<p>I'm a sophomore right now and I'm thinking about taking AP physics c mechanics next year, which is when I also will take PreCalc. I asked the physics teacher about the calculus knowledge required in the mechanics class, and he said its nothing beyond simple derivatives and integrals. I also have a friend in my algebra II class who successfully taught himself basic calculus right after the class, including taking the derivative and finding the integral of a function, though I'm not sure to exactly what extent. Just saying, If I sign up for AP physics c mechanics for next year, is it possible that I could self teach all the calculus needed during this school year and over the summer?</p>
<p>I guess if you’re good at math it’s possible…but you really don’t want to skimp out on a subject as important as PreCalc and Trig and everything that’s in Math Analysis (Precalc). It includes a lot more than calculus. If you’re taking Precalc w/ AP Physics C, then I suppose it’s okay. Limits, derivatives, integrals aren’t too difficult, though you probably won’t really be able to understand until later.</p>
<p>No, you need calculus for a good 1/4 of the class, maybe even more</p>
<p>NO. Physics C is calculus based. Taking derivatives and integrals is easy, but understanding what they mean, especially in the context of physics, might be a little difficult for you considering that you’re still mathematically unripe.</p>