AP physics study guide
1) Kinematics: The Science of Motion Imagine you're riding a bike. Your speed (velocity) and the way you speed up or slow down (acceleration) define your motion. Key formulas: Velocity: 𝑣 = 𝑑 𝑡 (how fast you're moving) Acceleration: 𝑎 = Δ 𝑣 Δ 𝑡 (how quickly your speed changes) Tip: Distance vs. displacement—distance is the total path traveled, displacement is the straight-line shortcut. 2) Projectiles: Flying Through the Air A projectile is anything thrown into the air, like a basketball shot. It moves two ways at once—forward (horizontal motion) and up/down (vertical motion). Gravity only affects vertical motion (it pulls objects down). Key idea: The horizontal motion is constant, but the vertical motion accelerates due to gravity ( 𝑔 = 9.8 𝑚 / 𝑠 2 ). 3) Forces: The Push and Pull of the Universe Forces make things move or stop moving. Newton’s Laws: Objects keep doing what they’re doing unless a force changes it. More force = more acceleration ( 𝐹 = 𝑚 𝑎 ). Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. 4) Centripetal Force: The Circle Keeper If you spin a ball on a string, the string pulls the ball toward the center. That pulling force is centripetal force, keeping objects moving in a circle. Formula: 𝐹 𝑐 = 𝑚 𝑣 2 𝑟 5) Work, Power, Energy: What Makes Things Move Work = when you use force to move something ( 𝑊 = 𝐹 𝑑 ). Power = how fast you do work ( 𝑃 = 𝑊 𝑡 ). Energy = the ability to do work (kinetic energy: moving energy, potential energy: stored energy).
