AP® 1: AlgebrA-bAsed And AP® Physics 2: AlgebrA-bAsed Course and Exam Description Including the Curriculum Framework Effective Fall 2014 Revised Edition AP® Physics 1: AlgebrA-bAsed And AP® Physics 2: AlgebrA-bAsed Course and Exam Description Including the Curriculum Framework Effective Fall 2014 Revised Edition The College Board New York, NY About the College Board The College Board is a mission-driven, not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of over 6,000 of the world’s leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education. Each year, the College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success — including the SAT® and the Advanced Placement Program®. The organization also serves the education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators, and schools. For further information, visit www.collegeboard.org. AP® Equity and Access Policy The College Board strongly encourages educators to make equitable access a guiding principle for their AP programs by giving all willing and academically prepared students the opportunity to participate in AP. We encourage the elimination of barriers that restrict access to AP for students from ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally underserved. Schools should make every effort to ensure their AP classes reflect the diversity of their student population. The College Board also believes that all students should have access to academically challenging course work before they enroll in AP classes, which can prepare them for AP success. It is only through a commitment to equitable preparation and access that true equity and excellence can be achieved. AP Course and Exam Descriptions AP course and exam descriptions are updated regularly. Please visit AP Central® (apcentral.collegeboard.org) to determine whether a more recent course and exam description PDF is available. © 2015 The College Board. College Board, Advanced Placement Program, AP, AP Central, and the acorn logo are registered trademarks of the College Board. All other products and services may be trademarks of their respective owners. Visit the College Board on the Web: http://www.collegeboard.org. ii © 2015 The College Board. Contents About This Edition v Acknowledgments vi About AP® 1 Offering AP Courses and Enrolling Students 1 How AP Courses and Exams Are Developed 2 Course Audit 3 How AP Exams Are Scored 3 Using and Interpreting AP Scores 4 Additional Resources 4 About the AP Physics 1 and 2 Courses 5 The Courses 5 The Laboratory Requirement 6 Recommended Prerequisites 6 Curriculum Framework Overview 6 Participating in the AP Course Audit 9 AP Physics 1 Curricular Requirements 9 Resource Requirements 10 AP Physics 2 Curricular Requirements 10 Resource Requirements 11 AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based and AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based Curriculum Framework 13 Introduction 13 The Emphasis on Science Practices 14 Overview of the Concept Outline 14 The Concept Outline 17 Big Idea 1: Objects and systems have properties such as mass and charge. Systems may have internal structure 17 Big Idea 2: Fields existing in space can be used to explain interactions 29 Big Idea 3: The interactions of an object with other objects can be described by forces 41 Big Idea 4: Interactions between systems can result in changes in those systems 60 Big Idea 5: Changes that occur as a result of interactions are constrained by conservation laws 73 Big Idea 6: 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 93 iii © 2015 The College Board. Big Idea 7: The mathematics of probability can be used to describe the behavior of complex systems and to interpret the behavior of quantum mechanical systems 109 Science Practices for AP Physics 1 and 2 117 References 123 Appendix A: AP Physics 1 Concepts at a Glance 125 Appendix B: AP Physics 2 Concepts at a Glance 132 Appendix C: Developing Big Ideas from Foundational Physics Principles 142 The Laboratory Investigations 143 Inquiry Instruction in the AP Science Classroom 143 Expectations for Analysis of Uncertainty in Laboratory Investigations 145 Time and Resources 145 References 146 Exam Information 147 Student Work for Free-Response Sections 148 Terms Defined 149 The Paragraph-Length Response 150 Expectations for the Analysis of Uncertainty 151 Calculators and Equation Tables 152 Time Management 153 Sample Questions for the AP Physics 1 Exam 155 Multiple-Choice Questions 155 Answers to Multiple-Choice Questions 176 Free Response Questions 177 Scoring Guidelines 182 Sample Questions for the AP Physics 2 Exam 189 Multiple-Choice Questions 189 Answers to Multiple-Choice Questions 210 Free Response Questions 211 Scoring Guidelines 218 Appendix: AP Physics 1 and 2 Equations and Constants 225 Contacts 233 iv © 2015 The College Board. About This Edition This revised edition of the AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based and AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based Course and Exam Description includes information about expectations regarding the analysis of uncertainty in laboratory investigations and on the AP Physics 1 and 2 exams. It also describes what is meant by a paragraph-length response required in the free-response section of the exams. The additional information appears in the sections on Laboratory Investigations and Exam Information. In addition, the tables of equations and constants