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Topic Outline

Physics B seeks to be representative of topics covered in similar college courses, as determined by periodic surveys. Accordingly, goals have been set for percentage coverage of five general areas. See the topic outline for each area:

Many colleges and universities include additional topics such as special relativity. Some AP teachers may wish to add such supplementary material to an AP Physics B course. Many teachers have found that a good time to do this is late in the year, after the AP Exams have been given.

Comparison of Topics in Physics B and Physics C

The table below identifies the content of the Physics B and C Exams. These percentages indicate the approximate weighting of the major categories for the entire exam. For each category, important subtopics are listed. Questions for the examination will come from these subtopics, but not all of the subtopics will necessarily be included in every examination, just as they are not necessarily included in every AP or college course.

Please note: Although fewer topics are covered in Physics C than in Physics B, they are covered in greater depth and with greater analytical and mathematical sophistication, including calculus applications.

check Subtopics that are covered in Physics C, but not Physics B.

Percentage Goals for Examinations
Content Area Physics B Physics C
I. Newtonian Mechanics 35% 50%
A. Kinematics (including vectors, vector algebra, components of vectors, coordinate systems, displacement, velocity, and acceleration)
  1. Motion in one dimension
  2. Motion in two dimensions including projectile motion
 7% 9%
B. Newton's laws of motion
  1. Static equilibrium (first law)
  2. Dynamics of a single particle (second law)
  3. Systems of two or more bodies (third law)
 9% 10%
C. Work, energy, power
  1. Work and work-energy theorem
  2. Forces and potential energy
  3. Conservation of energy
  4. Power
 5% 7%
D. Systems of particles, linear momentum
  1. Center of mass check
  2. Impulse and momentum
  3. Conservation of linear momentum, collisions
 4% 6%
E. Circular motion and rotation
  1. Uniform circular motion
  2. Torque and rotational statics
  3. Rotational kinematics and dynamics check
  4. Angular momentum and its conservationcheck
 4% 9%
F. Oscillations and gravitation
  1. Simple harmonic motion (dynamics and energy relationships)
  2. Mass on a spring
  3. Pendulum and other oscillations
  4. Newton's law of gravity
  5. Orbits of planets and satellites
    1. Circular
    2. General check
 6% 9%
II. Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Physics 15% N/A
A. Fluid Mechanics
  1. Hydrostatic pressure
  2. Buoyancy
  3. Fluid flow continuity
  4. Bernoulli's equation
 6%  
B. Temperature and heat
  1. Mechanical equivalent of heat
  2. Heat transfer and thermal expansion
 2%  
C. Kinetic theory and thermodynamics
  1. Ideal gases
    1. Kinetic model
    2. Ideal gas law
  2. Laws of thermodynamics
    1. First law (including processes on pV diagrams)
    2. Second law (including heat engines)
 7%  
III. Electricity and Magnetism 25% 50%
A. Electrostatics
  1. Charge and Coulomb's law
  2. Electric field and electric potential (including point charges)
  3. Gauss's law check
  4. Fields and potentials of other
    charge distributions check
 5% 15%
B. Conductors, capacitors, dielectrics
  1. Electrostatics with conductors
  2. Capacitors
    1. Capacitance
    2. Parallel plate
    3. Spherical and cylindrical check
  3. Dielectrics check
 4% 7%
C. Electric circuits
  1. Current, resistance, power
  2. Steady-state direct current circuits with batteries and resistors only
  3. Capacitors in circuits
    1. Steady state
    2. Transients in RC circuits check
 7% 10%
D. Magnetic Fields
  1. Forces on moving charges in magnetic fields
  2. Forces on current-carrying wires in magnetic fields
  3. Fields of long current-carrying wires
  4. Biot-Savart's law and Ampere's law check
 4% 10%
E. Electromagnetism
  1. Electromagnetic induction (including Faraday's law and Lenz's law)
  2. Inductance (including LR and LC circuits) check
  3. Maxwell's equations check
 5% 8%
IV. Waves and Optics 15% N/A
A. Wave motion (including sound)
  1. Traveling waves
  2. Wave propagation
  3. Standing waves
  4. Superposition
 5%  
B. Physical optics
  1. Interference and diffraction
  2. Dispersion of light and the electromagnetic spectrum
 5%  
C. Geometric optics
  1. Reflection and refraction
  2. Mirrors
  3. Lenses
 5%  
V. Atomic and Nuclear Physics 10% N/A
A. Atomic physics and quantum effects
  1. Photons, the photoelectric effect, Compton scattering, x-rays
  2. Atomic energy levels
  3. Wave-particle duality
 7%  
B. Nuclear physics
  1. Nuclear reactions (including conservation of mass number and charge)
  2. Mass-energy equivalence
 3%