<p>What's the latest you CAN drop classes without a penalty? Anyways I did Physics 1116 since I figured since I got a 5 on the AP Physics C Mechanics and AP Calc BC exams that Id be able to handle the course pretty well, so I signed up for it. At first it was ok. Difficult but nothing unbearable. But the last two weeks Ive been unable to do any of the homework, then again...I didnt spend as much time on it as I maybe should have. I think the problem is that I wasnt ready for the course to be as difficult as it was as I am not used to such difficult stuff, and Im not sure how much trouble Im SUPPOSED to be having with it.</p>
<p>The prelim is in a couple days and the thing is whenever I look at the homework solutions when they are finally posted for the making integrals and ESPECIALLY solving differential equations I am just staring like ***....I dunno how to have that intuition that you apparently need to have to be able to do this stuff, and I guess i could learn it but not in time for the prelim and if I screw up the prelim Im dead. </p>
<p>I just wish there was more practice, like with the math courses I could go through all the book problems especially with linear algebra which had a study guide that went through many answers in detail, I dont really have that for the physics, the office hours dont fall on a time when I can get much benefit from it, besides the Thursday night one. So it's been hard for me to realize until it was too late exactly how much I don't know that I should.</p>
<p>Also it seems most people in the class have interest in engineering or physics, and I am arts and sciences and completely undecided, maybe leaning towards computer science but I don't know. If I was to drop the class it would make my schedule WAY too easy (as this is the only really hard course, my other ones are SPAN 1230, Multivariable Calculus, and Intro to Java (plus a gym course) and leave me with 13 credits if I dropped, and last semester I only took 14 (thinking Id take more this semester with 17 which I did)...which would screw me over for the future.......</p>
<p>You have up to March 11 to drop a class without penalty plus it would be easy to do so. Usually you have enough time for one prelim to decide to stick with it or drop. After March 11, course drops are by petition only and a “W” will appear on the transcript. April 22 is the last day to petition to withdraw from a course.</p>
<p>Just to clarify things, they finally posted homework solutions now, after 5 weeks?
Also, did you not get feedback on any of your homework problem sets in those 5 weeks?</p>
<p>Side note, there is more than one way to solve a mechanic problem. What you see is the suggested solutions. If there’s an easier way to solve it, do so.</p>
<p>definitely take the prelim, and hopefully you’ll know the results by March 11.</p>
<p>btw, are you really in a credit-crunch for the future? if you took those APs, perhaps you took a lot of others, and that helps? if you would actually have no issues with graduating on time, it would make dropping it a lot easier. that way you could put your very best effort into your other courses.</p>
<p>if you do stick with it, remember that this is just one course at the beginning of your college career, and it could be a valuable learning experience. don’t get too discouraged or down on yourself, because lots of people get to college and find things way more challenging than they expected. you can’t know what the expectations are until you encounter the real deal, and it’s not your fault at all.</p>
<p>If you transfer to Phys 1112 after the 1116 prelim, your 1116 prelim grade will follow you. However, if you transfer before the prelim, you will either miss the Phys 1112 prelim, leaving you with a zero, or have to take the 1112 prelim without knowing what material was covered. Suffice it to say that both 1112 and 1116 are difficult weeder classes for folks majoring in Engineering, Physics, and Astronomy (most of whom did well on the Physics C AP). Your choices are to drop 1116 and start again with 1112 next semester or hope the 1116 prelim doesn’t have too many questions from the last two weeks of class. The second choice means you will need to spend much more time on 1116 to catch up and understand the homework in office hours. Given the workload in your other classes, dropping may be your best bet. Don’t stress out over it - you’ve got time to make up credits with distribution requirements which will be easier than Phys 1116. Apparently, 1112/1116 + Math 1920 is a known killer load at Cornell regardless of additional courses (unless you took multivar in high school). Best wishes!</p>
<p>Drop down to 1112. I know a handful of people who did that last semester and they did absolutely fine on the first Prelim. Most of the material you would have covered, albeit in more detail, already in 1116.</p>
<p>“…both 1112 and 1116 are difficult weeder classes …”</p>
<p>is 1112 really regarded as a “weeder” course, these days?? If so, that’s a change. In my day, it was considered difficult and challenging yes, due to the subject matter itself. But it’s not like they were asking trick questions on exams, with intent of weeding people out. To me, weeder has a little different connotation. Plus, unlike pre-meds, engineers do not have to have a 3.6+ GPA to practice in their profession, so they would not be effectively “weeded out” with a C in this course.</p>
<p>“1112/1116 + Math 1920 is a known killer load at Cornell regardless of additional courses…”</p>