set out in the Appendix have been updated with minor corrections. Return to the Table of Contents v © 2015 The College Board. Acknowledgments The College Board would like to acknowledge the following committee members, consultants, and reviewers for their assistance with and commitment to the development of this curriculum: Members of the AP Physics 1 and 2 Curriculum Development and Assessment Committee • Andrew Elby (co-chair), University of Maryland, College Park, MD • Connie Wells (co-chair), Pembroke Hill School, Kansas City, MO • Eugenia Etkina, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ • Dolores Gende, Parish Episcopal School, Dallas, TX • Nick Giordano, Auburn University, Auburn, AL • Robert Morse, St. Albans School, Washington, DC • Deborah Roudebush, Oakton High School, Vienna, VA • Gay Stewart, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR Members of the AP Physics Redesign Commission • Larry Cain (co-chair), Davidson College, Davidson, NC • Gay Stewart (co-chair), University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR • Robert Beck Clark, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT • Gardner Friedlander, University School of Milwaukee, River Hills, WI • Elsa Garmire, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH • Ken Heller, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN • Cherie Lehman, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL • Ramon Lopez, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX • Michael McIntosh, Whitney Young Magnet School, Chicago, IL • Deborah Roudebush, Oakton High School, Vienna, VA • Connie Wells, Pembroke Hill School, Kansas City, MO • Dean Zollman, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS Consultants and Reviewers for the College Board • Carlos Ayala, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA • Richard Duschl, Pennsylvania State University State College, PA • Bob Hilborn, University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX • Jose Mestre, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL • Jim Pellegrino, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL • Jeanne Pemberton, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ • Mark Reckase, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI • Nancy Songer, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI • Marianne Wiser, Clark University, Worcester, MA AP Curriculum and Content Development Directors for AP Physics • Karen Lionberger • Tanya Sharpe Return to the Table of Contents vi © 2015 The College Board. About AP® About AP® The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) enables students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. Through more than 30 courses, each culminating in a rigorous exam, AP provides willing and academically prepared students with the opportunity to earn college credit and/or advanced placement. Taking AP courses also demonstrates to college admission officers that students have sought out the most rigorous course work available to them. Each AP course is modeled upon a comparable college course, and college and university faculty play a vital role in ensuring that AP courses align with college-level standards. Talented and dedicated AP teachers help AP students in classrooms around the world develop and apply the content knowledge and skills they will need later in college. Each AP course concludes with a college-level assessment developed and scored by college and university faculty as well as experienced AP teachers. AP Exams are an essential part of the AP experience, enabling students to demonstrate their mastery of college-level course work. Most four-year colleges and universities in the United States and universities in more than 60 countries recognize AP in the admission process and grant students credit, placement, or both on the basis of successful AP Exam scores. Visit www.collegeboard. org/apcreditpolicy to view AP credit and placement policies at more than 1,000 colleges and universities. Performing well on an AP Exam means more than just the successful completion of a course; it is a gateway to success in college. Research consistently shows that students who receive a score of 3 or higher on AP Exams typically experience greater academic success in college and have higher graduation rates than their non-AP peers.1 Additional AP studies are available at www.collegeboard.org/research. Offering AP courses and enrolling students This AP Course and Exam Description details the essential information required to understand the objectives and expectations of an AP course. The AP Program unequivocally supports the principle that each school implements its own curriculum that will enable students to develop the content knowledge and skills described here. 1See the following research studies for more details: Linda Hargrove, Donn Godin, and Barbara Dodd, College Outcomes Comparisons by AP and Non-AP High School Experiences (New York: The College Board, 2008). Chrys Dougherty, Lynn Mellor, and Shuling Jian, The Relationship Between Advanced Placement and College Graduation (Austin, Texas: National Center for Educational Accountability, 2006). Return to the Table of Contents 1 © 2015 The College Board. AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2 Course and Exam Description Enrolling prepared and motivated students in an AP program requires a concerted effort on the part of