Pages created and maintained by:

Dolores Gende

Questions, comments and suggestions:

                     AP PHYSICS B CONTENT OUTLINE

I. Newtonian Mechanics (35%)10 WEEKS

A.   Kinematics (7%) (including vectors, vector algebra and components,

     coordinate systems, displacement, velocity, and acceleration)

1. Motion in one dimension

2. Motion in two dimensions, projectile motion

B.   Newton’s laws of motion (9%)

1. Static equilibrium (First law)  

2. Dynamics of a single particle  (Second law)

3. Systems of two or more bodies (Third law)

C. Work, energy, power (5%)

1. Work and work-energy theorem

2. Conservative forces and potential energy

3. Conservation of energy

4. Power

D. Systems of particles, linear momentum (4%)

1. Center of mass

2. Impulse and momentum

3. Conservation of linear momentum, collisions

E. Circular motion and rotation (4%)

1. Uniform circular motion

2. Torque and rotational statics

F. Oscillations and gravitation (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. Orbits of planets and satellites

a. Circular

II. Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Physics (15%) 4 WEEKS

A.  Fluid Mechanics (6%)

1. Hydrostatic pressure 

2. Buoyancy 

3. Fluid flow continuity

4. Bernoulli’s equation

B. Temperature and heat (2%)

1. Mechanical equivalent of heat 

2. Heat Transfer and thermal expansion

C.  Kinetic theory and thermodynamics (7%)

1. Ideal gases

a.  Kinetic model 

b.  Ideal gas law 

2. Laws of thermodynamics

a.  First law (including processes  on pV diagrams)

b. Second law (including heat  engines)

III. Electricity and Magnetism (25%)8 WEEKS

A. Electrostatics (5%)

1. Charge, field, and potential   

2. Coulomb’s law and field and potential of point charges

3. Fields and potentials of other charge distributions

B. Conductors and capacitors (4%)

1. Electrostatics with conductors   

2. Capacitors

a. Parallel plate

C. Electric circuits (7%)

1. Current, resistance, power

2. Steady-state direct current circuits

3. Capacitors in circuits

D. Magnetic Fields (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. Electromagnetism (5%)

1. Electromagnetic induction (including Faraday's law

  and Lenz's law)

IV. Waves and Optics (15%)4 WEEKS

A. Wave motion (including sound) (5%)

1. Properties of traveling waves 

2. Properties of standing waves 

3. Doppler effect

4. Superposition

B. Physical optics (5%)

1. Interference and diffraction 

2. Dispersion of light and the electromagnetic spectrum

C. Geometric optics (5%)

1. Reflection and refraction 

2. Mirrors 

3. Lenses

PART V. Atomic and Nuclear Physics (10%)2 WEEKS

A. Atomic physics and quantum effects (7%)

1. Photons, the photoelectric effect, Compton scattering, x-rays

2. Atomic energy levels

3. Wave-particle duality

B. Nuclear physics (3%)

1. Nuclear reactions

2. Mass-energy equivalence

PREPARING FOR THE EXAM2 WEEKS

Exam Preparation Strategies: Multiple-Choice and Free-Response

AP Physics Reviews: Links to chapter reviews with solved examples

Physics Concepts: Compilation of over 100 physics concepts

The Planning Guide that I use for teaching AP Physics B starts the last week of August. It takes about  28 weeks to cover the required topics leaving 2 full weeks to conduct a review.

The Content Outline given below corresponds to the official

College Board Course Description.

A more detailed topic outline is found on page 17 of the pdf under the heading: "Learning Objectives for AP Physics"

The links for each individual topic contain a wide variety of  Teaching Resources such as demos, labs, homework, notes, key ideas etc.