<p>I'm currently in my school AP Physics B course and doing pretty well. The way my HS does it, you take B junior (usually) year and then C as an elective senior year. I'm finding the material pretty easy, and would rather take some advanced elective (my school has introductory relativity/quantum physics classes as well as some engineering hotness) instead of a whole more year of ordinary physics. Also, I took calculus last year.
How hard would it be to self-study for the C curriculum? Should I try to take both exams (apparently B is broader in topic, albeit shallower)? Is it even possible to take both in the same year?</p>
<p>I believe it is possible to take both, but one will have to be on the make-up date (since they are administered in the same time slot). I self studied the Physics C material while taking the B course. Physics C goes a lot more in depth than Physics B does in several areas. I would get the Barrons Physics C test-prep book. It is harder than the real test. If you can understand it, then I would think about going for it. However, you may get more out of the material if you took Physics B this year, and Physics C next year (as a class in your school). The only reason I didn't was because our school didn't offer Physics C.</p>
<p>My school doesn't offer C either. It's odd though--how they name it. THey don't name them AP Physics A and then ...B, its just B and C. I digress. My school is so stupid, it has like 10 AP courses, only 2 of which (Physics B and Calc) have anything to do with my major (Computer Engineering).</p>
<p>Physics A is supposed to be the basic general physics course offered at the high-school level. There's no need for an AP class because it's not a college course. An introductory Physics course is available at most colleges, mainly for pre-med and non-majors, and AP Physics B has been designed to simulate that course.</p>
<p>very nice, i have an 80....just bombed an F*ing test due to the fact that i was tired as hell and couldn't concentrate (not from all night studying, but from writing some english essays and doing a bunch of other homework...it's a shame). Before the test, I had a healthy 87 in the class, now that the test is in, I have an 80!!! (got a 64 on the stupid thing). Just goes to show that it's better to sleep than do homework, i guess (depending on how heavily the hw is graded--in my case, most of it was worth a pretty penny, so i didn't have much of a choice). Ugh, I've gotta pull it back up to a solid B before the quarter ends (I don't want to give the colleges the slightest inkling that I'm a slacker--because I'm not a slacker).</p>
<p>Physics B is very difficult because there's no calc, and so therefore some of the concepts make little sense. I'll still get a 4 or 5 because 95% of kids do from my school, but still...</p>
<p>I believe B and C (and AB and BC for calc, and A and AB for computer science) aren't arbitrary; I think they reflect the level of math required.</p>
<p>Last year I took honors physics, which is about equivalent to ap physics b in rigor. Physics C is definitely harder than Physics B because it requires a lot more attention to small details that are often overlooked in physics b. The calculus is Physics C is pretty straightforward (mostly derivatives and integrals... some series). If you don't have a good foundation on calculus, most of the C material will be VERY confusing. Basically, if you're majoring in engineering or sciences, go C. If you are majoring in a non-engineering related field (liberal arts, etc.) take B.</p>