<p>This is the story. I'm a rising senior, and last school year I took regents physics and I found it to be a joke (98 on regents). I also took AP chem which was difficult, but I still got a 5 on the test. Can someone who took both of these classes compare t he two? math is definitely my strong point and I'm taking calc bc next year also. Thanks</p>
<p>If math is your strong point, you should be OK for Physics C.</p>
<p>If you are talking about the test it is not very hard, but for the class it depends on the teacher. To truly understand physics it is required that you have a strong grasp of calculus. This will make mechanics very intuitive. Electromagnetism is less intuitive. To really understand it you need multivariable and vector calculus which is not done with the AP exam because most students will not learn it in high school.</p>
<p>Thanks. Did any of you guys take AP chem too?</p>
<p>Yes I took them both when I was a senior. AP Physics was a much better class. This was probably because of the teacher. My physics teacher taught the material in a way that emphasized understanding physics conceptually rather than teaching to the test, which was the opposite of what my chem teacher did. Everything was explained very superficially before doing practice problem after practice problem. For each concept on the AP chem test there are four to five questions which are just recycled in a few different ways. If you take chemistry in college at many places, calculus is actually a prerequisite which makes sense especially when taking about reaction kinetics.
I actually wanted to become a chem major before I took AP chem but the class turned me off from the subject. I started really liking physics during E&M senior year and now I am a physics major.</p>