AP Physics 2 Review Guide: All 8 Units Covered
A complete AP Physics 2 review covering all 8 units: fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, waves, optics, and modern physics. Key formulas and strategies for a 5.
AP Physics 2 covers electricity, magnetism, thermodynamics, and optics. The exam format is identical to Physics 1: multiple choice, free response, mix of no-calc and calc sections. The difference is that Physics 1 tested mechanics while Physics 2 tests everything else.
Exam structure
- 3 hours total: 90 minute Section I (50 multiple choice, split into no-calc 30 questions and calc 20 questions) plus 90 minute Section II (2 long FRQs and 2 short FRQs).
- Both sections equally weighted (50-50). Calculator required for part B.
- Concepts tested: fluids, thermodynamics, electricity, circuits, magnetism, induction, waves, optics, modern physics.
Unit 1: Fluids
About 3 to 5 percent of exam. Pressure, buoyancy, continuity, Bernoulli.
Unit 2: Thermodynamics
About 12 to 18 percent of exam. Temperature, heat capacity, phase changes, first and second law, entropy.
Unit 3: Electric Charge and Electric Force
About 12 to 15 percent. Coulomb's law, electric field, electric potential, capacitors.
Unit 4: Electric Circuits
About 10 to 18 percent. Current, resistance, Ohm's law, series and parallel circuits.
Unit 5: Magnetism
About 10 to 12 percent. Magnetic field, forces on moving charges and currents, right-hand rule, torque.
Unit 6: Electromagnetic Induction
About 8 to 10 percent. Magnetic flux, Faraday's law, Lenz's law, transformers.
Unit 7: Waves
About 12 to 16 percent. Wave properties, Doppler effect, interference, resonance.
Unit 8: Optics and Modern Physics
About 10 to 14 percent. Mirrors and lenses, refraction, photoelectric effect, photons.
How to score a 5
- Master thermodynamics. It is the heaviest unit (12-18 percent) and hardest conceptually.
- Understand electric fields and circuits. Coulomb's law and Ohm's law are foundational.
- Learn Faraday's law and Lenz's law. Induction is on every exam.
- Know the right-hand rule. Magnetic problems become mechanical once you can visualize them.
- Take timed practice exams. Physics 2 is calculation-heavy. Get comfortable with your calculator.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting signs. Charges can be positive or negative. Current and electron flow are opposite directions.
- Confusing Faraday's law signs. Lenz's law is encoded in the minus sign.
- Pressure depends on depth but NOT on container shape (only vertical height).
- Capacitors block DC current. In circuits, a capacitor acts like an open circuit.
- Mixing up series and parallel. Series: voltage divides, current same. Parallel: current divides, voltage same.
Physics 2 is harder than Physics 1 conceptually (electricity and magnetism feel more abstract), but the exam format is identical. Master the concepts and the exam format becomes familiar.
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