SYLLABUS DEVELOPMENT GUIDE

AP Physics C:
®

Mechanics

The guide contains the following information:

Curricular Requirements
The curricular requirements are the core elements of the course. A syllabus must
provide explicit evidence of each requirement based on the required evidence
statement(s). The Unit Guides and the “Instructional Approaches” section of the
AP ® Physics C: Mechanics Course and Exam Description (CED) may be useful in
providing evidence for satisfying these curricular requirements.

Required Evidence
These statements describe the type of evidence and level of detail required in the
syllabus to demonstrate how the curricular requirement is met in the course.

Note: Curricular requirements may have more than one required evidence statement.
Each statement must be addressed to fulfill the requirement.

Samples of Evidence
For each curricular requirement, two to three separate samples of evidence are
provided. These samples provide either verbatim evidence or clear descriptions
of what acceptable evidence could look like in a syllabus. In some samples, the
specific language that addresses the required evidence is highlighted in bold text.
Curricular Requirements
CR1 Students and teachers have access to college-level resources, including a See page:
college-level textbook and reference materials in print or electronic format. 3

CR2 The course provides opportunities to develop student understanding of the See page:
required content outlined in each of the units described in the AP Physics C: 4
Mechanics Course and Exam Description.

CR3 The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills related to See page:
Science Practice 1: Creating Representations. 6

CR4 The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills related to See page:
Science Practice 2: Mathematical Routines. 7

CR5 The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills related to See page:
Science Practice 3: Scientific Questioning & Argumentation. 8

CR6 Students spend a minimum of 25% of instructional time engaged in hands-on See page:
laboratory investigations. 9

CR7 Students engage in hands-on laboratory investigations representative of See page:

the topics outlined in the AP Physics C: Mechanics Course and Exam 10
Description.

CR8 The course provides opportunities for students to record evidence of their See page:
scientific investigations in a portfolio of lab reports or a lab notebook 13
(print or digital format).

Syllabus Development Guide: AP Physics C: Mechanics © 2024 College Board 2

Curricular Requirement 1
Students and teachers have access to college-level resources
including a college-level textbook and reference materials in print or
electronic format.

Required Evidence
¨ The teacher must provide the title, author, and publication date of a calculus-based,
college-level textbook on their course audit form.

Samples of Evidence
1. The teacher selects an approved college-level textbook on their course audit form.

2. The teacher provides the title, author, and publication date of a calculus-based,
college-level textbook on their course audit form.

Syllabus Development Guide: AP Physics C: Mechanics © 2024 College Board 3

Curricular Requirement 2
The course provides opportunities to develop student understanding
of the required content outlined in each of the units described in the
AP Physics C: Mechanics Course and Exam Description.

Required Evidence
¨ The syllabus must include an outline of course content by unit title to demonstrate the
inclusion of the required course content listed in the current AP Physics C: Mechanics
Course and Exam Description.
Note: If the syllabus demonstrates a different sequence than the units outlined in the
current AP Physics C: Mechanics Course and Exam Description, the teacher must
include the following specific statement: All the content in the current AP Physics C:
Mechanics Course and Exam Description will be covered in this course.

Samples of Evidence
1. The course will follow the units below listed in the current AP Physics C: Mechanics
Course and Exam Description:
Unit 1: Kinematics
Unit 2: Force and Translational Dynamics
Unit 3: Work, Energy, and Power
Unit 4: Linear Momentum
Unit 5: Torque and Rotational Dynamics
Unit 6: Energy and Momentum of Rotating Systems
Unit 7: Oscillations

2. All the content in the current AP Physics C: Mechanics Course and Exam Description
will be covered in this course. We will cover these chapters of our calculus-based,
university-level textbook:

Chapter 2: Vectors
Chapter 3: Motion Along a Straight Line
Chapter 4: Motion in Two and Three Dimensions
Chapter 5: Newton’s Laws of Motion
Chapter 6: Applications of Newton’s Laws
Chapter 7: Work and Kinetic Energy
Chapter 8: Potential Energy and Conservation of Energy
Chapter 9: Linear Momentum and Collisions
Chapter 10: Fixed-Axis Rotation
Chapter 11: Angular Momentum
Chapter 12: Static Equilibrium and Elasticity
Chapter 13: Gravitation

Syllabus Development Guide: AP Physics C: Mechanics © 2024 College Board 4

 3. All the content in the current AP Physics C: Mechanics Course and Exam
Description will be covered in this course. The following topics will be covered
throughout the year:
1. Forces: Systems and center of mass, forces and FBDs, Newton’s laws of motion,
static and kinetic friction, gravitational vs. inertial mass, gravitation, circular
motion, spring forces, resistive forces
2. Kinematics: Instantaneous and average motion, vectors vs. scalars, motion graph,
2D motion, relative motion, non-constant acceleration
3. Conservation Laws: Work, power, potential and kinetic energy, conservation
of energy, linear momentum, impulse changes momentum, conservation of
momentum, elastic vs. inelastic collisions
4. Rotation: Rotational kinematics, connecting linear and rotational, rotational
inertia, equilibrium, Newton’s first and second laws of rotation, torque and work,
rotational kinetic energy, rolling, angular momentum and angular impulse,
conservation of angular momentum, orbiting satellites
5. Oscillations: SHM, frequency and period for SHM, analyzing and representing
SHM motion, energy in SHM, simple and physical pendulums

Syllabus Development Guide: AP Physics C: Mechanics © 2024 College Board 5

Curricular Requirement 3
The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills
related to Science Practice 1: Creating Representations.

