<p>Hello, school has been going on for 1.5 weeks here and my school has decided to teach AP Physics C: Mechanics as a 0-period class starting on Wednesday, meaning it will take place before school starts, 4 days a week. I am a Junior and have never taken physics of any kind before, and have no idea what to really expect. Is it an extremely difficult class? I am also taking AP Calculus AB, AP Chemistry, AP Chem lab, AP Psychology as AP's and other difficult classes (Spanish 3, English Honors). I am a little intimidated by my difficult schedule, although my other AP classes are thus far pretty easy. How hard is the AP Physics Mechanics exam? How much effort should it take to get a 4 or a 5 on it? How about a 3? I will be content with a 3, but really, I have no idea what to expect. Please help and if you have any experiences with AP Physics C Mechanics, please share them!</p>
<p>I’ve read a bunch of things about the AP Physics course (I’m taking it this year as well). I would say that if you’re only doing the mechanics section spread throughout the entire year, it shouldn’t be too difficult to pull off a 5. If you’re pulling both sections (like i am) it’s an extremely difficult course. It’s the equivalent of 2 semesters of college physics (unlike other AP classes like AP Calc, which is only 1 semester of calc) so you really cover a wide range of material and on top of that the material is hard to grasp.</p>
<p>In my school, they only teach AP Physics B, but I’m self-studying for the C exam (both parts) as well as the USAPhO. If you’re just focused on the Mechanics exam, get “Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday & Resnick”, which is a popular choice among many successful students. The book is simple enough to teach you if you have little experience with physics (I tested out of HS physics), yet detailed enough to be calculus-based. The book also has several problems at the end of each chapter, which are by no means easy. That is, they apply concepts that were taught in the chapter as well as intuitive thinking for each problem. As you study through this book, you’re problem solving skills will become better. For just mechanics, only Volume 1 is necessary. Then, if you’re ambitious, you can get more rigorous mechanics books like “Classical Mechanics by David Morin”, “Introduction to Mechanics by Kleppner-Kolenkow”. </p>
<p>By using the Halliday/Resnick book, you should have no trouble getting a high 4 although 5 is preferred. By using the more rigorous books thereafter, you should have no trouble getting a high 5 ;). </p>
<p>Considering you are in the class, just follow your teacher and read the material in whatever book he/she gives you. That book should be similar to the Halliday & Resnick book. What you should do, is spend 30mins each day to read ahead in your class textbook, and 1.5hr on the day you don’t have class. </p>
<p>The AP Exam is based on being able to use calculus-based concepts of physics and applying them with your problem-solving skills to each problem. Hope this helped.</p>
<p>write the general equation on every FRQ you see</p>
<p>Thanks guys. How hard is the AP Physics C Mechanics test? Does it test the topics in a ton of depth or what? I’m getting nervous. I figure I need at least a 4.</p>
<p>It tests the topics pretty in depth IMO, but definitely doable, especially if you are just focusing on mechanics the entire year. If you like math you will LOVE mechanics–at least I did. As long as you keep up with the coursework, I don’t think you’ll have any trouble on the AP. Just make sure to do some practice tests on your own if your teacher doesn’t assign them as part of the class.</p>