AP® Physics 1 Crash Course Book + Online

Amy Johnson

• Publisher: Research & Education Association
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9780738686806
• Topic: Study Aids
• Subtopic: Advanced Placement

REA's Crash Course for the AP® Physics 1 Exam Gets You a Higher Advanced Placement® Score in Less Time

About this new exam: The AP Physics 1 course focuses on the big ideas typically included in the first and second semesters of an algebra-based, introductory college-level physics course. REA's all-new AP Physics 1 Crash Course is perfect for the time-crunched student, the last-minute studier, or anyone who wants a refresher on the subject.

Are you crunched for time? Have you started studying for your Advanced Placement® Physics 1 exam yet? How will you memorize everything you need to know before the test? Do you wish there was a fast and easy way to study for the exam AND boost your score?

If this sounds like you, don't panic. REA's Crash Course for AP® Physics 1 is just what you need.

Our Crash Course gives you:

Targeted, Focused Review - Study Only What You Need to Know
The Crash Course is based on an in-depth analysis of the new AP® Physics 1 course description outline and actual AP® test questions. It covers only the information tested on the exam, so you can make the most of your valuable study time. Written by an AP® Physics teacher, the targeted review prepares students for the new test by focusing on the new framework concepts and learning objectives tested on the redesigned AP® Physics 1 exam.

Easy-to-read review chapters in outline format cover all the topics tested on the new exam: kinematics; dynamics; Newton's laws; circular motion and universal law of gravitation; work, energy, and conservation of energy; rotational motion; DC circuits; mechanical waves and sound; and more.

The book also features must-know terms all AP® Physics students should know before test day.

Expert Test-taking Strategies
With our Crash Course, you can study the subject faster, learn the crucial material, and boost your AP® score all in less time. Our author shares detailed question-level strategies and explains the best way to answer the multiple-choice and free-response questions you'll encounter on test day. By following our expert tips and advice, you can boost your overall point score!

FREE Practice Exam
After studying the material in the Crash Course, go to the online REA Study Center and test what you've learned. Our free practice exam features timed testing, detailed explanations of answers, and automatic scoring analysis. The exam is balanced to include every topic and type of question found on the actual AP® exam, so you know you're studying the smart way.

Whether you're cramming for the test at the last minute, looking for extra review, or want to study on your own in preparation for the exams - this is the study guide every AP® Physics 1 student must have.

When it's crucial crunch time and your Advanced Placement® exam is just around the corner, you need REA's Crash Course for AP® Physics 1!

PART I

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1

Keys for Success on the AP Physics 1 Exam

Congratulations on your decision to take AP Physics 1. Taking an AP course, especially an AP science course, is a challenging endeavor. AP courses represent college-level classes that you take in high school, so they are supposed to be challenging. But with your hard work, the help of your teacher, and this test prep, you will be guided toward success on this exam and in college.

The information presented in this book is meant to prepare you for the AP Physics 1 exam, based on information currently available from the College Board. The exam will test your critical-thinking skills, your ability to explain and reason both qualitatively and quantitatively, and your ability to show that you have an enduring understanding of physics that will support future coursework in science.

Let’s take a look at the exam!

1. The Structure of the Exam

The AP Physics 1 exam consists of both multiple-choice and free-response questions.

Section I—Multiple Choice—90 Minutes

• 45 multiple-choice questions with only one correct answer

• 5 multiple-choice questions with two correct answers (you must choose both correct answers to get credit for the question)

Section II—Free-Response Questions—90 Minutes

There are 5 free-response questions on this section of the exam. These include:

• 1 experimental design question

• 1 quantitative/qualitative translation

• 3 short-answer questions

Each of the two sections of the exam is worth 50 percent of your score. The multiple-choice section is scored electronically and you are not penalized for guessing.

2. The AP Physics 1 Outline

The AP Physics 1 Curriculum Framework published by the College Board does not specifically state the units or topics that will be taught in a typical AP Physics 1 course. The Framework is instead organized around seven “Big Ideas” that will reoccur as themes.

The College Board is no longer publishing a topical breakdown for the AP Physics 1 exam, nor is it providing percentages of the exam that relate to each topic. We do, however, know that the following seven topics will be on the AP Physics 1 exam:

Kinematics

Forces, Circular Motion and Gravity

Work and Energy

Impulse and Momentum

Rotation, Torque, and Angular Momentum

Mechanical Waves, Sound, and Simple Harmonic Motion

Electrostatics and Circuits

AP Physics 1 will require less calculation and more written explanation than its predecessor, the AP Physics B exam. In fact, it will require far more explanation than any other standardized physics exam. There will be fewer topics and less math, but it will require you to have a deeper conceptual understanding of the physics topics. AP Physics 1 is not about getting the right number, but about knowing (and being able to explain) what the numbers mean. You have to remember that in physics class, every number has a real meaning and represents real phenomena!

3. Types of questions on the exam

The AP Physics 1 exam contains several types of questions:

a. Descriptive problems

A descriptive problem is similar to what you’ve seen in your AP Physics 1 class and in your textbook. A descriptive problem sets up a situation and then asks you to conceptually discuss the situation.

Example:

A lightbulb is connected to a battery. A second identical lightbulb is connected in series with the first. Which of the following happens to the current and the resistance in the circuit?

(A) Both increase

(B) Both decrease

(C) The current increases since the resistance decreases.

(D) The current decreases since resistance increases.

b. Calculation problems

Calculation problems should be familiar to you from your class and textbook. These are straightforward calculations based on your knowledge of the situation and the equations.

Example:

A 5 kg box is pulled vertically at a constant speed of 5m/s. If the box is pulled for 3 seconds, the power developed during this time is

(A) 25 watts

(B) 75 watts

(C) 83 watts

(D) 250 watts

c. Ranking tasks

Ranking tasks present you with several pictures of similar objects or situations, and you are asked to rank them based on some unknown quantity.

Example:

Three softballs are thrown at different angles and at different speeds as shown below. Rank the balls on the basis of their acceleration at the top of their trajectory.

(A) 1 > 2 > 3

(B) 3 > 2 > 1

(C) 1 = 2 = 3

(D) Accelerations are all zero at the top of the trajectory.

d. Semi-quantitative reasoning

Semi-quantitative reasoning questions ask you to solve problems that involve some algebra using only symbols. In a semi-quantitative reasoning problem, you might be asked to figure out how much further a car would skid before coming to a stop if it were going twice as fast on the same road. You’ll have to do some algebra to figure out what the relationship is between the initial velocity of the car and the skid distance for the car, and then see how increasing the initial velocity by a factor of two changes the skid distance. If you struggle with this kind of question, keep practicing! (It is okay to plug in numbers to test if you get stuck!)

Example:

A box of mass m slides off the edge of a horizontal table at speed v and lands a distance d from the edge of the table. A second identical box leaves the table at 3v and lands at:

(A) d

(B)

(C) 3d

(D) 9d

e. Experimental design

Experimental design questions set up a situation where an experimental procedure is needed to find a result. The answer choices will provide different ways to set up the required experiment. You must choose the experimental procedure that will get you the desired result. The best way to practice this kind of question is to get your hands on equipment and do lots of lab experiments yourself. By doing so, you’ll have an intuitive idea as to what will work and what won’t work.

Example:

An object of mass m is attached to a string of length l and is pulled back so that it is a height h above the lowest point. It is desired to determine what the speed v at the lowest point will be if the object is instead released from 2h. Which of the following procedures would accomplish that determination?

(A) Position a motion detector so that it will catch the entir...