<p>Next year I'll be taking AP Physics, but for my year, instead of taking AP Physics B, the curriculum will be split into two one-year courses, AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2. Right now I'm in Physics 2 (There is no honors), and it covers the usual mechanics, energy, electricity, magnetism, optics, special relativity, etc... My year is a transfer year for this new AP Physics curriculum, so sadly they are only offering AP Physics 1 next year, and in later years, only juniors who took AP Physics 1 will be able to take AP Physics 2. I find this kind of unfortunate, because the Physics 2 curriculum a my school is pretty similar to AP Physics 1. AP Physics 2 is much more about modern physics, and I feel like that would be a much better transition, whereas AP Physics 1 will just be harder studying of the same material that I am already taking. My Physics teacher said I could self study for AP Physics 2, which I guess is alright, but I feel like I am missing out by not being able to take the class. Also, I wonder if there would be exam conflicts with AP Physics 1 and 2 like there is with AP Calculus AB and BC. How do you guys feel about this change in the AP Physics curriculum?</p>
<p>I think it’s a beneficial change. </p>
<p>In college, the current Physics B course would be covered over 2 semesters. A physics course in college is generally 5 credits (4 at a minimum) PLUS a separate lab period. Many high school classes meet only 3-4 hours a week (mine is 3.5) and that has to include lab time. Furthermore, a lot of schools don’t start until september and then the exam is early May - which is slightly shorter than a typical year in college. So as it currently stands, high school students in physics b have less class time to learn the material than college students. </p>
<p>I am currently in Physics B, and we really don’t have enough time to cover the material. The teacher plans to have a few optional classes on a weekend to teach atomic & nuclear physics to those who want to learn it for the AP test since we won’t have time to cover this in class. We’ve also had to cut a lot of labs to save on time. If the course was split over two years, we’d have time to thoroughly cover all the concepts and we’d be able to do more labs which are essential to a science class. </p>
<p>So yes, college students typically learn physics b material in a year. But college students have a lot more designated class/lab time than the vast majority of high schools (not to mention college students are more accustomed to faster pacing and less hand holding). As such, splitting it makes sense. It does suck for the current juniors who want to take both, but in the long run I think it’ll be beneficial. Not all students (even AP students!) are super geniuses like people on CC that can “learn” a course the weekend before a test. This will work better for the vast majority of students. </p>
<p>Seems awfully slow to be learning Physics B material in 2 years, but if it goes over the topics thoroughly, that’s fine. As baileyj57 said, in college, the material is usually covered over two semesters – the first semester covers mechanics, Newton’s laws, rotational motion etc. while the second semester covers E/M topics such as Gauss’s law, Coulomb’s law, capacitance, Maxwell’s equations etc.</p>
<p>There is also the option of self-studying for AP Physics C, as it is offered as two separate AP tests. Physics C is calculus-based though.</p>
<p>In terms of exam conflicts, AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2 are school-related, and that is a matter that the school deals with. In fact, if a student can’t take both, it is likely that they’ll schedule both finals on the same day. The AP Calculus AB and BC tests are on the same day specifically because you can’t take both exams officially in the same year.</p>
<p>So I plan on self studying for both Physics C exams and my teacher agreed to help me out if I need any while studying for the exams next year.</p>