very general question which they refine into a researchable one, design the experiment, collect and analyze data, state their conclusions based on data and its trends, and suggest the direction of further investigation. Students use verbal, graphical, and symbolic models in their analysis of the data. As is often the case in a real-world situation, students must use equipment that is available or can be made from available resources. Equipment available to the student includes TI83+ calculators, Vernier LabPro™ with Texas Instruments CBL 2™, TI Graphical Analysis Program, and Cambridge Physics lab equipment.

Fifteen 90-min lab sessions are required during the year. However, the total number and timing of individual labs is determined by student needs and interest. Most of the labs can be done within a 90 minute class period. With few exceptions, the times listed below focus solely on designing the lab, recording data, and conducting preliminary data analysis. Lab write-up takes place outside class time.