<p>OK. So I start EE in college next year. My sister told me I should take physics classes before that because there is A LOT of physics in EE. I did some Physics in high school. I have my notebooks from back then and text books. If i try to just learn from them will I still be able to keep up in classes? or am I doomed to fail?</p>
<p>The best answer I can give is to look at the requirements for your school. Each EE department has a list of required courses, and if you can look at those courses and see if you meet the requirements for them. If so, then you should be fine, assuming of course that you did well in math and physics in high school. If not, then you should address any shortfalls as quickly as possible. I would not suggest a general need for extra physics prep unless you have struggled in that area in the past.</p>
<p>For example, if your department expects you to take PHYS 218 your first semester, and 218 requires a level of calculus you have not yet studied… then get on it so you don’t fall behind. If you are unable, it is not the end of the world - many students take courses out of order, but the more you do so the less freedoms you will have later on in picking electives.</p>
<p>You shouldn’t be worried. You can’t even begin taking EE classes till you’ve taken physics classes anyway, as well as the appropriate math classes (which will be at least 3 or 4).</p>
<p>I don’t know about that. I would take Circuits-I before Physics II…just to make Physics II easier.</p>
<p>…might even take Differential Equations before Physics II also.</p>
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My alma mater forbade that, and a few years ago put in a program to check on it - you now get automatically disenrolled if you lack the prereq’s, unless you can convince them that you constitute some special case.</p>
<p>If you have all the prerequisites for your EE classes completed, you should be fine.</p>
<p>The amount of physics in an EE curriculum depends highly on what area you pick. In your intro classes, circuit theory and whatnot, I would wager its not that much physics because you are viewing IDEAL circuit models with ideal behavior. Its almost like a puzzle.</p>
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<p>I understand that. I just looked at my alma mater (Michigan State) EE program and Physics is NOT required to take Circuits I & II…just Calculus III (or concurrently).</p>
<p>As a CpE I take EE classes too. I am a sophomore.
I am doing vector calculus + linear algebra, without differential equation (next semester, full already), physics II (we only have two semesters of physics), switching system, electric circuits, and data structure (I also take computer science courses too, as a CpE).</p>
<p>That’s a lot of classes, so I didn’t bother to take differential right now.</p>
<p>My instructors, from circuit and switching system said physics isn’t the main objective. Rather, at this stage they emphasis on the mathematic. In another words, we analyze a circuit mathematically. We don’t build the circuit physically. Similarly, in switching system we do the mathematics.
A few years ago physics II (completion of physics) is a pre-requisite for both courses. However, now physics II is a co-requisite, meaning one can take the electric circuit course along with physics II. In fact, my instructor said he expects us to find out the definition of current, how current flows, what an electric charge is from a physics textbook. Our physics II course doesn’t cover electromagnetism until middle of the class session.</p>
<p>Physics isn’t needed until you move beyond those two classes, and until you hit EE labs. In our school, we have two EE labs.</p>
<p>In fact, if you look at many engineering schools, such as Stony Brook’s and Cornell’s, the digital system (switching system) and circuit are taken in freshman year.
No school expects student to know the physics. Even at MIT, I am sure there are people who take physics for the first time.</p>
<p>It is not strongly needed until you hit upper level (late sophomore and beyond).
In fact, some schools even think it’s all right for students to take differential equation before completing calculus. </p>
<p>While course objectives vary school to school, and instructor to instructor (one may require computer technology to model the circuit, but my instructor doesn’t), the general content at this point is more theoretical (i.e. mathematical approach).</p>
<p>Here is the sample Curriculum Sheet for EE. I didn’t follow it blindly.
<a href=“http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/prospective/gsoe/electrical/upload/EE0-Fall09-Spring10-Curriculum.pdf[/url]”>http://www1.ccny.cuny.edu/prospective/gsoe/electrical/upload/EE0-Fall09-Spring10-Curriculum.pdf</a></p>
<p>OK thanks.</p>
<p>Perhaps you don’t need more answers after two-page ones but I’ll give it a try too.</p>
<p>Electromagnetics courses are pretty much the toughest of all the EE courses, but still it’s not the Physics that makes it hard but the Math, so try to do your best on math courses and you should be fine. IMO: Physics = Eased Math</p>
<p>What does the OP mean, actual physics classes or the physics involved in EE? There is a heavy amount of the physics of electricity and magnetism and also quantum physics involved in EE, but as for boner-fide physics classes, you normally only have to take two calc-based physics classes: the classical mechanics class, and the electricity and magnetism class.</p>
<p>It differs by school, obviously.</p>
<p>I’m still in community college, haven’t transferred to a university yet. I’ve just started calc IV and physics II–electricity and magnetism. I like that I’m taking this e&m class before I get to the actual engineering classes.</p>
<p>I think (someone please correct me if im wrong) that most EE programs don’t really hammer you until your 3rd year. in the second year, the only EE classes you’ll take are programming/circuits. It’s that third year when you take EM theory or semiconductor physics or systems and signals that you’ll really get your money’s worth.</p>