AP Physics 1 study help, unit by unit
Isotoon helps with AP Physics 1 by animating the situation behind each problem, so you can see forces, energy and momentum before you write an equation. Pick your unit below and ask about the idea, not just the formula.
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AP Physics 1, unit by unit
Unit 1: Kinematics
Position, velocity and acceleration in one and two dimensions, motion graphs, and projectile motion.
Unit 2: Force and Translational Dynamics
Systems and center of mass, Newton's laws, free-body diagrams, friction, springs, gravitation, and circular motion.
Read: Why objects fall at the same rateUnit 3: Work, Energy, and Power
Kinetic and potential energy, work done by forces, conservation of energy in a system, and power.
Unit 4: Linear Momentum
Momentum and impulse, conservation of momentum, and elastic and inelastic collisions.
Unit 5: Torque and Rotational Dynamics
Rotational kinematics, torque, rotational inertia, and Newton's second law for rotation, including rotational equilibrium.
Unit 6: Energy and Momentum of Rotating Systems
Rotational kinetic energy, angular momentum and its conservation, rolling motion, and orbits.
Unit 7: Oscillations
Simple harmonic motion in springs and pendulums, its period, and how energy moves between kinetic and potential forms.
Unit 8: Fluids
Density, pressure, buoyancy, and fluids in motion, including conservation of mass flow and Bernoulli's equation.
How to use it during the year
AP Physics 1 is light on math and heavy on reasoning. Students who struggle usually know the equations but cannot say which one applies, or why. Seeing the system first fixes that.
- Ask about the physical situation. For example, why objects fall at the same rate explains why mass cancels, an idea that comes back in orbits and pendulums.
- Then practice with released free-response questions from the College Board, especially the ones that ask you to explain or sketch rather than calculate.
- Rewatch each video 1, 3, 7, 14 and 30 days after you made it, from the list in your notebook.
Read how to study for exams without forgetting for why spacing works.
What the exam asks you to do
Expect to reason in words, diagrams and graphs as much as with numbers. Questions ask you to draw a free-body or energy diagram, connect a graph to a motion, design an experiment, and justify a claim using a conservation law. The course was revised for the exam first given in 2025, which added fluids as Unit 8. Check the College Board course page for the current format.
Where students get stuck
- Treating velocity and acceleration as the same thing, such as thinking an object at the top of its path has zero acceleration.
- Choosing a system and deciding which forces are internal or external.
- Knowing when to use energy, when to use momentum, and when to use both in one problem.
- Rotation, where every linear idea has a twin that feels new.
- Fluids, the newest unit, where pressure and buoyancy are easy to state and hard to apply to a real object.
What Isotoon does and does not do
Isotoon explains ideas with short narrated videos, and on Pro, diagrams you can change. It does not check your lab write-ups and it is not a practice-test bank. More questions are on the physics page, and exam prep covers how to use it in review.
Questions
- Is Isotoon affiliated with the College Board?
- No. AP is a trademark registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with and does not endorse Isotoon.
- Does this page follow the revised AP Physics 1 course?
- Yes. The eight units listed are those of the revised course first examined in 2025, which includes fluids.
- Can Isotoon solve a physics problem for me?
- No. It explains the physics behind a problem so you can choose the right approach yourself. It is not a practice-test bank or a homework solver.
AP is a trademark registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, Isotoon. Check the College Board’s course page for the current units and exam format.