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AP® Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism Self-Paced

Syllabus

Unit 1: Electrostatics (Topics 1 and 2)

Topic 1: Electric Chargers and Fields

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe the electric force that results from the interactions between charged objects or systems.
  • Describe the behavior of a system using the law of the conservation of charge.
  • Describe the electric field produced by a charged object or configuration of point charges.
  • Describe the electric field generated by charged conductors or uniformly charged solid objects.
  • Describe the electric field resulting from a given charge distribution.

Topic 2: Gauss’s Law

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe the electric flux through an arbitrary area or geometric shape.
  • Describe the properties of a charge distribution by applying Gauss's law.

Unit 2: Electric Potential (Topics 3 and 4)

Topic 3: Electric Potential

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe the electric potential energy of a system.
  • Describe the electric potential due to a configuration of charged objects.

Topic 4: Potential and Field

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe the relationship between electric potential and electric field.
  • Describe changes in a system due to a difference in electric potential between two locations.

Unit 3: Conductors and Capacitors (Topics 5 and 6)

Topic 5: Conductors

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe the charge distribution within a conductor.
  • Describe the movement of charge and the resulting interactions when conductors physically contact each other.

Topic 6: Capacitors

Learning Objectives

  • Describe the physical properties of a parallel plate capacitor.
  • Describe how a dielectric inserted between the plates of a capacitor changes the properties of the capacitor.

Unit 4: Electric Circuits (Topics 7-9)

Topic 7: Current and Resistance

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe the movement of electric charges through a medium.
  • Describe the resistance of an object using physical properties of that object.

Topic 8: Fundamentals of Circuits

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe the behavior of a circuit.
  • Describe the electrical characteristics of elements within a circuit.
  • Describe the transfer of energy into, out of, or within an electrical circuit in terms of power.
  • Describe the equivalent resistance of multiple resistors connected in a circuit.
  • Describe a circuit with resistive wires and a battery with internal resistance.
  • Describe the measurement of current and potential difference within a circuit.

Topic 9: Expanding Circuits

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe a circuit or elements within a circuit by applying Kirchhoff's Loop rule.
  • Describe a circuit or elements within a circuit by applying Kirchhoff's Junction rule.
  • Describe the equivalent capacitance of multiple capacitors.
  • Describe the behavior of circuits containing combinations of resistors and capacitors

Unit 5: Magnetic Fields and Electromagnetism (Topics 10-12)

Topic 10: Magnetism

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe the properties of a magnetic field.
  • Describe the magnetic behavior of material as a result of the configuration of magnetic dipoles within the material.
  • Describe the magnetic permeability of a material.

Topic 11: Magnetism and Moving Charge

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe the magnetic field produced by moving charged objects.
  • Describe the force exerted on moving charged objects by a magnetic field.
  • Describe the magnetic field produced by a current-carrying wire.
  • Describe the force exerted on a current carrying wires by a magnetic field.

Topic 12: Magnetic Laws

Learning Objectives:

  • Use Ampere's law to describe the magnetic field created by a moving charge carrier.
  • Describe the behavior of a system using the laws of the conservation of charge.
  • Describe the resistance of an object using physical properties of an object
  • Describe the magnetic field produced by a current-carrying wire.
  • Describe the rotation of a system with respect to time using angular displacement, angular velocity, and acceleration
  • Describe the induced electric potential difference resulting from a change in magnetic flux.

Unit 6: Electromagnetic Induction (Topics 13-14)

Topic 13: Electromagnetic Induction

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe the magnetic flux through an arbitrary area or geometric shape.
  • Describe the induced electric potential difference resulting from a change in magnetic flux.
  • Describe the forces exerted on a object that arise from magnetic interaction.
  • Describe the physical and electrical properties of an inductor.

Topic 14: Inductors and Circuits

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe the physical and electrical properties of a circuit containing combinations of capacitors and a single inductor.
  • Describe the physical and electrical properties of a circuit containing combinations of reistors and a single inductor

Unit 7: Review and AP Practice Exam (Topics 15-17)

Topic 15: Electricity & Magnetism Review and AP Practice Exam

Learning Objectives:

  • Review knowledge of Electricity and Magnetism topics and prepare for the AP Physics C Exam by completing Progress Checks.
  • Take a Mechanics AP Practice Exam.

Topic 16: AP Exam Review and Reflection

Learning Objectives:

  • Reflect on performance on AP Practice Exam.
  • Prepare to take the real AP Exam.

Topic 17: Course End Tasks

Learning Objectives:

  • Provide feedback about your experience in this course.
  • Reflect on how well prepared you feel for the exam.
  • Properly disassemble the lab kit