Course Description

Advanced Placement ® (AP) Physics 1A is the first semester in a two-semester series utilizing algebra-based math to explore college-level physics. Through inquiry-based investigations, students will demonstrate foundational physical properties and the application of scientific processes such as data analysis, argumentation, modeling, scientific questioning, experimentation, making connections, and mathematical routines. In AP Physics 1A, students will explore topics of kinematics, dynamics, circular motion and gravitation, energy, and momentum.  

About AP® Courses

Advanced Placement (AP®) courses are equivalent to college-level courses. We highly recommend that you review the College Board’s Advanced Placement ® (AP) Physics 1 Course Information page before beginning this course. Students are required to take the UTHS final exam for each semester course to earn high school credit. Students wanting to earn college credit may take the AP® exam offered by the College Board after completing the semester B course; however, it is not required to receive credit for the course from UT High School. 

Semester Topics

• Unit 1: Kinematics
  
• Unit 2: Dynamics
  
• Unit 3: Circular Motion and Gravitation
  
• Unit 4: Energy
  
• Unit 5: Momentum

Course Objectives

Upon completing this course, you will be able to—

• analyze systems qualitatively and quantitatively, interaction between systems, and how interactions result in change; 
• make predictions in unfamiliar, applied contexts; 
• express the motion of objects through mathematical and graphical representations from different frames of reference; 
• observe, measure, and justify claims with evidence through exploring relationships between quantities of acceleration, velocity, position, and time;  
• portray object-force interactions through graphs, diagrams, and mathematical relationships; 
• create complete and complex models of motion as they relate to gravitational and inertial masses; 
• analyze physical situations regarding force and energy; 
• illustrate and analyze the law of conservation of momentum of objects and systems; 
• compare and connect understandings of linear and rotational motion, dynamics, energy, and momentum to infer meaning of these concepts as a whole. 

Required Course Materials

Please visit the Computer Requirements page to view minimum device, internet, and application requirements for all UT High School courses. Generally, a desktop or laptop device five (5) years or newer with access to an office suite, such as Microsoft Office or Google Workspace, will be adequate to participate in most UTHS courses.

Unless otherwise noted, students are responsible for purchasing or securing all the following course materials:

• Textbook: College Physics for the AP® Physics 1 Course (2nd ed.) by G. Stewart, R.A. Freedman, T. Ruskell, and P.R. Kesten 
  • Publisher: Bedford, Freeman, & Worth
  • ISBN#: 9781319100971
• Interactive Notebook: A paper or digital composition book is acceptable. For paper composition books, please also have the following items on hand: 
  • Pens or Pencils
  • Tape or Glue
• Scientific or Graphing Calculator: A TI-84 is recommended for all UTHS math courses. Please review the UTHS Graphing Calculator Policy before purchasing a device.
• Please read through course materials list to find a list of lab supplies required for this course.

Course Organization

Students must complete the course in sequence: You will not be able to access the next unit until all work in the preceding unit is completed. You may take your final exam only after completing all units and submitting all graded assignments.  

• Units: Each unit includes multiple lessons and graded assignments as well as ungraded practice quizzes to help you check your understanding of the material.
  
  
• Summative Assessments: Each course includes two online, virtually proctored summative assessments testing your understanding of the material presented in the preceding 2-3 Units.
  • Format: Online, Multiple-choice
  • Time Allowed: 1 hr 30 min
    
    
• Final Exam: Each course includes an online, virtually proctored final exam testing your knowledge of all material presented in the course.
  • Format: Online, Multiple-choice
  • Time Allowed: 3 hrs 20 min

Course Grade Weighting

Your final course grade is calculated by weighting the three assignment groups displayed in the table below:

Online Proctored Exams

All course exams, including both summative assessments and the final exam, must be completed online. Students must test online with Proctorio and are required to add the Proctorio extension to either their Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome browser—installation instructions are provided in the student's course. Proctorio uses a student's computer, web camera, and microphone to record video of both the student and their desktop during the exam. Then, UTHS instructors review the student's exam video data collected by Proctorio. Only authorized UTHS staff and instructors can view the exam recordings. Student data is not shared with any persons or organizations outside of UTHS and are deleted after one year. We encourage you to visit Proctorio's Data Security and Privacy site pages to learn more about how we protect student date.