--- title: "Learn Physics From Scratch – Self Paced Course" description: "The the #1 ranked Physics course in the worlds, makes concepts easy to learn. Everything to get an A condensed into less than 100 hours!" featured_image: "https://nerd-notes.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Learn-Physics-nn.webp" url: "https://nerd-notes.com/physics/ap-physics-1-from-scratch-course/" date_modified: "2026-09-26T12:14:41+00:00" --- # Learn Physics From Scratch. The Fastest Self Paced Course To Physics Mastery. For AP, High School, or 1st Year College Physics Students **Still struggling in physics class?** I’ll make the hardest concepts in AP Physics 1 dead simple with step-by-step lessons, practice, and exam prep designed to take you from the fundamentals to AP-level mastery. *You’ll learn to solve problems most teachers skip.* Master AP Physics 1. Get an A, or get your money back. Bestseller · 4.9 ★★★★★ (rated 4.9 out of 5) · [(489 ratings)](https://nerd-notes.com/physics/ap-physics-1-from-scratch-course/#reviews) · 12.1k students **Trending Course** — 100+ Enrollments in the last Month Intro video: "Learn AP Physics From Scratch Introduction - Nerd-notes.com" — https://youtu.be/SwCXel-NGwQ Created and Instructed by [Jason Kuma](https://nerd-notes.com/physics/ap-physics-1-from-scratch-course/#instructor) ## Course at a glance - **Beginner To Pro** — No prior experience needed - **Curriculum** — AP Physics 1, Honors & First Yr. Physics Students - **< 100 hrs to finish** — Based on 2 hours/day for 12 weeks - **Flexible schedule** — Learn It At your own pace, or follow ours ## What you'll learn - **All 8 AP Physics 1 Units:** For AP Physics 1, Honors Physics, and First Year College Physics - **The Art Of Derivations** You'll learn to derive your own equations, allowing you to solve problems rapidly without an equation sheet. - **Fundamentals → Deep Understanding:** Master core laws, principles, and formulas to build a deep conceptual foundation - **Problem Solving Frameworks:** Learn simple, but effective frameworks to help solve challenging questions - **Build Advanced Reasoning Skills:** Use first principle thinking to solve and understand real world problems - **Prep for the AP Exam:** Covers the exact question types, tactics, and traps you'll see on the real AP Physics 1 Exam On phones the page shows this list instead: - **8 A.P Physics 1 Units:** Outlined in depth below - **Fundamentals → Deep Understanding:** Master core laws, principles, and formulas—and build a deep conceptual foundation. - **Advanced Problem Solving:** Learn simple, yet effective analytical tactics to solve challenging questions. - **Problem-Solving Frameworks:** Learn to use first principle thinkings to build frameworks to solve the hardest questions. - **Real-Life Applications:** See how physics connects to the real world. ## Join The Top 1% of Physics Students Join 12.1K+ students who've learned physics with us. Built on over a decade of teaching experience, our teaching methods makes difficult concepts click and gives you the confidence to solve problems most classes never teach. ## Requirements - **Math Proficiency:** Solid foundation in algebra and basic trigonometry. *No calculus required* - **Curiosity:** An interest in exploring the physical world, its principles, and why things work the way they do - **Dedication:** Commitment to watching video content and attempting the included practice ## This course includes - All 8 Unit in the AP Physics Curriculum - 75+ Hrs Of Engaging Video Lessons - 30+ Written Lessons - 50+ Targeted Problem Sets w/ Detailed Explanations + Auto Grading - Full Length, Timed Unit Exams For Mastery - Prep For Midterms and the AP Physics 1 Exam - Phy for ultra fast and accurate Question grading & feedback - Nerd-Notes Course Learning Platform - Mobile or laptop accessibility - Ultra 4K video experience - Bonus Seasonal Units For Summer, Midterms, and AP Exam Review - 4 Full Length Mock Exams Included With the Bonus AP Exam Review Unit ## The 8 Physics Units (Tabs: Unit 1–8 and Bonus — every tab's content below.) ### Unit 1: Kinematics 15% of curriculum • 10 hours to complete 7 Videos · 3 Articles · 100+ targeted questions **Covers the following topics:** - Vectors and scalars - Vector addition and vector components - Standard units - Understanding the kinematic variables in depth - Understanding the kinematic equations - Solving 1D and 2D motion problems - Advanced problem solving strategies - Understanding motion graphs - Intro to proportional analysis ### Unit 2: Linear Dynamics and Circular Motion 20% of curriculum • 25 hours to complete 10 Videos · 5 Articles · 100+ targeted