Physics Fundamentals
Physics Fundamentals covers the core principles of classical and modern physics from kinematics and Newton's laws through thermodynamics, electromagnetism, and optics. The course develops problem-solving skills using algebra-based methods and builds physical intuition through conceptual analysis and graphical interpretation.
Who Should Take This
This course is ideal for students preparing for AP Physics 1 and 2, introductory college physics, or science and engineering programs that require a solid physics foundation. It is also well-suited for professionals in engineering, medicine, or computer science who want to refresh or strengthen their understanding of physical principles.
What's Included in AccelaStudy® AI
Adaptive Knowledge Graph
Practice Questions
Lesson Modules
Console Simulator Labs
Exam Tips & Strategy
13 Activity Formats
Course Outline
1Kinematics 6 topics
Describe the kinematic quantities position, displacement, velocity, speed, and acceleration and explain the distinction between scalar and vector quantities
Apply the four kinematic equations for constant acceleration to solve one-dimensional motion problems involving initial velocity, final velocity, acceleration, displacement, and time
Interpret position-time, velocity-time, and acceleration-time graphs to extract kinematic information including displacement, instantaneous velocity, and the sign of acceleration
Apply vector decomposition and the kinematic equations to solve two-dimensional projectile motion problems, finding range, maximum height, and time of flight given initial velocity and launch angle
Analyze relative velocity in one and two dimensions including the velocity of an object relative to different reference frames, such as a boat crossing a current or an airplane in a crosswind
Apply free-fall kinematics to objects dropped from rest or thrown vertically, calculating time to reach maximum height, total flight time, and impact velocity using g = 9.8 m/s² as the constant downward acceleration
2Newton's Laws and Forces 7 topics
State Newton's three laws of motion and describe the conditions under which each applies, including inertia, the relationship F = ma, and action-reaction force pairs
Apply Newton's second law to draw free body diagrams and calculate the net force, acceleration, and tension in systems involving gravity, normal force, applied force, and friction on horizontal and inclined surfaces
Explain static and kinetic friction including the coefficient of friction, the normal force dependence, and why the static friction force varies while static and reaches a maximum at the threshold of motion
Apply Newton's laws to Atwood machine and connected-block systems, solving for acceleration and string tension using free body diagrams for each object in the system
Analyze the forces acting on objects on inclined planes including components of gravity parallel and perpendicular to the surface, normal force, and friction, and solve for acceleration and limiting angle
Explain Newton's law of universal gravitation including the inverse-square distance relationship, calculate gravitational force between two masses, and relate surface gravity to the mass and radius of a planet
Describe the concept of weight versus mass, explain why astronauts are weightless in orbit rather than massless, and calculate the apparent weight of a person in an accelerating elevator using Newton's second law
3Work, Energy, and Power 6 topics
Describe work as the dot product of force and displacement, including the conditions under which a force does positive, negative, or zero work, and identify the SI unit joule
Apply the work-energy theorem to calculate the change in kinetic energy of an object given the net work done on it, and solve problems involving variable forces using area under a force-displacement graph
Apply conservation of mechanical energy to solve problems involving gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy transformations in systems without friction
Calculate power as the rate of energy transfer or the product of force and velocity, and apply power calculations to practical scenarios such as engine output and electrical devices
Analyze energy transformations in systems with friction by applying the work-energy theorem including the work done by friction as thermal energy, and evaluate efficiency as useful output energy divided by total input energy
Apply conservation of energy to roller coaster and pendulum problems including calculating speed at any height given initial conditions, and explain how gravitational potential energy (U = mgh) and kinetic energy interconvert without friction
4Momentum and Collisions 5 topics
Describe linear momentum as the product of mass and velocity, state the impulse-momentum theorem, and explain how impulse relates to the area under a force-time graph
Apply conservation of linear momentum to solve one-dimensional and two-dimensional collision problems, distinguishing between elastic, inelastic, and perfectly inelastic collisions
Calculate the kinetic energy before and after collisions to determine whether a collision is elastic or inelastic, and explain why kinetic energy is not conserved in inelastic collisions
Analyze center of mass motion including how the center of mass of a system moves in response to external forces and why it continues at constant velocity when no external net force acts on the system
Apply the impulse-momentum theorem to calculate the average force exerted during a collision given the change in momentum and the contact time, and compare the safety design implications of extending collision time in airbags and crumple zones
5Circular Motion and Gravitation 5 topics
Describe uniform circular motion including period, frequency, angular velocity, centripetal acceleration, and the direction of centripetal force toward the center of the circular path
Apply Newton's second law in the centripetal direction to solve circular motion problems including banked curves, vertical loops, and orbiting satellites, identifying the force providing centripetal acceleration
Apply the law of universal gravitation and circular orbit equations to calculate orbital speed, period, and altitude for satellites orbiting Earth, and explain Kepler's three laws of planetary motion
Analyze apparent weight changes in circular motion scenarios such as passengers in a loop-the-loop or elevator, explaining the perceived weightlessness at the top of a vertical circle in terms of normal force
Describe the conditions for geostationary and low Earth orbits, calculate orbital radius and speed using the gravitational-centripetal force balance, and explain why geostationary satellites must orbit above the equator at a specific altitude
6Simple Harmonic Motion and Waves 8 topics
Describe simple harmonic motion including the restoring force, amplitude, period, frequency, and phase, and identify SHM in spring-mass systems and simple pendulums
