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Acknowledgments
About the Author
Introduction: The Five-Step Program
Welcome!
I know that preparing for the Advanced Placement (AP) Physics
exam can seem like a daunting task. There’s a lot of material to
learn, and some of it can be rather challenging. But I also know that
preparing for the AP exam is much easier—and much more
enjoyable—if you do it with a friendly guide. So let me introduce
myself; my name is Greg, and I’ll be your friendly guide for this
journey.
1. This icon points out a very important concept or fact that you
should not pass over.
IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary: Recognize the difference between truly understanding
physics and just doing well in your physics class.
Key Ideas
Focus on increasing your knowledge of physics, not on pleasing
your teacher.
Don’t spend more than 10 minutes at one time on a problem
without getting anywhere—come back to it later if you don’t get
it.
Form a study group; your classmates can help you learn physics
better.
If you don’t understand something, ask your teacher for help.
Don’t cram; although you can memorize equations, the skills you
need to solve physics problems can’t be learned overnight.
Before we even dive into the nitty-gritty of the AP Physics exam, it’s
important for you to know that the AP exam is an authentic physics
test. What this means is that it’s not possible to “game” this test—in
order to do well, you must know your physics. Therefore, the
purpose of this book is twofold:
(1) to teach you the ways in which the AP exam tests your physics
knowledge, and
(2) to give you a review of the physics topics that will be tested—
and to give you some hints on how to approach these topics.
Everyone who takes the AP exam has just completed an AP
Physics course. Recognize that your physics course is the
place to start your exam preparation! Whether or not you are
satisfied with the quality of your course or your teacher, the best
way to start preparing for the exam is by doing careful, attentive
work in class all year long.
Okay, for many readers, we’re preaching to the choir. You don’t
want to hear about your physics class; you want the specifics about
the AP exam. If that’s the case, go ahead and turn to Chapter 2, and
get started on your exam-specific preparation. But we think that you
can get even more out of your physics class than you think you can.
Read these pieces of time-tested advice, follow them, and we
promise you’ll feel more comfortable about your class and about the
AP exam.
Don’t Cram
Yes, we know that you got an “A” on your history final because, after
you slept through class all semester, you studied for 15 straight
hours the day before the test and learned everything. And, yes, we
know you are willing to do the same thing this year for physics. We
warn you, both from our and from others’ experience: it won’t work.
Physics is not about memorization and regurgitation. Sure, there are
some equations you need to memorize. But problem-solving skills
cannot be learned overnight.
Furthermore, physics is cumulative. The topics you discuss in
December rely on the principles you learned in September. If you
don’t understand basic vector analysis and free-body diagrams, how
can you understand the relationship between an electric field (which
is a vector quantity) and an electric force, or the multitude of other
vector quantities that you will eventually study?
So, the answer is to keep up with the course. Spend some time
on physics every night, even if that time is only a couple of minutes,
even if you have no assignment due the next day. Spread your
“cram time” over the entire semester.
IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary: Learn what topics are tested, how the test is scored,
and basic test-taking information.
Key Ideas
Most colleges will award credit for a score of 4 or 5, some for a 3.
Multiple-choice questions account for half of your final score.
There is no penalty for guessing on the multiple-choice questions.
You should answer every question.
Free-response questions account for half of your final score.
Your composite score on the two test sections is converted to a
score on the 1-to-5 scale.
Background Information
The AP Physics exam was first offered by the College Board in 1954.
Since then, the number of students taking the test has grown
rapidly. In 2015, more than 90,000 students took at least one of the
AP Physics C exams, and those numbers go up every year.
Physics C
These courses are ONLY for those who have already taken a solid
introductory physics course and are considering a career in math or
science. Some schools teach Physics C as a follow-up to Physics 1,
but as long as you’ve had a rigorous introduction to the subject, that
introduction does not have to be at the AP level.
Physics C is two separate courses: (1) Newtonian Mechanics and
(2) Electricity and Magnetism. Of course, the Physics 1 and 2
courses cover these topics as well. However, the C courses go into
greater depth and detail. The problems are more involved, and they
demand a higher level of conceptual understanding. You can take
either or both 90-minute Physics C exams.
The C courses require some calculus. Although much of the
material can be handled without it, you should be taking a good
calculus course concurrently.
The answer is B. For this kind of question, you either remember the
equation for the capacitance of a parallel-plate capacitor, , or
you don’t. For help, turn to Chapter 6, Memorizing Equations in the
Shower.
You are given a sheet that contains a bunch of physical constants
(like the mass of a proton), SI units, and trigonometric values (like
“tan 45° = 1”). All in all, this sheet is pretty useless—you’ll probably
only refer to it during the course of the test if you need to look up
an obscure constant. That doesn’t happen as often as you might
think.
The free-response questions take 15 minutes apiece to answer,
and they test both your understanding of concepts and your mastery
of equations. Some of the free-response questions ask you to design
or interpret the results of an experimental setup; others are more
theoretical. Luckily, in addition to the constant sheet, you will also
get a sheet that contains every equation you will ever need. You still
need to have your equations memorized! It is not useful to hunt
through the equation sheet trying to find the one you need, any
more than it’s a useful writing strategy to hunt randomly through the
dictionary trying to find an appropriate word.
We talk in much more detail about both the multiple-choice and
the free-response sections of the test later, in Step 5, so don’t worry
if this is all a bit overwhelming now.
*Well, unless you write something like, “Hi, please kick Mr. Kirby in the butt for
me. Thank you! Sincerely, George.”
