The AP Physics 1 Equation Sheet

If you searched for the AP Physics 1 equation sheet, you probably want two things: a copy of the sheet, and reassurance that having it during the test means you do not have to memorize formulas. The first part is easy. The College Board publishes the official table and you can download it from the AP Physics 1 course page.¹ The second part is where students get hurt.

I have watched capable students treat the equation sheet like a cheat sheet they earned, then freeze when the problem in front of them does not announce which line of the sheet to use. The sheet is real, it is generous, and it is not the thing standing between you and a good score. What stands there is whether you understand when each relationship applies. This page covers what is on the sheet by category, the specific things it does not give you, and how to actually use it on exam day.

What the AP Physics 1 Equation Sheet Includes

The official table is organized by topic, and it tracks the units in the course.² Rather than reproduce it line by line (the College Board owns it, and the exact wording and notation can change year to year), here is what each section covers so you know what you are looking at when you download it.¹

Kinematics. The relationships that connect position, velocity, acceleration, and time for motion at constant acceleration. These are the equations you reach for in projectile and free-fall problems.

Dynamics and forces. Newton's second law and the relationships for specific forces, including friction and the force from a spring. This is the section behind every free-body diagram problem.

Circular motion and gravitation. Centripetal acceleration, the period of circular motion, and Newton's law of universal gravitation for the force between two masses. Orbit and satellite questions live here.

Work, energy, and power. Definitions of work, kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy near Earth's surface, spring potential energy, and power. The conservation-of-energy questions pull from this group.

Linear momentum and impulse. The definition of momentum, the impulse relationship, and the framework for momentum conservation in collisions.

Torque and rotational motion. The rotational analogs of the linear quantities: torque, angular kinematics, rotational form of Newton's second law, moment of inertia for standard shapes, angular momentum, and rotational kinetic energy.

Simple harmonic motion. The period relationships for a mass on a spring and for a pendulum, plus the connection between SHM and restoring force.

Alongside the equations, the table includes two reference blocks that are easy to overlook:

• A constants and conversion section giving values such as the acceleration due to gravity used on the exam, the universal gravitational constant, and standard unit prefixes.
• A geometry and trigonometry reference with area, volume, and right-triangle relationships, so you do not have to recall the area of a circle or the definitions of sine, cosine, and tangent under pressure.

What the Equation Sheet Does Not Give You

This is the part nobody puts on the download page, and it is the part that decides your score.

It does not tell you which equation to use. The sheet is a menu, not a recipe. A problem describing a block sliding down a ramp and compressing a spring touches dynamics, energy, and possibly friction. The sheet shows you all three areas at once and stays silent on which one opens the problem. Choosing the right starting relationship is the skill the exam is actually testing, and it comes from practice, not from the paper in front of you.

It does not tell you which variable to solve for. Every equation on the sheet can be rearranged several ways. The sheet shows one standard form. If a question gives you final velocity and asks for time, you have to do the algebra yourself, in your head or on scratch paper, under the clock. Students who can only use an equation in the exact shape it is printed lose time and make rearrangement errors.

It does not do conceptual reasoning. A large share of AP Physics 1 questions ask you to explain, compare, or predict without plugging in numbers. The free-response section includes questions that ask for a written argument or a justification.³ No equation on the sheet writes that explanation. You have to connect the relationship to the physical situation in words, and that is graded on your reasoning, not your formula.

It does not flag when an equation does not apply. The constant-acceleration kinematics equations only work when acceleration is constant. The simple-harmonic-motion period for a pendulum assumes small angles. The sheet prints these relationships with no warning labels. Knowing the conditions under which each equation is valid is on you, and the test writers design questions specifically to catch students who apply a formula outside its range.

What You Still Have to Understand and Memorize

Because the sheet gives you the relationships, your study time should not go toward rote memorization of the formulas themselves. It should go toward the things the sheet cannot hold.

You still need to know the meaning of every symbol cold. If you see momentum written in its standard form, you should instantly read it as momentum equals mass times velocity, written p = mv, and know that velocity is a vector with direction. If you see kinetic energy, you should know it as KE = (1/2)mv^2 and understand that it is always positive and scales with the square of speed. Newton's second law, F = ma, has to be second nature, including the fact that the force is the net force. Acceleration as a = (change in v) / (change in t) should be something you reason with, not look up. The sheet shows these; understanding what they describe is yours to build.