<p>Is this really the case, these days? Because in my day these were just the two core courses every engineering student took, with a difficult computer course and two electives on top of them. Again, challenging courses, yes, but if those two alone constitute “killer” these days, then things have changed a bit. Yet I doubt the subject matter has changed much at all…</p>
<p>I gather that Math 1920 may have been more difficult last semester due to poor lectures in one section, putting the onus on the TA to actually teach the material (YMMV). Trick questions were used on one of the prelims. Phys 1112 is a time sink (7 hr class time + problem set + lab report per week) although quite well taught. Add a “learning how to program” class (or another physical lab science), and you have a major load regardless of additional courses. Note that physics majors need at least B- in each class, and some aspiring engineers struggle with their grade floor as well, given the load and the adjustment to college. Have to love those FWS papers and problem sets assigned during prelims…</p>
<p>For a future physics major a B- in the intro series is a very modest standard. Probably too modest, actually.</p>
<p>When I think “weeder course” I’m thinking more of arbitrarily difficult or obtuse exams designed to get rid of people who actually know the material well enough and otherwise could well succeed in the major, and in the field, but for the nature of the exams in the intro course.</p>
<p>As a Cornell physics BA myself, it is my opinion that someone who cannot achieve well above that modest B-standard will quite likely be absolutely obliterated in intermediate physics major courses there. If someone thinks 112-213 are hard, wait till they try intermediate E&M. They’ll die. So I think it’s quite appropriate for the physics department to set that minimal standard for majors, at least. And moreover, that low a standard, when such high proficiency is required to survive immediately afterwards, does not meet my image of a weeder course, for physics majors. I doubt most people who had any realistic notion of majoring in physics would be weeded by such a low standard. For the few with unrealistic notions, they are being done a favor.</p>
<p>Moreover, there aren’t that many physics majors in the first place, and many of them, in my day anyway, didn’t take 112. Many took 116, and some also took 207. 112 was engineers by vast predominance. I don’t recall a grade floor for this particular course for engineering students, if there is one it probably isnt that high.</p>
<p>They should not be putting trick questions in math 192, I’d agree with that (sorry I mean 1920, they were the same #s in my day they just added a number at front or back, at some point).</p>
<p>And I would agree that intro physics courses are time consuming and the material is challenging and difficult . But for physics majors things do not get easier, they get much harder. Even for mechanical engineering majors they get harder, intermediate dynamics is a substantial ratchet up in difficulty from physics 112.
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<p>I agree that future physics majors (and engineers) should achieve a higher standard than B-, once they hit their stride. However, few students will do that in their first rigorous college course during freshman year in a lecture class of several hundred students. In addition, there is the more than occasional problem of matching disparate math preparation with level of physics course complexity. The main difference between 1112 and 1116 is a presumed thorough understanding of calculus up through simple diffEQs. For myself at Princeton (Astrophysical Sciences AB), I made the mistake of taking the “physics for physicists” freshman E&M class while taking linear algebra and prior to multivariable calc - big mistake, since the prof dived straight into DiffEQs since he figured (incorrectly) that he could teach the math along the way. Not surprisingly, my classics prof advisor didn’t help in this case. I recovered sufficiently over the next year to go on to a 25+ yr career in astronomy. Freshman year is full of these miscalculations (which have nothing to do with future science success), and it is a shame to relegate an enthusiastic but incautious freshman still learning the ropes on time management skills to a future outside of the physical sciences due to one mistake. I saw that happen to one of DD’s friends. Sure, the future theorists will all be getting A’s in 1116 (or placed into sophomore level classes), but we still need folks to run the cyclotrons, observatories, and space missions ;). </p>
<p>As for the OP, he/she is undecided about A&S major, and I encourage him/her to learn the lesson and sign up for more physics and math if he/she enjoys those subjects.</p>
<p>ok but 112 is not really the physics for physicists class, presuming more advanced proficiency, per analogy with your situation. That one is more 116, 112 is the physics for the “dumb” engineers (and me), requiring only the lower level of calculus proficiency.</p>
<p>Your point regarding initial adjustment is well taken though. If someone has a tough time in 112, but then figures it out and does well in 213-214 (or whatever those numbers are now) I would imagine that there is a way to petition the department for consideration, despite whatever policy may be stated. I don’t know this to be the case as a fact, but they are reasonable people there.</p>