Frequently Asked Questions
What is AP Physics?
The study of physics is concerned with understanding "the way the world works." By organizing our knowledge into a few fundamental concepts and equations, we can better understand the universe we live in.
Advanced Placement Physics is the name given to two curricula developed by the College Board, each designed to be taken at the high school level, and representing approximately the content of an introductory physics course in college. All four courses—AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, AP Physics C - Mechanics, and AP Physics C - Electricity & Magnetism—culminate in a comprehensive exam offered in May each year. Some colleges and universities offer credit to students who score sufficiently high on an AP exam.
The expressions "AP" and "Advanced Placement Program" are registered trademarks of The College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this site. Copyrighted materials from The College Board are not available via this website.
What's the difference between the AP Physics 1 and 2 series and the AP Physics C courses?
The AP Physics 1 & 2 courses are a two-year, non-calculus-based introduction to the study of physics, with an emphasis on conceptual understanding, algebra-based, and trigonometry-based quantitative analysis. These two courses are new for the 2014-2015 school year and replace the previous one-year AP Physics B course. These two offerings are the course of choice for non-engineering or non-physics science students.
The AP Physics C course is more suitable for students who plan on studying engineering or the physical sciences. Calculus is used throughout the course. The work in the Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism courses is sometimes combined into a single year at some schools. There is less breadth to the material as compared with the Physics 1 and 2 courses, but the material is often calculus-based, and more challenging mathematically.
Where can I find previously delivered problems from this site?
A large number of problems, organized by subject area, is available in the AP Physics 1 & 2 and AP Physics C sections of the website.
Some of the links to the videos don't work. Where can I find a new link?
The problems on this website are original content created by Richard White. The videos links point to other content on the Internet, and some of those sources occasionally change or disappear. If you find a link that isn't working, feel free to email me and I'll do what I can to find another source for that content.
Is it okay to use your problems in my classroom with my students?
Yes! Using problem from this website in your classroom with your students falls within the Fair Use provisions of current copyright law.
It is not okay to post copyrighted materials—including the problems— from LearnAPphysics.com on your own site.
How does this site work? I mean, what did you have to do to get it all up and running?
The problems are created using Microsoft Word for text, Microsoft's Equation Editor for the equations, and Word's drawing tools for the figures. Problems are converted into a graphics format and uploaded to the website where PHP-based pages display them according to a MySQL database which tracks problems, solutions, posting dates, and problem subject areas.
What happened to the email delivery service?
From 2008-2017, LearnAPphysics.com subscribers received a daily email with a copy of the problem and a link to the solution. While this was an effective and convenient delivery strategy for many users, it also posed problems for some. There were also administrative challenges around the logistics and costs associated with sending thousands of emails on a daily basis.
As of Fall, 2017, LearnAPphysics daily problems are no longer emailed. Instead the problems are available via 
RSS feed and 
@learnapphysics.
"AP Physics" is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.
Who operates this site?
Richard White. See the About page for further information.