Structure + Matter
2-5%of exam
Matter ModelsThermalNuclearConstantsReference Tables
Forces + Interactions
20-32%of exam
Motion GraphsNewton LawsMomentumFieldsVectors
Energy
26-38%of exam
Work + PowerConservationThermal EnergyCircuitsEfficiency
Waves + EM Radiation
26-38%of exam
Wave MathOpticsEM SpectrumPhoton EnergyDigital Signals
Earth + Space Systems
2-8%of exam
SpectraRedshiftStar EnergyExpansion EvidenceEM Evidence
Engineering + Design
5-11%of exam
InvestigationsData ClaimsDesign TradeoffsModelsConstraints
Quick Facts
- Exam
- Physical Science: Physics
- Code
- NYSP12SLS
- Time
- 3 hours
- Pass
- Scale score 65
- Questions
- 45-55 items
- Format
- ~60% MC / ~40% CR
- Clusters
- 9-11 clusters
- Tables
- 2025 Edition
- First exam
- June 2026
- Fee
- No direct student fee
- Pass rate
- Not published
Constants + Prefixes
- g acceleration
- 9.8 m/s^2
- g field
- 9.8 N/kg
- G
- 6.67 x 10^-11
- c
- 3.00 x 10^8 m/s
- Sound at STP
- 3.31 x 10^2 m/s
- eV
- 1.60 x 10^-19 J
- k electric
- 9.0 x 10^9
- e charge
- 1.60 x 10^-19 C
- h
- 6.63 x 10^-34 J*s
- kilo
- 10^3
- milli
- 10^-3
- micro
- 10^-6
Matter + Nuclear
- Temperature
- Particle energy measure
- Specific heat
- Energy per kg*C
- Thermal transfer
- Hot to cold
- Half-life
- Half sample decays
- Two half-lives
- One-fourth remains
- Fission
- Large nucleus splits
- Fusion
- Small nuclei combine
- Isotope
- Same Z, different N
Graph Quick
Position slope; velocity slope; velocity area
x-t slope: velocityv-t slope: accelerationv-t area: displacement
Speed vs Velocity
Speed
- Scalar
- Distance over time
- No direction
Velocity
- Vector
- Displacement over time
- Has direction
Path vs displacement
Graph Picker
- Position-time slope→Velocity
- Velocity-time slope→Acceleration
- Velocity-time area→Displacement
- Force-time area→Impulse
- Straight-line slope→Constant ratio
- Curve steepens→Rate increases
- Outlier appears→Check method
- Claim requested→Data evidence
Motion + Graphs
- Average speed
- distance / time
- Average velocity
- displacement / time
- Acceleration
- change velocity / time
- x-t slope
- Velocity
- v-t slope
- Acceleration
- v-t area
- Displacement
- Free fall
- g downward
- Projectile
- Horizontal independent
- Circular motion
- Center acceleration
Mass vs Weight
Mass
- Matter amount
- Kilograms
- Location unchanged
Weight
- Gravity force
- Newtons
- Depends on g
Matter vs force
Forces + Momentum
- Fnet
- m a
- Weight
- m g
- Inertia
- Mass resists change
- Third law
- Different objects
- Friction
- Opposes sliding
- Momentum
- m v
- Impulse
- Change in momentum
- F-t area
- Impulse
- Isolated system
- Momentum conserved
- Inverse-square
- 1 / r^2
Force Pair vs Net Force
Third-law pair
- Different objects
- Equal and opposite
- Same interaction
Net force
- One object
- Vector sum
- Causes acceleration
Pair vs sum
Electric + Magnetic
- Like charges
- Repel
- Opposite charges
- Attract
- Electric field
- Positive-force direction
- Coulomb force
- k q1 q2 / r^2
- Field force
- F = q E
- Current wire
- Magnetic field
- Induction
- Changing magnetic field
- Compass deflection
- Current evidence
Momentum vs Impulse
Momentum
- m v
- Object quantity
- Vector
Impulse
- Change momentum
- F-t area
- N*s
State vs change
Circuit Split
Series shares I; parallel shares V
Series: same IParallel: same VSeries R addsParallel branches add
Work vs Power
Work
- Energy transfer
- Force times distance
- Joules
Power
- Transfer rate
- Work over time
- Watts
Amount vs rate
Formula Picker
- Need average speed→d / t
- Need acceleration→delta v / t
- Need net force→Fnet = m a
- Need weight→Fg = m g
- Collision or impact→Momentum / impulse
- Object moving→KE = 1/2 mv^2
- Height changes→PEg = mg delta h
- Spring stretches→PEs = 1/2 kx^2
- Heat changes temp→Q = mc delta T
- Photon frequency→E = h f
Energy + Thermal
- KE
- 1/2 m v^2
- PEg
- m g delta h
- PEs
- 1/2 k x^2
- Work
- Force times displacement
- Power
- Work / time
- Total energy
- PE + KE + other
- Net work