questions **Covers the following topics:** - Applying Newton’s laws in depth - Common linear forces and drawing force body diagrams - Solving general force questions - Solving elevator, tension, and friction problems. - Solving multi-body problems - Advanced problem solving applications - Gravitational forces - Centripetal forces and acceleration - Solving centripetal motion problems - Orbit and satellite problems ### Unit 3: Work, Power, Energy 10% of curriculum • 5 hours to complete 3 Videos · 2 Articles · 100+ targeted questions **Covers the following topics:** - Conservation of energy - Kinetic, Gravitational, and Elastic Energy - Systems - Conservative and non-conservative energy - Problem solving framework for energy - Understanding and applying power ### Unit 4: Linear Momentum 10% of curriculum • 5 hours to complete 4 Videos · 1 Article · 100+ targeted questions **Covers the following topics:** - Conservation of linear momentum - Types of collisions and explosions - Impulse - Problem solving framework for momentum and impulse - Solving momentum problems in two dimensions ### Unit 5: Torque & Rotational Dynamics 20% of curriculum • 20 hours to complete 5 Videos · 2 Articles · 100+ targeted questions **Covers the following topics:** - Converting between linear and rotational quantities - Moment of inertia and parallel axis theorem - Rotational kinematics - Solving rotational kinematic problems - Rotational forces (torque) - Solving static torque problems - Solving dynamic torque problems ### Unit 6: Energy & Momentum of Rotating Systems 5% of curriculum • 5 hours to complete 2 Videos · 1 Article · 50+ targeted questions **Covers the following topics:** - Rotational energy - Solving energy problems with rotating objects - Rotational (angular) momentum - Solving angular momentum problems ### Unit 7: Oscillations 5% of curriculum • 3 hours to complete 3 Videos · 2 Articles · 100+ targeted questions **Covers the following topics:** - Simple harmonic motion - Oscillation graphs - Wave equations for oscillation - Springs and pendulums concepts and formulas - Period and frequency ### Unit 8: Fluids 10% of curriculum • 10 hours to complete 2 Articles · 5 Videos · 100+ challenging questions **Covers the following topics:** - Buoyancy, density, and pressure - Pascal’s principle - Archimedes’ principle (buoyancy) and force applications - Bernoulli’s principle and energy applications - Solving fluid statics problems - Solving fluid dynamics problems ### Bonus: Bonus Units Extra Seasonal Units To Help Boost Grades Throughout the year we release **bonus** units with content to help you score higher. These include **full video lessons**, **Practice Questions**, and **Full-length exams**. Here’s roughly when to expect each drop. **release dates:** - Summer SpeedRun – May - Fall (Midterm 1) – October 15th - Winter (Midterm 2) – December 1st - Spring (AP Prep) – February 1st #### Summer SpeedRun You don't need to learn all of physics this summer. You just need a head start. So we've included a Bonus Unit for the summer covering only concepts that matter most. Available to all course members from May to September 15, 2027. More Details (opens a dialog on the page; its full content follows) ##### Get ahead? Or Relax? Our Students Do Both. Physics is hard. Losing your summer to it? Harder. That’s why we built the bonus **Summer Speed Unit**: the most important physics concepts, taught in just 4 weeks. **Free** for all course members from May – September 15, 2027. All you need is wifi, a pencil, and paper. - Access to full Course + Summer Speed Unit - Dozens of Engaging Video Lessons - Problem Sets w/ Explanations + Auto Grading - On Nerd Notes' Powerful Courses Platform ## Excellence Guaranteed [Read all reviews.](https://nerd-notes.com/reviews/) The page shows a carousel of 25 verified reviews of this course, drawn at random from the 50 most recent; that pool is listed here in full (name, grade, rating, review). - **Mary Ann** (11th Grade) — 5/5: **So far so good!** We are very happy with this physics instructor so far. He does an incredible job of explaining concepts. I purchased this for my granddaughter, in 11th grade. We read so many positive reviews on the website and we now see why. She has also told me she is now two chapters ahead of her class, and prefers learning from the course over her classroom teacher. We are very happy with our purchase and will be buying it for others as well. - **Shayla** (11th Grade) — 5/5: **This course has helped me a lot** I enrolled in the course this summer for the summer speed review unit, which covered the first 3 physics units in a few weeks. I did not appreciate how well this course teacher taught everything until I started going to school. It's a night a day difference. All my friends are struggling to understand the teacher, while it seems so easy to me due to the way I learned everything. It just makes so much more sense! I'm leaving this review because everyone told me how hard this class was, but I'm genuinely grateful to have learned physics in a way that makes sense. I have also recommended my friends to enroll as well! - **Josh P.