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Fall 2026AP Physics 2 is the second algebra-based AP physics course, covering thermodynamics, electricity and magnetism, optics, waves, and modern physics.
The course follows the current seven-unit AP Physics 2 sequence: Thermodynamics; Electric Force, Field, and Potential; Electric Circuits; Magnetism and Electromagnetism; Geometric Optics; Waves, Sound, and Physical Optics; and Modern Physics.
Use this path when students need AP-style reasoning across representations, experiments, graphs, circuits, fields, ray diagrams, wave models, and free-response explanations.
AP Physics 2 Learning Outcomes
AP Unit 9: Thermodynamics
15-18% of exam
• Connect temperature, pressure, and thermal energy to microscopic particle motion and ideal-gas behavior.
• Use PV diagrams, the ideal gas law, and the first law of thermodynamics to reason about energy transfer, heating, cooling, and work.
• Treat entropy and the second law qualitatively, emphasizing energy spreading and thermal equilibrium.
AP Unit 10: Electric Force, Field, and Potential
15-18% of exam
• Use Coulomb's law and field models to reason about interactions among charged particles and simple charge distributions.
• Connect electric potential energy, electric potential, and electric fields across graphs, diagrams, and equations.
• Analyze parallel-plate capacitors and energy storage while respecting AP limits on high-symmetry or small-particle-count systems.
AP Unit 11: Electric Circuits
15-18% of exam
• Analyze current, resistance, potential difference, and power in DC circuits using circuit diagrams and measurements.
• Combine Kirchhoff-style reasoning with series and parallel relationships for resistors, batteries, meters, and capacitors.
• Describe RC charging and discharging qualitatively, focusing on initial and final states rather than full time-dependent models.
AP Unit 12: Magnetism and Electromagnetism
12-15% of exam
• Model magnetic fields produced by magnets and currents, and analyze magnetic forces on moving charges and current-carrying wires.
• Use magnetic flux, Faraday's law, and Lenz's law to explain induced currents and changing-field situations.
• Connect electromagnetic induction to generators, transformers, and energy transfer without requiring calculus-based field models.
AP Unit 13: Geometric Optics
12-15% of exam
• Use ray models to describe reflection, refraction, image formation, and optical instruments.
• Analyze plane mirrors, spherical mirrors, and thin lenses with diagrams and algebraic relationships.
• Connect image properties to physical setups: real versus virtual, upright versus inverted, magnification, and object distance.
AP Unit 14: Waves, Sound, and Physical Optics
12-15% of exam
• Describe mechanical waves, standing waves, sound, and resonance plus qualitative Doppler-effect situations.
• Use interference, diffraction, and path-length reasoning to explain physical optics phenomena.
• Relate electromagnetic waves to wavelength, frequency, spectrum ordering, and wave-matter interactions.
AP Unit 15: Modern Physics
12-15% of exam
• Use photon models, blackbody radiation, the photoelectric effect, and Compton scattering to reason about light-matter interactions.
• Interpret energy-level diagrams, emission and absorption spectra, and single-electron atomic transitions.
• Connect nuclear processes, mass-energy equivalence, and conservation laws at the AP algebra-based level.
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- Full-length practice exams
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