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College Physics II

Partially released · 6%
Master the second half of introductory physics without needing calculus. Usually taken after College Physics I, but can be taken on its own as well. College Physics II covers heat, electric fields, circuits, magnetism, waves, optics, and modern physics. This course is under development. We will start by releasing the content shared by the High School Physics (TEKS) course. This will be complete by the end of the summer. Then, throughout the fall of 2026, we will fill in the rest of the course: greater depth in all units, and extra full units of topics not covered by TEKs at all.

College Physics II Learning Outcomes

Thermodynamics

• 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.

Electric Force, Field, and Potential

• 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 in standard algebra-based configurations.

Electric Circuits

• 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.

Magnetism and Electromagnetism

• 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.

Geometric Optics

• 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.

Waves, Sound, and Physical Optics

• 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.

Modern Physics

• 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 algebra-based introductory level.

Related courses

Harder versions
AP Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism
Calculus-based AP E&M.
University Physics II
Calculus-based university version.
Similar courses
AP Physics 2
AP-labeled second algebra-based physics path.
Previous course
Physics I (algebra-based)
First-semester algebra-based physics.
AP Physics 1
AP algebra-based mechanics.

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