@crewship I don’t know how well it will prepare me conceptually though. We haven’t dived into it much so far, but does it explain things conceptually and give appropriate practice? I hope it doesn’t give all mathematical questions like other physics books I’ve seen…
Today was the first day of school ( I know, it is very late). We are using “College Physics” by Pearson.
Our teacher told us straight: “This class has a very low pass rate, even for our school. Also, the test is extremely conceptual and you barely even need a calculator.”
@kimclan1 Yeah, you’re teacher is right. It’s helpful though to learn the mathematical way to further understand and reinforce the concepts, but don’t focus too much on the exact numbers.
For example, questions will ask “Rank these diagrams in order of rate of acceleration.” This is a pretty simple question, but it shows how you don’t need to calculate the specific rate for one object, rather you can estimate the accelerations and make connections to the other objects.
Just wanted to say I have bookmarked this thread! I am currently doing AP Physics with Schaum’s College Physics, Openstax’s College Physics for AP Courses, and Princeton Review’s Review for the AP Physics exam. I am also watching YouTube videos related to topics in class.
I did AP 1 junior year and AP C senior year.
First off, if you’ve already taken honors physics or the like, don’t bother taking AP 1/2, take AP C instead (unless you’re not doing calculus. Take AP C only if you’ve already done or are concurrently in AP Calc. It will be harder if you’re not, especially in E&M). AP 1/2 hardly gets you any credit at most colleges and will probably only count as a gen ed/elective, while AP C can give you actual physics credit and you may not need to do as well on AP C to get the credit vs. AP 1/2 (i.e. you could get the same credit for getting a 4 or 5 for AP C but need a 5 on AP 1/2 to get any gen ed/elective credits). Plus, AP 1/2 could be a rehash of what you’ve done in honors, at least AP 1 definitely should be.
For my AP 1 class (school didn’t offer AP 2) the class for me was extremely easy, getting almost 100%, while the test was brutal (though I still ended up with a 4). It is VERY VERY conceptual, which I hated, especially since I was already in calculus and wanted to take derivatives when my teacher wouldn’t let me. So, if you’re ahead in math and are in Calc junior year (when most people take physics) try to do AP C, even if you haven’t taken physics before (this is albeit more difficult, but manageable). You will hate AP 1/2 if you want to do math/calculations–a lot of the frqs were writing. That said, it’s a nice transition to AP C if you can’t take AP C w/out any physics background–AP 1/2 teaches concepts and C will teach more of the math and application.
In terms of textbooks we “used” Giancoli for AP 1 (never actually used in class…I read it on my own) and Knight for AP C (again, we only used the book max 4 times the entire year and only for doing written hw problems (the rest were online) but it’s good to read as a supplement). The first couple problems in Giancoli are conceptual so those should help a lot and hopefully AP has posted more resources for AP 1 so you’re all not as lost as we were (first year of the course…no one had any idea what the test was going to be like). AP posted some resources for us at the end of the year and my entire class was like “what is this? This is wayy harder than anything we’ve done in class…”.
I wish you all luck in the class and on the test!!
@aykt4245 I have never taken a physics course in my life besides regular freshman physics and I am in AP Calculus BC. Do you think it was a good idea for me to have done AP Physics 1 or should I have done AP Physics C?
@thenorthstar I think you should be okay for physics C! My friend decided to AP C concurrently with AP BC without having ANY prior physics exposure/knowledge whatsoever and she did great! In my school most if not all people that take AP C are seniors and are concurrently in BC and most, if not all, pass the test and get a good grade in the class. But really, do what you feel comfortable with. Are you interested in physics? Is this your senior or junior year? If you’re not interested in physics at all it might be better just to take AP 1, but if you are then go for it! Make sure you leave time to take the classes that interest you. Also, if you’re taking any other AP science (chem, bio, etc) it may be better to wait until next year (unless you’re a senior)–it’s pretty difficult to take two sciences at once since they all require a lot of work, psets, labs, etc. Also, do you like doing more conceptual or mathematical thinking? AP 1 will be mostly concepts and hardly any calculations, AP C will involve math and some of the calc you learn (especially in E&M…lots of integration).
@aykt4245 I’m a junior. I think I’m more intrigued by conceptual thinking, so I think I’ll wait until I complete this course to see if I like physics. If I enjoy it I’ll take AP Physics C… Thank you very much! This is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time.
@thenorthstar Sounds like a great plan to me! No need to rush AP C and then find out you hate physics 
I am a freshman. AP Physics 1 is one of my favorites, at least it is not boring as most freshman classes in my school… Well, according to some posts here, the actual AP Physics 1 exam is going to be much harder than the class itself, should I start freaking out? …I am also taking AP Statistics and AP Psychology. All other classes I take this year are just honors. My school does not have money for AP chemistry labs… unfortunately… Any suggestions on how to prepare better for the exam? We do not use a textbook in our class… (I mean I have the textbook somewhere in my room … possibly… )
@javascript Get AP Physics 1 essentials and the PR book. Both of those are AP style and will help you prepare for the exam.
Our teacher doesn’t teach and the passing rate is really low. I don’t really understand physics so I’m hoping I can pass the exam lol…
This class is soooooo tedious. Some lab write-ups have taken me over three hours to do. I need to get a 100 on literally everything in the class to bring my grade up to an A (94-100) by the end of the semester. People are dropping this class like flies.
To add to all of this mess, my work might not even be worth it. 60% of the people that take this exam fail it. I’m just gonna have to fight through this.
Okay so how do you pass this test? Every review book online is labeled as “trash.” It doesn’t seem like an algebra-based course would be too tough, but it has like a 4% 5 rate lol
Is anyone planning on take AP Physics 2 next year? I have to create my schedule in three weeks and do not know whether to take AP Chemistry of Physics 2. My intended major is Statistics and I am currently a sophomore.
@kimclan1 I took both AP physics 1 and 2. 2 best classes in high school. It managed to single handledly change my major when applying to colleges form Bio to Electrical Engineering. AP 2 is more rigorous than 1 based on topics. I thought the AP test was simple if your teacher does a good job. Mine was a Mech E from UCSB and a former TA there so he was bomb. Good luck! AP Chem sucked a lot but maybe it’s cause I took it as a sophomore with no prior Chem or AP experience. I used Princeton review books for every AP test I ever took but that was prob more based on superstition lol.
Okay so like, I’m currently taking AP 1 & 2 but I got really screwed over because the teacher who was supposed to teach it got hurt and he’s been out since September. I’ve essentially learned very little because the subs just give us worksheets but they’re from a PRE-AP Physics book, so I’ve essentially not been exposed to the AP level physics. On top of that we’re barely on rotational dynamics and I HIGHLY doubt we’ll get any AP 2 material. I guess the only good thing is the easy bump in GPA but I believe at best I’ll get a 2 on the exams purely off of the fact I took Pre-AP (Honors) Physics last year. 
I’m taking AP Physics 1 and 2, our teacher is ok but some of the conceptual stuff and just the mass of new content is hard to take in, especially as our class enters the subjects of electricity and magnetism. Any good videos that can help?
How do people take physics 1 and 2 at the sametime?
I’m taking it…Why did I do this to myself? It’s really hard as an internet class.