Physics

[Janus]

OK, so the topics for the AP Physics B exam are

Vectors

Kinematics

Newton's Laws

Work, Energy, and power

Linear Momentum

Rotational Motion (I had a lot of trouble with this area)
1. Rotational dynamics
2. Torque
3. Equilibrium
Newton's Law of gravitation

Oscillations
I don't understand the kinematics part of this. Other topics include simple harmonic motion and pendulums

Thermal physics

Waves

Fluid mechanics

(Had major trouble with the following topics)
Electric forces and fields
Topics: Electric charge, Coulomb's Law, Electric field, Conductors + Insulators,

Electric potential and capacitance
Topics: Electrical PE, Electrical energy, capacitance, combinations of capacitators, energy stored in capacitator.

DC Circuits
Topics: resistance, Electric circuits, circuit analysis, RC circuits

Magnetic circuits and fields
Topics: Magnetic force on moving charge, Magnetic force on current carrying wire, magnetic fields created by current carrying wires

Electromagnetic induction
Topics: Motional EMF, Faraday's Law

Optics
Had some trouble with ray drawing here

Atomic and nuclear physics
(Still on this subject)

[Janus]

The SAT II Physics exam has relatively the same topics except some additional stuff like for example: dielectrics.

Furthermore, the SAT II tests specific fields while the AP exam is more hoilistic and tries to combine several subject areas into one question thereby increasing the difficulty.

[ComradeRed]

Here is a study guide

Well, vectors aren't too difficult a subject. Vector addition is best shown by demonstration. Suppose we had two 2-dimensional vectors A and B we were adding together.

We first take the components of A=<a,b> and B=<c,d>, then add the x components and y components thus giving us <a+c, b+d>=A+B.

Makes sense? So if A=-B, then A+B=<0,0>

Kinematics

Well, if we take the change of the x component with respect to time to be X, and the change of the y component with respect to time to be Y (or if you prefer more simply, the time derivative of x to be X, and time derivative of y to be Y), then the velocity vector we have is <X,Y>.

The double time derivative of the x component is X&#39; and the double time derivative of y is Y&#39;, then the acceleration vector = <X&#39;, Y&#39;>.

Velocity = change in position with respect to time

Acceleration = change in velocity with respect to time

Newton&#39;s Laws

An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion, unless acted on by an outside force

Force = mass * acceleration

All forces occur in pairs, and these two forces are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.

Work, Energy, and power

Work = Force * displacement = power * time

Energy = kinetic energy + potential energy = (1/2)m*v^2 + V for some potential energy V.

Power = work/time

Linear Momentum

For some mass m and some velocity vector v, then the linear momentum vector p is

p=mv

Rotational Motion (I had a lot of trouble with this area)
1. Rotational dynamics
2. Torque
3. Equilibrium

So if you had the cross product of linear momentum vector and the displacement vector of the particle, you get the angular momentum L.

Torque is the time derivative of the linear momentum.

Equilibrium I assume means "Conservation of angular momentum"? That would mean that if you have a closed system n bodies with n different angular momentum values, and if it is changed over time, then the dot product of the angular momentum vector with itself at time t_{0} is equal to the dot product of the angular momentum vector with itself at time t_{1}.

The system is the sum of its parts

Oscillations

Be more specific please.

Thermal physics

Thermodynamics, you mean?

What specifically?

Electric forces and fields
Topics: Electric charge, Coulomb&#39;s Law, Electric field, Conductors + Insulators,

Lemme work on this one.

I&#39;ll see what I can do for the others

[bezdomni]

Ohm&#39;s Law: Current = Voltage/Resistance

or I=V/R

[Janus]

Be more specific please.

For oscillations, I just don&#39;t understand when kinematics is added to it.

Thermodynamics, you mean?

What specifically?

I think I &#39;m fine with thermodynamics.

[Janus]

Ohm&#39;s Law: Current = Voltage/Resistance

or I=V/R

If it were only that easy. Equations are given to us so I don&#39;t need to really worry about it.

[ComradeRed]

I found this on electromagnetism, I skimmed the index and it seems good.

You may also want to look at this, or this.

[bloody_capitalist_sham]

You are all so clever knowing this stuff.

I am totally in awe.

What kind of simple sites are there that i can browse and get the basics of this, i find it strangly compelling, a quick google though gave me sites i couldnt understand.

cheers

[Janus]

You are all so clever knowing this stuff.

Well, he is a theoretical physicist.


I make the biggest physics error on my nuclear physics test. I forgot to convert the unified mass system to kilograms when plugging it into the e=mc^2 equation. So stupid of me&#33;

[Janus]

ComradeRed, good call on the equation thing. That helped a lot even though I couldn&#39;t remember all the equations.

I find it extremely stupid to not provide us an equation sheet on the multiple-choice. Anyways, I got more Physics exams to go.

[ComradeRed]

Yeah, I didn&#39;t want to come off as a jerk, but when you are dealing with something like elementary physics, the only way to really learn effectively is by playing with the equations.

Of course, you have to be strictly honest and do the hard work. That way, when you are old like me, you can just use the shorter way and say "Back in my day, we had to do this while showing all our work, in triplicate, and we had to walk fifteen miles just to do an experiment...in the snow...uphill...both ways&#33;"

Which reminds me, did I ever tell you of the time when I had to do an experiment and had to walk fifteen miles in the snow? :P

[Janus]

Which reminds me, did I ever tell you of the time when I had to do an experiment and had to walk fifteen miles in the snow?

No, that sounds like one of the stories that my parents would tell me. Please proceed.

Anyways, the exams were okay except in a free fall problem with an initial x velocity, I forgot to calculate the y components and plug it in in order to find the final speed. Damn&#33;