Advanced Placement (AP) Physics 2 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 second-semester algebra-based university course in thermodynamics, electromagnetism, optics, and modern physics. [1] Along with AP Physics 1, the first AP Physics 2 exam was administered in 2015.
The AP Physics 2 classes began in the fall of 2014, with the first AP exams administered in May 2015. The courses were formed through collaboration between current Advanced Placement teachers and The College Board, with the guidance from the National Research Council and the National Science Foundation. [2] As of August 2013 AP summer institutes, the College Board professional development course for Advanced Placement and Pre-AP teachers, [3] dedicate 20% of the total to preparing AP Physics B educators for the new AP physics course. Face to face workshops sponsored by the College Board focused 20% of their content on the course in September 2013. In February 2014, the official course description and sample curriculum resources were posted to the College Board website, with two practice exams being posted the next month. As of September 2014, face to face workshops are dedicated solely to AP Physics 1 & AP Physics 2. The full course was first taught in 2014, with the exam given in 2015. The College Board released a "Curriculum Framework" which includes the 7 principles on which AP Physics 2 would be based on as well as smaller "Enduring Understanding" concepts. [4]
In 2020, the examination was administered on computer from home because of COVID-19. College Board suspected that some students may be using unauthorized resources while taking the test. In order to ensure accurate results in the future, the course materials will be more difficult and in-depth.
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 2, this removed fluids (the first topic of the curriculum) from the exam. From the 2024-25 school year onward, this topic is covered as the last unit of AP Physics 1. [5] With fluids no longer being on the curriculum, the optics unit was separated into two units which cover the subject with more depth. This added mechanical waves, standing waves, sound waves, and the Doppler effect which are covered in Waves, Sound, and Physical Optics. The unit covering electric circuits was changed to be more comprehensive, and Blackbody radiation and Compton scattering were added to Modern Physics as well. As of the fall of 2024, all AP Physics 2 units are numbered sequentially to those in AP Physics 1, starting with Thermodynamics as unit 9 and ending with Modern Physics as unit 15.
AP Physics 2 is an algebra-based, introductory college-level physics course in which students explore 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 develop scientific critical thinking and reasoning skills.
| Units [6] | Exam Weighting |
|---|---|
| Thermodynamics | 15-18% |
| Electric Force, Field, and Potential | 15-18% |
| Electric Circuits | 15-18% |
| Magnetism and Electromagnetism | 12-15% |
| Geometric Optics | 12-15% |
| Waves, Sound and Physical Optics | 12-15% |
| Modern Physics | 12-15% |
The content of AP Physics 2 overlaps with that of AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, but Physics 2 is algebra-based, while Physics C is calculus-based. AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism also is focused entirely on Electricity and Magnetism while AP Physics 2 covers additional topics such as Thermodynamics, Waves, and Modern Physics.
| Section | Questions | Time | Exam Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section I: Multiple Choice | 40 MCQ | 1 hour 20 minutes | 50% |
| Section II: Free Response | 4 FRQ | 1 hour 40 minutes | 50% |
| Science Practice | Exam Weighting |
|---|---|
| 2. Translation Between Representations | 55-75% |
| 3. Experimental Design and Analysis | 25-35% |
| Science Practice | Exam Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Mathematical Routines | 20-35% |
| 2. Translation Between Representations | 30-40% |
| 3. Experimental Design and Analysis | 35-45% |
| Score | 2015 [7] | 2016 [8] | 2017 [9] | 2018 [10] | 2019 [11] | 2020 (online) [12] | 2021 [13] | 2022 [14] | 2023 [15] | 2024 [16] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 8.5% | 9.5% | 12.9% | 13.1% | 14.2% | 14.0% | 15.4% | 16.3% | 16.5% | 15% |
| 4 | 13.7% | 17.0% | 16.7% | 15.6% | 21.0% | 24.3% | 17.9% | 18.1% | 18.5% | 18% |
| 3 | 33.5% | 34.9% | 34.0% | 34.4% | 30.2% | 35.0% | 32.0% | 35.3% | 34.9% | 35% |
| 2 | 34.8% | 30.6% | 27.6% | 29.2% | 26.2% | 21.3% | 27.0% | 24.1% | 23.8% | 25% |
| 1 | 9.6% | 8.1% | 8.9% | 7.7% | 8.4% | 5.4% | 7.6% | 6.3% | 6.4% | 7% |
| % of scores 3 or higher | 55.6% | 61.3% | 63.5% | 63.1% | 65.4% | 73.3% | 65.3% | 69.7% | 69.8% | 68% |
| Mean | 2.77 | 2.89 | 2.97 | 2.97 | 3.06 | 3.20 | 3.06 | 3.14 | 3.15 | 3.09 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.07 | 1.08 | 1.15 | 1.13 | 1.17 | 1.09 | 1.17 | 1.14 | 1.15 | 1.14 |
| Number of Students | 20,533 | 26,385 | 24,985 | 25,741 | 23,802 | 21,835 | 18,736 | 17,842 | 20,453 | - |
Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board. AP offers undergraduate university-level curricula and examinations to high school students. Colleges and universities in the US and elsewhere may grant placement and course credit to students who obtain qualifying scores on the examinations.
