AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based
AP Physics 2, unit by unit
AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based picks up where Physics 1 stops: its seven units are numbered 9 through 15, continuing the sequence from Physics 1's Units 1 through 8. The structure below is the current one from the official Course and Exam Description, effective Fall 2024, and it runs from thermodynamics through electric force and circuits, magnetism, optics, waves and sound, and modern physics.
On the May 2025 exam, 72.6% of the 24,322 students who took Physics 2 scored a 3 or higher, with a mean score of 3.38. That is the smallest group of test takers among the four AP physics exams (official score distributions).
The seven units
Weighting is each unit's share of the multiple-choice section.
| Unit | Title | Weighting | Topics |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Thermodynamics | 15-18% | 9.1 Kinetic Theory of Temperature and Pressure · 9.2 The Ideal Gas Law · 9.3 Thermal Energy Transfer and Equilibrium · 9.4 The First Law of Thermodynamics · 9.5 Specific Heat and Thermal Conductivity · 9.6 Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics |
| 10 | Electric Force, Field, and Potential | 15-18% | 10.1 Electric Charge and Electric Force · 10.2 Conservation of Electric Charge and the Process of Charging · 10.3 Electric Fields · 10.4 Electric Potential Energy · 10.5 Electric Potential · 10.6 Capacitors · 10.7 Conservation of Electric Energy |
| 11 | Electric Circuits | 15-18% | 11.1 Electric Current · 11.2 Simple Circuits · 11.3 Resistance, Resistivity, and Ohm's Law · 11.4 Electric Power · 11.5 Compound Direct Current (DC) Circuits · 11.6 Kirchhoff's Loop Rule · 11.7 Kirchhoff's Junction Rule · 11.8 Resistor-Capacitor (RC) Circuits |
| 12 | Magnetism and Electromagnetism | 12-15% | 12.1 Magnetic Fields · 12.2 Magnetism and Moving Charges · 12.3 Magnetism and Current-Carrying Wires · 12.4 Electromagnetic Induction and Faraday's Law |
| 13 | Geometric Optics | 12-15% | 13.1 Reflection · 13.2 Images Formed by Mirrors · 13.3 Refraction · 13.4 Images Formed by Lenses |
| 14 | Waves, Sound, and Physical Optics | 12-15% | 14.1 Properties of Wave Pulses and Waves · 14.2 Periodic Waves · 14.3 Boundary Behavior of Waves and Polarization · 14.4 Electromagnetic Waves · 14.5 The Doppler Effect · 14.6 Wave Interference and Standing Waves · 14.7 Diffraction · 14.8 Double-Slit Interference and Diffraction Gratings · 14.9 Thin-Film Interference |
| 15 | Modern Physics | 12-15% | 15.1 Quantum Theory and Wave-Particle Duality · 15.2 The Bohr Model of Atomic Structure · 15.3 Emission and Absorption Spectra · 15.4 Blackbody Radiation · 15.5 The Photoelectric Effect · 15.6 Compton Scattering · 15.7 Fission, Fusion, and Nuclear Decay · 15.8 Types of Radioactive Decay |
Exam format
- Length: 3 hours
- Section I: 42 multiple-choice questions, 85 minutes, 50% of exam score
- Section II: 4 free-response questions, 95 minutes, 50% of exam score: Mathematical Routines, Translation Between Representations, Experimental Design and Analysis, Qualitative/Quantitative Translation
- Calculator: A four-function, scientific, or graphing calculator is allowed on both sections of the exam.
Guides for this course
Ohm's lawCurrent, voltage, and resistance, and when the linear relation holds.Series vs parallel circuitsEquivalent resistance and what stays constant in each layout.Coulomb's lawThe force between point charges, step by step.Electric field and potentialTwo ways to describe the same source charges, and how they connect.PV diagrams in thermodynamicsReading work, heat, and internal energy straight off the graph.Wave speed, frequency, and wavelengthHow the three constrain each other, and which one the medium controls.The Physics 2 equation sheet, annotatedEvery constant and equation from the official sheet, rendered cleanly.