Required Evidence
¨ The syllabus must include a section labeled “Science Practice 1” describing one
assignment, activity, or lab where students create representations that depict
physical phenomena.

Clarifying Terms
The following task verbs are commonly associated with Science Practice 1: sketch,
draw, or plot.

Samples of Evidence
1. Science Practice 1
A problem-solving activity in which students are asked to use a multiple-
representation scheme as follows (e.g., a 2D projectile throw).

a) Draw a pictorial representation to explain the context of the problem.

b) Draw motion diagram and the relevant free-body diagram for both horizontal and
vertical directions.

2. SP1
While studying forces on connected systems, students will draw free-body diagrams
for the individual objects. They will also draw a free-body diagram for the system.

3. Science Practice 1
Given distance and time for a falling object, students will find gravity by plotting an
appropriate graph.

Syllabus Development Guide: AP Physics C: Mechanics © 2024 College Board 6

Curricular Requirement 4
The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills
related to Science Practice 2: Mathematical Routines.

Required Evidence
¨ The syllabus must include a section labeled “Science Practice 2” describing one
assignment, activity, or lab where students use mathematical routines.

Clarifying Terms
The following task verbs are commonly associated with Science Practice 2: calculate,
compare, derive, determine, estimate, or show.

Samples of Evidence
1. Science Practice 2
A mini project/activity in which students are asked to model the oscillatory behavior
of a spring.
1. Derive an expression from the first principle by solving the second order DE.
2. Calculate energy by employing the principle of conservation of energy

2. SP2
Students will use calculus to derive theoretical relationships among physical
quantities. For example, they will derive an expression for the rotational inertia of a
thin rod about a perpendicular axis through the center of gravity.

3. Science Practice 2
Atwood Machine: Students will determine the relationship between acceleration
and total mass as well as acceleration and mass difference. Student will measure
the time for the masses to fall and will use a kinematics equation to calculate the
acceleration then graph the acceleration and total mass, as well as acceleration and
mass difference, to determine the relationships.

Syllabus Development Guide: AP Physics C: Mechanics © 2024 College Board 7

Curricular Requirement 5
The course provides opportunities for students to develop the
skills related to Science Practice 3: Scientific Questioning &
Argumentation.

Required Evidence
¨ The syllabus must include a section labeled “Science Practice 3” describing one
assignment, activity, or lab where students design experimental procedures, and
make and justify claims.

Clarifying Terms
The following terms are commonly associated with Science Practice 3: claim, describe,
design, explain, indicate, justify, predict, or state.

Samples of Evidence
1. Science Practice 3
1. Design an experiment to find the relationship between acceleration and mass for a
variety of objects of varying mass by exerting the same force.
2. Make a claim about relevant sources of error.
3. Explain how resistive forces would change the outcome.

2. SP3
In the lab, students will design an experiment to determine physical quantities using
data analysis—for example, acceleration due to gravity using velocity vs. time data for
a freely falling object.

3. Science Practice 3
Toy Wind-up Car Challenge: Students will design a lab to predict/make a claim
where a toy wind-up car will land when launched horizontally from a table, and
justify the discrepancy between their prediction and the measurements.

Syllabus Development Guide: AP Physics C: Mechanics © 2024 College Board 8

Curricular Requirement 6
Students spend a minimum of 25% of instructional time engaged in
hands-on laboratory investigations.

Required Evidence
¨ The syllabus must include an explicit statement that at least 25% of instructional time
is spent engaged in hands-on laboratory investigations, with an emphasis on inquiry-
based labs.

Samples of Evidence
1. 25% of this course is spent doing hands-on laboratory investigations.
2. Students will spend a minimum of 25% of the course engaged in hands-on laboratory
investigations.
3. 25% of course time is spent engaged in hands-on labs.

Syllabus Development Guide: AP Physics C: Mechanics © 2024 College Board 9

Curricular Requirement 7
Students engage in hands-on laboratory investigations representative
of the topics outlined in the AP Physics C: Mechanics Course and
Exam Description.

Required Evidence
¨ The syllabus must include a title and brief description for each laboratory
investigation. The labs listed should be representative of the topics outlined in the
AP Physics C: Mechanics Course and Exam Description.

