Introduction to AP Physics 1

0:00(cord rattling) - [Instructor] How does NASA train astronauts for a weightless environment here on Earth? How do we figure out the minimum speed needed to escape Earth's gravity? And why do the ice skaters spin faster as they pull their arms in? Welcome to AP Physics 1, an introductory college-level algebra-based mechanics course.

0:26Here we'll answer questions like these and more, both intuitively and rigorously by building mathematical models. At its core, physics is about observing patterns, describing them with mathematical models, and then using those models to predict the future. And that's exactly what we'll do in this course.

0:46So we will start with kinematics where we start learning about how to describe motion, how to measure it, represent it in multiple ways, and extend those ideas into multiple dimensions. Then we'll move to dynamics where we ask the deeper question, what causes motion to change?

1:07This will take us to forces and Newton's laws, giving us the tools to model gravity, friction, springs, and more. From there on, we'll develop some powerful ideas, like energy and momentum. These will help us analyze stuff like collisions, even in complex situations like the Large Hadron Collider without having to track every single detail.

1:30And then we'll extend these ideas to rotations where we'll build concepts like torque and angular momentum, which will help us analyze everything from rolling objects to orbiting satellites. From there on, we'll explore oscillations and harmonic oscillators, which will help us understand springs and pendulum systems.

1:52And finally, we'll study fluids where we'll dig deep into the idea of pressure, buoyancy and how fluids flow. So whether you're preparing for an AP exam or taking an introductory college physics course, or, you know, just simply curious about how we as humanity unravel the rules of this physical world, well, then this course is for you because you won't be just watching videos, you'll actively engage with the ideas through our interactive articles where you can check your understanding thoroughly.

2:29You'll also work through a wide range of practice questions. There are multiple choice questions, questions where you graph on your own and problems where you even derive expressions yourself. These will help you prepare for free response questions. And if you get stuck, there are hints to guide and nudge you towards the right direction.

2:50And by the way, many of these questions include reference information drawn directly from the AP Physics 1 equation sheet, you know, the same sheet you'll have access to during the AP exam. So once again, welcome to AP Physics 1. I'll see you inside.