Hello. 2 Questions
You can if you want, but I didn’t study calculus based physics in high school and I was fine as a freshman. Your first physics class won’t even be calculus based.
I just finished my first semester at A&M, and my school did not have a calculus based physics class either, nor a good calculus teacher. Half of the engineering students that came from my high school struggled very much! And everyone’s first physics (PHYS 218) is calculus based. Not extremely heavy of course, but still there. I agree that you should self study calculus based physics or even just physics before you get to A&M, because the class is very difficult! I don’t want to discourage you, but many people did struggle, and it would definitely make it easier on you if you came a bit prepared.
No, PHYS 218 is not calculus based. If anything, it’d be trig based.
@izelkay Sorry if you haven’t taken PHYS 218, but it is. It uses both Trig and calculus, but not as much calculus. Please read a PHYS 218 syllabus or textbook next time, so we can better prepare future aggies.
http://physics218.physics.tamu.edu
The confusion may lie in the fact that calculus-based physics uses only a bit of calculus. At another college, I was surprised how little it differed from my algebra-based physics in HS.
“And of course the laboratory is an integral part of understanding physical processes. The material is presented at a level that requires signficant algebra and trigonometry, as well as some basic calculus.”
http://physics218.physics.tamu.edu/math_prep.shtml
Take the quizzes here, and this should let you know how prepared you are, as far as math, for the class. Hope this helps you!
I have a physics minor, @TamuEngineer. I think I know what I’m talking about. The only amount of calculus that was required was knowledge of derivatives, and those were used very sparingly. You can hardly call that “calculus based”, and you definitely do not need to take a whole calculus course to prepare for PHYS 218. Granted, I took PHYS 218 4 years ago so some things may have changed, but I highly doubt it’s become more calculus based. PHYS 208 is the calculus based one.
@izelkay Well as I said before, I just finished my first semester, so I am pretty sure what I am saying is very relevant. And I had friends that had never taken calculus, and seeing derivatives and integrals was completely new to them. Even though OP is taking calculus now, physics with calculus IS calculus based. You will not get a very good grade if you do not know the calculus portion of the class, even though I am sure you can still manage to pass. And as I’ve said before, it is not very calculus heavy, but it is still calculus physics, hence why you need to pass the Physics C AP test which involves calculus in order to receive credit for the class. Physics with NO calculus is a different course. We can’t assume that when someone sees calculus in this class, it won’t be hard for them.
Indeed, the small amount of calculus in 218 may not come easy to some people, but that does not mean they need to go out of their way to study calculus based physics prior to this class; it’s overkill.
As I said before, I did not study calculus based physics in high school. Hell, when I was a freshman at A&M, the last physics course I had taken was an algebra based one in 9th grade, and I still managed to get an A in 218. If they don’t know the calculus portion of the class, they can VERY easily learn it while taking the class since the calculus (trivial derivatives and integrals) is minor compared to the actual physics concepts.
I’m not saying that what you’re saying isn’t relevant, but I do believe that you’re exaggerating the importance of calculus in this class. Again, 208 is the course where knowledge of calculus is essential.
Well I’ll probably do some review then of Physics 1 and watch some youtube videos on Physics C. Just to ensure myself the best chance of success my frehsman year.
Also, my counselor said that alot of her students take Physics Mech and EM with Calc 1 and 2 over summer to exempt the requirement of Physics EM and retake the other classes for an easy A and better understanding. Is this true?
I’m not sure I understand your question. What I do know is that all of those classes can be taken over the summer at A&M or at an acceptable community college. What most students do is take Physics Mech (PHYS 218), Calc 1 (MATH 151), Calc 2 (MATH 152) at A&M during fall/spring. I would recommend that you do the same because taking them over the summer is easier and would not really prepare you for your upper level courses.
Physics EM (PHYS 208) you can take over the summer with no worries because a lot of the course material you won’t ever see again unless you’re an electrical engineering major, and even then you’ll scarcely see any material from the course. Note that PHYS 218 needs to be in progress or completed before you enroll in PHYS 208, so that’s not something you can do quite yet. Note also that you won’t be able to enroll in any upper level engineering courses until PHYS 208 is complete, so if you take it over the summer you won’t be able include these courses on your schedule for the fall semester until A&M has the PHYS 208 credit.
Yeah just as izelkay said, PHYS 208 can be taken in the summer, which a lot of students do, because the class is very hard, and unless you’re doing electrical, you should be fine. And honestly, if you are worried about your success during your freshmen year, then just start off by taking chemistry, then take physics 218 in the spring. I heard that classes in the spring tend to get “easier”. Not necessarily that the course work is any different, but grades do tend to be higher during the spring, whether it be because students are getting used to how they should study for their classes, or because professors are more lenient. This route is just an alternative, but keep it in mind, if you don’t want to dive straight into physics. Keep in mind, if you pass your calculus 1 AP exam (assuming your taking AP), and you start with physics, you’ll be in PHYS 218 AND calculus 2, which in my opinion, would definitely not be the best combination to take your first semester, unless you are extremely confident in your abilities in math and physics. Hope we shed some light on this matter, and good luck with whatever you end up deciding.
I almost forgot - thank you all so much for your help!
@TamuEngineer
I have no intention on skipping calc 1 regardless of my score since it is so fundamental (but I was considering taking Calc 3 the summer after freshman year). But I did plan on exempting my Chem 107 requirement by taking the AP exam / clep exams so I only need to take Chem 117.
@izelkay
So I should take my other engineering courses at A&M Spring / Fall and over summer I should take 208 at a CC? Because my counselor pointed out how I should take PHYS 208 because I need to prepare for difficult classes in my engineering curriculum anyways.
Yeah I would recommend taking PHYS 208 over the summer. It’s a weed out course and won’t really help you in any upper level courses. As long as you take most of the other core curriculum classes at A&M, you’ll be plenty prepared for the difficult courses to come.
@lessonwitch2 Do not claim any credits before your NSC. You will have a chance to talk to your advisor at that time and can ask questions at the end of the group session. 2 of the 3 science classes must be taken at A&M campus, and I can’t locate the page off hand, so I am not sure if that takes into account that you claimed one by credit exam.
@TamuEngineer My Aggie also just completed his first semester. I belong to an Aggie parent FB private group and there were a lot of parents of engineer students who did not do well in Math 151. It seems a lot of them had A and B’s at Thanksgiving, just before the last semester test upon returning and then the final exam in the coming days. My Aggie was not one of those who had an issue on the last test or final but 2 students we know failed both (after having B’s up to then, resulting in D’s for the semester) along with a lot of others, per FB. Did you notice anything different?
@Thelma2 Sorry, I have been busy with getting settled in for the spring semester, and I noticed very similar situations that you mentioned! It seems that the final really took many by surprise, and I know a couple of people that ended up receiving a D or C when they had either a A or a B. Congratulations to your aggie for doing well!
My son just graduated in December. He took physics in hs but not calc based. He also took BC calc. In hs. He didn’t use his AP credit and retook calc. at TAMU. He used A+ tutoring for physics. He aced all of these classes. He felt he was well prepared and doing well in the entry classes gave him a solid foundation for the rest of his engineering education. Bottom line calc based physics isn’t essential and tutoring can help a lot with physics success and ultimately with success in engineering.