AP ® Physics C - Mechanics
Semester I
2009-2010

Course Description:

This is a basic physics course, using differential and integral calculus, covering during the first semester:
Measurements, Motion in a straight line, Vectors, Motion in two and three directions, Force,
Newton 's Three Laws and Applications, Kinetic and Potential Energy and Conservation of Energy.
IMPORTANT: if you take this AP Course, you will be expected to take the corresponding
AP Physics C Examination at the end of this academic year. 

Text Book for the Course:

Fundamentals of Physics, 7ed. By Halliday, Resnick and Walker , John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 2005
ISBN 0-471-21642-7

The Goal of this Course:

To teach students the knowledge, methods and skills to be able to solve fundamental physics problems,
using calculus when appropriate, in the field of physical mechanics.

Instructional Strategy:

Classroom drills of problem solutions will be performed by the students at the board. Informal problem sessions
preceding each of the four major tests will be held the evening before the tests. Short weekly Quizzes will be given
on Mondays covering both the lectures of the previous week or a selection of the assigned problems for each Chapter.
In sum, the major technique that has proven effective for student learning of physics is intensive and personal
problem solving. One learns to solve physics problems by solving physics problems.
Also please see “Additional Resources” at the end of this Syllabus.

Tests:

In addition to the short weekly test, period-long tests will be given when two new chapters have been covered.

Composition of the Semester Final Grade: :

The weekly quizzes will count 30%. The Laboratories will count 20%. Classroom participation, the regularly
scheduled tests and the Semester Examination will count the remaining 50%.

Laboratories:

Are intended to illustrate the materials presented in the lecture. There will be the usual experiments involving
routine measurements, precision, uncertainties, standard deviation, propagation of errors and so on.
These experiments will constitute the ground work for the second laboratory phase. They will comprise a
minimum of approximately 10 percent of the time for the Semester. The class will then be divided into teams.
Each team will be assigned a laboratory project involving the topics covered in Lecture. This project is intended
to be done for a minimum of another 10 percent of the course time, and the final lab report will be submitted
before the Semester Examination. The teams will be responsible for participation in the construction of their
experiment and each participant will be required to submit an individual, formal write-up, including uncertainty calculations.
These experiments will constitute 20% (See above.) of the Semester grade. This carefully written-up project will be
saved to demonstrate to the potential college or university that laboratory has been taken.

Topics to be Covered this Semester:

Measurement , Chapter One in the above Text (2 weeks.) Problems Assigned for this Chapter:

3,5,7,8,11,12,15,17,18,21,29,31,33,37,39,41,47,51,57, and 59.

Motion Along a Straight Line : Chapter Two in the above Text (3 weeks). Problems Assigned this Chapter: 1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17,19,21,23,29,30,33,35,37,39,41,45,47,51,61,63,69,71,77,85,89,106, and 115

Test I This test will cover all of the above assigned problems in addition to Lecture Notes.

Vectors: Chapter Three in the above Text: (2 weeks) Problems Assigned for this Chapter:

1,3,5,9,11,13,15,17,23,27,29,33,38,41,47,51,55,59,61,63,65,69,73,75, and 77.

Motion in Two and Three Dimensions: Chapter Four in the Above Text: (3 weeks).
Problems assigned for this Chapter:
1,3,5,9,11,13,16,19,21,23,25,29,31,33,35,37,43,456,49,51,55,57,59,63,67,68,69,73,75,77,
83,85,87,95, and 97.

Test II This test will cover all of the above assigned problems in addition to Lecture Notes.

Force and Motion I: Chapter 5 in the above Text: (2 ½ weeks).
Problems assigned for this Chapter:
1,3,4,5,7,9,11,13,15,17,19,21,23,25,27,29,31,35,41,43,47,49,51,53,57,61,65,69,71,75,77,81,83,87,
89,95,99, and 101

Force and Motion II: Chapter Six in the above Text: (2 ½ weeks).
Problems assigned for this Chapter:
1,4,5,7,9,11,12,15,17,19,21,23,25,27,29,31,33,37,39,41,42,43,45,51,54,55,57,59,61,63,7173,81,
87,97, and 102.

Test III This test will cover all of the above assigned problems in addition to Lecture Notes.

Kinetic Energy and Work: Chapter Seven in the above Text. (3 weeks).
Problems assigned for this Chapter:
1,2,4,5,7,9,11,13,15,17,19,21,23,24,27,29,31,33,35,37,39,43,47,49,51,55,57,59,61,63,65,659,70,71,
73,77, and 79.