** (11th Grade) — 5/5: **Great course!** I wish I had found this course before my unit 1 test. I'm now re-doing all the lessons from the start and physics is actually making sense now. My friend that took ap physics last year told me to buy this course and I also recommend buying this if you're struggling in physics. - **Praveen** (10th Grade) — 5/5: **Helpful** Purchased for both my kids in high school taking ap Physics 1. They both scored well on their first two tests and attributes their success to this physics course. - **Kayla** (11th Grade) — 5/5: I think this is my favorite Physics resource so far! My friends said this would be one of my harder classes so I wanted to start early. I just finished the first two summer units in about a month. The videos are clear and easy to follow. The practice after each video takes the longest time. Even though theres not a lot of questions it can take a while to work through all of them. So far, physics is not that bad and I'm excited to do the rest of the units. - **Mike D.** (10th Grade) — 5/5: Purchased for my son and he enjoyed using the course. We wanted to do the 5 weeks program with Jason but he was fully booked out so we used this as a last resort. My son was able to get a 5 and we know that Jason and the course played a big role in it. This site also has an incredible amount of resources for Physics students of all backgrounds. I will be recommending this to friends and family! - **Suria K.** (11th Grade) — 5/5: **Good resource for learning** Purchased for my daughter and she got a 5 this year. She used it for extra practice prior to exam and we're happy with the results. - **Téa** (11th Grade) — 5/5: **Only reason I got an A in Physics** Science is not my thing, but this course helped me get an A in my AP Physics 1 class. If you're in AP Physics and need extra resources to teach yourself I recommend the lessons in this course. - **Ayham** (9th Grade) — 5/5: This program helped my daughter go from a C grade to A in her second semester. We tried private tutoring and other resources in her first semester but she still did not catch on until after redoing the first few units in this course. - **Alexa** (11th Grade) — 5/5: **Jason is a great teacher!** Bought this course to support Jason and his site, but actually ended up heavily relying on the lessons to teach me! My class teacher did not teach us at all and if I hadn't found Jason on youtube, I would not have an A in Physics right now. - **Sunil** (10th Grade) — 5/5: **Worth it!** The course helped my daughter. Purchased it for her over the summer and she ended with an A in both semester. She gives tons of credit to this course for helping her understand when her in class teacher didn't fully explain concepts. - **Anna** (12th Grade) — 5/5: Jason's youtube videos helped a lot and I decided to enroll in the last 3 months of school. It is definitely worth it especially if you just need to learn the content fast. I was able to finish physics ahead of my class and start studying for the AP exam earlier. - **Amanda Castillo** (11th Grade) — 5/5: **Helped improve my son's grades** My son says this course helped him out a lot in class. He enjoyed the teacher's lessons much more after enrolling and his grades reflect it. - **Aditi Balakrishna** (10th Grade) — 5/5: Enrolled in the course from a friends recommendation and it was worth it! - **Giselle** (12th Grade) — 4/5: **Good but fast** This course is very fast paced. I had to rewatch some of the videos twice but in the end they made sense. The practice problems also took a while to complete but I think made the biggest impact in helping me understand what I was doing right and wrong. - **Rishi** (11th Grade) — 4/5: Overall its pretty good, but if you're doing well in class already i would only use it to do the other units in advance. - **Riya P.** (10th Grade) — 5/5: **5 stars!** 5 stars for everything! This course is the only thing that made sense for me and literally saved my ap physics grade this year. I recommend everything on this website and have also recommend it to my friends taking physics next year. - **Deepak R.