*For those who are taking a second-semester-only class, the registration deadline
is in March. Be careful about how your school labels their courses. If they clearly
label Mechanics as the first semester course and E&M as the second semester,
then you must sign up for Mechanics by November, but you can wait until March
for E&M. BUT! If they label Physics C as a single year-long course, then you must
sign up for both exams in November. Of course, I’d say, just sign up for both
exams in November regardless. Then there can’t be any confusion.
*Yes, I said pens. Your rule of thumb should be to do graphs in pencil and
everything else in pen. If you screw up, cross out your work and start over. Then
if you change your mind about what you crossed out, just circle it and say, “Hey,
reader, please grade this! I didn’t mean to cross it out!”
CHAPTER 3
IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary: What to study for the Physics C exam, plus three
schedules to help you plan.
Key Ideas
Focus your attention and study time on those topics that are most
likely to increase your score.
Study the topics that you’re afraid will appear, and relax about
those that you’re best at.
Don’t study so widely that you don’t get good at some specific
type of problem.
The AP Physics exam is held on a Monday afternoon in mid-May. You
may think that you just started your exam preparation today, when
you opened this book . . . but, in reality, you have been getting
ready for the AP test all year. The AP exam is an authentic test of
your physics knowledge and skills. Your AP Physics class presumably
is set up to teach those skills. So, don’t give your class short shrift.
Diligent attention to your class lectures, demonstrations, and
assignments can only save you preparation time in the long run.
Of course, you may not be satisfied with the quantity or quality
of your in-class instruction. And even if your class is the best in the
country, you will still need a reminder of what you covered way back
at the beginning of the year. That’s where this book, and
extracurricular AP exam preparation, are useful.
"Rakastaa."
"Asanovin luo."
"Etkö tahdo? Etkö sinä silloin ole syypää, etkö sinä ole tehnyt
pahoin?"
Pasinkov läksi.
*****
"Olin."
"Ei, sitä en voi sanoa. Minä odotin paljon enempää vastusta. Hän
ei ole niin tyhjä eikä ylpeä kuitenkaan, kuin minä hänestä luulin."
"Vai niin…"
"Mitä hän…"
"Ja nyt minä tietysti en enää saata käydä heillä?" sanoin minä
murheissani.
"Miksi et? Silloin tällöin sinä kyllä saatat käydä siellä, ja sinun
pitääkin käydä, ett'ei saataisi aihetta lörpötyksiin ja väärin käsityksiin.
"Voi Jakov, sinä et nyt voi muuta kuin halveksia minua!" vaikeroin
minä, jaksaen töin tuskin pidättää kyyneliäni.
"Voi, pikku isä, huonosti, hyvin huonosti!" vastasi hän huoaten. "Te
ette suinkaan tunne häntä enää. Näyttää, kuin hänellä ei enää olisi
pitkää elonaikaa jäljellä. Juuri sentähden me vain oleskelemmekin
täällä, että hän on niin heikko. Me olemme matkalla Odessaan,
näettäkös, oikein kunnolliseen parannuslaitokseen."
"Siperiastako!"
"Olkaa hyvä, tulkaa ylös, olkaa niin hyvä!" huusi Jelisei rapuilta.
"Jakov Ivanits ikävöitsee teitä nähdäksensä."
"Nuolestako!"
"Te ette jaksa puhua niin paljoa", sanoi Jelisei, joka oli koko ajan
huoneessa.
"Ja nyt", jatkoi Pasinkov, avaten silmänsä, mutta pää vielä tyynyn
varassa, "olen minä jo toista viikkoa maannut tähän pikku komeroon
suljettuna. Luullakseni lienen jollakin tavalla vilustunut. Piirilääkäri
hoitelee minua. Hänet kyllä saat kohta nähdä luullakseni. Hän
näyttää ymmärtävän asian varsin hyvästi. Muuten minä olen iloissani
tästä sattumasta, sillä mitenpä minä muulla tavalla olisin saanutkaan
nähdä sinua."
"Olkaa hyvä, sanokaa, herra tohtori", aloin minä heti, kuin hän
pääsi istumaan suureen, mukavaan nojatuoliin, "millainen on
ystäväni tila? Onko hän vaarassa?"
"On se."
"Kaupungin lääkäri."
"Miksikä ei?"
"Mitäpä siitä, että olenkin täysi lääkäri. Ettekö ehkä luule minun
sillä ymmärtävän homoiopatiaakin? Kyllä, yhtä hyvin kuin kuka muu
hyvänsä. Täällä on apteekkari, joka parantelee homolopatialla eikä
hän ole edes suorittanut mitään tieteellistä tutkintoakaan."
"Vai niin, no, siinä teitte hyvin, siinä", vastasi hän ja läksi hitaasti
laskeutumaan alas rappusia.
"Niin, tee niin, siitä tulee hauskaa!" vastasi hän iloisesti. "Kuten
ennen Winterkellerissä, muistatko? Mutta mitä lukisimme? Katso
tuolta ikkunalta, siellä minun kirjani ovat."
"Lermontov."
taikka tätä:
Minä punastuin.
"Minä sanoin hänelle kaikki, koko totuuden. Minä puhuin aina totta
hänen kanssansa. Kaikki teeskenteleminen hänen edessään olisi
ollut synti."
"Mutta, sanos sinä minulle", alkoi hän taas, "unhotitko sinä hänet
pian?"
"Ja kaiken sen sinä sait tietää minulta, ystävä parka, etkä sinä
sanallakaan, et ainoallakaan äänen väräyksellä ilmaissut, mitä sinä
itse kärsit, läksit vain selvittelemään asiata hänen kanssansa."