The Cushman School — Miami, FL
Calculus-based mechanics — seven units covering kinematics, forces, energy, momentum, rotation, and oscillations using derivatives and integrals throughout.
Overview
AP Physics C: Mechanics uses calculus throughout — derivatives and integrals are not just tools, they are the language in which the physical laws are written. The course covers seven units spanning kinematics, translational and rotational dynamics, energy, momentum, and oscillations.
This course requires concurrent or prior enrollment in calculus. Students who pass the exam earn credit equivalent to a first-semester university physics course, placing them directly into upper-division coursework at most universities.
Curriculum
Unit 1
Scalars and vectors; displacement, velocity, and acceleration; 1D and 2D motion; reference frames and relative motion.
Unit 2
Newton's three laws; free-body diagrams; gravity, friction, spring, and resistive forces; circular motion.
Unit 3
Work-energy theorem; translational kinetic energy; conservative forces; potential energy; conservation of mechanical energy; power.
Unit 4
Impulse and momentum; conservation of linear momentum; elastic and inelastic collisions; center of mass.
Unit 5
Rotational kinematics; torque; rotational inertia; rotational equilibrium; Newton's Second Law in rotational form.
Unit 6
Rotational kinetic energy; angular momentum and impulse; conservation of angular momentum; rolling motion; orbital mechanics.
Unit 7
Simple harmonic motion; frequency and period; energy of SHM; simple and physical pendulums.
Based on the AP Physics C: Mechanics Course and Exam Description.
Resources