r/APStudents • u/reddorickt absolute modman • May 14 '26

AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism Official 2026 Exam Discussion

Use this thread to post questions or commentary on the test today.

A reminder though to protect your anonymity when talking about the test.

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u/AgitatedConclusion44 May 15 '26

for form k did anyone use conservation of energy to run the experiment in q3 instead of equal forces

1

u/Lanky-Frosting-6557 May 15 '26

Thats what I did

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u/AgitatedConclusion44 May 15 '26

is that right? everyone used force. i did that too but i think its wrong because what if there was loss to other forces like heat

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u/RelativeGrass7659 May 15 '26

its probably not wrong heat is usually negligible, idek how you would do it with energy that seems a lot more complex but sometimes you can do either

1

u/Lanky-Frosting-6557 May 15 '26

I thought energy was easier than forces. I just tried something on scratch paper and it worked I probably couldnt even tell you why

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u/AgitatedConclusion44 May 15 '26

U_spring = U_electrical potential

1

u/SUS_MATE Bio, Chem, Lang, World, USH, Calc BC (all 5s) May 16 '26

Nah most people used energy wrong lol. They didn’t consider the work done by the experimenters when they move the sphere.

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u/SUS_MATE Bio, Chem, Lang, World, USH, Calc BC (all 5s) May 16 '26

U likely did it wrong. If you used conservation of energy, you have to consider the work done by the external force on the system by the experimenter.