I’m a sophomore in high school and am planning on taking AP Physics 1&2 (offered as a one-year course) next year.
Both my mom and I have heard that it is a pretty difficult class, so she wants to sign me up for tutoring to help me in that class.
However, I REALLY don’t want her to spend all that money on tutoring.
Is AP Physics 1&2 really as hard as people make it out to be?
Like let’s say that I have pretty decent skills in algebra 1 and 2, geometry, and trig. Would I be fine??
Should I self-study the basics of it with: https://www.udacity.com/course/intro-to-physics–ph100 ?
My mom is planning on spending a lot of money and tutoring, and although she is doing this for me because she really cares about me, I don’t want to see all that money go towards me because I’m not exaggerating when I say that she’ll be spending more than a few thousand dollars on this.
Please ignore my grammar mistakes. I’m just really worried right now because she’s going to a meeting with the tutoring people and she will probably end up paying up-front in half an hour or so, so I don’t have much time to convince her that I really don’t need tutoring.
I am a pretty decent student. Freshman year I got a few Bs because I was naive and just not making good decisions, but this year I got back on track and I got straight As this semester with minimal effort. My avg on practice ACT tests for the math section is a 34ish.
Thank you thank you thank you to anyone who helps me out. It will be greatly appreciated.
I think you will be fine AP physics 1 and 2 are algebra based so it is really simple if you have a solid foundation in algebra and a bit of common sense when thinking through a problem.
If you have any trouble then YouTube Crash Course Physics from the green brothers. It explains pretty much everything you need to know. I’m an engineering student at Ucla and our professor for one of the engineering physics classes had us watch them in class lol.
@10s4life Thank you so much!! That is such a huge relief. Is there any trig, geometry, or calculus involved with physics?
Physics 1 and 2 will use at most very basic trig. Like splitting velocities into x and y components. Not really any geometry. No calculus in 1 and 2 only C and Amor of times it reduces to algebra. The only time you’ll solely use rigorous Calc is in college physics. Understanding single variable Calc is helpful for acceleration, velocity, and position but that’s it. Maybe for non uniform electric fields a line integral can be helpful but that’s multivariable so in 1 and 2 it’s dumbed down to algebra formulas.
Also, you should ask around and see how good the physics teacher at your school is, this makes a huge difference.
Good luck!!!
Students who are strong in math usually do well in physics. However, AP Physics 1, 2 are not about math. They are about understanding physics phenomena and concepts and the ability to explain them.
My S18 says: algebra and trig are what you’ll really need. If you’re good on those, that will help you out, especially when you get to free body diagrams. I know everyone recommends it, but Khan Academy really does have good videos for Physics, to supplement. I know there are a lot of formulas to memorize, but don’t try to cram them. Consistently do practice problems and learning/using the formulas will become second nature. The class is hard, but I had a lot of fun with it. Good luck!
Why would you say that this was an urgent matter?
I hope you were successful in convincing her that it’s not a good idea to pay upfront for tutoring you probably won’t even need for a class that doesn’t even start for another 8 months.
A source for physics help, to bookmark for later: http://prettygoodphysics.wikispaces.com/APP1+APP2
UPDATE: I don’t think my mom will pay for physics tutoring, thanks for all your help everyone 
@Laura7777 Thank you! I have. There are two teachers - one is good but really tough and prepares students well for the ap exam and the other is an easy A but doesn’t prepare you as well for the exam.
@coolweather Thanks!
@apraxiamom Thank you!! That helped a lot
@“aunt bea” If you read my post, I stated that my mom was going to be paying more than a few thousand dollars on tutoring me for physics, and I don’t want her to do that because I personally think it’s a waste of money. It’s money that could be spent on my family instead.
@evergreen5 I think I was successful! I contacted all upperclassmen I am friends with and inquired about AP Physics, and they all said although it is difficult, it’s possible to get through it with friends, free tutoring from upperclassmen during school, reading the book ahead of time, meeting the teacher before/after school, etc etc… And there’s online resources like Crash Course Physics too. I’ll update you later though. I forgot to clarify that there’s a sale going on where the tutoring is like 15-20% off and today was the last day to get that offer (it’s the biggest sale of the year) so that’s why she was rushing to get it now. She really wants me to do well in school though and really cares, so even if it seems like a dumb idea, it’s just her trying to help me the best she can Thank you the link; I’ll definitely check it out!
One thing to think about for the AP exam is often times if you are majoring in a physical science or engineering then calculus based physics is required. This physics 1 and 2 are “useless” AP exams. I wasted money taking them so check the colleges you are interested in for credit equivalencies. The exam is mostly symbolic so practice problems without numbers just variables. Glad you don’t want your parents to waste money on useless tutoring. You sound like a responsible student. Best of luck!
I’m taking AP physics 1 this year (I don’t know why your school allows 1&2 together, that seems a bit too much). Personally, I find physics somewhat difficult, you don’t have to be a math genius for it, just need to solve some equations and take some areas under curves. Even though it’s hard I don’t think you need a tutor just do previous AP questions and they help a lot.
@10s4life I’m planning on going into engineering, so I’m going to take AP physics 1 and 2 next year, and then AP physics C during my senior year. Thanks for your help! 
Could I pm you if I need any help regarding physics in the future?
@Randerizer Yea, I don’t know too. My school doesn’t allow AP Physics 1&2 separately too. Thanks for the advice!
Sure, I’m an electrical engineering major and I’ve completed both the physics and math series.