Scholastic Year
2025/2026
American High School Diploma Program COGNIA for Schools (AdvancED)
AP PHYSICS 1
Lab Manual
Grade 11&12
Teacher: Mr. Eyad Na’amneh
Student Name:
Class:
1
Table of Contents
Introduction 3
How to Use This Lab Manual 4
laboratory Safety Rules 5
Science Lab Safety Contract 6
Lab 1: Graphing Motion 7
Lab 2: Projectile Motion 13
Lab 3: Newton’s Second Law 17
Lab 4: Forces 22
Lab 5: Circular Motion 26
Lab 6: Impulse and Momentum 31
Lab 7: Conservation of Momentum 37
Lab 8: Simple Harmonic Oscillation 43
Lab 9: Rotational Motion 47
Lab 10: Gases 50
Lab 11: Hooke's Law and Spring Energy 54
2
Introduction
Goals of the Laboratory Investigations
The labs in this manual shift from traditional, teacher-led content to a student-directed
approach focused on experimentation and inquiry. This method encourages students to
formulate questions, design and conduct experiments, analyze data, and present their
findings. It emphasizes understanding concepts and honing reasoning skills critical for
studying physics.
What Is Inquiry?
Inquiry-based instruction mirrors a scientist's work, where students engage in authentic
scientific investigations. Although not every lab can be entirely student-directed, these labs
are designed to foster inquiry-based learning. The four levels of inquiry are:
1. Confirmation: Students confirm a known principle.
2. Structured: Students follow a set procedure to
investigate a teacher's question.
3. Guided: Students design/select procedures to
explore a teacher's question.
4. Open: Students formulate their own questions and
procedures.
In inquiry-based labs, students explore and discover on their own, beginning with
observations and using various methods like experiments, simulations, and research. They
learn that scientific investigation is cyclic, raising new questions and leading to further
exploration. Inquiry-based learning requires critical thinking and understanding of
assumptions, promoting deeper connections between concepts and practices. Teachers
guide this process by asking probing questions and can adjust labs to match students' needs.
While inquiry-based labs may require more time and resources, they offer valuable
opportunities for students to practice real scientific methods, even if initial experiments don't
yield meaningful data. The focus is on the process of discovery, making the benefits of inquiry-
based labs worth the challenges.
3
How to Use This Lab Manual
The lab period is a time for students to compare and refine their procedures, conduct their
own experiments, and collect and analyze the data they obtain. This lab manual includes
teacher and student versions of 10 student-directed, inquiry-based investigations that
complement the curriculum framework for the revised course.
The labs are categorized under the four big ideas, but they can be conducted in any order.
Although a “lab first” approach provides an opportunity for students to grapple with
concepts on their own you can introduce difficult concepts through lecture and discussion
first, following with lab activities that range in difficulty and foster skills development. You are
encouraged to develop your own inquiry-based labs, but be sure that the labs extend beyond
confirmation, the first level of inquiry.
If we want to modify a standard teacher-directed lab protocol, eliminate the step-by-step
procedure, and instead ask students to develop their own procedure as a pre-lab activity.
4
5
Science Lab Safety Contract
This Science Course offers a variety of laboratory exercises on current concepts in science
often using state of the art scientific equipment and technology. Various teaching techniques
and materials will be employed to provoke student interest and enhance student
understanding. Numerous laboratory methods will be utilized in demonstrations and student
experiments. Safety instruction will be given, and safe practices will be stressed in all
laboratory work. Students will exercise critical thinking for solving problems and interpreting
laboratory results.
Student Safety Contract
I, __________________________________________________, a student at the Alhassad
International School, have thoroughly read the Laboratory Safety Rules and do hereby agree
to follow all safety rules and procedures given therein. I will conduct myself in a safe and
conscientious manner in the laboratory. I will not perform any unauthorized lab procedure. I
understand that misbehavior in the lab or failure to follow safe lab procedures could cause a
serious accident. I further understand that a violation of these rules could result in my not
being allowed to participate in future lab exercises.
Student Signature: ______________________________________
Date: _______________________________________________
Parent/ Guardian Contract
I, __________________________________________________, parent (or guardian) of
_________________________________________, have read the Laboratory Safety Rules and
Science Safety Contract. I understand the importance of safety in the science laboratory, and
I will encourage my son or daughter to abide by the laboratory safety rules and procedures. I
understand that laboratory exercises provide my child with the opportunity to use their
knowledge to solve problems while working with the best technology available to the school.
I give my permission for my child to participate in this program
6
Lab1: Graphing Motion
7
8
9
10
11
12
Lab 2 Projectile Motion
13
14
15
16
Lab 3 Newoton’s Second Law
17
18
19
20
21
Lab 4 Forces
22
23
24
25
Lab 5 Circular Motion
26
27
28
29
30
Lab 6 Impulse and Momentum
31
32
33
34
35
36
Lab 7 Conservation of Momentum
37
38
39
40
41
42
Lab 8 Simple Harmonic Motion
43
44
45
46
Lab 9 Rotational Motion
47
48
49
Lab 10 Gases
50
51
52
53
Lab 11: Hooke's Law and Spring Energy
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
