<p>How hard is physics 7a to handle if I have never taken a physics class before? I’m planning to study a bit over the summer, but not sure how much I should learn in order to be competitive in this class? What topics are most important that I should review?</p>
<p>It’ll be quite tricky since the class moves at a very rapid pace, with one topic covered per week. Major topics and units below:</p>
<p>Unit 1 (Chapters 1-5)
Kinematics - Position, velocity, acceleration
Dynamics - Newton’s Laws, centripetal acceleration</p>
<p>Unit 2 (Chapters 6-11)
Gravitation
Work-Energy - Work, kinetic/potential energy, linear momentum
Rotational kinematics - Torque, angular momentum</p>
<p>Unit 3 (Chapters 12-15)
Statics
Fluids
Oscillations
Waves</p>
<p>The difficulty in this class doesn’t progress linearly. Each unit lasts approx. five weeks, but each successive unit is about 2x harder than the previous one. If you have all summer, try to get the book early and read all the way up to Ch. 11, and do as many problems as you possibly can. Good luck.</p>
<p>recommendations:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>become comfortable with taking derivatives and antiderivatives, and become competent at massaging equations</p></li>
<li><p>spend some time learning what the real definitions of velocity, displacement, acceleration and force are. </p></li>
<li><p>spend some time learning how to do unit analysis (also called dimensional analysis for reasons i don’t understand)</p></li>
<li><p>learn the real definitions of momentum and energy. Understand the ideas of conservation of energy and consesrvation of momentum. these are fundamental tools (and possibly the most important concepts) in physics</p></li>
<li><p>if you have the time, learn about torque and moment of inertia.</p></li>
<li><p>learn about the wave equation. the wave equation becomes very important later on in physics</p></li>
</ol>
<p>ultimately the only way to find out how you’ll do in physics 7a is to take the class. unfortunately it has an early drop deadline so if you feel in over your head you will have to make a quick decision two weeks into the semester. best wishes.</p>
<p>Which book is used? Is the Physics 7a book the same for 7b?</p>
<p>Giancoli is the physics book used for 7A and 7B.</p>
<p>Called something like “Physics for Scientists and Engineers” or something.</p>
<p>You can buy the whole book or you can buy the 7A and 7B parts separately.</p>
<p>thank you for this heads up…i’ll definitely need to do some prior studying too…</p>
<p>Do you know which edition or what the cover looks like? I went to amazon to try and buy it (link below). Which one looks right? Thanks so much!</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=br_ss_hs/103-6194136-8267809?platform=gurupa&url=index%3Dstripbooks%3Arelevance-above&keywords=Giancoli+&Go.x=13&Go.y=14[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=br_ss_hs/103-6194136-8267809?platform=gurupa&url=index%3Dstripbooks%3Arelevance-above&keywords=Giancoli+&Go.x=13&Go.y=14</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0132431068/qid=1150821330/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/102-7555184-3063325?s=books&v=glance&n=283155[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0132431068/qid=1150821330/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/102-7555184-3063325?s=books&v=glance&n=283155</a> - Full version</p>
<p>Vol 1 = 7A
Vol 2 = 7B</p>
<p>Thanks for all the help - I should brush up on my calculus skills as well, i took BC Calc my junior year, and taking Math 53 in the fall. I just ordered the book (there was no vol.1/vol.2, so I’m assuming it’s both… or perhaps just vol 1… isbn: 0130215171) and I’m going to try to prepare myself the best I can. Are there any particular labs that a typical high school physics course performs that I may want to review to better prepare myself?</p>
<p>Actually,
7A covers Vol. 1, Chs. 1-16
7B covers Vol. 1, Chs. 17-20 and Vol. 2, Chs. 21-32</p>
<p>Honestly, you don’t need to really prepare.</p>
<p>Yes, I took physics in high school but my teacher was an idiot and I never learned a thing.</p>
<p>I did fine in Physics 7A.</p>
<p>The labs you do in Physics 7A are not very important, they are only there to compare with what you come up mathematically.</p>
<p>hey qusimoto, how did you do in your AP Calc test? Also, did you take any math course at 12th grade?</p>
<p>i got a 5 on the BC exam, then I took a lame Stats class my senior year at the local CC… so I know I need to start hitting the books</p>
<p>I will also be taking physics 7a next semester. is the textbook that darkpyr0 linked to the textbook that covers all the material in physics 7a and 7b?</p>
<p>Yes. I have the book myself.</p>
<p>is Physics 7a considered Calculus based physics? I have started studying the giancoli book, and I’ve gotten to chapter 5 and so far I haven’t seen much calculus. How much should I brush up on Calc?</p>
<p>Is there anyway of taking Physics 7A first sem without completing Math 1A? (I’m intel so we don’t have APs and the like)</p>
<p>Since we’re talking about the textbook for physics 7A, I was wondering if anyone could post me a link for, or tell me the name/editor of, the math 53 text, and/or** chem 4A **text.</p>
<p>Early Transcendentals by Stewart. 5th edition</p>
<p>Is this text right:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0534393217/qid=1152493269/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-0267640-9500008?s=books&v=glance&n=283155[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0534393217/qid=1152493269/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-0267640-9500008?s=books&v=glance&n=283155</a></p>
<p>?</p>