- Change total energy
- Thermal Q
- m c delta T
- Efficiency
- output / input x100
- Calorimetry
- Lost equals gained
Energy Track
Choose system, track transfers
KE: motionPEg: heightThermal: frictionPower: rate
Series vs Parallel
Series
- One path
- Current same
- Voltage divides
Parallel
- Many paths
- Voltage same
- Current divides
One path vs branches
Circuit Picker
- Same current path→Series
- Same voltage branches→Parallel
- Measure current→Ammeter series
- Measure voltage→Voltmeter parallel
- Open switch→No current
- Need equivalent R→Circuit rules
- Power asked→P = V I
- Energy used→W = P t
Circuits + Fields
- Current
- charge / time
- Voltage
- energy / charge
- Resistance
- opposes current
- Ohm law
- V = I R
- Power
- P = V I
- Series current
- Same everywhere
- Series voltage
- Adds across parts
- Series Req
- R values add
- Parallel voltage
- Same each branch
- Parallel current
- Branch currents add
- Parallel Req
- Reciprocals add
- Ammeter
- Series connection
- Voltmeter
- Parallel connection
Wave Inverse
Higher f means shorter lambda
v = f lambdaE = h fGamma: highest energy
Reflection vs Refraction
Reflection
- Bounces back
- Same medium
- Angles equal
Refraction
- Bends path
- New medium
- Speed changes
Bounce vs bend
Wave Basics
- Wave speed
- v = f lambda
- Period
- 1 / frequency
- Frequency
- cycles per second
- Wavelength
- crest-to-crest distance
- Amplitude
- Maximum displacement
- Reflection
- Wave bounces
- Refraction
- Wave bends
- Diffraction
- Wave spreads
- Interference
- Waves combine
- Superposition
- Displacements add
Real vs Virtual Image
Real image
- Light converges
- Screen possible
- Inverted often
Virtual image
- Apparent source
- No screen
- Upright often
Converges vs appears
Optics + Photons
- Photon energy
- E = h f
- Index n
- c / v
- Snell law
- n1 sin1 = n2 sin2
- Mirror law
- angle in equals out
- Lens equation
- 1/F = 1/do + 1/di
- Magnification
- hi/ho = -di/do
- Real image
- Light actually converges
- Virtual image
- Appears behind mirror
- Plane mirror
- Virtual, upright, same size
- Gamma rays
- Highest photon energy
Space Evidence
- Spectral lines
- Element fingerprints
- Redshift
- Longer wavelength
- Distant galaxies
- Often redshifted
- Universe expansion
- Redshift evidence
- Star energy
- Fusion processes
- EM radiation
- Space information
- Absorption spectrum
- Missing wavelengths
- Frequency increase
- Photon energy increases
Exam Format
- Clusters
- 9-11 storylines
- Questions
- 45-55 total
- MC
- About 60%
- CR
- About 40%
- Time
- 3 hours
- Stimuli
- Graphs, tables, diagrams
- Tools
- Calculator, ruler, protractor
- Tables
- 2025 Physics tables
Investigations + Design
- System
- Boundary chosen
- Claim
- Answer from evidence
- Evidence
- Relevant data
- Reasoning
- Model links data
- Independent variable
- Changed by investigator
- Dependent variable
- Measured outcome
- Controlled variable
- Kept constant
- Repeated trials
- Reliability check
- Model
- Simplified system
- Constraint
- Design limit
- Tradeoff
- Benefit with cost
- Optimization
- Best under constraints
Common Traps
Zero velocity trap
Top: v = 0 ≠ g still downward
Third-law pairs
Different objects ≠ Do not cancel
Friction present
Mechanical energy decreases ≠ Total energy conserved
Series vs parallel
Series current same ≠ Parallel voltage same
Meter placement
Ammeter in series ≠ Voltmeter in parallel
Passing score
Scale score, not percent ≠ Raw cut varies
Reference tables
Locate formulas ≠ Choose model yourself
Optics boundary
Reflection bounces ≠ Refraction bends
Last Minute
- 1.Start with system boundary
- 2.Write equation before substituting
- 3.Carry units through answer
- 4.Use 2025 reference tables
- 5.Series: same current
- 6.Parallel: same voltage
- 7.Top of flight: g remains
- 8.Friction: thermal energy grows
- 9.Slope gives graph quantity
- 10.Area may be displacement/impulse
- 11.65 is not percent
- 12.Claims need data evidence
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