<p>Which is harder? Which is a joke? Which would you rather take? Which would you unquestioningly drop out of school for if it became a mandatory class?</p>
<p>But most importantly, which would you suggest a newcomer to both subjects take next school year, given their expected (slightly mediocre) study of it over the summer?</p>
<p>I don't see how you could be a "newcomer" to Calculus. Unless you've never done any Math before, you're in the same boat as everyone else. Depending on the rigor of the course, AP Physics is much more difficult.</p>
<p>I would say both courses require previous knowledge.</p>
<p>It is said that these two courses are among the hardest AP courses. None is a joke, I guess.</p>
<p>Hope it helps.</p>
<p>Physics is harder.</p>
<p>Depends. Calc BC at my school is the most difficult class, while physics isn't that bad (because it's B not C).</p>
<p>Yeah, Physics B is the one I'm referring to - and by 'no past experience', I mean I've taken no pre-calc, trig, etc. I'm curious to how that transition would be.</p>
<p>I think calc was pretty easy but it would be nice to know trig functions like sin, cos...etc...because calc has a lot of that. I've never taken physics though. If you like math, calc is pretty easy. IF you get the two main concepts: derivatives and integrals, the rest is pretty easy.</p>
<p>Physics is harder but the test is curved more.</p>
<p>Well it's not the math in physics B that will get you, it's putting together the concepts and applying them to the problems.</p>
<p>If you have absolutely no experience with trig, Calculus will be frustrating at times, but it's definitely possible. I learned next to nothing in Pre-Calc.</p>
<p>At my high school AP Physics is the hardest class offered, closely followed by AP Calculus BC, neither is a joke, 4% of my AP Physics class received A's, while approximately 11% of my AP Calculus BC class received A's...</p>
<p>11%? 4% lol</p>
<p>My AP Physics class has 6 people. My Calc BC class had 4.</p>
<p>Everyone's talking about Calc BC. I wouldn't know about that, but I do know that Calc AB is really not so bad. It would be easier than Physics, I think.</p>
<p>These two classes will be offered the same period, on an a-day, B-day rotation schedule.</p>
<p>I fear taking them both will just be excruciating. Though, if I just pick one, every other day will consist of a study hall.</p>
<p>(Which, the way I look at it, isn't half bad at all considering we all love to procrastinate. ;))</p>
<p>Calc AB is a huge portion of the BC exam.</p>
<p>I think you need a base in Calculus to take Physics, no? So it would help to take them both at the same time.</p>
<p>Think it'd be completely unheard of if one should take Calc AB, the class, and opt to take the BC exam as well?</p>
<p>@Keshira: Yes, good point. But I'm just worried about the work load. Math is no BFF of mine. :/</p>
<p>Not unheard of. But generally the people who do it are people who do have math as a BFF of theirs.</p>
<p>Haha, yeah. Well! We can rule that one out. :)</p>
<p>Still, I think I just have no specific interest in calc. But I do physics. Sheer eagerness should be enough to land a 4+, right?</p>