** (10th Grade) — 5/5: Good for my son who took Ap Physics this year. - **Jin** (10th Grade) — 5/5: **Helped my grades a lot** This videos in this course made a big difference in helping me understand. It just makes more sense the way it explained here than in my class. My grades this semester are much better thanks to it. - **Pranavi K.** (10th Grade) — 5/5: Used this for my ap physics class and it helped a lot. - **Riya Tyagi** (12th Grade) — 5/5: **Better than my physics class** Wish there were more videos! But the videos that are there are really good at explaining concepts and problem solving. - **Kyle** (12th Grade) — 5/5: My dad enrolled me in this course and I had no idea about nerd notes before this, but I'm glad i found it. The course definitely helped me improve my grade more than anything else I used. - **S :)**: **I learned a lot** I learned a lot form this course as a 9th grader. My school offers AP physics but we were asked to self study most of it. I couldn't have done it without this course. - **Hari** (10th Grade) — 5/5: **Saved my grade** The course is valuable for any student who needs problem solving tips. - **Max R.** (11th Grade) — 4/5: **Good explanations** Definitely better than my physics teacher! - **Sam B.** (12th Grade) — 4/5: The forces unit was really helpful! - **Jocelyn** (11th Grade) — 5/5: We tired private tutoring, but my son says this AP physics course helped him more. So he'll be continuing with the course for the rest of the school year. - **Harsh** (10th Grade) — 5/5: Under-rated website and great for learning physics. - **Sidd** (10th Grade) — 5/5: The practice is hard at first but they get easier to do over time. Personally I think the frameworks for Unit 1 and 2, 3 helped me the most. - **Alex T.** (10th Grade) — 5/5: Jason is good teacher! He explains in a way that actually makes sense for me which is all i needed to help me do better on my quizzes. - **Brooke A.** (11th Grade) — 5/5: **Start early!** Physics has been my hardest class this year, but this course has some of the best explanations on how to problem solve. My teacher just expects us to know how to solve problems without really explaining anything, so i found it better to use the course videos to learn ahead of time so I don't have to rely on him. It works for me, I just wish I had started using it earlier. So start in the summer or early in first semester if you can! - **Lilly L.** (12th Grade) — 5/5: The course helps simplify the concepts into just a few videos! It's worth your time if you need to catch up on Physics. - **Mel** (11th Grade) — 5/5: Purchased for my daughter and she got an A her first semester! I'm really happy with this knowing how difficult physics is and how much her friends were complaining about their physics teacher. This course was very much worth it. - **Ryan O.** (11th Grade) — 5/5: **My daughter loves it** I bought this for my daughter to help her prepare for her physics midterms and she scored higher on that exam that her individual unit exams she had took earlier in the quarter. She's also excited to get ahead with the other units in the course to get ahead. - **Zewu** (11th Grade) — 4/5: I'm finding this course helpful but in a weird way. I feel like it does a good job explaining exactly what you need to do to solve questions but you can only tell once you start doing the practice. I think in general it can be helpful for most people taking AP Physics. - **Singh** (10th Grade) — 5/5: Purchased for my son and he used it to catch up during break. - **Reena** (10th Grade) — 5/5: **Good for self studying** Before my parents signed me up I was mainly using Khan Academy and flipping physics videos. This course is so much better, i just wish it had more videos on AP test related "hacks" like how their youtube videos show. This is still overall the best course I've tried so far. - **Rachel Wu** (9th Grade) — 4/5: The teacher is really good. BUt there is too many practice problems in the assignments and takes me a while to do them all. - **Kim** — 5/5: Physics is a hard subject but Jason makes it simple to understand and start problem solving. This course has been a tremendous help in helping me home school both my sons (in 9th and 10th grade). Would highly recommend for anyone needing to learn physics. - **Cole L.** (9th Grade) — 5/5: I found this course useful and would recommend other students who are struggling in physics to use it. - **Jay S.** (12th Grade) — 5/5: Helpful course for AP physics. - **Priya** (11th Grade) — 5/5: I recommend this course! - **Josie.