Unit 9 Overview: DC Circuits

As of 2021, College Board only tests Units 1-7 on the AP Physics 1 exam. This page's content will not be tested on the exam, but we kept it online for you all as a resource.

Electricity is everywhere, powering our daily lives. Most electronic devices, from cell phones and computers to flashlights and cars use direct current (DC) electrical circuits to power them.

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This unit serves looks at the concepts from Unit 8 and apply them in creating and analyzing electric circuits. These topics will account for ~6-8% of the AP exam questions and will take approximately 9-12 45 minute class periods to cover.

Applicable Big Ideas

• Big Idea #1: Systems - Objects and systems have properties such as mass and charge. Systems may have an internal structure.
• Big Idea #5: Conservation - Changes that occur as a result of interactions are constrained by conservation laws.

Key Concepts 🔑

• Resistivity (𝜌)
• Resistance (R)
• Voltage (V)
• Current (I)
• Charge (q)
• Electrical Energy (W)
• Electrical Power (P)
• Series Circuits
• Parallel Circuits

Key Equations 🗝

🎥Watch: AP Physics 1 - Unit 9 Streams