Course Description
AP Physics C: Mechanics
Course Description
This course is equivalent to a first-year college physics class and is designed to prepare students for the AP® Physics C: Mechanics Exam given in May. This course follows the syllabus for that examination, and students passing the exam may receive college credit. The course requires and employs a basic understanding of calculus (differentiation and integration), and also requires a prior course, Physics or AP Physics 1. The prerequisite calculus course may be taken concurrently. The emphasis is on understanding of the concepts and skills and using the concepts and formula to solve problems. Laboratory work is an integral part of this course and will comprise a minimum of 20 percent of the course.
Texts
Physics for Scientists and Engineers by Serway and Jewett
and
Barron’s AP® Physics C
or
The Princeton Review’s Cracking the AP Physics C Exam
Course Requirements:
Students are expected to be active participants in their learning. Classroom materials including a pencil/pen, notebook(s), paper, a calculator, a metric ruler, a protractor, and your conversion sheet.
Meeting Times:
This class meets during 1st period on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in room 515U.
Classroom Policies:
Be prepared to learn: This means bringing your required materials and being prepared and willing to be an active learner for the entire period. In addition, you should be respectful, cooperative and have a positive attitude.
Electronic Equipment Policy: Electronic equipment (such as cell phones, tablets, laptops, and iPods) should only be used in class with my permission. Students who violate this policy will face consequences that may include confiscation of the device. If a student would like to take notes on an electronic device, that generally will be just fine, but the student should request permission from me first. Note: An iPad with Notability is an excellent way to take notes.
Attendance: Be here and be on time. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to discuss with me any missing work. Homework typically will be posted on Canvas or UT Quest, so you can also check there for a summary—and should look there first. Come see me before or after school to get any absent work you need to pick up (do not ask me for it during class). Barring extenuating circumstances, you will have two days to complete the work for every one day you were absent (excused).
Late assignments: The importance of staying up-to-date and meeting deadlines cannot be overestimated. In many cases the success in a class, such as physics, is highly correlated with keeping on schedule. As a result, you will be allowed to turn in ANY assignment up to two school days after the due date for a maximum of 70% of the grade earned.
Safety: Procedures must be followed as directed. Failure to follow these rules may result in removal from class and a zero for the day. No food or drink is allowed to be consumed in the classroom.
CHECK INFINITE CAMPUS AND CANVAS OFTEN!
Respect others: It is of utmost importance that you treat your fellow students and your teacher with respect.
INTEGRITY FIRST! Help each other, but copying from other people is not learning, and it’s not ethical. Acknowledge others that have helped you by including their name(s) under yours. All unoriginal work will result in a zero on the assignment, points off your work habits grade, and a call home. Allowing someone else to copy your work is unethical as well. Cheating is not tolerated—INTEGRITY FIRST!
RESPECT!
Teaching Strategies
Students will have access to books, the Internet, lab equipment, computer simulations, etc. The teacher will act as a facilitator assisting and guiding students, at all times encouraging carefully articulated responses based on principles of physics. Practice problem sets, labs, and assessments will be assigned and evaluated by the instructor.
On a regular basis, students will also work in small groups on whiteboard problems. Each group will be given a problem and will be expected to work out and present their solution to the class. Throughout the course, examples of “real life” applications of interest to students will be used to challenge them to apply what they have learned; these examples will be used in the weekly questions, in the whiteboard problems, in demos, etc.
Mechanics Labs
Description
There is a two-hour lab every other week. The lab report will be graded on the student’s participation in the actual experiment and the written report. Students must save all the graded lab reports, as they may be required to present the lab reports as a proof of having done these labs when seeking credit for this course in college.
At least 12 of the following lab experiments will be performed.
Areas, volumes, and densities of given solids and liquids – error analysis
Prediction and reproduction of kinematics graphs with motion detector
Determination of acceleration due to gravity
Falling coffee filters
Projectile Motion – Relationship between and Range
Projectile challenge – Shoot the given target suspended from ceiling
Hooke’s Law: Springs in series and parallel
Elastic force in rubber bands – Nonlinear springs
Atwood’s machine
Relationships between Fc and r for uniform circular motion
Rotational dynamics – Relationships among rotational variables
Conservation of mechanical energy spring-mass system
Conservation of linear momentum – The three kinds of collisions
Center of mass of flat discs of various shapes
Simple pendulum and spring-mass system
Physical pendulum – Relationship between T and d
Torsional Pendulum
Each lab will require:
The formation of a hypothesis or hypotheses, based on pre-lab discussion of the presented problem or focus of each experiment
Design of experiments, also based pre-lab discussion, to test the hypothesis or hypotheses
Collection of data and observations
Calculations using the collected data
Conclusions about how well the hypothesis or hypotheses held up based on the experiment
Class discussion of variance and error analysis
Written report
Outline of Course
Introduction and Kinematics
Units and Measurements
Scalars and Vectors
Kinematics
Motion in 1-D
Motion in 2-D
Projectiles
Uniform Circular Motion
Relative Motion
Newton’s Laws of Motion and Classical Mechanics
Force and Mass
Tension and Normal Reaction
Uniform Circular Motion
Friction
Drag Force
Linear Momentum
Impulse and Linear Momentum
Law of Conservation of Linear Momentum
Two-Body Collisions in 1-D and 2-D
Systems of Particles
Rotational Kinematics
Constant Angular Speed
Constant Angular Acceleration
Relationships between Linear and Angular Variables
Rotational Dynamics
Rigid Bodies
Moment of Inertia and Torque
Rotational Variables and Newton’s Second Law
Angular Momentum
Conservation of Angular Momentum
Rotational Equilibrium
Mechanical Equilibrium
Rolling Motion
Work, Energy, and Power
Work
Energy
Conservation of Energy
Work done by Conservative and Non-conservative Forces
Work Due by Variable Forces
Kinetic and Potential Energies
Conservation of Mechanical Energy
Translational Motion
Rotational Motion
Rolling Motion
Power
Gravitation
Newton’s Law of Gravitation
Gravitational Potential Energy
Motion of Planets and Satellites
Kepler’s Laws
Critical and Escape Velocities
Oscillations
Simple Harmonic Oscillations
Kinematics
Dynamics
Simple Pendulum
Spring Mass System
Physical Pendulum
AP Physics C: Mechanics Course Description – full version or short version