** (11th Grade) — 5/5: This course is really good if your teacher doesn't teach at all. I enrolled after failing both my unit 1 and 2 tests. Fortunately I was able to retake my unit 2 test and got a B after using the course videos. Everything is organized and followed what we did in class. But the problem sets are much harder than anything we were given in class. Overall its helpful. - **Arjun Mehta** (11th Grade) — 5/5: Im still taking the course but so far its been helpful. Its a lot of material but better than CB or even flipping physics. These videos are much faster paced and actually cover how to solve problems. The frameworks were really helpful. - **Hannah Li** (11th Grade) — 5/5: This helped me get an A on my forces unit test! I failed my kinematics test so I was pretty surprised to see my score improve so much. Also the questions in the practice sets are pretty hard, but if you apply the "frameworks" he teaches then its actually not too bad. The problem solving videos are the most helpful. - **Samantha Davis** (11th Grade) — 5/5: **Feels like private tutoring** I didnt think an online course could replace an actual tutor, but Jason's teaching style is so conversational it feels one-on-one. The frameworks are really helpful and I like how everything is just so straightforward. Watching these before my teacher did lessons made the biggest difference for me. Highly recommend! - **Brian Huang** (11th Grade) — 5/5: This course has not only saved my grade but has helped me to appreciate physics a lot more. The problems sets were pretty hard but it helped me feel a lot more prepared for my last two test. - **Jocelyn Wu** (12th Grade) — 5/5: This course should be used in schools! It has so much more content than I expected. This could be a bad thing if you don't have a lot of time, but it really helped my grade a lot. I joined a month ago and did 2-3 lessons per day until I caught up. Now I am able to consistently get As on my unit test and quizzes. I would definitely recommend joining! - **Grace C.** (9th Grade) — 5/5: **Cool site** I enjoyed using nerd notes this school year. Everything is in one place and easy to find and use. - **Javier Castillo** (12th Grade) — 5/5: I took this course over the summer after hearing how hard AP physics is. I would highly recommend this course. I'm not good at science at at but so far I got over a 95 on all my quizzes and test. Even my teacher was surprised since the class average is usually below a 70. I'm pretty happy with the results. Thanks Jason! ## Redefining Limits - **After 10,000+ hours of 1 to 1 Tutoring** I saw most students struggle only in *certain* areas of Physics - **So I Found The Fastest Ways To Teach These Concepts** pushing the boundaries of how fast students can learn Physics. This course measures in weeks not semesters. - **We look at real students feedback** to continuously optimize the lesson content. I guarantee that you will have an incredible learning experience. ## Meet Your Pro Instructor **Jason Kuma** — Engineering Physicist, Professional Physics Coach, Founder Photo: Jason Kuma. - 8 Years of Teaching Physics - 11,000+ 1-to-1 Lessons - 5.0 Instructor Rating - 1300+ Reviews - 500K YT Views **Feeling stumped by physics?** I get it. Physics has a reputation for being difficult, but it doesn’t have to feel that way. I’m Jason, the instructor of this course and founder of Nerd Notes. Before building this program, I spent years teaching AP Physics 1 one-on-one and learning exactly where students get stuck. Over time, I started recognizing the same questions, mistakes, and confusing concepts again and again. That let me build lessons that answer your questions before you even think to ask them. That’s what makes this course so **rapid**. I don’t skip over important concepts. Rather, I just remove the confusion, early on, that normally slows students down. No endless note-taking. No memorizing formulas without understanding them. Physics really comes down to one skill: **deriving equations.** I’ll help you build that skill from scratch, starting at zero and working our way up to the kinds of problems most classes struggle to teach well. You’ll still have to put in the work between lessons. But if you do, the payoff is huge: stronger grades, real confidence, and a way of thinking that lasts long after the exam. I hope you enjoy learning with the program as much as I enjoyed building it. ## Course FAQ Frequently asked questions. ### Can I join anytime? Yes! Our year-round enrollment is designed to fit your schedule, whether you need to get ahead in the summer, keep up with classwork, or prepare for exams. ### If I purchase this as a parent can I give my student access? Absolutely! Just send us an email with your child’s email and we’ll transfer course access to their