AP Physics 1
Juniors and seniors who choose to take on the challenges of Advanced Placement (AP) Physics 1鈥攅quivalent to one semester of a college-level algebra-based physics class鈥攆ocus on topics including kinematics, force, friction, torque, rotational motion, Newtonian Laws and energy.
AP Physics 1 teacher Jacintha Kompella has been teaching physics for over 10 years. Kompella recognizes how students often oversimplify physics. 鈥淸Students] walk in thinking it鈥檚 going to be a very math-like class,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 think it is more of a class where you have to apply math skills but also visualize what鈥檚 happening.鈥
Kompella encourages students to develop an intrinsic approach to the course. 鈥淸Students should] experience physics and develop all the strategies for making sense of the material,鈥 she said. 鈥淸They will] learn some new skills, whether [they] come in with
strong math or weak math, but they have to be willing to have a growth mindset.鈥
Kompella dissuades students from procrastinating and cramming for tests the night before, instead encouraging them to form study groups. Kompella also emphasizes that students should not overlook labs because they help develop a visual understanding of physics. 鈥淟abs are extremely important because [experience is] what helps [students] visualize the physics and you have to do things to experience it before you apply the math,鈥 she said.
Senior Nimisha Sivaraman had a strong interest in the subject while taking it during her junior year. She stresses the importance of understanding the fundamental components of important concepts. 鈥淲hile doing the labs, try to do the derivations on your own,鈥 she said. 鈥淔or me, torque was really hard, but understanding the right-hand rule helped. There isn鈥檛 a lot of memorization, but for the things you need to memorize, you have to memorize them really well.鈥
To get extra practice, Sivaraman recommends utilizing the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) AP Physics 1 鈥 Practice Workbook 鈥 Book 1 problems on top of the school-issued textbook. When studying for tests, Sivaraman suggests being constantly
engaged with the content. 鈥淚 did the homework and asked questions when I needed help,鈥 she said. 鈥淎lso, helping other people with their problems in physics helped me learn. I would also just do a bunch of practice problems and review formulas.鈥