administrators, counselors, and teachers. Key to the process is communicating the unique benefits of AP and inspiring students to take AP courses and exams, benefits that include opportunities to: • Earn credit or placement for qualifying AP Exam grades • Stand out in the admissions process • Earn academic scholarships and awards from colleges and universities • Experience a college-level exam • Be prepared for college-level course work The College Board strongly encourages educators to make equitable access a guiding principle for their AP programs by giving all willing and academically prepared students the opportunity to participate in AP. We encourage the elimination of barriers that restrict access to AP for students from ethnic, racial and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally underserved. Schools should make every effort to ensure their AP classes reflect the diversity of their student population. The College Board also believes that all students should have access to academically challenging course work before they enroll in AP classes, which can prepare them for AP success. It is only through a commitment to equitable preparation and access that true equity and excellence can be achieved. how AP courses and exams Are developed AP courses and exams are designed by committees of college faculty and expert AP teachers who ensure that each AP subject reflects and assesses college- level expectations. To find a list of each subject’s current AP Development Committee members, please visit press.collegeboard.org/ap/committees. AP Development Committees define the scope and expectations of the course, articulating through a curriculum framework what students should know and be able to do upon completion of the AP course. Their work is informed by data collected from a range of colleges and universities to ensure that AP coursework reflects current scholarship and advances in the discipline. The AP Development Committees are also responsible for drawing clear and well-articulated connections between the AP course and AP Exam — work that includes designing and approving exam specifications and exam questions. The AP Exam development process is a multiyear endeavor; all AP Exams undergo extensive review, revision, piloting, and analysis to ensure that questions are high quality and fair and that there is an appropriate spread of difficulty across the questions. Return to the Table of Contents 2 © 2015 The College Board. About AP® Throughout AP course and exam development, the College Board gathers feedback from various stakeholders in both secondary schools and higher education institutions. This feedback is carefully considered to ensure that AP courses and exams are able to provide students with a college-level learning experience and the opportunity to demonstrate their qualifications for advanced placement upon college entrance. course Audit Schools wishing to offer AP courses must participate in the AP Course Audit, a process through which AP teachers’ syllabi are reviewed by college faculty. The AP Course Audit was created at the request of College Board members who sought a means for the College Board to provide teachers and administrators with clear guidelines on curricular and resource requirements for AP courses and to help colleges and universities validate courses marked “AP” on students’ transcripts. This process ensures that AP teachers’ syllabi meet or exceed the curricular and resource expectations that college and secondary school faculty have established for college-level courses. For more information on the AP Course Audit, visit www.collegeboard.com/apcourseaudit. how AP exams Are scored The exam scoring process, like the course and exam development process, relies on the expertise of both AP teachers and college faculty. While multiple- choice questions are scored by machine, the free-response questions are scored by thousands of college faculty and expert AP teachers at the annual AP Reading. AP Exam Readers are thoroughly trained, and their work is monitored throughout the reading for fairness and consistency. In each subject, a highly respected college faculty member fills the role of Chief Reader, who, with the help of AP Readers in leadership positions, maintains the accuracy of the scoring standards. Scores on the free-response questions are weighted and combined with the results of the computer-scored multiple-choice questions, and this raw score is converted into a composite AP score of 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1. The score-setting process is both precise and labor intensive, involving numerous psychometric analyses of the results of a specific AP Exam in a specific year and of the particular group of students who took that exam. Additionally, to ensure alignment with college-level standards, part of the score- setting process involves comparing the performance of AP students with the performance of students enrolled in comparable courses in colleges throughout the United States. In general, the AP composite score points are set so that the lowest raw score needed to earn an AP score of 5 is equivalent to the average score among college students earning grades of A in the college course. Similarly, AP Exam scores of 4 are equivalent to college grades of A−, B+, and B. AP Exam scores of 3 are equivalent to college grades of B−, C+, and C. Return to the Table of Contents 3 © 2015 The College Board.