Advanced Placement Physics 1 covers the fundamentals of mechanics, waves, and electricity in preparation for college-level physics.
Newton's three laws form the backbone of classical mechanics. They explain why things move (or stay still!) and how forces affect motion.
An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by a net force.
The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass: \[ F = ma \]
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Push on a wall, and it pushes back!
Everything from launching a skateboard to sending a rocket to space depends on understanding these laws.
\[F = ma\]
A soccer ball accelerates when you kick it because of the force from your foot.
When you jump off a boat, the boat moves backward due to action-reaction pairs.
Newton's laws explain how forces cause changes in an object's motion.