<p>Hey guys! I'm a sophomore in high school right now and I'm planning on taking AP Physics C next year. The only reason why I'm taking it is because I heard it's math-based which I'd much rather prefer over classes like AP Biology which require a lot of memorization. The problem? Apparently people keep telling me it's a GPA killer and it's the hardest class out there. Is it possible for me to get an A in AP Physics C if I'm REALLY good at math? (Got over 100% for my final grade in AP Calc) What's the class like?
Thank you guys in advance!</p>
<p>Have you taken a physics class before? Do you understand it conceptually? That is just as important as the math.</p>
<p>Honestly, I’ve never taken a physics class before :/. I don’t know what you mean by ‘conceptually’… I mean I guess…</p>
<p>You’ll find some overlap between your calculus class and the mechanics part of Physics C because, well, calculus was invented for mechanics. The rest will probably be new to you. If you’ve never had a hard time understanding difficult scientific concepts then you should be fine depending on your teacher.</p>
<p>I’m okay at math, but I suck at physics because I don’t have much intuition for lab/experimental/“real world” stuff, which is where everything in high school physics comes from even if you never actually do that many labs.</p>
<p>But you might be good at both physics and math…a textbook/prep book would probably give you an idea of how difficult Physics C is. It’s recommended that you take an algebra-based physics class first.</p>
<p>You should take a physics class first, I highly recommend it and my school requires that you need to calculus concurrently or prior to even take the class and a physics course. I’m taking AP physics C now and it’s freaking hard. The math isn’t that hard, what makes the course hard is the concepts. You really have to read, practice, ask tons of questions, and repeat. You can be a superstar at math and still perform horribly in the class.</p>
<p>Oh, really?
Dang, I’m gonna have to think about taking Physics C then…
If I do take it then I know I’ll be committed to this class since it’s probably going to be my hardest class Junior year.</p>
<p>Wow, we are in the exact same position. Like, literally, we even have the same AP Calc grade. </p>
<p>I’m probably going to try to learn some physics over the summer and see if it makes any sense, but I’m pretty much set on taking Physics C junior year. Best of luck with whatever decision you decide to make!</p>
<p>Hi I’m a senior taking AP Physics C and Calc BC concurrently. First, I would definitely look in to how your school runs this class: everybody at my school has to take honors physics first, so that we can cover certain physics concepts faster and to provide a strong foundation. If you are going to be the only student in your AP Physics class without taking a previous physics course, that is cause for concern. Perhaps you could request the chapter tests from the honors teacher to practice at over the summer.</p>
<p>For some, it really is a GPA killer. I know a few people with consistent C’s and lots of people getting B’s, but not too many get A’s. Most of the people getting really bad grades dropped the class. </p>
<p>However, it is definitely possible to do well. Here’s what I do: in class, I only write down formulas, definitions, and important concepts in my notes. There is no need to write down names or derivations unless you will be responsible to know them. Instead, I just try to follow along with the problem or lesson as closely as I would if I were the one solving it. We have a lot of homework every night, usually about 45-60 minutes worth; it is very important that you do this without getting help or cheating. Even if the problems are only graded for completion, work very hard at them to try to understand. If you aren’t sure of how to solve a certain problem, ask in class if you go over homework or before/after school if possible. For tests, you should already know everything from doing your homework, but to be safe do some extra problems and read over your notes. If your teacher lets you, you may want to write some simple TI programs to calculate things faster or store equations (my teacher encourages this). I highly recommend writing a cross product algorithm.</p>
<p>It’s a little more than concepts I’m pretty sure. There’s people in my AP Physics B class who are in Calculus BC and they’re still struggling with the class. My teacher tells me the math is the easiest part, you just need to know the concepts in order to get to the equations you want. </p>
<p>About huehuehue32’s comment about not cheating or getting help, I have a bad habit of doing that. For every homework assignment I’m always on google, Slader, or even looking in the back of the book to get answers and ways to solve problems. In my opinion it helps a lot since most of the problems in the book have the same approach to problems that end up being on a test. Always try to get to the solution by yourself, but if the problem is way too hard or you feel like you did something wrong, I wouldn’t discourage finding out how to solve the problem or getting the answer AKA cheating. If you end up cheating really look at your source and understand how the person got to their answer. It really helps in future problem solving. Don’t just copy the answer and try to finish. Sometimes my teacher has no idea what to do either. Don’t listen to me. Don’t cheat. I’m speaking out of my butt.</p>
<p>Don’t even care about physical intuition or whatever. If you have it great, but it won’t actually help you that much. It develops without your actively trying to learn it. Trust your math skills and always be reasoning your math. Ask yourself why you apply certain formulas and why you can perform certain shortcuts and what each answer means. If you truly understand the math, it should not be hard at all. Most people don’t understand the math and that is why they think it is hard. A lot of what people mistake to be physical intuition is just understanding what the math means.</p>
<p>Physics C is simple computational math( obviously with some advanced concepts) and some principles you need to know. By simple computational math I mean pretty straight forward not like math competitions that require creativity.</p>
<p>^ There are some derivations as well. At least in my class, we spend a lot of time doing symbolic manipulation and trying to arrive at new formulas for specific situations. I wouldn’t say that Physics C is nearly as hard as math competitions but it does require some creative problem solving.</p>
<p>But yes, as long as you can figure out how to translate the words of problems into solvable equations you should do very well in most situations.</p>
<p>So basically it’s highly probable to get a good grade if I’m really committed and time devoted into learning the concepts? :P</p>
<p>Yeah, concepts are really the harder part, you should probably review the concepts covered in AP Physics B that move into AP Physics C in Calculus form. Not all of B though, there’s a good amount of it that doesn’t get covered in C.</p>
<p>I’m taking AP Physics C without taking physics before and along with AP calc BC. It’s been hard because the vast majority of the students in my class had taken physics before and about half had taken physics and completed calculus before. That being said, with hard work it is possible to understand physics and grow as a student. My grade is on an upward trade from a 91 the first quarter to a 94 now just because of hard work and getting used to the material. It is the hardest I’ve worked in the class. I have to go to tutorial a lot and there is no way you can do well on a test just by cramming as I have before. But if you work hard physics c is possible!! And quite rewarding.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice! Hmm… I think I might actually take Physics C…
Anyone know the difference between Physics C Mechanics and Physics C Electricity/Magnetism?
Can someone do better in one subject because it has more math or because it has more thinking? idk the difference soo…</p>
<p>^concepts.</p>