AP Physics 1 — interactive lessons
29 lessons covering AP Physics 1 topics. Every one starts with a simulation you can play with before the equation arrives. Free, no sign-up.
Lessons are matched to topics at the level of the specification, not to a single exam board's numbering — check your own spec for exactly what you'll be examined on.
Mechanics29
- Motion GraphsA sprinter's run is recorded as distance against time. When does she reach top speed, and what is it?20 min
- Free Fall and the Equations of MotionYou drop a stone into a well and hear the splash 2.0 s later. How deep is the well?22 min
- Projectile Motion: the Angle for Maximum RangeWhat launch angle throws the furthest?25 min
- Projectiles from a HeightFrom a clifftop, is 45° still the best angle?20 min
- Hitting a TargetA ball kicked at 16 m/s must land 20 m away. Which angles work?18 min
- Speed and VelocityWhat one number captures how fast something moves.22 min
- Acceleration0 to 30 m/s in 3 s vs 15 s — which is fiercer?24 min
- Acceleration and Motion GraphsHow fast velocity changes — and how one line hides both the rate and the distance.26 min
- Equations of MotionFour equations that crack any constant-acceleration problem.26 min
- Forces and Free-Body DiagramsDraw every force on an object — the core skill of mechanics.20 min
- The Principle of MomentsWhere to sit on a seesaw to balance someone twice your weight.22 min
- Moments & Equilibrium: the Non-Uniform BeamBalance a loaded, non-uniform beam — and find the hidden support forces.24 min
- Equilibrium: Ladders & Hinged BeamsWhy a ladder slips — the friction and forces that keep it standing.26 min
- Newton's First and Second LawsForces, mass, and why trucks take longer to stop.22 min
- Newton's Third LawA truck hits a fly: which pushes harder? (Trick question.)18 min
- FrictionWhy ice is slippery and rubber grips — static vs kinetic friction.22 min
- Forces on a SlopeTilt a ramp steeper and steeper — until the crate lets go.22 min
- Hooke's LawStretch a spring twice as far — force doubles. The simplest rule in mechanics.22 min
- Work and Kinetic EnergyDouble your speed — why does stopping take 4× longer?27 min
- Conservation of EnergyWhy a rollercoaster needs no engine once it crests the first hill.23 min
- Power and EfficiencySame work, half the time — that's double the power.24 min
- Momentum and ImpulseWhy airbags save lives — it's all about time.20 min
- Collisions and Conservation of MomentumCarts crash and stick — where did the energy go?22 min
- Centre of MassWhy a hammer thrown spinning still traces a perfect parabola.24 min
- Circular MotionWhy does water stay in a bucket swung overhead?22 min
- Banked CurvesWhy race tracks tilt their corners — rounding a bend with no friction at all.24 min
- Universal GravitationThe Moon is falling — so why doesn't it hit Earth?20 min
- Simple Harmonic MotionSprings, pendulums, and heartbeats share one equation.22 min
- The PendulumWhy a pendulum keeps time — and why mass doesn't matter.23 min