I’m a freshman and next summer I’ll be taking Precalc and I’m wanting to take calculus based Physics at the same time, but I’m wondering if it is possible to take the Physics course without having taken Calc I first?
It’s not ideal. Especially if you’ll just then be taking precalc – physics has a lot of trig that you need to have a handle on already, not learning it on the fly.
Thank you! What are your thoughts if I take it even after Algebra II/Trig? Does that not cover enough?
I know some people in my high school managed to take calc 1 concurrently, but it does result in extra work when you come upon a required calc concept you don’t know yet, and the need to never fall behind on the material.
At most colleges, you need to finish calculus 1 or high school calculus AB before taking the first calculus-based physics course. It is not a good idea to take a course that uses calculus before you have taken calculus, for reasons which should be obvious.
You want to take precalc and Calc-based physics concurrently over the summer? No. Just no. It’s a recipe for failure.
In addition, I can’t imagine any school letting you take calc-based physics without at least taking calc concurrently. Wait until you’re taking calculus.
Calculus based physics supposes you already know calculus well enough to use in complex exercises (and, obviously, have an excellent knowledge of precalculus), although some students manage to take calculus concurrently as long as it’s during the school year and have had perfect grades in precalculus.
Math is sequential. You need to know 1 to get to 2 to get to 3.
There’s no way you can survive a notoriously difficult, accelerated class using concepts you don’t know. None.
In addition, it’ll look bad to colleges - they’ll see the F (or the W) and think “hubris”.
If you take Precalculus over the summer, take Honors Physics or AP Physics 1 + Calculus AB during the year, then Calculus-based physics the following year (IT IS NOT a class you want to rush through the summer anyway).
Would you take a Russian literature class if you didn’t know Russian?
You are a freshman. You will have plenty of time to take the courses in the correct sequential order. No reason to rush and put yourself at a disadvantage in a class.
I agree completely with @happy1. Take courses in the proper sequence. Calculus based physics makes a whole lot more sense when you already know calculus.
A “friend” from middle school who went to a different high school told me that he took both AP Physics C exams in freshman year and got 4s, and he was in Algebra 2. I refuse to believe him, especially now that some of my senior friends in high school tell me that calculus physics is super difficult with differential equations and what not (they are super smart as well), so I don’t believe that “friend” at all.
Honestly, I think taking an algebra-based physics course alongside a calculus course would be a great first step in the direction you want to go. From there, you should take calculus physics and multivariable calculus (or differential equations) if you have a school or community college that offers it. This year, I am in UConn ECE Physics 1201Q (AP Physics 1, but I get UConn credit if I take their three college midterms and one college final) and AP Calculus (the course is labeled as AB, but my teacher teaches BC to students who take it - it’s a combination course). Next year, I am taking Linear Algebra and Multivariable Calculus at a community college in a neighboring town, and AP Physics C at my school.
Just a thought- I took AP Physics 1-2 {algebra based} after calculus, and taking Physics before/during calculus would have been really helpful. A lot of BC applications are physics based, and I had no idea what was going on. Even in algebra based physics, I began thinking “calculus makes a lot more sense now”. Perhaps you would enjoy having some Physics knowledge
No, no. I’m taking AP Physics 1 right now with algebra 2 and even in this physics I learn new things that I haven’t learned in math class. It seems next to impossible to take that class without having Calc as a pre-requisite or concurrent. I would recommend not doing it.
Do not take physics C while taking precalc. It is possible for a kid to understand calculus before having taken it such as my son. However, that is unusual. He is self taught and intuitively understands it. Physics is calculus and it drives him crazy Physics 1 & 2 are algebra based. However, he is taking physics 2 while in bc calculus. Keep in mind many smart students struggle through ap physics 1. Calculus is a big divider when it comes to math. Its where kids who were once stellar math students fall off the cliff.