← Back to Catalog

AP® Physics 1 Self-Paced Virtual Lab

AP® Physics 1 Self-Paced Virtual Lab

AP® Physics 1 is equivalent to a first semester, algebra-based, introductory Physics college-level course. The rigor of this course is consistent with colleges and universities and will prepare students for the Advanced Placement exam in May. Upon successful completion of the exam, students may receive college credit and will be well-prepared for advanced physics coursework. Additional details on this course from College Board can be found here: AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based.

Students will investigate topics such as Newtonian mechanics, including kinematics, dynamics, circular motion, orbits and gravity, work and energy, impulse and momentum, simple harmonic motion, fluid dynamics and rotational motion. Emphasis is placed on Conservation Laws, including energy, linear momentum, angular momentum and mass.

This course incorporates a variety of textbook and multimedia resources and has a comprehensive virtual lab program that meets College Board requirements. Students will perform virtual lab work and experiments, share experimental data to analyze larger data sets, and participate in lab-based discussions with their peers. Students will also engage in collaborative activities that develop scientific literacy and connect physics principles to real-world applications and current events.

Students will be expected to enroll in My AP Classroom through their VHS Learning AP course and will be guided to complete review work in My AP Classroom throughout the course. My AP Classroom resources include AP Daily Videos and unit-based Personal Progress Checks, which include AP-style multiple choice and free response questions.

Students enrolled in VHS Learning Advanced Placement courses with a passing grade are expected to take the AP Exam. Students register for AP exams through their local school or testing site as “Exam Only” students. AP exam scores will be reported to VHS Learning through My AP Classroom; exam results will not affect the student’s VHS Learning grade or future enrollment in VHS Learning courses.

About the Self-Paced Course Model

Self-Paced courses are comprehensive and designed for students who need or desire more flexibility in their academic schedule. VHS Learning teachers will regularly interact with students in asynchronous discussions, will host weekly office hours, and will invite students to monthly 1-on-1 progress meetings. Teachers will support students, answer questions, and provide feedback on work. Students will work independently on course activities; the course does not include class discussion assignments or other collaborative work.

Students may start this course on any Wednesday from September through the first Wednesday in December. Students must maintain enrollment for a minimum of 20 weeks and have until mid-June to complete all assignments in the course. It is expected that students will work for approximately 330 hours to complete this course, though the amount of time may vary depending on a student’s work habits and comfort with the material.

This course includes a virtual lab kit.

Acknowledgements

  • One full year of high school Algebra 2.
  • In addition to the enrollment fee, this course has an Additional Course Fee of $80.
  • Prior experience in a comprehensive, hands-on lab course is required.
  • I acknowledge my student is enrolling in a self-paced course.

Course Objectives

Course Essential Questions:

  • How do we distinguish an object from a system and how does the internal structure of a system determine its properties?
  • How do fields that exist in space explain interactions between objects and systems?
  • How do forces describe the interactions between objects?
  • How do interactions between systems result in changes within those systems?
  • How do conservation laws constrain the changes that occur as a result of interactions between systems?
  • How are the forces acting on objects within a fluid and the behavior of the fluid influenced by its physical properties?

Course Learning Objectives:

  • Use representations and models to communicate physics phenomena and solve physics problems.
  • Use mathematics appropriately to calculate unknown physics values and support physics principles.
  • Engage in scientific questioning to extend thinking or to guide investigations within the context of the AP Physics 1 curriculum.
  • Plan and implement data collection strategies in relation to a particular scientific question.
  • Perform data analysis and evaluation of evidence.
  • Articulate scientific principles, laws or concepts and justify claims with evidence.
  • Connect and relate knowledge across various scales, concepts and representations in and across domains of physics.

Additional Requirements

  • Students will need to access a number of YouTube videos throughout the course.
  • Accessibility Note: Although every effort has been made to make this course accessible to all students, some resources or activities in this course, such as audio files, images of visual art pieces, or hands-on activities, may present accessibility challenges.
  • Students will use the web app version of Vernier Video Analysis and will be required to have access to a Chrome browser to use the application.
  • Students in this Self-Paced class will be required to complete the AP Summer Work assignment as a prerequisite knowledge activity before beginning Unit 1 of the Self-Paced course. Students who enroll prior to their chosen start date are welcome to visit the AP Summer Work Directory and complete the assignment for this course, so they are ready to submit it when they receive access to the course.