# AP Physics 2

Advanced Placement (AP) Physics 2 is a year-long introductory physics course administered by the College Board as part of its Advanced Placement program. It is intended to proxy a second-semester algebra-based university course in thermodynamics, electromagnetism, optics, and modern physics. Along with AP Physics 1, the first AP Physics 2 exam was administered in 2015.

## History

The AP Physics 2 classes began in the fall of 2014, with the first AP exams administered in May 2015. The courses were formed through collaboration between current Advanced Placement teachers and The College Board, with the guidance from the National Research Council and the National Science Foundation. As of August 2013 AP summer institutes, the College Board professional development course for Advanced Placement and Pre-AP teachers, dedicate 20% of the total to preparing AP Physics B educators for the new AP physics course. Face to face workshops sponsored by the College Board focused 20% of their content on the course in September 2013. In February 2014, the official course description and sample curriculum resources were posted to the College Board website, with two practice exams being posted the next month. As of September 2014, face to face workshops are dedicated solely to AP Physics 1 & AP Physics 2. The full course was first taught in 2014, with the exam given in 2015. The College Board released a "Curriculum Framework" which includes the 7 principles on which AP Physics 2 would be based on as well as smaller "Enduring Understanding" concepts.
In 2020, the examination was administered on computer from home because of COVID-19. College Board suspected that some students may be using unauthorized resources while taking the test. In order to ensure accurate results in the future, the course materials will be more difficult and in-depth.
In February 2024, College Board announced that there would be changes in curricula for their AP Physics classes for the 2025 exams. For AP Physics 2, this removed fluids (the first topic of the curriculum) from the exam. From the 2024-25 school year onward, this topic is covered as the last unit of AP Physics 1. With fluids no longer being on the curriculum, the optics unit was separated into two units which cover the subject with more depth. This added mechanical waves, standing waves, sound waves, and the Doppler effect which are covered in Waves, Sound, and Physical Optics. The unit covering electric circuits was changed to be more comprehensive, and Blackbody radiation and Compton scattering were added to Modern Physics as well. As of the fall of 2024, all AP Physics 2 units are numbered sequentially to those in AP Physics 1, starting with Thermodynamics as unit 9 and ending with Modern Physics as unit 15.

## Curriculum

AP Physics 2 is an algebra-based, introductory college-level physics course in which students explore thermodynamics with kinetic theory; PV diagrams and probability; electrostatics; electrical circuits with capacitors; magnetic fields; electromagnetism; physical and geometric optics; and quantum, atomic, and nuclear physics. Through inquiry-based learning, students develop scientific critical thinking and reasoning skills.
| Units | Exam Weighting |
| Thermodynamics | 15-18% |
| Electric Force, Field, and Potential | 15-18% |
| Electric Circuits | 15-18% |
| Magnetism and Electromagnetism | 12-15% |
| Geometric Optics | 12-15% |
| Waves, Sound and Physical Optics | 12-15% |
| Modern Physics | 12-15% |
The content of AP Physics 2 overlaps with that of AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, but Physics 2 is algebra-based, while Physics C is calculus-based. AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism also is focused entirely on Electricity and Magnetism while AP Physics 2 covers additional topics such as Thermodynamics, Waves, and Modern Physics.

## Exam

| Section | Questions | Time | Exam Weighting |
| Section I: Multiple Choice | 40 MCQ | 1 hour 20 minutes | 50% |
| Section II: Free Response | 4 FRQ | 1 hour 40 minutes | 50% |

### Science Practices Assessed

Section 1: Multiple Choice :
| Science Practice | Exam Weighting |
| 2. Translation Between Representations | 55-75% |
| 3. Experimental Design and Analysis | 25-35% |
Section 2: Free Response :
| Science Practice | Exam Weighting |
| 1. Mathematical Routines | 20-35% |
| 2. Translation Between Representations | 30-40% |
| 3. Experimental Design and Analysis | 35-45% |

### Score Distributions

| Score | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 (online) | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| 5 | 8.5% | 9.5% | 12.9% | 13.1% | 14.2% | 14.0% | 15.4% | 16.3% | 16.5% | 15% |
| 4 | 13.7% | 17.0% | 16.7% | 15.6% | 21.0% | 24.3% | 17.9% | 18.1% | 18.5% | 18% |
| 3 | 33.5% | 34.9% | 34.0% | 34.4% | 30.2% | 35.0% | 32.0% | 35.3% | 34.9% | 35% |
| 2 | 34.8% | 30.6% | 27.6% | 29.2% | 26.2% | 21.3% | 27.0% | 24.1% | 23.8% | 25% |
| 1 | 9.6% | 8.1% | 8.9% | 7.7% | 8.4% | 5.4% | 7.6% | 6.3% | 6.4% | 7% |
| % of scores 3 or higher | 55.6% | 61.3% | 63.5% | 63.1% | 65.4% | 73.3% | 65.3% | 69.7% | 69.8% | 68% |
| Mean | 2.77 | 2.89 | 2.97 | 2.97 | 3.06 | 3.20 | 3.06 | 3.14 | 3.15 | 3.09 |
| Standard Deviation | 1.07 | 1.08 | 1.15 | 1.13 | 1.17 | 1.09 | 1.17 | 1.14 | 1.15 | 1.14 |
| Number of Students | 20,533 | 26,385 | 24,985 | 25,741 | 23,802 | 21,835 | 18,736 | 17,842 | 20,453 | - |