Summer AP/IB Physics Foundational Course

This preview course focuses on mechanics, in preparation for the AP Physics 1 and Physics IB curriculum offered in the fall.  Emphasis is on the most important topics which form a foundation for understanding the entire AP/IB Physics course, with concentration on the most troublesome aspects of mechanics for students new to college-level physics.  Particular topics include, but are not limited to, what follows. Vector quantities (displacement, velocity, & acceleration) versus scalar quantities (distance, path length & speed), including their average and instantaneous value  Graphs of physical quantities and their interpretations in terms of their slopes as rates of change & areas under the graphs.  Consistency of graphs of displacement, velocity, and acceleration. Projectile (2-D) motion of point masses.  Independence of horizontal and vertical motions.  Effects of fluid resistance (air drag) and terminal velocity. Newton's 3 laws of motion and their applications.  Forces