Samples of Evidence
1.
ƒ Constant Velocity/Constant Acceleration: Students design labs to show constant
velocity and constant acceleration.
ƒ Projectile Challenge: Students determine the landing spot for a projectile
launched at an angle and lands below its launch point.
ƒ Friction Lab: Students design experiments to determine the coefficients of
friction for various surfaces.
ƒ Flying Cow: Students design an experiment to determine the tension in the flying
cows’ “leashes.”
ƒ Atwood’s Machine: Students design an experiment to determine the relationship
between acceleration and total mass as well as acceleration and mass difference.
ƒ The Unknown Mass: Students design a circular motion experiment to predict the
value for an unknown mass.
ƒ Mechanical Energy: Students design an experiment to determine total mechanical
energy of a tossed ball and an oscillating spring.
ƒ 1D & 2D Collisions: Students design experiments to determine in which types of
1D and 2D collisions momentum and/or kinetic energy are conserved.
ƒ Rotational Inertia Lab: Given different shapes, students predict and verify the I
value for each shape.
ƒ Newton’s Second Law of Rotation: Students verify Newton’s second law of
rotation.
ƒ Toilet Paper Lab: Students predict where to drop an unrolling roll of toilet paper
so it hits the ground at the same time a roll of toilet paper is dropped from
2 meters.
ƒ Spring Lab: Given different springs, students must predict and verify the period
of the spring.

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 2.

1. Constant Velocity Lab – Students design a lab to show an object moves with
constant velocity
2. Constant Acceleration Lab – Students design a lab to show an object moves with
constant acceleration
3. Predict the Projectile – Students have to predict the landing site of a ball when
launched from the top of a lab table at a given angle
4. Friction Lab – Students design a lab to determine the coefficient of friction
between a book and the lab table using only a ruler and stopwatch
5. Atwood’s Machine Lab – Students determine the relationship between total mass
and acceleration and the mass difference and acceleration
6. Flying Cow Lab – Students design a lab to determine the velocity of the flying cow
using only a ruler and stopwatch
7. Friction 2 Lab – Students determine the coefficient friction between block and a
table with only a ruler
8. Impulse Lab – Using video analysis, students determine the impulse of two people
who are pushing off each other on carts
9. 1D Collisions Lab – Students design a lab using carts and a track to determine if
momentum is conserved, and to identify if a collision is elastic or inelastic
10. 2D Collisions Lab – Students design a lab to determine if momentum is conserved
in 2D using hover disks
11. Rotational PVC Lab – Students design a lab to determine the moment of inertia (I)
of a PVC structure, then compare it to a calculated value
12. Toilet Paper Lab – Students predict where to place an unrolling roll of toilet paper
so that it hits the ground at the same time a roll of toilet paper is dropped from 2
meters; students must use forces and torques
13. Conservation of Angular Momentum – Students design a lab to determine if
angular momentum is conserved when various objects are dropped onto a
spinning disk
14. Pendulum Lab – Students design a lab to determine which variables affect the
period of a pendulum
15. Beats Lab – Students design a lab to construct a mass on a spring and a
pendulum that have a period made to match the beat of a song

3.
Unit 1: Kinematics
How is motion recorded? Students will make predictions and reproduce the different
kinematics graphs with a motion detector.

Unit 2: Force and Translational Dynamics

Atwood machine: Students will determine the relationship between acceleration and
total mass as well as acceleration and mass difference. Students will measure the time
for the masses to fall and will use a kinematics equation to calculate the acceleration
then graph the acceleration and total mass, as well as acceleration and mass difference,
to determine the relationships.

Unit 3: Work, Energy, and Power

Power lab: Students will collect data to determine the amount of power generated in
walking stairs and doing pushups.

Unit 4: Linear Momentum

Ballistic pendulum lab: Students will develop a method for determining the launch
velocity of a sphere.

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 Unit 5: Torque and Rotational Dynamics
Toilet paper challenge: Students must predict where to drop an unrolling roll of toilet
paper so it hits the ground at the same time as a roll of toilet paper dropped from 2 m.
Unit 6: Energy and Momentum of Rotating Systems
Angular momentum lab: Students determine if angular momentum is conserved when
dropping objects onto rotating plates.

Unit 7: Oscillations
Physical pendulum lab: Students determine the rotational inertia of a weighted meter
stick.

Syllabus Development Guide: AP Physics C: Mechanics © 2024 College Board 12

Curricular Requirement 8
The course provides opportunities for students to record evidence
of their scientific investigations in a portfolio of lab reports or a lab
notebook (print or digital format).

Required Evidence
¨ The syllabus must include an explicit statement that students are required to maintain
a lab notebook or portfolio (hard copy or electronic) that includes all their lab reports.

Samples of Evidence
1. After performing the lab, students are expected to submit a lab report electronically or
maintain the lab notebook for each experimental activity.
2. Students are expected to keep a lab notebook where they will maintain a record of
their laboratory work.
3. All investigations are reported in a laboratory journal.

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