Princeton Review - Cracking the AP Physics C Exam, 2015 Edition

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Cover art Larry Lilac / Alamy

Published in the United States by Random House LLC, New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.
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eBook ISBN: 978-0-8041-2537-6
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-0-8041-2536-9

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Editor: Calvin S. Cato
Production Editor: Kiley Pulliam
Production Artist: Deborah A. Silvestrini

2015 Edition

v3.1

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A huge thank you to Martha Lietz for her comprehensive review of this text.

The Princeton Review would like to thank Douglas Laurence and Tom Kurtovic for their comprehensive reviews of this title.

DEDICATIONS

To the memory of my mother,
Nancy Elizabeth Waechtler.

Paul Waechtler

To the memory of my great aunt,
Norma Perron Lamb Piette.

Steven A. Leduc

Contents

Part I

Using This Book to Improve Your AP Score

PREVIEW ACTIVITY: YOUR KNOWLEDGE, YOUR EXPECTATIONS

Your route to a high score on the AP Physics C Exam will depend on how you plan to use this book. Please respond to the following questions.

1. Rate your level of confidence about your knowledge of the content tested by the AP Physics C Exam.

A. Very confidentI know it all

B. Im pretty confident, but there are topics for which I could use help

C. Not confidentI need quite a bit of support

D. Im not sure

2. If you have a goal score in mind, circle your goal score for the AP Physics C Exam.

3. What do you expect to learn from this book? Circle all that apply to you.

A. A general overview of the test and what to expect

B. Strategies for how to approach the test

C. The content tested by this exam

D. Im not sure yet

This book is organized to provide as muchor as littlesupport as you need, so you can use this book in whatever way will be most helpful for improving your score on the AP Physics C Exam.

• The remainder of Part One will provide guidance on how to use this book and help you determine your strengths and weaknesses.
• of this book will
  • inform you about the structure, scoring, and content of the AP Physics C Exam
  • help you make a study plan
  • point you towards additional resources
• of this book will explore various strategies including
  • how to attack multiple choice questions
  • how to write high scoring free-response answers
  • how to manage your time to maximize the number of points available to you
• of this book covers the content you need for your exam.
• of this book contains practice tests.

You may choose to use some parts of this book over others, or you may work through the entire book. This will depend on your needs and how much time you have. Lets now look at how to make this determination.

1. Take a Test

Before you can decide how to use this book, you need to take a practice test. Doing so will give you insight into your strengths and weaknesses, and the test will also help you make an effective study plan. If youre feeling test-phobic, remind yourself that a practice test is a tool for diagnosing yourselfits not how well you do that matters but how you use information gleaned from your performance to guide your preparation.

So, before you read further, take AP Physics C Practice Test 1 starting at of this book. Be sure to do so in one sitting, following the instructions that appear before the test.

2. Check Your Answers

Using the answer key on , count how many multiple choice questions you got right and how many you missed. Dont worry about the explanations for now, and dont worry about why you missed questions. Well get to that soon.

3. Reflect on the Test

After you take your first test, respond to the following questions:

• How much time did you spend on the multiple-choice questions?
• How much time did you spend on each free-response question?
• How many multiple-choice questions did you miss?
• Do you feel you had the knowledge to address the subject matter of the free-response questions?
• Do you feel you wrote well organized, thoughtful free responses?

4. Read of this Book and Complete the Self-Evaluation

will provide information on how the test is structured and scored. It will also set out areas of content that are tested.

As you read , you will revisit the questions on the previous page and refine your answers to them. You will then be able to make a study plan, based on your needs and time available, that will allow you to use this book most effectively.

5. Engage with as Needed

Notice the word engage. Youll get more out of this book if you use it intentionally than if you read it passively, hoping for an improved score through osmosis.

Strategy chapters will help you think about your approach to the question types on this exam. will open with a reminder to think about how you approach questions now and then close with a reflection section asking you to think about how/whether you will change your approach in the future.

Content chapters are designed to provide a review of the content tested on the AP Physics C Exam, including the level of detail you need to know and how the content is tested. You will have the opportunity to assess your mastery of the content of each chapter through test-appropriate questions and a reflection section.