<p>Hiya,
So I'm currently a rising sophomore, I took Physics B last year(as a freshman) and got a 5, so I have a decent background in physics.
As you can infer from the topic, I am interested in the USAPhO and IPhO(even though this is extremely unrealistic)
I currently own:
Physics for Scientists and Engineers-Giancoli
Fundamentals of Physics-Halliday, Resnick and Walker
University Physics-Young
and the Feynman Lectures on Physics
So finally, my question is, how should I go about preparing for the USAPhO, what book should I start with, should I do all of the odd numbered problems, how many hours a day seems realistic to make USAPhO by the time I'm a junior or sophomore, is working through these books enough or do I need to get an additional physics problem book like Irodov's?
Thank's in advance.
Also, I'm not sure if this is posted in the right forum, if it is not, can a mod please move it, I figured this would be a good forum to ask these questions in because the majority of participants in Olympiads are high school students</p>
<p>I personally know an IPhO-er who coached me in the beginning of this year and I can tell you that you need a lot more than Physics B.</p>
<p>PhysO questions are not like the problems in the AP exam, in case you haven’t realised. What you need to realise is that you definitely need a good background and understanding of the concepts and you need calculus.</p>
<p>If you can do standard high school questions, then you can move on to harder stuff. What I realise about students taking physics is that they think physics is a number-crunching subject where they just need to enter numbers and solve and nothing else. To do well in IPhO you need to really understand the concepts and be able to apply it.</p>
<p>I recommend [Amazon.com:</a> Physics by Example: 200 Problems and Solutions (9780521449755): W. G. Rees: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Physics-Example-200-Problems-Solutions/dp/0521449758]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Physics-Example-200-Problems-Solutions/dp/0521449758). The IPhO-er I knew could do everything in there and you should too.</p>
<p>Well, I was intending to take Physics C this coming year, will that provide a decent foundation that I can build upon by working through some undergraduate physics textbooks along with that problem book you posted?
And will that be enough to at least take me to the USAPhO?</p>
<p>Bump for great justice</p>
<p>physics c was enough to help me make semifinals
but i did like half the problems in the book
probably what problems you do out of your books matter more than what books you have.</p>