I am a current junior and took AP Physics 1 this year. I want to go into computer science or engineering during college so I’m thinking of taking both AP Physics C: Mechanics and AP Physics: Electricity and Magnetism tests next year. My school sadly doesn’t offer either classes so I am going to take it on VHS. The class that is mentioned on its course catalog is just AP Physics C, but it was kind of vague in its description.
Is VHS AP Physics C a good class? Or would I have to do A LOT of additional studying on the side?
Does it prepare you for both tests or only one of them? If so, which one?
I am not familiar with VHS’s policies and curriculum, but our high school doesn’t let you take AP Physics C unless you have taken both AP Physics 1 & 2 and have taken (or are concurrently enrolled in) calculus.
How it was put to DD was that AP Physics 1 prepares one for the Mechanics part of AP C, but not for the E&M part of AP C. This is contrary to what the College Board web site says, which suggests that AP Physics 1 is sufficient preparation for C. Heck, even our high school’s own curriculum guide indicated that AP Phsyics 1 was sufficient prerequisite. It wasn’t until a teacher went into the classes during enrollment week to discuss the students’ options that DD, having thought she had heard wrong, figured we better look into it further.
Hopefully you will get some better and more-specific-to-VHS answers asking the question here, but I suggest you also verify the curriculum wtih VHS too. E&M isn’t an easy subject which you can simply self-study if you need to catch up.
I don’t know anything about VHS but Physics C was THE most challenging course my D had in HS. I’m not sure taking it virtually would be a great idea, especially for E&M.
Is there anyone at your school who has taken it through VHS that you can talk to?
Not VHS, but my child is taking AP Physics C (both) this year. Granted this is their first physics exposure (our HS does AP Bio in 10th, AP Chem in 11th, AP Physics in 12th) but even with a teacher in person, and 8 periods per week of class, they have needed to put in A LOT of additional studying on the side. It is by far the hardest class they have taken. And my kid is a math/science person.
Although AP Physics 1 is the best preparation you can get for Physics C (even more so than Physics 2 because then there will be year/semester learning gap), Physics C will still be extremely hard. It is hard because the questions are hard not the calculus. EM particularly will be hard for you (do NOT freak out when you see surface integrals, they are extremely dumbed down to the point where it takes you two seconds in your head to do them) but luckily, Physics C focuses much more on math than concepts aka self-studying it is much more doable than Physics 1 or 2. The way I see it is, Physics 1 teaches you concepts, whereas Physics C teaches you the math for those concepts.
Thank you for all the feedback.
I can see that AP Physics C classes are extremely hard. I am a math and science person and already took Calc this year. So hopefully that helps.
No one in my school has ever taken AP Physics C. There are only 17 people in total from my entire school who is taking AP Physics 1 and it is the hardest class in my school.
I will try to see if there are any other options to take it at a local university hopefully. But for now any comments about this VHS course would also be greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much!