I’m a junior in high school that’s currently taking 1 semester of General College Physics I at my local community college. I had planned to take AP Physics C Mechanics, the only AP Physics course offered at my high school, but was not able to due to lack of space. I’ve already taken AP Calculus AB and am currently in BC. I realize that General College Physics appears to be the equivalent of AP Physics 1 because it is only algebra-based, but I was confused because the community college offers a short calculus supplement course in conjunction with General College Physics I. However, the community college also offers a more advanced physics course for engineers/scientists that’s calculus based and discusses mechanics/wave motion. One reason that I didn’t take the calculus-based course is that the prerequisite for it is an introductory physics for engineers course or 1 year of high school physics or equivalent, and the only physics class I’ve taken is the online BYU Independent Study Physics, which I wasn’t sure was equivalent.
My questions are: Why would the algebra-based general college physics class have a calculus supplement if they also offer a calculus-based physics class? If I self-study for the AP test, should I take AP Physics 1 or AP Physics C Mechanics if I’m also going to take the calculus supplement? Will it matter that I’m only in general college physics and not enrolled in the calculus-based one even though I’ve already taken calculus? If I plan on majoring in biology (or at least not physics/engineering) in college, does it really matter which one I take?