← Physics C: Mechanics syllabus

United StatesPhysics C: Mechanics

Unit 1: Kinematics

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How are velocity and acceleration defined as derivatives of position, and how do we recover motion by integration when the acceleration is known?

Topic 1.2 Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration: define velocity and acceleration as the time derivatives of position and velocity, integrate to recover velocity and position, and apply the constant-acceleration kinematic equations.
A focused answer to AP Physics C: Mechanics Topic 1.2, defining velocity and acceleration as derivatives of position and velocity, recovering motion by integration when acceleration is a function of time, distinguishing average from instantaneous quantities, and applying the constant-acceleration kinematic equations, with calculus-based worked examples.
11 min answer →

How do position, velocity and acceleration depend on the reference frame, and how do we transform motion between frames that move at constant velocity relative to one another?

Topic 1.4 Reference Frames and Relative Motion: define inertial reference frames, transform velocities between frames using vector addition, and recognize that acceleration is the same in all inertial frames.
A focused answer to AP Physics C: Mechanics Topic 1.4, covering inertial reference frames, the Galilean transformation of position and velocity between frames, relative-velocity vector addition in one and two dimensions, and why acceleration is frame-independent, with worked examples.
10 min answer →

How do position, velocity and acceleration graphs relate to one another through slopes and areas, and how do we read calculus information directly off a motion graph?

Topic 1.3 Representing Motion: relate position, velocity and acceleration graphs through slopes (derivatives) and areas (integrals), and translate between graphical, equation and verbal descriptions of motion.
A focused answer to AP Physics C: Mechanics Topic 1.3, covering how position, velocity and acceleration graphs are linked by slopes (derivatives) and areas (integrals), how to translate between graphs, equations and words, and how to read turning points and concavity, with calculus-based worked examples.
10 min answer →

How do we distinguish scalar from vector quantities, and how do we add, resolve and manipulate vectors in the calculus-based mechanics of AP Physics C?

Topic 1.1 Scalars and Vectors: describe scalar and vector quantities by magnitude and direction, resolve a vector into perpendicular components, and add vectors by components and graphically.
A focused answer to AP Physics C: Mechanics Topic 1.1, covering the distinction between scalars and vectors, resolving a vector into perpendicular components with sine and cosine, vector addition by components and the parallelogram rule, and unit-vector notation, with worked examples at the calculus-based depth the course expects.
10 min answer →

How do we treat motion in two dimensions as two independent one-dimensional problems, and how does calculus describe projectile motion and general planar motion?

Topic 1.5 Vectors and Motion in Two Dimensions: analyze two-dimensional motion by resolving into independent perpendicular components, apply this to projectile motion, and use vector calculus for general planar motion.
A focused answer to AP Physics C: Mechanics Topic 1.5, covering two-dimensional motion as independent perpendicular components, projectile motion with constant horizontal velocity and constant vertical acceleration, the vector position-velocity-acceleration relationships in a plane, and parabolic trajectories, with calculus-based worked examples.
11 min answer →