I’m planning on taking physics 1 and 2 in the future, but I can’t take them until I take calculus 2. My college allows me to take physics 1 as long as I’m taking calculus 2 at the same time. I’m just wondering, does physics at the college level rely more on math from calculus 1, or 2? Or both?
Taking physics 1 concurrently with calculus 2 (after calculus 1) should be fine.
For physics 2, it can be advantageous to wait until after calculus 3 (instead of at the same time) to take it, since E&M in physics 2 uses multivariable calculus in calculus 3. However, if your major has physics 2 as a critical prerequisite for other courses, you may have to take it concurrently with calculus 3 to stay on schedule for on-time graduation.
It depends on the college. Some colleges offer physics that don’t require calculus as well as calculus-based physics. At my college, calc-based mechanics used the calculus from calc 2 and E&M used calculus 3.
It depends on the physics class. Some are algebra based, others calculus based. Where I went had three tiers- Algebraic (mostly for pre-meds and soft science majors), Intro Calculus (mostly engineering), and Heavy Calculus (Math/Physics majors).