AP Physics C--- What to do when your teacher can't teach?

Test Preparation AP Sciences
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1

<p>Since the beginning of school, all we have done in class is studied stars and learned the difference between distance and displacement. It’s been almost one month since school has started for me and I feel like we have done nothing (which is pretty much true xD). </p>

<p>So now I’ve decided to self-study and teach myself from different books. </p>

<p>Can someone recommend me what textbook to use and what are some good review books?
Also, do you think that it is feasible for me to study for AP Physics C & E on my own? I actually am taking 5 other APs in school, so I am not sure if it is such a good idea.</p>

<p>Thank you!</p>

<p>Also, does anyone else have the same dilemma as me? We can share stories^^</p>

2

<p>Self studied last year (5,5), 4 possible resources (in increasing order of time commitment) and some tips:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>5 Steps to a 5 Physics B/C - Extremely short book, which you could quite possibly finish in two weeks. It’s not rigorous at all- calculus is barely ever used and nothing is derived. Practice problems are few and on the easy side. It’s more or less a glorified formula sheet. The good thing is, however, that it’s written perfectly ‘to the test’- it’ll tell you what you need and absolutely nothing more, in a very efficient way. You could probably get a 5 with it, but it’d be risky (because most calc-heavy FRQs would be completely out of your reach). </p></li>
<li><p>MIT OCW’s Intro to Physics Lectures. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>[MIT</a> OpenCourseWare | Physics | 8.01SC Physics I: Classical Mechanics, Fall 2010 | Home](<a href=“http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/physics/8-01sc-physics-i-classical-mechanics-fall-2010/]MIT”>http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/physics/8-01sc-physics-i-classical-mechanics-fall-2010/)</p>

<p>With the new OCW Scholar system in place, it’s very convenient to self study by watching the lectures. Homework problems, recitation videos, and exams are also provided. The course is very rigorous (it is MIT, after all!) and if you understand it, the AP won’t be too bad. It would be fairly inaccessible if you haven’t had calc.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Barron’s AP Physics C. Several times thicker than the 5 Steps book. Derives almost everything, covers a lot of stuff the exam doesn’t require (maxwell’s equations, current density). Can be pretty dry at times; I’ve heard people complain that it’s badly written and hard to understand. Practice MC problems are mid-hard ones on AP, practice FRQs aren’t even in the same league (there’s a practice FRQ in that book with over 10 parts!). Just as rigorous as the MIT course; calc required. Takes at least twice or thrice as long as the 5 Steps book to go through. IMO the extra time needed is more than worth it; if you work through the whole thing, you’ll find the AP easy!</p></li>
<li><p>An actual college physics textbook. If you can, get a decent college level physics book from your school (Giancoli, Halliday/Resnick, etc), read all the chapters, and do the tougher end of chapter questions. This is probably the ‘best’ approach (since you’ll get plenty of problem solving experience) but also the most time consuming. </p></li>
</ol>

<p>Personally I did #3 while viewing a few of the MIT lectures, and found the test not so bad. Preparation was fairly time consuming, though. It is perfectly feasible, especially if you can sneak your books into class. :D</p>

<p>As a fifth* resource, all past FRQs are on the AP website and several years of MC problems are available at some site. It might’ve been taken down by now; PM me if you can’t find it. Good luck!</p>

<p>*If you run out of problems, use</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/exams.cfm[/url]”>http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/exams.cfm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Questions are similar to the very hardest AP problems.</p>

3

<p>It’s only October and as you are probably only doing mechanics in your class, it will be a very stretched out class because mechanics is pretty much kinematics and dynamics.</p>

4

<p>The people in my school that are taking AP physics haven’t done any physics either. They pretty much did differential and integral calculus right now in 1 month. (well that is because out of the 7 people in the class 5 of them is taking non-ap calc, 1 kid is in AB, and the other is in BC)</p>

5

<p>Also, your class is going extremely slowly. The people in my school in Physics C are more or less done with Newton’s Laws by now…</p>

6

<p>Yeah, we’re having a test on chapter four out of fifteen on Friday, so I think we’re doing decently well, although I couldn’t give two damns because I’m a senior and I have no intention of majoring in Physics, let alone science when I go to college.</p>

7

<p>^Then y take pretty much the hardest science Ap and arguably the hardest AP?</p>

<p>@OP: Anyways, like Compsci said, if it is just mechanics, you will probably be having it stretched out so u really shouldn’t worry. If you still want a book to study though, I would suggest University Physics by Young and Freedman. It is what we use (and evidently MIT uses). It has both mech and E&M so if u r just using it for mech, u’ll only need chapters 1-20 I believe.</p>