<p>Can you guys feel the excitement yet?</p>
<p>How tough is this class at your school?</p>
<p>Does this class in your school prepare you for the SAT subject test?</p>
<p>I’m taking this class next year, so of course I feel the exuberance! I heard our AP Physics class was pretty tough, but not to worried. Don’t plan on taking the SAT Subject test. Yay.</p>
<p>@151Andrew151 I’m taking the class next year too. I heard the B exam was hard but because of the length. Since they’re halving the curriculum, I think this class is going to be pretty easy</p>
<p>Hey, can anybody tell me what the difference between the previous B exam and this new Physics 1 exam is? Our school used to offer Physics B, but now we don’t offer AP Physics 1 since it’s a 2 year course? However, I will be taking a dual enrollment course and plan on self-studying for the AP Physics 1. Any tips?</p>
<p>@alzhao They basically split AP Physics B into two parts similar to how the Physics C exam is set up. That is really the only major difference.</p>
<p>@jimmyboy23 So basically this exam should be easier than the older AP Physics B?</p>
<p>I personally thought the multiple choice questions on the May SAT II were more difficult than the ones on the AP test which surprised me (but it may have just been that month’s test). Overall, I think the class doesn’t live up to the reputation that may people give it as a brutal, year long journey through hell, and the mathematical side of the subject is fairly simple (basically manipulating formulas) while the conceptual side is tougher but the degree of toughness depends on how good your teacher is. </p>
<p>Taking AP Physics 1 next year, too! 
What textbooks are you all using, and what review books (if any) do you plan on getting? Not sure if I should trust previous threads for review book recommendations because of the course redesign. /:</p>
<p>I’m taking this next year too.</p>
<p>I think another difference between this and the first semester of Physics B is that this class is Algebra based, unlike Physics B which was Calculus based.</p>
<p>@ErenYeager - Wasn’t Physics B algebra based? I thought Physics C was the one that was calculus based.</p>
<p>Oh really? I thought it was Calculus based too. You’re probably right, I didn’t look much into it. Wikipedia agrees with you too :P</p>
<p>Alas, I’m in the same boat as you gentlemen as I too will be taking AP Physics 1 next year.</p>
<p>According to College Board the AP Physics 1 exam will have 25 less multiple choice questions than the former AP Physics B exam (which I think had 75).</p>
<p>I would love to take this class but my school sadly doesn’t offer it. Is there a way I could self-study it?</p>
<p>Hello everyone. I took the AP Physics B exam in May and learned today that I scored a 5! Like most of you know, AP Physics B is a physics course that is algebra and trigonometry based. The exam covers Newtonian Mechanics, Fluid Mechanics and Thermal Physics, Electricity and Magnetism, Waves and Optics, and some Atomic and Nuclear Physics. So it covers quite a bit of physics. It is nice to see that College Board has decided to split Physics B into Physics 1 and 2 because there is honestly too much about physics you have to know about to do well on the B exam. You guys are lucky since you will be tested on only half of the information that I was tested on. But since the material you will be tested on was part of my test, I would be more than happy to give you tips for succeeding in this exam, like I did.</p>
<p>Although I had a phenomenal physics teacher, I did a sufficient amount of self-studying which I truly believe helped significantly. First, I read through my physics textbook religiously. The textbook that my teacher used was Giancoli Physics 6th Edition. This is an excellent textbook. After each chapter my teacher covered, I read the chapter in the textbook by myself and solved most of the problems at the end of the chapter. Doing this helped me not only understand the concepts, but also applying it to solve problems. With that being said, I highly recommend using this textbook as one way to prepare for the exam. Another textbook that you can use is the Cutnell & Johnson Physics textbook. It even comes with DVDs for additional information. This is also a great textbook.</p>
<p>Second, I bought myself a Princeton Review AP Physics B preparation book and went through all of the 17 chapters. Now that this test is no longer being administered, I recommend you get a Princeton Review AP Physics 1 preparation book. I felt that this prep book over-prepared me for both the multiple choice and free response sections because most of the questions for both sections were extremely difficult. However, this is not something to be overwhelmed by. The AP exam does not ask questions as difficult as those but knowing how to answer those questions will literally make some of the sections on the exam a breeze. At the end of the book are two practice exams and even though I skipped doing them, I suggest you do them and go over all of your mistakes.</p>
<p>Third, I went through the free response questions from some exams from previous years. You can find them on the College Board website and you can also find scoring guidelines for each of the questions. I think they go as far back as 2000. I only went through four of them but I got a feel for what type of questions could appear in the free response and what the people who are grading expect to see in order to get full credit. Unfortunately, there are no previous exams that include the multiple choice section but I’m sure you can find a practice multiple choice section online.</p>
<p>Fourth, I memorized ALL of the formulas and constants that I needed to know. The AP exam provides a formula sheet, but that is only on the free response section. Many multiple choice questions deal with formulas and constants so knowing those would definitely help because it will hurt you if don’t. Take my word for it. Another thing is that you are not given much time to answer the questions on the free response so its only going to kill you if you have to keep flipping pages to find a formula or constant. You could be using that time to solve the problems. Memorizing formulas and constants is a year long process so I would suggest starting from day 1.</p>
<p>Finally, when in doubt about something, ask your teacher for help. I always asked my teacher for help when I didn’t understand something. Your teacher is probably very knowledgeable and experienced and would be willing to help you out. Isn’t that their job? Getting help from my teacher helped me a lot in getting a 5. If you’re teacher isn’t willing to help you, get a tutor.</p>
<p>If you dedicate some time every day to doing each of the things that I did and additional things to prepare for the exam, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that you will get a 5. If it worked with me it will certainly work for you. You will walk out of the testing center confident that you did well. Good luck to all you and have fun. </p>
<p>Do you guys think that AP Physics b1 will be a lot easier than AP Physics b? Should I take both chem and ap physics in same year?</p>
<p>@tweedle seeing how AP physics 1 is half of b, I would say it is easier
I’m going to tale both classes</p>
<p>Can you take both Physics 1 and 2 during May? Or is it like calculus where you can only take one? </p>
<p>@Zeppelin7 Should I drop APES and take AP Stats instead?</p>