I am looking into enrolling DD for AP Physics C for next school year, the teacher told me that AP Physics C in our HS covers mechanics, E & M. Today when I talked to a parent in another school district, he told me mechanics and E&M are taught as two different classes. I wonder whether I got it wrong from the teacher.
IHow does the material cover in your school? as two different yearly classes? or cover in one single year in one class?
AP Physics C, Mechanics description from my son’s school:
This is a thorough Calculus-based course in Newtonian mechanics. Rather than move quickly through topics, we derive mechanics concepts using the abstract elements of Calculus, including differential equations. Students complete labs both before and after the study of each concept, and the labs involve sensor technology as well as more traditional approaches.
@astute12 therefore AP Physics C : Mechanics is a course by itself and not including E&M for your son’s school? In our school’s handbook, AP Physics C includes description for both.
@annamom yes they only cover mechanics.
At my school AP Physics C covered both. Now there is also AP Physics I and II for slower, algebra-based versions.
Then in your case, it covers both, which is how schools that offer it usually do it. In a minority of instances, a school will offer only Mechanics (and not offer E&M at all) as a year-long course and, even rarer, a school will offer Mechanics and E&M and a 2-year sequence (although some schools will allow concurrent enrollment).