AP Physics 1 - Summer Assignment Instructions (2019-2020)

Sep 20, 2026

AP Physics 1 summer assignment instructions for the 2019-2020 term, outlining required daily materials, preparation expectations, and the academic goals of the AP Physics 1 course. Students must complete a math review focused on units, metric prefixes, scientific notation, and conversions, then progress into Ch. 1 and Ch. 2 review topics on motion and related quantities. The packet requires all work to be shown, includes logical reasoning explanations where noted, and is due on the first day of school with an in-class quiz.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

Preparing for AP Physics

Ch. 1 - Introduction (sections 1.2 – 1.8)

Ch. 2 - Motion in One Dimension (sections 2.1 – 2.5, 2.8)

Math Review

Part I - Review of Units and Metric Prefixes

Part II - Review of Algebra

AP Physics 1-Summer Assignment (2019-2020) Text: Physics 6th ed. Giancoli Materials: You will need the following materials for class every day (including the first day of school) - Spiral Notebook for daily work (100 pages or more) - Spiral Notebook for lab work - Scientific Calculator - Folder for graded assignments - Computer AP Physics – Summer Assignment Instructions Preparing for AP Physics This course is an extremely fast paced, interesting science course meeting and exceeding CA state standards for Physics. During labs, students are expected to use concepts they have learned to conduct the lab autonomously. AP Physics is a competitive class in where simply committing hours and hours of time does not guarantee you an A. Students who earn A’s are typically those that are diligent with their studies and with whom science and math tends to come quite naturally. Lab points are earned for analyzing the data not for collecting data. On average students spend 5 – 10 hours a week on homework and studying. The class is designed to prepare you for the AP Physics 1 Exam and the SAT II Physics Subject test. It is expected that you will take the AP Physics 1 Exam in May. Knowledge of algebra and basic trigonometry is required for the course. Understanding of the basic principles involved and the ability to quickly apply these principles in the solution of problems is the major goal of this course. This summer assignment will have you review the fundamental math concepts needed for AP Physics. You will also learn the basic ideas of velocity and acceleration in Ch. 2 of the text. Students are expected to show ALL work and it must be clear how the student came about to each answer. No shown work = No credit. Be aware that simply writing down the answer with no work shown will receive no credit. Where noted, students MUST explain their reasoning thoroughly in a logical format. The summer assignment is due on the first day of school and there will be a quiz on the first day. This assignment should take between 5 – 10 hours to complete. You can choose to learn the material from the book or by some other means (ie: Khan Academy, [Physicsclassroom.com](Physicsclassroom.com), etc.) Ch. 1 – Introduction (sections 1.2 – 1.8) This is a general review of science practices, measurement and estimation. Ch. 2 – Motion in One Dimension (section 2.1 – 2.5, 2.8) This is an introduction to the concepts of Displacement, Velocity and Acceleration. You have been exposed to these conceptual nature of these quantities in your past science experiences, this will now expose you to the mathematical nature of these ideas. Math Review – Please do the following problems in this packet and be sure to SHOW YOUR WORK including any conversion factors used!!! Part I-Review of Units and Metric Prefixes 1. Express the following using metric prefixes as shown in your book. a. 1 x 106 Volts b. 2 x 10-6 Farads c. 6 x 103 meters d. 4.2 x 10-3 liters 2. If a floor measures 4.5 m2 how many square centimeters does this represent? 3. The French drink about 6.4 × 104 cm3 of mineral water per person per year. Express this volume in a. cubic meters. b. cubic millimeters. 4. Convert the following into fundamental Standard Units (Section 1-5) and give Scientific Notation values of the following quantities (you may need to look up some conversions in your book). a. 4000 µs b. 40 miles/hour c. 100 nanograms 5. A light year is the distance light travel in one year (at speed = 2.998 x 108 m/s) . a. How many meters are there in 1 light year? b. An astronomical Unit (AU) is the average distance from the Sun to Earth, 1.5 x 108 km. How many AU are there in 1 light year? 6. An iron sphere has a mass density of ρ = 7.86 x 103 kg/m3. If the sphere has a radius of 0.5 m, how much mass does the sphere contain? 7. A sphere made out of material X has a mass of 5 kg and has a radius of 4m. How much mass does a sphere of the

FAQs

What materials are required for the AP Physics 1 course and the summer assignment work?

Students need a spiral notebook for daily work and lab work, a scientific calculator, a folder for graded assignments, and access to a computer.

When is the summer assignment due, and what assessment follows?

The summer assignment is due on the first day of school, and there will be a quiz on that first day.

What are the expectations for solving problems in the packet?

Students must show ALL work clearly, and where noted they must explain reasoning thoroughly in a logical format; no shown work means no credit.

Sep 20, 2026

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