AP Physics B, Physics C: Mech Self Study, or both?

SAT and ACT Tests & Test Preparation Sciences
#1

<p>I'm sure there have been other discussions posted in the past pertaining to my situation, but I digress. </p>

<p>My school is poorly run and is unable to to offer AP Physics C, which really bothers me as it is something I'm really interested in learning. I took AP Calculus AB/BC (was able to take it the entire year in a classroom setting) and Honors Physics this year, so I'm debating on taking B or C. My school offers B, which is the reason I'd want to take it, since I prefer being taught in a classroom setting, and I'm not the best person to study independently, and I heard C is difficult; however, I really don't want to be stuck with simple algebra and geometry and want to challenge myself with calculus in C, especially mechanics since I like roller coaster physics and am contemplating on studying either Architecture or Structural Engineering in college.</p>

<p>So should I enroll in B and study C: Mech simultaneously and take the C exam? Or should I just stick to one of the other? Need advice :S</p>

#2

<p>Just going to throw this out there- Right now is a really bad time to ask about physics c. People just took the exam today and it was worse than one could ever imagine. I'd wait a month or two and ask again haha.
Are you looking to just understand physics or to get college credit? Physics B is more of a broad physics class while C goes more in depth on a few topics. Also, I think colleges generally accept physics c more for college credit.</p>

#3

<p>Yeah... I asked now because of the traffic of the Science thread with the AP test today I thought it would be a good time to ask, lol. I generally want to take it for college credit (reason why I prefer C) and also just because I want to go more in depth in Mechanics, since it's the only area of Physics I'm significantly interested, rather, science at all, lol.</p>

#4

<p>Don't. Do. It.</p>

<p>Ask again after July 1st. Lol. That's when most of us will get our scores and can better advise you. Now is really not a good time.</p>

#5

<p>Physics B exam wasn't easy by any stretch of the imagination...it wasn't just the C exam. You'll do better on B if you understand the concepts (which I assume you do, as you claim to be interested in it) and can apply algebra to them. The core is really the concepts though. </p>

<p>Physics C, on the other hand, is taking a few of those concepts and digging through them, ending up with complex calculus equations and a headache.</p>

#6

<p>dont do them at the same time, your just going to be wasting your time and re-learning everything you learned in physics c Mech for physics b. Also, physics c mech is much more "fun" learning than regular B physics cause u can solve more problems in different ways and also gets you more prepared for college. Also, most engineering/architecture colleges don't give credit for B anyways. BUTTTT the last thing i want to say is that C requires a lot of self study and time than any other AP and if you said u cant self study then DON'T take it. My teacher is amazing and knows how to solve any physics problem but he still can only teach us so far, i ended up learning almost 45% on my own. </p>

<p>I took the exam today, i was usually scoring 31/35 average on 3 Mech exams. Today i think i got a solid 25/35. Also, FR i was scoring about 10+ on Mech and today i prlly scored avg of 6+. So basicallllllllllllllllllly, maybe physics c exams are getting harder and you might end up failing? lol just throwing it out there. :)</p>

#7

<p>Do you enjoy getting pounded in the anus?</p>

#8

<p>You should do physics C. The concepts are not much more difficult to understand than those in B and the calculus is very simple (you will never be required to do multivariable calc, although it might help you on some problems). People just finished the exam and are seriously second guessing themselves. I took it too and I can tell you that there is a reason the curve is so low, but it really will not take you by surprise if you prepare well. You can get a 5 on the C exam easily if you put in the effort, and I'm sure many people here got a 5 and are just being too harsh on themselves.</p>

#9

<p>Well they only offer B at my school, so I was saying if studying Mechanics independently while doing B at school would help me understand the concepts better while studying C, since I'm already enrolled for B next year.</p>

<p>I really appreciate the advice guys, and I have been reading the discussion about the exam, and my friend at school who did it independently said it was pretty difficult as well.</p>

#10

<p>Just get one of those cracking AP books and start studying a month or 2 before depending on how much your school already taught you in physics. But man this years exam was totally ****ed up!</p>

#11

<p>I would recommend going through the Barron's book, doing (attempting) all the problems, and then going through all the past AP free response questions - after Barron's I think you'll find the actual AP problems much easier. This year's mechanics exam was difficult, but doable, and E&M was not nearly as difficult as its reputation may make it seem. I self studied both courses and I think I did pretty well on the exams. Get back to me in July and I'll tell you how it turned out!</p>

#12

<p>Self-study Physics C. B is pretty useless if you're going into a mathy field. Try not to be scared by the people who thought Mech was really hard this time around. My friends and I self-studied it and thought it was OK; I felt pretty good about the MC and FR even though I still don't have a firm grasp on rotational motion. (EDIT: Wow, just noticed the pun here.) As long as you prepare well, you'll do fine, especially since you're just doing Mech, which isn't much harder than B's portion of mechanics. Princeton Review is the book we all have, and past FRQs were fairly representative, though they were a little harder this year than usual.</p>

<p>And don't ignore the relatively calculus-heavy parts, not to mention calculus itself (mainly differential equations); it seems that people got kind of screwed over on the calculus on this year's exam.</p>

<p>(Fun fact: there was actually a problem about an amusement park ride on this</a> year's FRQ.)</p>