Potential Energy and Conservation of Energy: Chapter Eight in the above Text (2 weeks)
Problems assigned for this Chapter:
1,3,5,7,9,13,15,17,19,22,23,25,27,29,31,33,35,37,39,41,43,45,47,49,51,53,55,57,59,61,65,67,70,71,75,77,
79,82,85,87,89,96,102,103,117,121, and 129.

The Final Examination:

Will be comprehensive and is currently scheduled to be given on December 16, 2008 during the First Period.
No one will be exempted from this Examination.

Possible Additional Text Resources:

For the Course (Note these are also listed on the AP Physics C website.)

Chabay, Ruth W., and Bruce A Sherwood. 2003. Matter & Interaction II:

Electric & Magnetic Interactions, Version 1.2. Hoboken , N.J. : John Wiley & Sons.

Fishbane, Paul M., Stephen Gasiorowicz, and Stephen T. Thornton. 2005.

Physics for Scientists and Engineers. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River , N.J. :

Prentice Hall.

Giancoli, Douglas C. 2000. Physics for Scientists and Engineers. 3rd ed.

Upper Saddle River , N.J. : Prentice Hall.

Halliday, David, Robert Resnick, and Kenneth Krane. 2001. Physics, Parts I and II. 5th ed. Hoboken , N.J. :
John Wiley & Sons.

Knight, Randall D. 2004. Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach with Modern Physics.
Boston : Addison-Wesley.

Serway, Raymond A, Robert J. Beichner and John J. Hewett. 2000. Physics for Scientists and Engineers. 5th ed.
Pacific Grove , Calif. : Brooks/Cole Publishing .

Serway, Raymond A and John W. Jewett. 2002. Principles of Physics. 3rd ed. Pacific Grove , Calif. :
Brooks/Cole Publishing .

Tipler, Paul A and. Gene P. Mosca. 2004. Physics for Scientists and Engineers. 5th ed. New York :
W.H. Freeman.

Wolfson, Richard, and Jay M. Pasachoff. 1999. Physics for Scientists and Engineers. 3rd ed. Boston :
Addison-Wesley.

Young, Hugh D. and Roger A. Freedman. 2004. University Physics. 11 th ed .Boston: Addison-Wesley.

Additional Resources:

The Instructor will be in his classroom before each class day to help with problems, lecture difficulties, etc .

Additionally the Instructor runs a “homework hot line” Monday through Thursday evenings from 10 to 10:30 .
This is intended only AP Physics students who are taking this course from this Instructor.
(This disclaimer is necessary since this Syllabus has been posted on the internet, and the Instructor has received
calls from students in other cities and regions asking help on some physics problems.
Of course the help was given, but talk about a Pandora's Box!)

Finally in the middle of the week preceding each of the above major tests, there is a
Physics Problem-Solving Party given to consider some of the more difficult problems in greater detail.
Here the student has the opportunity to work out problems under the guidance of the Instructor.
It is found that this enhances the students' skills as well as their self-confidence.

AP ® Physics C - Mechanics
Semester II 

Course Description:

This is a continuation of a basic physics course , using differential and integral calculus, covering,
during the second semester: center of mass and linear momentum, rotation, angular momentum,
torque, rolling, equilibrium and elasticity, gravitation and oscillations.

Text Book for the Course:

Fundamentals of Physics, 7ed. By Halliday, Resnick and Walker , John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 2005
ISBN 0-471-21642-7

The Goal of this Course:

To teach students the knowledge, methods and skills to be able to solve fundamental physics problems,
using calculus when appropriate, in the field of physical mechanics.

Instructional Strategy:

Classroom drills of problem solutions will be performed by the students at the board. Informal problem sessions
preceding each of the four major tests will be held the evening before the tests. Daily Quizzes will be given
covering both the lecture of the previous day or a selection of the assigned problems for each Chapter.
Major emphases will be placed on the students' working the problems assigned, with the assistance
of the instructor. In sum, the major technique that has proven effective for student learning of physics is intensive
and personal problem solving. One learns to solve physics problems by solving physics problems.
Also please see “Additional Resources” at the end of this Syllabus.

Tests: In addition to the short weekly tests, period-long tests will be given when two new chapters have been covered.

Composition of the Semester Final Grade:

The weekly quizzes will count 30%. The Laboratories will count 20%. Classroom participation,
the regularly scheduled tests and the Semester Examination will count the remaining 50%.

Laboratories:

The project approach of the First Semester will be continued during this Second Semester, only there will be
two major projects running the duration of the Semester. These Projects are intended to illustrate the
materials presented in the lecture and will constitute at least 20 percent of the course time, and the final lab reports
will be submitted before the Semester Examination. The teams will be responsible for participation in the
construction of their experiments and each participant will be required to submit individual, formal write-ups,
including uncertainty calculations. These experiments will constitute 20% (See above.) of the Semester grade.
These carefully written-up projects will be saved to demonstrate to the potential college or university
that laboratory has been taken.

