AP Physics B

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Advanced Placement (AP) Physics B was a physics course administered by the College Board as part of its Advanced Placement program. It was equivalent to a year-long introductory university course covering Newtonian mechanics, electromagnetism, fluid mechanics, thermal physics, waves, optics, and modern physics. The course was algebra-based and heavily computational;[1] in 2015, it was replaced by the more concept-focused AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2.

Exam

The exam consisted of a 70 multiple-choice question (MCQ) section, followed by a 6–7 free-response question (FRQ) section. Each section was 90 minutes and was worth 50% of the final score. The MCQ section banned calculators, while the FRQ allowed calculators and a list of common formulas. Overall, the exam was configured to approximately cover a set percentage of each of the five target categories:[2]

Topic Percent
Newtonian Mechanics 35%
Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Physics 15%
Electricity and Magnetism 25%
Waves and Optics 15%
Atomic and Nuclear Physics 10%

Purpose

According to the College Board web site, the Physics B course provided "a foundation in physics for students in the life sciences, a pre medical career path, and some applied sciences, as well as other fields not directly related to science."[3]

Discontinuation

Starting in the 2014–2015 school year, AP Physics B was no longer offered, and AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2 took its place. Like AP Physics B, both are algebra-based, and both are designed to be taught as year-long courses.[4]

Grade distribution

The grade distributions for the Physics B scores from 2010 until its discontinuation in 2014 are as follows:

Score 2010[5] 2011[6] 2012[7] 2013[8] 2014[9]
5 14.8% 16.4% 16.3% 16.6% 15.8%
4 18.5% 19.2% 19.3% 19.9% 18.5%
3 26.1% 25.9% 26.4% 26.1% 26.5%
2 18.6% 17.3% 16.8% 16.3% 17%
1 21.9% 21.3% 21.3% 21.1% 22.3%
% of Scores 3 or Higher 59.4% 61.5% 62.0% 62.6% 60.8%
Mean 2.85 2.92 2.93 2.95 2.89
Standard Deviation 1.35 1.37 1.36 1.37 1.37
Number of Students 67,312 75,648 80,584 89,263 93,574

References

  1. ^ "AP Physics B". AP Central. College Board. 2011. Archived from the original on 2 July 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  2. ^ "AP: Physics B: Topic Outline". Collegeboard.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2004. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  3. ^ "2006, 2007 AP Physics Course Description" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 10, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
  4. ^ "About AP - AP Central | College Board". 11 June 2018.
  5. ^ 2010 AP Scores Distribution
  6. ^ 2011 AP Scores Distribution
  7. ^ 2012 AP Scores Distribution
  8. ^ 2013 AP Exam Score Distributions
  9. ^ 2014 Student Score Distributions