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 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, Geometric Optics, Waves, Sound, Physical Optics, and Modern Physics.
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. 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 of 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. [4] 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. Blackbody radiation and Compton scattering will be added to Modern Physics as well. Starting in the fall of 2024, all AP Physics 2 units will be numbered sequentially to those in AP Physics 1, starting with Thermodynamics as unit 9 and ending with Modern Physics as unit 16.
AP Physics 2 is an algebra-based, introductory college-level physics course in which students 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.
The College Board has released a "Curriculum Framework" which includes the 7 principles on which the new AP Physics courses will be based as well as smaller "Enduring Understanding" concepts. [5]
| Units [6] | Exam Weighting |
|---|---|
| Thermodynamics | 15-18% |
| Electric Force, Field, and Potential | 15-18% |
| Electric Circuits | 15-18% |
| Magnetism and Electromagnetic Induction | 12-15% |
| Geometric Optics | 12-15% |
| Waves, Sound and Physical Optics | 12-15% |
| Modern Physics | 12-15% |
Both the multiple choice and free response sections of the exam are worth 50% of the score. Students are given 90 minutes to complete 50 multiple choice questions. The free response section includes an experimental design question, a qualitative/quantitative translation question, and two short answer questions that must be completed in 90 minutes.
| Score | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 (online) | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 8.5% | 9.5% | 11.1% | 11.2% | 12.6% | 14.0% | 15.4% | 15.1% | 15% |
| 4 | 13.7% | 17.0% | 15.6% | 14.8% | 19.8% | 24.3% | 17.9% | 17.8% | 17% |
| 3 | 33.5% | 34.9% | 34.1% | 34.9% | 31.1% | 35.0% | 32.0% | 35.8% | 36% |
| 2 | 34.8% | 30.6% | 29.7% | 30.6% | 27.8% | 21.3% | 27.0% | 24.7% | 26% |
| 1 | 9.6% | 8.1% | 9.5% | 8.5% | 8.7% | 5.4% | 7.6% | 6.6% | 6% |
| % of scores 3 or higher | 55.7% | 61.4% | 60.8% | 60.9% | 63.5% | 73.3% | 65.3% | 68.7% | 68% |
| Mean | 2.77 | 2.90 | 2.89 | 2.90 | 3.00 | 3.20 | 3.06 | 3.10 | 3.09 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.07 | 1.08 | 1.12 | 1.11 | 1.15 | 1.09 | 1.17 | 1.13 | 1.12 |
| Number of Students | 20,533 | 26,385 | 24,985 | 25,741 | 23,802 | 21,835 | 18,736 | 17,842 |
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.
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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) United States History ) is a college-level course and examination offered by College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.
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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.
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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. The content of Physics C: E&M overlaps with that of AP Physics 2, but Physics 2 is algebra-based and covers additional topics outside of electromagnetism, while Physics C is calculus-based and only covers electromagnetism. Physics C: E&M may be combined with its mechanics counterpart to form a year-long course that prepares for both exams.
Advanced Placement (AP) Latin, formerly Advanced Placement (AP) Latin: Vergil, is an examination in Latin literature offered to American high school students by the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. Prior to the 2012–2013 academic year, the course focused on poetry selections from the Aeneid, written by Augustan author Publius Vergilius Maro, also known as Vergil or Virgil. However, in the 2012–2013 year, the College Board changed the content of the course to include not only poetry, but also prose. The modified course consists of both selections from Vergil and selections from Commentaries on the Gallic War, written by prose author Gaius Julius Caesar. Also included in the new curriculum is an increased focus on sight reading. The student taking the exam will not necessarily have been exposed to the specific reading passage that appears on this portion of the exam. The College Board suggests that a curriculum include practice with sight reading. The exam is administered in May and is three hours long, consisting of a one-hour multiple-choice section and a two-hour free-response section.
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 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) International English Language is an AP Examinations course managed by Educational Testing Service (ETS) with the sponsorship of the College Board in New York. It is designed for non-native speakers to prepare for studying in an English-speaking university, particularly in North America. The course also gives students a chance to earn college credit. The three-hour exam assesses four language skills: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The test paper has two sections: multiple-choice questions and free-response questions. APIEL committee consists of high school and university English teachers from Belgium, China, France, Germany, Switzerland, and the United States.
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.
