<p>These are university level courses at Stanford EPGY. I completed the math prereq's already, but they also have ap physics c as a prereq which I've never taken. Would it be a bad idea to take these classes? thanks </p>
<p>-Modern Physics</p>
<p>Special and General Relativity
Wave Nature of Matter
Quantum Mechanics
Atomic and Molecular Structure
Nuclear Structure
Elementary Particle Physics
Cosmology
Advanced Topics</p>
<p>-Light and Heat</p>
<p>Temperature
Properties of Matter
Introduction to the Kinetic Theory of Matter
Light and Electromagnetic Waves
Reflection and Refraction of Light
Lens Systems
Interference and Diffraction</p>
<p>Contact EPGY and ask the question; the instructor can answer. </p>
<p>The course text is Freeman’s Physics for Scientists and Engineers. If anyone on this board has ever used the text, you might get an answer here.</p>
<p>OK, so as a mathematics type who has an interest in poking into physics books at times, it’s really crucial to remember that the same stuff can be presented many ways, some being a smooth transition from the math prerequisite and others not so much. It looks like this might be a not-so-much case, as is the case I feel with most books used in physics classes. </p>
<p>I’d say if you’ve never seen any physics at a college level before, yes it can be done, but you’ll quite possibly be stumbling a whole lot. It depends what you’ve tried learning on your own in the past - if you haven’t taken AP physics C, but basically know the contents of a reasonable e&m introductory book, you should easily be fine. If you’ve never even used vector calculus to solve physics problems, it’s probably not going to be comfortable - the physics problems mindset is definitely different.</p>
<p>It depends on whether it is calculus-based or not.</p>
<p>If it isn’t, you don’t need a prior physics course to do it. If it is calculus-based, then it might be more built on previous physics classes.</p>
<p>I took a non-calculus-based course with the topics you described before I had taken any other physics class, and it was no problem.</p>
<p>Yea, its calculus based, so I think I’ll just take like Ap Physics B or something.</p>
<p>One last question :]</p>
<p>So before I graduate I’ll probably take calc 3 and ODE’s, but not linear algebra. I heard that at college, linear algebra and ODE’s are just one class, so will I have to relearn it and should I not take ODE’s, or can I just take linear algebra by itself in college?</p>
<p>Well, I don’t know how other colleges do it, but at MIT linear algebra and differential equaitons are separate classes. If you can, I would take multi-variable calculus instead. It requires more thought, and it is better to see that before college than the other two. It is more conceptual than Diff. Eqns.</p>
<p>Yea, I’m planning to either take ODE’s and Calc 3 in the fall or just Calc 3.</p>
<p>Many concepts that are logically developed and thoroughly studies in Physics 1 are integral to 2 and 3. If you are able to learn extremely well on your own, you could take 2 and 3 without 1, but you would be spending an enormous amount of time reviewing the concepts from the Physics 1 chapters.</p>