AP Physics C: Mechanics - Syllabus

Fall 2016 – Spring 2017

Instructor
Benjamin Riegel QQ – 1815487021
Room 101, Mochi Building Email – [email protected]

Meeting Times
Lecture/Discussion Tuesday 11:05-12:05
Wednesday 14:40-15:40
Thursday 11:05-12:05
Laboratory Investigation Monday 8:45-9:45 and 14:30-15:30

Textbook Walker, Jearl. Halliday & Resnick: Fundamentals of Physics, 9th ed.

Course Description
The AP Physics C: Mechanics course is meant to parallel a first-year college level calculus-
based physics class. Those students who complete the course should have a strong understanding
of physics, a solid skill set for performing and interpreting laboratory experiments, and a well-
developed approach to solving problems.

Teaching Strategies
Outside of the laboratory, time in class is used for lecture and discussion. Lectures generally
last about 30 minutes and present a concept with its accompanying definitions and limitations. The
remaining time in the period is consumed with demonstrations and the assigned problem set.
During all activities, students are guided but encouraged to question, hypothesize, and propose
ideas. Both lectures and demonstrations are designed or chosen to give students a wide array of
applications for a given concept as well as perspectives from which to view the problem.

Homework and Assignments

Problem sets are selected from the text or from a supplementary resource. For each unit,
assignments are composed of problems which give students an extensive – ideally comprehensive
– range of applications of the topic at hand. In general, homework is designed to develop in
students strong problem-solving tactics and strategies - that is, imbue students with the ability and
confidence necessary to approach both encountered and un-encountered types of problems.
Laboratory Requirement
Students spend 20% of all time in class engaged in laboratory investigations. Experiments
demonstrate proper procedures and how to use equipment - for the vast majority of laboratory
work, students are given an objective and materials. Their task is to design their own procedure
and collect their own data, determine the relationship(s) between variables, and derive
fundamental physics equations. Lab activities include experimental design, data collection, data
presentation, analysis, drawing conclusions, and experimental uncertainty. Students are required to
keep a laboratory journal.

Labs will be chosen from the following list:

1. Analysis of an Experiment. Introduction to graphing techniques to derive an equation relating to
experimental quantities (adapted from PSSC Physics Laboratory Guide).
2. Motion with Uniform Acceleration. Air track and interval timers (photogates or CBL) used to gather
data to produce a v versus t graph. Covers slope differential and area-integral concepts. Acceleration of
gravity (g) is found experimentally. Introduction to least squares fit.
3. Measuring the Acceleration of Gravity, g. Choice of three experimental methods for measuring g.
4. Newton’s Second Law. This demonstration experiment uses an air track, pulley, and decade timer
combination to derive the second law.
5. Atwood’s Machine. A simple mass-pulley, Atwood’s machine is used to measure the acceleration of
the system and compare it with the theoretical acceleration found using Newton’s laws. The apparatus is then
used to measure the mass of a penny.
6. The Coefficient of Kinetic Friction, μk. This demonstration experiment is used to determine the
coefficient of friction between an air track cart and masking tape.
7. The Conical Pendulum. Measurements are made with a toy airplane moving as a conical pendulum;
centripetal force is related to the period of rotation of the plane, the radius of its circular path, and the tension
in its support string.
8. Changes in Potential Energy. Energy exchanges in a spring-mass system. A relationship is
determined between the area of F versus x graph and potential energy integral (adapted from PSSC Physics
Laboratory Guide).
9. Explosions and Collisions. Photo slides of an “explosion” and collisions of discs on a low-friction
surface are used to investigate energy exchanges and conservation of momentum, position, and velocity of
the center of mass.
10. Energy, Momentum, and a Crossbow. Using a ballistic pendulum and toy crossbow, momentum and
energy conversions are investigated.
11. Jupiter Satellite Orbit. The mass of Jupiter is determined using the period and radius of the orbit of
its moon Io (Project Physics film loop #12, currently available as part of Physics: Cinema Classics video disc
from AAPT).
12. The Physical Pendulum. The experimental and calculated period of a physical pendulum are
compared.
 13. Course Schedule
Term 1 Unit 1: Introduction Week 1
Units and measurement
Scalars and vectors
The scientific method
Unit 2: Kinematics in 1D and in 2D Weeks 2-3
Motion in 1D and 2D
Projectiles
Circular motion
Unit 3: Mechanics and Newton’s Laws of Motion Weeks 4-5
Force and mass
Newton’s three laws
Free-body diagrams
Weight, normal, and friction forces
Unit 4: Work and Energy Weeks 6-7
Work by constant and position-varying force
Work-energy theorem
Energy conservation
Potential energy functions
Power
Term 2 Unit 5: Impulse, Momentum, and Collisions Weeks 8-9
Impulse-momentum relationship
Conservation of linear momentum
Elastic and inelastic collisions
Position and velocity of center of mass
Unit 6: Rotational Kinematics and Dynamics Weeks 10-12
Constant angular speed and acceleration
Linear/angular variable relationship
Rigid bodies
Moment of inertia and torque
Rotational variables and Newton’s second law
Conservation of angular momentum
Equilibrium – rotational and mechanical
Unit 7: Simple Harmonic Motion Weeks 13-14
Kinematics and dynamics
Simple pendulum
Spring-mass system
Physical pendulum
 Unit 8: Gravitation Weeks 15-16
Kepler’s laws
Newton’s law of gravitation
Energy and angular momentum
Review Weeks 17-18

Student Evaluation
Quizzes 20%
Laboratory Work 20%
Attendance 10%
Midterm Exam 20%
Final Exam 30%

Quizzes
Homework will be given weekly and subsequently scored through a quiz. Quizzes randomly
sample two questions from the prior homework assignment. No notes or books will be
allowed during quizzes.
Laboratory Work
Students will submit their lab journals the day after the conclusion of each activity. The
report for each laboratory investigation must include the following:
1. Statement of the problem
2. Hypothesis
3. Discussion, outline of procedure
4. Data collected
5. Data analysis
6. Conclusion including analysis of experimental uncertainty
7. Peer review (if included)
Reports should be well organized and must be kept by students for the entire year.
Attendance
To succeed in this class, attendance is required. Exams are based on skills acquired from in-
class lectures, discussions, examples, practice, laboratory work, and teamwork. Attendance
will account for 10% of the course grade. Only excused absences will avoid effecting this
mark. NOTE: Repeatedly breaking any of the codes of conduct in the “Classroom Policies”
will be counted as an absence.
Exams
An exam will be given in the middle and at the end of each term. All exams will mimic the
format of the AP Physics C: Mechanics exam: multiple choice questions and free response
questions. All exams will be cumulative tests of all topics preceding them.