account. Alternatively you can have your student login and purchase the course directly from their account. ### Can I use this to learn Physics over the summer? Yes! In fact, we have a bonus Summer Unit designed for students that want to learn the first 3 units (the most important ones) over the summer in just 4 weeks. ### Should I enroll if I'm already taking a Physics class in school? Yes! This course was originally designed to supplement a traditional physics class. We teach the material more efficiently while specifically addressing the common gaps that many teachers overlook. ### How are FRQs graded? For practice questions that require a written or drawn solution, you can simply type your answer or upload a picture of your work. Our **Phy AI** will grade it instantly. If your solution is incorrect, the AI will provide specific feedback on how to fix it, allowing you to reattempt the question and master the concept. *P.S: This is the same trusted AI used by over one million students using our [**Phy Chat**](https://nerd-notes.com/phybeta) and [**UBQ**](https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/) platforms.* ### How long does it take to complete the Full length unit exams The cumulative end-of-unit exams are designed to closely mimic the AP Exam. Unlike the practice sets, they are timed and may be split into separate MCQ and FRQ sections. Depending on your problem-solving speed, the full exam should take 50–100 minutes. ### Is this enough to learn physics by myself? Absolutely! You can use the course as a stand alone learning resource. Everything you need to learn and practice is included. ### How long will the course take to complete? This course is designed to be completed in one quarter, or approximately three months. However, some students have finished the entire course in under two months. For the first few weeks, we recommend studying and practicing for about two hours a day, five days a week. Once you master the first four units, the remaining units become much easier to complete. ### Is this course for AP Physics 1? Absolutely. This course is specifically designed to teach algebra-based physics and is perfectly aligned with the new 2025 AP Physics 1 curriculum. Additionally, its comprehensive content makes it a valuable supplement for students in any high school or introductory college-level physics class. ### Do I Need To Pay Extra For the Bonus Units Bonus Units are completely free and include full video lessons, articles, practice sets, and tests. They’re our way of giving enrolled students extra support to help maximize their scores. ### Is this course for AP Physics C? If you’re an AP Physics C student and new to physics, this course is a great way to build your foundation. While your class will use **calculus**, you will still cover most of the same core Units as our **algebra-based** course. Mastering the fundamentals here first will make the more complex calculus applications in your own class much easier to understand. ### Does the course include FRQs? Yes, this course includes practice sets, which contain MCQ and FRQs (Free Response Questions). These are questions we have hand picked. ### Is UBQ (The Ultimate Bank of Questions) included? No, this course is fully self-contained and includes all of its own problem sets. [**UBQ**](https://nerd-notes.com/ubq/) is a separate, free platform available on **Nerd Notes** that you can use as an optional resource for extra practice questions. ### Is Phy AI included? This course comes with our **Phy AI** built right into the platform. You’ll use it to get instant feedback on your practice FRQs and other written answers. This is different from our [**Phy AI Chat** platform](https://nerd-notes.com/ai/), which is a separate tool not included with this course enrollment. ## Still Have Questions? Feel free to email us at nerdnotes.business@gmail.com ## Enroll - **$299** (was ~~$499~~) - **$200 off** with **BACK2SCHOOL** — Coupon applied at checkout. - 1 Year of access - Single student use - All Materials Included - Questions? See Our FAQ (https://nerd-notes.com/physics/ap-physics-1-from-scratch-course/#FAQ) **Enroll Here** — button on https://nerd-notes.com/physics/ap-physics-1-from-scratch-course/ (requires a Nerd Notes login; opens a secure Stripe checkout; the BACK2SCHOOL discount is applied automatically). A fixed **Enroll** button on phones and tablets jumps to this box. Educators: View [classroom pricing](https://nerd-notes.com/home/pricing/) and features. Interactive parts of the live page: an intro video, unit tabs, an expandable FAQ and a scrolling reviews carousel — all of their content is included above.