@cameraphone That’s true. Should I just finish my social science requirement? I only need one more. I could i just leave out general physics 1. I’m sorry. And penn state requires 6 art credits. so i’m all over the place
There’s really no need to take general physics prior to university physics. General physics is geared more toward pre-med students and students that need some background in physics, but not as much as other majors. Students majoring in things like architecture and other areas of science will often just take general physics.
General physics I and university physics I start at the same point and assume no prior knowledge of the subject matter.
But does OP want to take a “weed-out” physics class–not at the CC, but at the transfer school–without ever being exposed to the material before?? I would not.
I’m a little unclear on what the exact situation is, but I think if you need to complete another requirement in order to transfer and/or graduate in a timely manner after you transfer than you should complete that requirement. If you don’t have room for non-calculus physics (and don’t need to have it to transfer or as a prerequisite to any required course), then it’s fine if you don’t take it. If you have the room in your schedule and it’s not a burden to take the class, it won’t hurt to take it and it may be helpful to have some exposure to physics, especially since you’ve never taken high school physics.
A university physics course assumes that students have never been exposed to the material. Honestly, I think taking general physics might be a little detrimental in some respects because it has some hand-wavy explanations that skirt around the actual physics that can’t be done due to not utilizing calculus. It can be somewhat misleading and somewhat confusing once one actually starts to really DO physics, which really does require calculus. In many countries, the notion of a physics course without calculus is both literally and figuratively an entirely foreign concept.
Many students take algebra-based physics in high school before going on to calculus-based physics in college or before taking AP Physics C, which is calculus-based, and they all seem to do just fine. It’s not exactly detrimental to them.
And I have tutored quite a few of those students who have had a hard time adjusting to calculus based physics because they were used to spending a whole year just plugging numbers into a given formula. Is it going to prevent anyone from succeeding in physics? Not at all. That’s not what I’m suggesting. But the point stands that one cannot truly ‘do’ physics without calculus and there is no need to do so.
And even if you did tutor students who had trouble adjusting to calculus-based physics, the majority do just fine (unless, of course, you’ve tutored every student who has taken physics). I would also argue that may students don’t have trouble because they took algebra-based physics first. The issue of students just plugging numbers into a given formula is a widespread problem where students don’t really understand what they are doing but are just going through the motions of how to plug and chug. That’s not the fault of one class in algebra-based physics. That’s years of memorizing a formula or memorizing step-by-step how to do something (but never why you’re doing it) or memorizing “tricks” rather than understanding why the trick works. I’ve seen it when I tutored students in algebra, geometry, calculus, chemistry, and biology. Taking one algebra-based physics class is not going to be detrimental when you take calculus-based physics.
I really want to take general Physics, but I really want to finish my general requirements (social science). I already finished my English and History. My parents are trying so hard for me to take a class at Colgate so i can fulfill an Art credit.
It sounds like you need art credits to transfer so that should be your number one priority. If you need the social science class to transfer or to graduate in a timely manner, then that should be your next priority.
If this physics class doesn’t fill a requirement (to transfer, to graduate, or as a prerequisite to another class you need to take), then it should be your last priority. Take it if you have the time and the room, but you can’t always take everything you want.
I have a class that I want to take and will fulfill my social science requirement.
classes that fulfill this requirement:
Intro to Criminal Justice
Juvenile Delinquency
Criminology
American Natl Govt
Biological Anthropology
PS: All art classes are late for me to take. I live 45 minutes away.
So It looks like I will be staying at my community college for awhile I need calculus 3, and my goal is Linear Algebra. I’m in Pre-calculus so I have a lot of math courses to go from here. hehe