AP Physics 2 — Thermodynamics and Electricity flashcards

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Units 9–11 of the AP Physics 2 course: kinetic theory and ideal gases, heat transfer, the first and second laws and PV diagrams, Coulomb's law, fields, potential, capacitors, DC circuits and RC circuits.

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Learn deck · part of AP Physics 2 · written against: College Board AP Physics 2 Course and Exam Description (2024 revision). Updated 2026-10-10.

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At the molecular level, what causes the pressure a gas exerts on the walls of its container?

Collisions of molecules with the walls. Each bounce reverses part of a molecule's momentum, and the total momentum change per second spread over the wall's area is the pressure.
Thermodynamics › Ideal Gases and Kinetic Theory
How is the ideal gas law written in terms of the number of molecules rather than moles?

$PV = Nk_BT$ ⁠, where N is the number of molecules and $k_B$ = 1.38 × 10⁻²³ J/K is Boltzmann's constant; it is equivalent to $PV = nRT$ because $nR = Nk_B$ ⁠.
Thermodynamics › Ideal Gases and Kinetic Theory
What is the average translational kinetic energy of a molecule in an ideal gas at absolute temperature T?

$K_{avg} = \frac{3}{2}k_BT$ ⁠. It depends only on temperature, not on the kind of molecule.
Thermodynamics › Ideal Gases and Kinetic Theory
If the absolute temperature of an ideal gas doubles, what happens to the rms speed of its molecules?

It increases by a factor of √2, because $v_{rms} = \sqrt{\frac{3k_BT}{m}}$ grows with the square root of the temperature.
Thermodynamics › Ideal Gases and Kinetic Theory
What does conservation of charge mean, and what is the smallest free charge?

The total charge of an isolated system never changes; charge only moves between objects. Charge is quantized in multiples of the elementary charge e = 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ C.
Electric Force Field and Potential › Charge and Coulomb's Law
How does charging by induction differ from charging by conduction?

Conduction needs contact and leaves the object with the same sign as the charging object. Induction uses a nearby charged object, often plus a ground connection, with no contact, and leaves the opposite sign.
Electric Force Field and Potential › Charge and Coulomb's Law
Why is a neutral scrap of paper attracted to a charged rod?

The rod polarizes the paper: opposite charge shifts slightly toward the rod and like charge away. The nearer charge feels a stronger force (inverse-square law), so the net force is attractive.
Electric Force Field and Potential › Charge and Coulomb's Law
How is electric current defined, and which way does conventional current flow in a wire?

$I = \frac{\Delta q}{\Delta t}$ ⁠, measured in amperes. Conventional current points the way positive charge would move — opposite to the electrons' actual drift in a metal.
Electric Circuits › Current Resistance and Ohm's Law
How does a wire's resistance depend on its length, cross-sectional area and material?

$R = \frac{\rho L}{A}$ ⁠: proportional to length and resistivity ρ, and inversely proportional to cross-sectional area.
Electric Circuits › Current Resistance and Ohm's Law
A wire is stretched to twice its length while its volume stays the same. What happens to its resistance?

It becomes four times as large: the length doubles and the cross-sectional area halves, and both raise R.
Electric Circuits › Current Resistance and Ohm's Law

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Topic outline follows the College Board AP Physics 2: Algebra-Based Course and Exam Description (2024 revision), Units 9–11 (outline only; no course or exam text reproduced).
OpenStax College Physics 2e, consulted as a reference; no text copied.

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