Program Launch

Intro

This week is the program launch. The goal is not to race into “hard physics problems.” The goal is to make units, prefixes, dimensional analysis, and the official AP reference sheet feel normal before the course gets crowded.

Core Lesson

Physics is full of relationships, and units are one of the fastest ways to see those relationships clearly. If a quantity is measured in meters per second, then a sensible expression for that quantity must behave like length divided by time. If the units come out wrong, the setup is wrong before any arithmetic starts.

The reference sheet is part of the course now. You should know where prefixes, constants, and families of equations live. Treat the sheet as a map you learn to navigate, not as an emergency document you panic-read during a timed set.

Dimensional reasoning also keeps your intuition honest. If speed doubles and time stays the same, distance should double. If an answer for pressure comes out in kilograms, something broke in the thinking. Units are not decoration. They are evidence.

AP Lift

The modern AP exam rewards students who can set up mathematical routines with the right variables, units, and reference information. That means using the official equation sheet cleanly instead of depending on memorized formula dumps or old AP Physics B habits.

Must-Master Objectives

• Use SI prefixes and powers of ten without losing meaning.
• Distinguish base quantities from derived quantities.
• Use dimensional analysis to test whether an expression could represent a physical quantity.
• Navigate the official reference sheet and explain what kind of equation belongs in each region.

Problem Set Prompts

1. Convert 7.5 km into meters, centimeters, and millimeters.
2. Convert 3.2 ms into seconds and explain the prefix step explicitly.
3. A student claims that v = at^2 has units of speed. Check the units and evaluate the claim.
4. If a quantity is measured in kg·m/s^2, what kind of physical quantity could it be?
5. If length triples, how does area change? How does volume change?
6. Explain why m/s + s is not a meaningful physical sum.
7. A classmate writes an answer for pressure in N. What category error likely happened?
8. Find one rotational equation and one linear equation on the reference sheet that feel analogous.
9. Stretch: Invent a physically meaningful quantity using only meters and seconds that is not speed or acceleration.

Reflection Prompt

• How comfortable are you finding equations and constants on the official reference sheet without scanning randomly?
• Which feels less automatic right now: unit conversions, prefixes, or dimensional checks?