Physics - Rotational Motion 3 - Energy and Momentum - AP

This course is one of several Mousseau Physics courses designed for AP Physics, introductory college physics, and advanced high school physics. In this course we focus on rotational energy and angular momentum. Students will study rotational kinetic energy, rolling motion, work and power in rotational systems, angular momentum, conservation of angular momentum, and the relationship between rotational and linear forms of energy and momentum.

The videos and resources include clear lectures, diagrams, and worked out example problems. Students will practice identifying when rotational energy matters, separating translational and rotational energy, using conservation laws, and interpreting what angular momentum means physically. The course helps students connect rotational mechanics to the energy and momentum tools they already use in linear mechanics.

This course is a strong fit for AP Physics 1 students, AP Physics C Mechanics students who want algebra based reinforcement, and introductory college physics students. It does not require calculus. Students who have worked through linear energy and momentum will find many familiar ideas here, but with the added challenge of rotation and rolling motion.

By the end of the course, students should be more confident solving rolling motion and angular momentum problems, explaining conservation of angular momentum, recognizing how rotational systems store and transfer energy, and connecting rotational mechanics to broader conservation-law reasoning.

Students can work straight through the course as a full unit or use individual lessons as targeted support alongside a class. The videos are built to be paused, rewound, and practiced with pencil and paper, so the course works well for homework help, test review, exam preparation, or rebuilding a topic that did not fully click the first time.