AP Physics 1

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Advanced Placement (AP) Physics 1 is a year-long introductory physics course administered by the College Board as part of its Advanced Placement program. It is intended to proxy a one-semester algebra-based university course in mechanics. Along with AP Physics 2, the first AP Physics 1 exam was administered in 2015.

Contents

History

The heavily computational AP Physics B course served for four decades as the College Board's algebra-based offering. As part of the College Board's redesign of science courses, AP Physics B was discontinued; therefore, AP Physics 1 and 2 were created with guidance from the National Research Council and the National Science Foundation. [1] The course covers material of a first-semester university undergraduate physics course offered at American universities that use best practices of physics pedagogy. [2] The first AP Physics 1 classes had begun in the 2014–2015 school year, with the first AP exams administered in May 2015.


In its first five years, AP Physics 1 covered forces and motion, conservation laws, waves, and electricity. [3] As of 2021, AP Physics 1 includes mechanics topics only. [4]

In February 2024, College Board announced that there would be changes in curricula for their AP Physics classes for the 2025 exams. For AP Physics 1, this added fluids to the list of topics covered on the exam, now as the last unit of the curriculum. Previously, this topic was covered as the first unit of AP Physics 2. In the revised curriculum, fluids cover 10-15% of the AP Physics 1 exam. [5]

Curriculum

AP Physics 1 is an algebra-based, introductory college-level physics course that includes mechanics topics such as motion, fluids, force, momentum, energy, harmonic motion, and rotation. The College Board published a curriculum framework that includes eight big ideas on which AP Physics 1 is based. [6]

Questions for the exam are constructed with direct reference to items in the curriculum framework. Student understanding of each topic is tested with reference to multiple skills—that is, questions require students to use quantitative, semi-quantitative, qualitative, and experimental reasoning in each content area.

UnitsExam Weighting
Kinematics 10-15%
Force and Translational Dynamics 18-23%
Work, Energy and Power 18-23%
Linear Momentum 10-15%
Torque and Rotational Dynamics 10-15%
Energy and Momentum of Rotating Systems 5-8%
Oscillations 5-8%
Fluids 10-15%

The content of AP Physics 1 overlaps significantly with that of AP Physics C: Mechanics. However, AP physics 1 is algebra based and lacks calculus-based concepts found in AP Physics C: Mechanics. Another difference is that AP Physics C: Mechanics does not cover fluids, while AP Physics 1 does.

Exam

SectionQuestionsTimeExam Weighting
Section I: Multiple Choice40 MCQ1 hour 20 minutes50%
Section 2: Free Response4 FRQ1 hour 40 minutes50%

Science Practices Assessed

Multiple Choice and Free Response Sections of the AP Physics 1 exam are also assessed on scientific practices. Below are tables representing the practices assessed and their weighting for both parts of the exam

Section 1: Multiple Choice
Science PracticeExam Weighting
2. Translation Between Representations55-75%
3. Experimental Design and Analysis25-35%
Section 2: Free Response
Science PracticeExam Weighting
1. Mathematical Routines20-35%
2. Translation Between Representations30-40%
3. Experimental Design and Analysis35-45%

Score distributions

The exam score distributions since 2015 are as follows:

Score2015 [7] 2016 [8] 2017 [9] 2018 [10] 2019 [11] 2020 [12] 2021 [13] 2022 [14] 2023 [15]
55.0%4.6%5.4%5.2%6.2%8.8%6.9%7.9%8.8%
413.6%14.0%16.2%15%17.8%17.9%16.3%17.0%18.3%
320.7%21.2%20.3%19.5%20.6%24.8%18.9%18.3%18.5%
229.8%30.2%29.1%29.1%29.3%26.5%26.4%27.1%28.0%
131.0%30.0%29.0%31.2%26.1%21.9%31.4%29.6%26.4%
% of Scores 3 or Higher39.2%39.8%41.9%39.7%44.6%51.6%42.1%43.3%45.6%
Mean2.322.332.402.342.492.652.412.472.55
Standard Deviation1.191.171.211.211.221.251.271.291.29
Number of Students171,074169,304170,447170,653161,071149,488136,238144,526159,582

This AP course has the lowest average score and the lowest proportion of students that score a 5 out of all current AP subjects. [16]

Notes

    See also

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    References

    1. ↑ "AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2 | Advances in AP". Archived from the original on 2014-10-18. Retrieved 2013-12-15.
    2. ↑ Jacobs, Greg (23 January 2016). "What does a 5 on the AP Physics 1 Exam mean? It still means an A, but read on..." Jacobs Physics. Greg Jacobs. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
    3. ↑ Jacobs, Greg (25 July 2011). "Jacobs Physics: AP Physics 1 and 2 Redesign (as it stands now) and Honors Physics I" . Retrieved 16 April 2023.
    4. ↑ "The Course". AP Physics 1: The Course. The College Board. 10 July 2006. Archived from the original on 2020-12-18. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
    5. ↑ "AP Physics Revisions for 2024-25" . Retrieved 2 May 2024.
    6. ↑ "AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based" (PDF). collegeboard.org. Winter 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
    7. ↑ "Student Score Distributions" (PDF). Retrieved June 1, 2024.
    8. ↑ "Student Score Distributions" (PDF). Retrieved June 1, 2024.
    9. ↑ "Student Score Distributions" (PDF). Retrieved June 1, 2024.
    10. ↑ "STUDENT SCORE DISTRIBUTIONS" (PDF). Retrieved July 23, 2022.
    11. ↑ "STUDENT SCORE DISTRIBUTIONS" (PDF). Retrieved July 23, 2022.
    12. ↑ "STUDENT SCORE DISTRIBUTIONS" (PDF). Retrieved June 9, 2021.
    13. ↑ "STUDENT SCORE DISTRIBUTIONS" (PDF). Retrieved July 23, 2022.
    14. ↑ "Student Score Distributions" (PDF). Retrieved June 1, 2024.
    15. ↑ "Student Score Distributions" (PDF). Retrieved June 1, 2024.
    16. ↑ "STUDENT SCORE DISTRIBUTIONS, AP Exams - May 2017" (PDF). Retrieved 16 April 2023.
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