AP Physics 1 Flashcards: How to Learn 169 Cards for the New 8-Unit Course
Learn AP Physics 1 with 169 flashcards: kinematics, forces, energy, momentum, rotation, oscillations and fluids, with a reordered plan for the 2024-25 course.
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AP Physics 1 is less about memorizing formulas than about knowing which one a situation calls for. Still, you cannot choose between equations you do not know, and the Flip It deck AP Physics 1 (code DP1936, 169 cards) gives you every definition, relationship and unit the course leans on. Here is a study guide that fits the deck to the current course.
Study this deck: AP Physics 1
1 / 10What is kinematics?
Tap the card for the answer · swipe right if you knew it, left if not
The deck matches the new course, almost
Since the 2024-25 redesign, AP Physics 1 has eight units: kinematics, force and translational dynamics, work-energy-power, linear momentum, torque and rotational dynamics, energy and momentum of rotating systems, oscillations, and fluids. Good news: this deck already includes a full fluids block (cards 96-113 and 156-161), which older AP Physics 1 materials lack. The three wave cards (93-95: wave, wavelength, v = fλ) are the leftover: mechanical waves and sound left the course in the redesign, so tag them optional.
Sample cards
| Front | Back |
|---|---|
| Kinematic equations (constant a) | v = v₀ + at; x = x₀ + v₀t + ½at²; v² = v₀² + 2a(x − x₀) |
| Normal force on an incline | N = mg cos θ |
| Action-reaction pairs vs balanced forces | Pairs act on different objects; balanced forces act on the same object |
| Work done by centripetal force | Zero, because it is always perpendicular to velocity |
| Perfectly inelastic collision | Objects stick together; maximum kinetic energy loss |
| Moment of inertia, thin rod about one end | I = (1/3)ML² |
| Period of a simple pendulum | T = 2π√(L/g) |
| Torricelli's theorem | v = √(2gh) |
What you will master
Displacement vs distance, velocity, acceleration, free fall, projectile range and the 45° rule, centripetal acceleration v²/r, Newton's three laws, static and kinetic friction, tension, universal gravitation, free body diagrams, Hooke's law, the work-energy theorem, conservative vs non-conservative forces, power P = Fv, impulse, conservation of momentum, center of mass, torque and lever arm, the parallel axis theorem, τ = Iα, rolling without slipping, angular momentum and the ice-skater effect, SHM energy, damping, resonance, gauge vs absolute pressure, Pascal's and Archimedes' principles, continuity A₁v₁ = A₂v₂, Bernoulli's equation and SI units.
Reorder before you review
The deck runs unit by unit to card 113, then starts a second pass that returns to basics: vectors (114-119), motion graphs (120-127), inclines (132-135) and momentum systems (142-148). Move the vector and graph cards to the front. Slopes and areas of position-time and velocity-time graphs are tested in nearly every kinematics question, and they are prerequisites for everything after card 1.
The second pass also repeats itself: momentum conservation (52 and 145), mass vs weight (22-23 and 129), and equilibrium (32, 61 and 150). Keep the later versions, which state the conditions more precisely. The coefficient of restitution (146) is not in the course framework; keep it only as background.
Two tips for AP Physics 1
- Write the missing calculation cards. Not one of the 169 cards asks you to compute anything. Pair each key equation with a short numeric card, such as a 2 kg block on a 30° frictionless incline (a = g sin θ ≈ 4.9 m/s²). The exam's free-response questions test reasoning, but you only get there once the arithmetic is automatic.
- Use the rotation mirror. Cards 69-80 are linear motion with new symbols: x→θ, v→ω, a→α, m→I, F→τ, p→L. Review each rotational card next to its linear twin and roughly half the unit becomes free.
Next step
After AP Physics 1, continue with our AP Physics 2 guide, which picks up thermodynamics, electricity and optics.
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