The College Board, styled as CollegeBoard, is an American not-for-profit organization that was formed in December 1899 as the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) to expand access to higher education. While the College Board is not an association of colleges, it runs a membership association of institutions, including over 6,000 schools, colleges, universities, and other educational organizations.
Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry is a course and examination offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program to give American and Canadian high school students the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and earn college-level credits at certain colleges and universities. The AP Chemistry Exam has the lowest test participation rate out of all AP Courses, with around half of AP Chemistry students taking the exam.
Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus is a set of two distinct Advanced Placement calculus courses and exams offered by the American nonprofit organization College Board. AP Calculus AB covers basic introductions to limits, derivatives, and integrals. AP Calculus BC covers all AP Calculus AB topics plus additional topics.
Advanced Placement (AP) Biology is an Advanced Placement biology course and exam offered by the College Board in the United States. For the 2012–2013 school year, the College Board unveiled a new curriculum with a greater focus on "scientific practices".
Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.
Advanced Placement (AP) English Literature and Composition is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program in the United States.
Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography is an Advanced Placement social studies course in human geography for high school, usually freshmen students in the US, culminating in an exam administered by the College Board.
Advanced Placement (AP) Physics B was a physics course administered by the College Board as part of its Advanced Placement program. It was equivalent to a year-long introductory university course covering Newtonian mechanics, electromagnetism, fluid mechanics, thermal physics, waves, optics, and modern physics. The course was algebra-based and heavily computational; in 2015, it was replaced by the more concept-focused AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2.
Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics is a college-level high school statistics course offered in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placement program. This course is equivalent to a one semester, non-calculus-based introductory college statistics course and is normally offered to sophomores, juniors and seniors in high school.
Advanced Placement (AP) United States Government and Politics is a college-level course and examination offered to high school students through the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. This course surveys the structure and function of American government and politics that begins with an analysis of the United States Constitution, the foundation of the American political system. Students study the three branches of government, administrative agencies that support each branch, the role of political behavior in the democratic process, rules governing elections, political culture, and the workings of political parties and interest groups.
Advanced Placement (AP) examinations are exams offered in United States by the College Board and are taken each May by students. The tests are the culmination of year-long Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which are typically offered at the high school level. AP exams have a multiple-choice section and a free-response section.
Advanced Placement (AP) Comparative Government and Politics is an Advanced Placement comparative politics course and exam offered by the College Board. It was first administered in 1987.
Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science is a course and exam offered by the American College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program to high school students interested in the environmental and natural sciences. AP Environmental Science was first offered in the 1997–1998 school year.
Advanced Placement (AP) Physics C: Mechanics is an introductory physics course administered by the American College Board as part of its Advanced Placement program. It is intended to serve as a proxy for a one-semester calculus-based university course in mechanics. Physics C: Mechanics may be combined with its electricity and magnetism counterpart to form a year-long course that prepares for both exams.
Advanced Placement (AP) Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism is an introductory physics course administered by the College Board as part of its Advanced Placement program. It is intended to serve as a proxy for a second-semester calculus-based university course in electricity and magnetism. Physics C: E&M may be combined with its mechanics counterpart to form a year-long course that prepares for both exams.
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There are four Advanced Placement (AP) Physics courses administered by the College Board as part of its Advanced Placement program: the algebra-based Physics 1 and Physics 2 and the calculus-based Physics C: Mechanics and Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism. All are intended to be at the college level. Each AP Physics course has an exam for which high-performing students may receive credit toward their college coursework.
Advanced Placement (AP) Physics 1: Algebra Based 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.
Advanced Placement (AP) Precalculus is an Advanced Placement precalculus course and examination, offered by the College Board, in development since 2021 and announced in May 2022. The course debuted in the fall of 2023, with the first exam session taking place in May 2024. The course and examination are designed to teach and assess precalculus concepts, as a foundation for a wide variety of STEM fields and careers, and are not solely designed as preparation for future mathematics courses such as AP Calculus AB/BC.