You also need the concepts that have no formula at all: how forces appear in a free-body diagram, why momentum is conserved when no external force acts, what the area under a velocity-time graph represents, and how energy moves between forms. AP Physics 1 leans heavily on graphs and reasoning, and the equation sheet is no help for any of it.

A useful test while you study: cover the sheet and try to predict, for a given problem type, which section you would turn to and why. If you can do that, the sheet becomes a fast lookup tool on exam day. If you cannot, the sheet becomes a wall of options you stare at while the clock runs.

How to Use the Sheet Strategically on Test Day

The students who use the sheet well treat it as a confirmation tool, not a discovery tool. They already have a plan for the problem, and they glance at the sheet to lock in the exact form or to grab a constant.

Here is how to make that real:

1. Read the problem fully before touching the sheet. Decide what physics is happening (Is this energy? Momentum? Forces?) before you go looking for an equation. The sheet should confirm a choice you already made, not make the choice for you.
2. Find your section, not just your formula. Because the sheet is grouped by topic, jumping to the right block (dynamics, energy, rotation) is faster than scanning the whole page for a single equation.
3. Pull the constant deliberately. When a number plug-in is coming, copy the exact value from the constants block onto your scratch work so you are not second-guessing it mid-calculation.
4. Do not over-rely on it during multiple choice. Many multiple-choice questions are conceptual and have no number to compute. Flipping to the sheet out of habit wastes seconds you need elsewhere.
5. Use the geometry block for setup, not memory. If a problem needs the area of a circle or a trig ratio, the sheet has it. Use it instead of risking a recall error.

Practicing with the real sheet is the single highest-return habit here. Familiarity with the layout converts the sheet from a distraction into a quiet, fast reference. For the bigger picture on how AP exams reward this kind of practiced fluency, our AP exam prep guide breaks down how to prep STEM subjects differently from humanities. If you want to confirm the test date and timing, check the AP exam schedule for 2027.

Where the Sheet Fits in Your Broader Score Picture

A strong AP Physics 1 score can earn college credit or placement, which is why students chase a 4 or a 5. But AP scores arrive over the summer, and you typically cannot use them in the same admissions cycle as your application. If you are timing your testing year, knowing when AP scores come out helps you plan around that delay.

Keep AP results in proportion with the rest of your testing profile. For most applicants, the SAT or ACT still carries more weight in admissions decisions than any single AP score, so understanding what counts as a good SAT score or a good ACT score matters alongside your AP work. And if you are weighing whether to report scores at all, our guide to submitting scores to test-optional colleges walks through the decision.

FAQ

Is the AP Physics 1 equation sheet provided during the exam?

Yes. The College Board provides an official table of equations and constants that you may use during the entire exam, including both the multiple-choice and free-response sections. You can preview the same sheet ahead of time from the AP Physics 1 course page.¹

Can I bring my own equation sheet to the AP Physics 1 exam?

No. You may only use the official table provided by the College Board. Personal notes, custom formula sheets, and annotated copies are not permitted in the exam room. Practice with the official version so it feels familiar on test day.

Does the equation sheet mean I do not have to memorize formulas?

Not in the way most students hope. The sheet lists the relationships, so you do not need to memorize the formulas word for word. You still have to know what every symbol means, when each equation applies, how to rearrange it, and how to reason through conceptual questions that have no formula at all.

Does the AP Physics 1 sheet include calculus?

No. AP Physics 1 is algebra-based, so the equation sheet contains no calculus. Every relationship on it can be applied with algebra and basic trigonometry, which is the level of math the exam expects.

What constants are on the AP Physics 1 equation sheet?

The table includes a constants and conversion section with values the exam uses, such as the acceleration due to gravity, the universal gravitational constant, and common unit prefixes. It also includes a geometry and trigonometry reference with area, volume, and right-triangle relationships. For the exact values, download the current sheet from the College Board.¹

How should I practice with the equation sheet before the exam?

Use the official sheet on every practice test you take so you learn its layout. Train yourself to decide what physics a problem involves before you look at the sheet, then use the sheet only to confirm the exact form of the equation or to grab a constant. The goal is to find any section in a few seconds.

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Footnotes

1. College Board. (2026). AP Physics 1: Algebra-Based Course. https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-physics-1-algebra-based ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. College Board. (2026). AP Physics 1 Course and Exam Description. https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-physics-1 ↩

3. College Board. (2026). AP Exam Policies and Guidelines. https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/exam-policies-guidelines ↩