AP Physics 1 Summer Work Review: Significant Figures, Unit Conversions, and Basic Kinematics

A set of vocabulary-style flashcards covering significant figures, scientific notation, SI prefixes, basic units, and foundational kinematic/energy concepts from the notes.

Significant figures

Digits in a value that carry meaning about precision; used to determine uncertainty and rounding in measurements.

Scientific notation

A method of writing numbers as a × 10^n with a between 1 and 10 to simplify handling very large or very small values.

SI prefixes

Prefixes used with SI units to denote powers of ten (e.g., nano 10^-9, micro 10^-6, milli 10^-3, centi 10^-2, kilo 10^3, mega 10^6, giga 10^9).

Nano

Prefix symbol: n; equals 10^-9.

Micro

Prefix symbol: μ; equals 10^-6.

Milli

Prefix symbol: m; equals 10^-3.

Centi

Prefix symbol: c; equals 10^-2.

Kilo

Prefix symbol: k; equals 10^3.

Mega

Prefix symbol: M; equals 10^6.

Giga

Prefix symbol: G; equals 10^9.

Kilogram (kg)

Base SI unit of mass; 1 kg = 1000 g.

Nanometer (nm)

Unit of length; 1 nm = 10^-9 m.

Meter (m)

Base SI unit of length.

Second (s)

Base SI unit of time.

Year

Unit of time; approximately 365 days per year.

Kilometer per hour (km/h)

Unit of speed; 1 km/h ≈ 0.2778 m/s.

Velocity

Rate of change of position; speed with direction.

Acceleration

Rate of change of velocity; how velocity changes over time (units m/s^2).

Displacement

Straight-line vector from initial to final position; includes direction and may differ from distance.

v^2 = v0^2 + 2 a d

Kinematic equation for constant acceleration relating final velocity, initial velocity, acceleration, and displacement.

d = d0 + v0 t + 1/2 a t^2

Displacement under constant acceleration as a function of time.

T = 2π sqrt(L/g)

Period of a simple pendulum for small angles; relates period to length and gravity.

Gravitational force (F_g)

F_g = G m1 m2 / r^2; gravitational force between two masses according to Newton's law of gravitation.

Hooke's law

F = -k x; restoring force of a spring proportional to displacement from equilibrium.

kx = mg (mass on a vertical spring at equilibrium)

Static equilibrium condition where spring force balances weight.

Conservation of mechanical energy

In the absence of non-conservative forces, total mechanical energy E = K + U remains constant (K = 1/2 m v^2; Ug = m g h; Us = 1/2 k x^2).