Skip to content
Marlbridge

AP® Physics 1: Algebra-Based · Unit 1 · Topic 1.2

Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration: Topic Checklist (Physics 1 1.2)

Specific “I can…” statements for displacement, velocity and acceleration in the algebra-based course, each linked to the guide section and practice question that tests it.

Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow its link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.

Understanding

  • I can explain what the object model ignores and why a moving car can be treated as a point. (Guide: “Start with an object and an axis”)
  • I can state a coordinate system in words, such as “+x to the right, origin at the start line”, before I write any sign. (Guide; every practice question)
  • I can explain the difference between displacement and distance travelled, and give a trip where they differ. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q1)
  • I can explain why an object whose velocity reverses direction is accelerating even if its speed is the same before and after. (Guide: “Average acceleration”; Practice Q4)

Skills

  • I can calculate average velocity and average speed for a trip with a turn-around. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q1)
  • I can calculate average acceleration with signed velocities, including a rebound. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Q4)
  • I can estimate an instantaneous velocity by shrinking the time interval in a data table. (Guide: “Instantaneous velocity without calculus”; Practice Q3)
  • I can draw a tangent line on a position–time graph and find its slope from two points on the line. (Guide: Figure 1)
  • I can find acceleration from the slope of a velocity–time graph, and displacement and distance from its areas. (Guide: Figure 2; Practice Q5)
  • I can turn position data into a velocity–time graph using interval midpoints and read off the acceleration. (Practice Q6)

Reasoning

  • I can decide whether an object is speeding up or slowing down from the signs of v_x and a_x, without assuming negative acceleration means slowing. (Guide: speeding-up table; Practice Q2, Q5)
  • I can justify why a ball at the top of its flight has zero velocity but non-zero acceleration. (Guide: “Limiting cases worth knowing”; Practice Q7)
  • I can use experimental data to support or refute a claim that acceleration is constant. (Practice Q6)

All ticked? Move on to Topic 1.3, Representing Motion, or return to the course roadmap.

AP® and Advanced Placement® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this website. Marlbridge is an independent tuition provider. It is not an authorized AP course provider, an AP school or an exam centre, and these resources are not official College Board materials. Reading them or doing simulations does not meet the laboratory requirement of an AP science course.