Apply Hooke's law and the period equations for spring-mass (T = 2π√(m/k)) and simple pendulum (T = 2π√(L/g)) systems to calculate period, frequency, and spring constant
Describe the properties of mechanical waves including transverse and longitudinal wave types, wavelength, frequency, period, amplitude, and wave speed, and apply v = fλ to solve wave problems
Explain wave phenomena including reflection, refraction, diffraction, superposition, constructive and destructive interference, and standing waves with nodes and antinodes
Apply the Doppler effect equation to calculate observed frequency shifts when a source or observer is moving relative to the medium, and explain the role of the Doppler effect in astronomy and medical imaging
Analyze the energy of a spring-mass system through one complete cycle, showing that total mechanical energy is conserved as it continuously exchanges between kinetic and elastic potential energy
Describe resonance including the natural frequency of an oscillating system, how driving forces at the natural frequency cause amplitude to grow, and real-world examples such as bridge oscillations and musical instrument strings
Identify standing wave patterns in strings and open or closed air columns, calculate the fundamental frequency and harmonics, and explain how the boundary conditions (fixed or open ends) determine which harmonics are present
7Thermodynamics 6 topics
Describe temperature, thermal equilibrium, and the zeroth law of thermodynamics, and convert between Celsius, Fahrenheit, and Kelvin temperature scales
Explain the three modes of heat transfer (conduction, convection, radiation) including the factors that govern the rate of heat flow in each mode and real-world applications
Apply the first law of thermodynamics (ΔU = Q − W) to analyze energy exchanges in thermodynamic processes including isothermal, adiabatic, isochoric, and isobaric processes for ideal gases
Describe the second law of thermodynamics and entropy including the direction of spontaneous heat flow, the Carnot cycle, and the theoretical maximum efficiency of a heat engine
Analyze the connection between internal energy, temperature, and the kinetic theory of gases, relating average molecular kinetic energy to absolute temperature and explaining pressure as the result of molecular collisions
Calculate heat transfer using Q = mcΔT and apply it to problems involving specific heat, calorimetry, and thermal equilibrium, determining the final temperature when two objects at different temperatures reach thermal equilibrium
8Electrostatics and Circuits 6 topics
Describe electric charge, Coulomb's law, and the principle of superposition, and calculate the magnitude and direction of electrostatic force between point charges
Explain electric field and electric potential including field lines, the relationship E = F/q, electric potential energy, and the relationship between potential difference and work done on a charge
Apply Ohm's law and the relationships among voltage, current, resistance, and power to analyze simple DC circuits with resistors in series and in parallel
Apply Kirchhoff's current law (junction rule) and voltage law (loop rule) to solve multi-loop DC circuits and determine the current and voltage across each element
Analyze how adding resistors in series increases total resistance while adding them in parallel decreases it, and explain why household circuits use parallel wiring for independent device operation
Describe the behavior of capacitors in DC circuits including charge storage, capacitance calculation (C = Q/V), energy stored in a capacitor, and the effect of series and parallel combinations on total capacitance
9Magnetism 5 topics
Describe magnetic fields including field direction conventions, the Earth's magnetic field, and the behavior of magnetic poles, distinguishing magnetism from electrostatics
Apply the magnetic force law F = qv×B to calculate the force on a moving charge in a magnetic field, use the right-hand rule to determine force direction, and explain circular motion of charges in uniform fields
Explain electromagnetic induction including Faraday's law, Lenz's law, and how changing magnetic flux induces an EMF, and describe applications such as generators and transformers
Analyze the relationship between electricity and magnetism including how a current-carrying wire creates a magnetic field and how the interplay of electric and magnetic fields underlies electromagnetic waves
Apply the right-hand rule to determine the direction of the magnetic force on a current-carrying conductor in an external magnetic field, and calculate the force per unit length between two parallel current-carrying wires
10Optics 6 topics
Describe the electromagnetic spectrum including the relative frequency, wavelength, and energy of radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays
Apply the law of reflection and Snell's law of refraction to trace the path of light rays at planar and curved interfaces, and calculate angles of reflection and refraction given indices of refraction
Apply the thin lens equation and mirror equation to locate images formed by converging and diverging lenses and concave and convex mirrors, calculating image distance, magnification, and image orientation
Explain total internal reflection, critical angle, and optical fiber applications, and describe double-slit interference and diffraction grating patterns using the constructive interference condition d sin θ = mλ
Analyze the dual wave-particle nature of light by comparing phenomena explained by the wave model (interference, diffraction) with those explained by the photon model (photoelectric effect), and evaluate what each model can and cannot explain
Apply the dispersion of light through prisms and raindrops to explain how white light separates into a spectrum, and describe how index of refraction varies with wavelength causing different colors to refract at different angles
Scope
Included Topics
- Kinematics in 1D and 2D including projectile motion, Newton's three laws of motion, friction and normal forces, work-energy theorem and conservation of energy, power, momentum and impulse, conservation of momentum and collisions, uniform circular motion and centripetal force, simple harmonic motion and springs, waves and sound including frequency, wavelength, and the Doppler effect, basic thermodynamics including temperature, heat transfer, and the first and second laws, electrostatics and Coulomb's law, electric circuits with Ohm's law and Kirchhoff's rules, magnetism introduction, geometric optics and basic wave optics
Not Covered
- Special relativity and relativistic mechanics
- Quantum mechanics and wave-particle duality beyond conceptual overview
- Fluid dynamics and hydrostatics beyond basic pressure and buoyancy
- Rotational dynamics and moment of inertia calculations beyond conceptual circular motion
- Maxwell's equations and electromagnetic wave derivation
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