Hello!
I’m currently a senior right now starting out the year. My questions is how hard would it be to take Mechanics without having taking calculus? I’ve already taken Physics Honors Freshmen year and got a 93 for the year. I’ve already grasped the basics on Derivatives and Integrals. If I study hard, do you think it would be possible? Thank you.
P.S. Im in pre-calc right now
I would say if you were taking Calc concurrently it might be okay…I would talk to your Physics teacher or see if it has Calc as a pre-req so you wouldn’t be able to enroll in it.
Calc is more of a recommended pre-req, but technically I dont need it to enroll into the class.
im taking mechanics right now while taking calc bc. My teacher told me there isn’t much calculus involved and most of the stuff we’d be doing is just taking the derivative.
Concurrent calculus was required in my daughter’s HS to take Physics C. She said she learned more calc in physics than in actual calculus, and material was covered at different times, so much so that the calc teacher changed the order of her curriculum. I think if you are confident with math and have a good physics teacher, you should be OK.
@momofsenior1 my school doesn’t accept summer course credits, which is why I had to take pre calc this year, but I have a free period in my schedule, so I think ill just self study AP Calc AB. Thanks for the reponse because tomorrow is the last day I can change classes so I really have to decide tonight.
Def. doable, the AP exam isnt SUPER calculus intensive. With a grasp of integration and derivatives you should be completely solid for the exam itself
If you’re in precalculus, it’s not a good idea at all. Calculus concurrently is possible although it’s better as a pre-requisite. Without any calculus whatsoever you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Why do you want to take it?
If you really want to study physics at a higher level than the freshman introduction, why not take AP physics 1?
I can’t think of a situation where taking a class for which you’re unprepared would be to your benefit.
You need decent understanding of trigonometry. Also, decent intuition and technical facility with first and higher order derivatives, including some appreciation for the significance of maxima, minima and inflection points. Also, a basic understanding of the relationship between integration and differentiation (Fundamental Theorem of Calculus), some facility with polar coordinates and a very basic understanding of differentiation and integration of trigonometrics (honestly, you could really just use a calculator but actual understanding is always better).
If you think you can do all that, then yes AP Physics C should be doable.
So update, my teacher changed her mind. Basically she says I can do the class in my free block because then I won’t fail the class if I do bad, and then I can take the AP Exam at the end of the year. Though I’m kind of demotivated now because what if I do well, I don’t even end up getting credit for the class. So it kind of sucks. Plus I want to be more competitive.