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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Greg Jacobs is chairman of the science department at Woodberry Forest
School, the nation’s premier boarding school for boys. Over the years, Greg has
taught all flavors of AP physics. He is a reader and consultant for the College
Board, which means he grades AP physics exams, and he runs professional
development seminars for other AP teachers. Greg is president of the USAYPT,
a nonprofit organization promoting physics research at the high school level.
Greg was recently honored as an AP Teacher of the Year by the Siemens
Foundation. Outside the classroom, Greg has coached football, baseball, and
debate. He is the play-by-play voice of Woodberry sports on the Internet,
calling football, baseball, soccer, and basketball games. Greg writes the
prominent physics teaching blog available at www.jacobsphysics.blogspot.com.
CONTENTS
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Five-Step Program
Get to Know the Exam and Set Up Your Study
STEP 1
Program
1 Frequently Asked Questions About the AP Physics 1
Exam
FAQs: The AP Physics Program
FAQs: The AP Physics 1 Exam
2 Understanding the Exam: The AP Physics 1
Revolution
What Happened to the AP Physics Test?
What Is AP Physics 1? Eleven Things You
Should Know About the Course and Exam
3 How to Use Your Time
Personalizing Your Study Plan
Plan A: You Have a Full School Year to
Prepare
Plan B: You Have One Semester to Prepare
Plan C: You Have Six Weeks to Prepare
Determine Your Test Readiness
STEP 2
4 Test Yourself: AP Physics 1 Fundamentals
Self-Assessment: AP Physics 1
Fundamentals
Solutions for the AP Physics 1 Fundamentals
Self-Assessment
5 Test Yourself: AP Physics 1 Question Types
Self-Assessment: Question Types
Solutions for the AP Physics 1 Question
Types Assessment
Develop Strategies for Success
STEP 3
6 Strategies to Get the Most Out of Your AP Physics
Course
Seven Simple Strategies to Get the Most Out
of Your AP Physics Course
7 Strategies to Approach the Questions on the Exam
Tools You Can Use and Strategies for Using
Them
Strategies for Questions That Involve a
Ranking Task
Strategies for Questions That Involve
Graphs
8 Strategies to Approach the Questions: Free-
Response Section
Structure of the Free-Response Section
How to Approach the Laboratory Question
The Qualitative-Quantitative Translation
(QQT)
What Do the Exam Readers Look For?
Final Advice About the Free-Response
Questions
9 Strategies to Approach the Questions: Multiple-
Choice Section
Multiple-Choice Questions
Multiple-Correct: A New Question Type
Preparing for the Multiple-Choice Section of
the Test
Final Strategies for the Multiple-Choice
Section
Review the Knowledge You Need to Score High
STEP 4
10 Motion in a Straight Line
Introduction to Motion in a Straight Line
Graphical Analysis of Motion
Algebraic Analysis of Motion
Practice Problems
Solutions to Practice Problems
Rapid Review
11 Forces and Newton’s Laws
Describing Forces: Free-Body Diagrams
Determining the Net Force
Newton’s Third Law
Forces at Angles
Practice Problems
Solutions to Practice Problems
Rapid Review
12 Collisions: Impulse and Momentum
The Impulse-Momentum Theorem
Conservation of Momentum
Motion of the Center of Mass
Practice Problems
Solutions to Practice Problems
Rapid Review
13 Work and Energy
Energy
Work
The Work-Energy Theorem
Power
Practice Problems
Solutions to Practice Problems
Rapid Review
14 Rotation
Circular Motion
Torque
Rotational Kinematics
Rotational Inertia
Newton’s Second Law for Rotation
Angular Momentum
Rotational Kinetic Energy
Practice Problems
Solutions to Practice Problems
Rapid Review
15 Gravitation
Determining the Gravitational Field
Determining Gravitational Force
Force of Two Planets on One Another—
Order of Magnitude Estimates
Gravitational Potential Energy
Gravitational and Inertial Mass
Fundamental Forces: Gravity Versus
Electricity
Practice Problems
Solutions to Practice Problems
Rapid Review
16 Electricity: Coulomb’s Law and Circuits
Electric Charge
Circuits
Practice Problems
Solutions to Practice Problems
Rapid Review
17 Waves and Simple Harmonic Motion
Simple Harmonic Motion
Waves
Practice Problems
Solutions to Practice Problems
Rapid Review
18 Extra Drills on Difficult but Frequently Tested Topics
How to Use This Chapter
Springs and Graphs
Tension
Inclined Planes
Motion Graphs
Simple Circuits
Build Your Test-Taking Confidence
STEP 5
AP Physics 1 Practice Exam: Section I
(Multiple-Choice)
AP Physics 1 Practice Exam: Section II
(Free-Response)
Solutions: AP Physics 1 Practice Exam,
Section I (Multiple-Choice)
Solutions: AP Physics 1 Practice Exam,
Section II (Free-Response)
Scoring Your Practice Exam
Appendixes
Table of Information
The Pantheon of Pizza
PREFACE
Why is this book different from all other AP Physics prep books?
The quality of the prep book starts with the author. Greg Jacobs has
taught all versions of AP (and not-AP) physics since 1996. His hundreds of
students over the years have a greater than 99 percent pass rate; more than 70
percent earn 5s. Greg has graded the exams, he has written questions that have
appeared on exams, and he has taught teachers how to teach to the exams. The
leading blog about physics teaching is his—“Jacobs Physics.” (Take a look at
it.) Your author isn’t some med student looking for extra cash, or a no-name
college professor. Greg knows what he’s talking about, and the proof is in the
results and feedback from his students.
AP Physics 1 emphasizes conceptual understanding over algebraic
manipulation and so does this book. So many people presume that physics is
about finding the right numbers to plug into the right equation. That couldn’t be
farther from the truth. Successful physics students can explain why they chose a
specific equation. They can explain what values for each variable are
reasonable, and why. They can explain the physical meaning of any
mathematical manipulation—how would this problem look in the laboratory?
What equipment would be used to measure these values? The AP Physics 1
exam mostly asks questions that are not about number crunching. Greg has been
teaching “beyond the numbers” for years, and he brings his expertise in
explaining complex concepts in simple language.
Your textbook is impenetrable, even to senior physics majors. This
prep book is readable. Be honest—when you read your textbook, you really
just try the problems at the end of the chapter, then look back for a template of
how to do those problems. Well, this book’s content review is structured around
this very method. Greg poses example equations and talks you through them. On
the way, he shows you the relevant facts and equations, as well as how you are
supposed to know they are relevant. He explains not just the answer, but the
thought process behind the answer. You do not have to be already good at
physics to understand the text.
This book’s practice tests and practice questions are authentic. One of
the primary tenets of Greg’s physics teaching is that in-class tests should look
exactly like the real AP exams. The College Board has published a curriculum
guide that provides express guidance as to the style and content of the exam
questions. Greg’s practice tests are derived directly from what the curriculum
