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Wyatt's Notes — Qualifications

AP Physics

AP Physics

Comprehensive revision notes for AP Physics C, aligned with the College Board Course and Exam Description.

These notes cover both Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism, with a calculus-based approach throughout. Each topic page includes key derivations, worked problems, and conceptual explanations to prepare you for both the multiple-choice and free-response sections.

Topics

Topics Covered

  • Kinematics — displacement, velocity, acceleration, projectile motion, free-fall, motion graphs, vector components
  • Newton’s Laws — force, mass, acceleration, friction, inclined planes, tension, systems of objects, free-body diagrams
  • Work, Energy, and Power — work-energy theorem, kinetic and potential energy, conservation of energy, power, conservative vs non-conservative forces
  • Momentum and Impulse — linear momentum, impulse-momentum theorem, conservation of momentum, elastic and inelastic collisions, centre of mass
  • Rotational Motion — torque, angular momentum, moment of inertia, rotational kinematics, rolling motion, angular energy
  • Electrostatics — Coulomb’s law, electric fields, electric potential, Gauss’s law, conductors and insulators
  • Circuits — Ohm’s law, Kirchhoff’s rules, series and parallel circuits, capacitors, RC circuits
  • Magnetism — magnetic fields, Biot-Savart law, Ampere’s law, Faraday’s law, inductance, Lenz’s law

Study Tips

  • Always start free-response problems with a free-body diagram or circuit diagram — it earns points and helps organise your thinking
  • Check units at every step; dimensional analysis is a powerful tool for catching mistakes on the AP exam
  • Practise calculus-based derivations (Gauss’s law, moment of inertia integrals) as they appear on the Physics C exam
  • Review past free-response questions by topic and study the scoring guidelines to understand how partial credit is awarded
  • Practise setting up and solving integrals symbolically before substituting numbers; symbolic answers often earn more points
  • Keep a formula sheet organised by topic and annotate it with the conditions under which each equation is valid
  • Work on translating word problems into mathematical setups — identifying the correct approach is often the hardest step
  • Review vector operations (cross product, dot product) frequently as they are fundamental to both mechanics and electromagnetism

Summary

The key principles covered in this topic are linked in the sub-pages above. Focus on understanding the definitions, applying the formulas or frameworks, and evaluating strengths and limitations of each approach.

Worked Examples

Worked examples demonstrating the application of key concepts are covered in the detailed sub-pages linked above.

Common Pitfalls

  • Confusing terminology or concepts that appear similar but have distinct meanings.
  • Overlooking key assumptions or boundary conditions that limit applicability.