<p>Okay next year I'm going to take physics C: mechanics and I was wondering if it was okay.. because I'm going to take pre-calculus next year. How many calculus concepts must be learned for the test? Can I just learn the major calculus topics on my own and still do well on it? Any advice/comments/experience would be appreciated! Thanks</p>
<p>If you’re only going to be in pre-calc, physics B is your better bet. C moves along at a brisk pace and covers both mechanics AND electricity/magnetism. You end up taking TWO AP tests.</p>
<p>but I’m only taking mechanics because my school offers mechanics ONLY. Also… school doesn’t offer physics B =\ …and I really don’t want to self-study a science. Any other comments/suggestions?</p>
<p>i hope this helps…and take this advice that i’m about to give you as the most accurate, because it seems like the guy who just told you what he did doesn’t know much. So, there are two physics c’s: mechanics and E/M. E/M is the one with the rather intense calculus. For mechanics, the calculus is REALLLY REALLYL SIMPLE and there is barely ever any calculus anyways. However, for the calculus that is there, your teacher usually reviews with you and its nothing in depth–its simple and takes only a day or two to learn I SWEAR…>SO TAKE IT…>MECHANICS IS REALLY MUCH MUCH EASIER AND BARELY CALC BASED</p>
<p>Calculus is a very easy subject to learn the basics of, and many of my friends would argue that the entire discipline of single-variable calculus is easy. You can definitely learn the basic calculus topics, either on your own, through a friend, or on the internet (I know of a brilliant YouTube tutorial). As expressed above, mechanics has a very simple calc basis. The real calculus comes in when calculating force fields and such.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>If you don’t know calculus, then I would suggest not taking physics C because you not only have to know calculus but you have to know how and when to apply it. I guess since your only doing mechanics, its ok… but on E&M, Biot-savart law, if you don’t know calculus you are screwed. The only hard calculus on the Mech, is calculating center of mass and rotational inertia for strange shapes.</p>
<p>^ and occasionally calculating variable forces etc…</p>
<p>Take Mechanics, don’t take E&M. You’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Ditto with what’s been said.</p>
<p>The calculus in Mechanics consists of basically derivitaves and integrals. Students in our class learned a lot of mechanics before learning basic calculus. Some had trouble, but it was usually cleared up with a few days of outside help.</p>
<p>I say go for it. Mechanics is not very calculus intensive. All you might have to know is going from position function to acceleration function and vice versa. </p>
<p>Electricity and Magnetism is really easy on the calculus as well. It would be better if they taught you it using Multivariable Calculus to avoid confusion though.</p>
<p>You should do fine, especially if they take a whole year to do a semester long class, that way you can get extra help, and extra practice.</p>