Topics to be Covered this Semester:

Center of Mass and Linear Momentum: Chapter Nine in the above Text. (3 weeks)
Problems assigned for this Chapter:
1,3,8,9,11,13,15,19,21,23,27,31,33,35,37,39,41,45,49,53,55,59,61,65,73,75,76,79,83,85,
95,99,103,107,113,117,121,125,129,131 and 133.

Rotation: Chapter 10 in the above Text: (3 weeks) Problems assigned for this Chapter: 1,3,5,7,10,13,15,17,19,21,23,25,27,29,31,33,37,39,43,45,51,53,55,57,66,75,79,81,83,85,87,
89,91,97,99,109,113 and 121.

Test I

Rolling, Torque, and Angular Momentum: Chapter 11 in the above Text. (3 weeks).
Problems assigned for this Chapter:
1,3,9,11,13,15,17,21,23,25,29,31,33,35,37,39,41,43,45,47,49,51,55,57,59,60,63,65,67,69,
71,77,81,85,87,89,93,97 and 100.

Equilibrium and Elasticity: Chapter 12 in the above Text. (2 weeks).
Problems assigned for this Chapter:
1,3,7,9,10,11,15,17,19,21,23,25,27,29,31,33,35,37,39,41,47,49,51,53,55,57,61,67,69,71,77,80 and 81.

Test II

Gravitation: Chapter 13 in the above Text (2 weeks) Problems assigned for this Chapter: 1,5,7,9,13,19,21,23,25,27,29,31,33,37,39,41,47,49,51,55,59,63,65,71,87,94,96 and 97.

Oscillations: Chapter 15 in the above Text ( 2 weeks). Problems assigned for this Chapter:

1,3,7,9,11,16,19,21,25,29,31,33,39,43,45,47,53,55,62,65,71,72,75,79,81,87,89,93,95,102,107,111 and 113.

The Final Examination:

Will be comprehensive and is currently scheduled to be given during the First Period. It is possible that those
who take the AP C Examination will be exempted from this exam. This will be determined in part by their
course average at that time. (It must be an “A”.)

Possible Additional Text Resources:

for the Course (Note these are also listed on the AP Physics C website.)

Chabay, Ruth W., and Bruce A Sherwood. 2003. Matter & Interaction II:

Electric & Magnetic Interactions, Version 1.2. Hoboken , N.J. : John Wiley & Sons.

Fishbane, Paul M., Stephen Gasiorowicz, and Stephen T. Thornton. 2005.

Physics for Scientists and Engineers. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River , N.J. :

Prentice Hall.

Giancoli, Douglas C. 2000. Physics for Scientists and Engineers. 3rd ed.

Upper Saddle River , N.J. : Prentice Hall.

Halliday, David, Robert Resnick, and Kenneth Krane. 2001. Physics, Parts I and II. 5th ed. Hoboken , N.J. :
John Wiley & Sons.

Knight, Randall D. 2004. Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach with Modern Physics.
Boston : Addison-Wesley.

Serway, Raymond A, Robert J. Beichner and John J. Hewett. 2000. Physics for Scientists and Engineers. 5th ed.
Pacific Grove , Calif. : Brooks/Cole Publishing .

Serway, Raymond A and John W. Jewett. 2002. Principles of Physics. 3rd ed. Pacific Grove , Calif. :
Brooks/Cole Publishing .

Tipler, Paul A and. Gene P. Mosca. 2004. Physics for Scientists and Engineers. 5th ed. New York :
W.H. Freeman.

Wolfson, Richard, and Jay M. Pasachoff. 1999. Physics for Scientists and Engineers. 3rd ed. Boston :
Addison-Wesley.

Young, Hugh D. and Roger A. Freedman. 2004. University Physics. 11 th ed .Boston: Addison-Wesley.

Additional Resources :

The Instructor will be in his classroom before each class day to help with problems, lecture difficulties, etc .

Additionally the Instructor runs a “homework hot line” Monday through Thursday evenings
from 10 to 10:30 . This is intended only AP Physics students who are taking this course from this Instructor.

Finally on the Sunday preceding each of the above major tests, there is a Physics Problem-Solving Party
given to consider some of the more difficult problems in greater detail. Here the student has the
opportunity to work out problems under the guidance of the Instructor. It is found that this enhances
the students' skills as well as their self-confidence.