AP Physics B Lab Schedule

The following lab schedule will help us understand the concepts we are learning in class. You will notice that roughly two weeks time is devoted to each section of the course syllabus. You will also notice that there are roughly two labs per section. Labs will usually be held on the block days and will be worth 100 points each (unless otherwise noted). For those of you in the IB program, there are FIVE labs which need to be written up in full IB lab format, those FIVE labs are indicated in BOLD BLUE.)

Week of 9/9: No written lab report due this block day

Introduction to the mathematics of AP Physics.

How to use your textbook and other materials to help you study for the class and test.

How to study effectively.

How to use Graphical Analysis, Graph Matching (Vernier Ex. #1), and Excel Lab

Weeks of 9/16 & 9/23

A. Kinematics (including vectors, vector algebra, components of vectors, coordinate systems, displacement, velocity, and acceleration)

1. Ticker Timer Gravity Lab

2. Hit the cup Lab

Weeks of 9/30 & 10/7

2. Newton's laws of motion (including friction and centripetal force)

3. Air Rocket Lab

4. Atwood’s Machine (Vernier #10)

Weeks of 10/14 & 10/21

3. Work, energy, power

5. Newton’s 2nd law (Vernier 9), Newton’s Third law (Vernier 10)

6. Work Lab with Force Probe sensors – Finding area under curve (OR Vernier #18 – Work and energy and Vernier #12 – Static Kinetic Friction)

Weeks of 10/28 & 11/4

D. Systems of particles, linear momentum

7. Pumpkin Drop!

8. Experiments #19 Momentum/collisions & 20 Impulse/Momentum from Vernier.

9. Skateboard Lab

Weeks of 11/11 & 11/18

E. Circular motion and rotation

Round and Round She goes Lab – no points, and no write-up!

10. Pendulum Lab

Weeks of 11/25, 12/2 and 12/9

F. Oscillations and gravitation

11. Experiment #15 from Vernier: Simple Harmonic Motion and Experiment #17 from Vernier: Energy in Simple Harmonic Motion

*note – week of 11/25 there will be no lab due to vacation. Lab will begin on week of 12/2 and most likely be completed on week of 12/9

Week of 12/16

A. Fluid Mechanics

12. Balloon Lab and assorted Bernoulli’s “tricks”.

Weeks of 1/6 & 1/13

A. Electrostatics

Assorted Electrostatics demonstrations – No formal Lab write-up due

Weeks of 1/20 & 1/27

B. Conductors, capacitors, dielectrics

13. Experiment #25 and #27 from Vernier (Ohm’s law and capacitors).

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Weeks of 2/3, 2/10, 2/17 and 2/24

C. Electric circuits

1. Experiment #26 from Vernier: Series and Parallel Circuits

*note – due to the holiday schedule around this time, it will take us a while to complete this lab. Further, we may need to complete Experiments #25 and #27 from the previous weeks.

2. Practice AP Examination (to be taken on a block day)

Weeks of 3/3 & 3/10

D. Magnetostatics

3. Experiment # 28 from Vernier: The Magnetic field in a coil

4. Practice AP Examination (to be taken on a block day)

Weeks of 3/17 and 3/24

E. Electromagnetism

5. Practice AP Examination (to be taken on a block day)

6. Practice AP Examination (to be taken on a block day)

Weeks of 3/31, 4/7 and 4/21

A. Wave motion

7. CPU Waves and Sound Cycle I

8. CPU Waves and Sound Cycle II

9. CPU Waves and Sound Cycle III

Weeks of 4/28 and 5/5

B. Geometric optics

C. Physical optics

10. Light Lab

11. Practice AP Examination (to be taken on a block day or after school/Saturday)

12. Practice AP Examination (to be taken on a block day or after school/Saturday)

AP Physics B Examination on 5/12 – No Labs This Week!

During the remainder of the school year, we will work on the following lab projects:

Mouse Car Racers

Float-a-boat competition

We will also study some topics in Philosophy of science, astronomy and relativity.