• 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.


    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 the 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.

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