AP Physics 2
Course Overview

AP Physics 2 is an algebra-based, introductory college-level physics course that explores topics such as fluid statics and dynamics; thermodynamics with kinetic theory; PV diagrams and probability; electrostatics; electrical circuits with capacitors; magnetic fields; electromagnetism; physical and geometric optics; and quantum, atomic, and nuclear physics. Through inquiry-based learning, students will develop scientific critical thinking and reasoning skills. 
Laboratory Requirement 
This course requires that 25 percent of the instructional time will be spent in hands-on laboratory work, with an emphasis on inquiry-based investigations that provide students with opportunities to apply the science practices.
Prerequisite 
Students should have had AP Physics 1 or a comparable introductory course. Students should have taken or be concurrently taking precalculus or an equivalent course. 

AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based Course Content 
Students explore principles of fluids, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, optics, and topics in modern physics. The course is based on seven Big Ideas, which encompass core scientific principles, theories, and processes that cut across traditional boundaries and provide a broad way of thinking about the physical world. The following are Big Ideas: 
1.	Objects and systems have properties such as mass and charge. Systems may have internal structure. 
2.	Fields existing in space can be used to explain interactions. 
3.	The interactions of an object with other objects can be described by forces. 
4.	Interactions between systems can result in changes in those systems. 
5.	Changes that occur as a result of interactions are constrained by conservation laws. 
6.	Waves can transfer energy and momentum from one location to another without the permanent transfer of mass and serve as a mathematical model for the description of other phenomena. 
7.	The mathematics of probability can be used to describe the behavior of complex systems and to interpret the behavior of quantum mechanical systems. 

Science Practices 
Students establish lines of evidence and use them to develop and refine testable explanations and predictions of natural phenomena. Focusing on these disciplinary practices enables teachers to use the principles of scientific inquiry to promote a more engaging and rigorous experience for AP Physics students. Such practices require that students: 
•	Use representations and models to communicate scientific phenomena and solve scientific problems; 
•	Use mathematics appropriately; 
•	Engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or to guide investigations within the context of the AP course; 
•	Plan and implement data collection strategies in relation to a particular scientific question; 
•	Perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence; 
•	Work with scientific explanations and theories; and 
•	Connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts, and representations in and across domains. 

Inquiry-Based Investigations 
Twenty-five percent of instructional time is devoted to hands-on laboratory work with an emphasis on inquiry-based investigations. Investigations will require students to ask questions, make observations and predictions, design experiments, analyze data, and construct arguments in a collaborative setting, where they direct and monitor their progress. 

AP Physics 2: Exam Structure 

AP Physics 2 Exam: 3 hours 
Assessment Overview 
Exam questions are based on learning objectives, which combine science practices with specific content. Students learn to: 
•	Solve problems mathematically — including symbolically 
•	Design and describe experiments and analyze data and sources of error 
•	Explain, reason, or justify answers with emphasis on deeper, conceptual understanding 
•	Interpret and develop conceptual and mathematical models 

Format of Assessment 
Section i: Multiple Choice: 50 Questions | 90 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score 
•	Discrete items 
•	Items in sets 
•	Multimark items (two options will be correct) 

Section ii: Free Response: 4 Questions | 90 Minutes | 50% of Exam Score 
•	Experimental Design (1 question) 
•	Quantitative/Qualitative Translation (1 question) 
•	Short Answer (2 questions, one requiring a paragraph-length argument)