AP Physics

[Anonymous]

For AP Bio and AP Chem, I know you have to take the Honors level course first. Is the same true for E&M and Mech? So in theory, the AP Courses could not be taken until Senior year?

Next question--is AP Physics 1 taking the place of Honors Physics?

[Anonymous]

Yes; it will also depend on your STEM coordinator; and no.

Kids who want to take all three STEM APs have to strategize, especially considering AP Chem and AP Bio are double periods and can be hard to fit into their schedule given graduation requirements and other constraints.

We received authorization from BCC high school to skip Honors Bio, because my kid will have taken AP Chem and AP Physics C by that time (the usual track is Bio-Chem-Phys), and they consider that sufficient prerequisites. However they did not waive the Honors Chem or Honors Physics pre-reqs. She took Honors Chem in 9th, and Honors Physics as a summer course. The summer after 8th grade, she also took Health A and B to get rid of them. This leaves sufficient space in her schedule for the three STEM AP plus APs in the Humanities and world languages, and her beloved music elective.

No, AP Physics 1 is not taking the place of Honors Physics, but they are of similar levels of difficulty. A lot of schools do not offer AP Physics 1, because it's just an extra useless exam if kids wish to continue to AP Physics C. College admissions officers know which APs are challenging and which are not.

Please double check with your STEM coordinator whether the AP Physics C course will really cover E&M in the second semester. We were surprised when BCC told us that they had only done Mechanics in recent years. This year they hired a new teacher for that course, who assured us he would go as far as possible into E&M. We'll see... DD really wants to take both the Mech and E&M exams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes; it will also depend on your STEM coordinator; and no.

Kids who want to take all three STEM APs have to strategize, especially considering AP Chem and AP Bio are double periods and can be hard to fit into their schedule given graduation requirements and other constraints.

We received authorization from BCC high school to skip Honors Bio, because my kid will have taken AP Chem and AP Physics C by that time (the usual track is Bio-Chem-Phys), and they consider that sufficient prerequisites. However they did not waive the Honors Chem or Honors Physics pre-reqs. She took Honors Chem in 9th, and Honors Physics as a summer course. The summer after 8th grade, she also took Health A and B to get rid of them. This leaves sufficient space in her schedule for the three STEM AP plus APs in the Humanities and world languages, and her beloved music elective.

No, AP Physics 1 is not taking the place of Honors Physics, but they are of similar levels of difficulty. A lot of schools do not offer AP Physics 1, because it's just an extra useless exam if kids wish to continue to AP Physics C. College admissions officers know which APs are challenging and which are not.

Please double check with your STEM coordinator whether the AP Physics C course will really cover E&M in the second semester. We were surprised when BCC told us that they had only done Mechanics in recent years. This year they hired a new teacher for that course, who assured us he would go as far as possible into E&M. We'll see... DD really wants to take both the Mech and E&M exams.

My kid will be taking MV Calc next year. While Churchill seems to offer MV, I'm not sure how it codes--as a HS course or as a college course. If it codes as a HS course, I'd rather him take it at MC. And in that case, he might as well take Physics while he's over there.

[Anonymous]

AP Physics 1 is MUCH MUCH harder than Honors Physics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AP Physics 1 is MUCH MUCH harder than Honors Physics.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:AP Physics 1 is MUCH MUCH harder than Honors Physics.

No, they're not very different. Both are algebra-based courses and cover most of the same material.

AP Physics C, with Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism, is faster-paced and requires calculus, with two exams in May. It's considered one of the hardest AP courses offered by the College Board. But for a STEM-minded kid, it's not that hard. It's like AP World History or English Lit for a Humanities kid. Not that hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes; it will also depend on your STEM coordinator; and no.

Kids who want to take all three STEM APs have to strategize, especially considering AP Chem and AP Bio are double periods and can be hard to fit into their schedule given graduation requirements and other constraints.

We received authorization from BCC high school to skip Honors Bio, because my kid will have taken AP Chem and AP Physics C by that time (the usual track is Bio-Chem-Phys), and they consider that sufficient prerequisites. However they did not waive the Honors Chem or Honors Physics pre-reqs. She took Honors Chem in 9th, and Honors Physics as a summer course. The summer after 8th grade, she also took Health A and B to get rid of them. This leaves sufficient space in her schedule for the three STEM AP plus APs in the Humanities and world languages, and her beloved music elective.

No, AP Physics 1 is not taking the place of Honors Physics, but they are of similar levels of difficulty. A lot of schools do not offer AP Physics 1, because it's just an extra useless exam if kids wish to continue to AP Physics C. College admissions officers know which APs are challenging and which are not.

Please double check with your STEM coordinator whether the AP Physics C course will really cover E&M in the second semester. We were surprised when BCC told us that they had only done Mechanics in recent years. This year they hired a new teacher for that course, who assured us he would go as far as possible into E&M. We'll see... DD really wants to take both the Mech and E&M exams.

My kid will be taking MV Calc next year. While Churchill seems to offer MV, I'm not sure how it codes--as a HS course or as a college course. If it codes as a HS course, I'd rather him take it at MC. And in that case, he might as well take Physics while he's over there.

You shouldn't care about that - colleges know what the caliber is, roughly, of courses taken by high schoolers. They recalculate GPA using their own formulas. Choose which course works best for your kid based on quality of instruction, scheduling, commute, whatever. But not "codes".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP Physics 1 is MUCH MUCH harder than Honors Physics.

This.

Depends on when you take it. Most kids on the heavy science/math track take Honors Physics alongside pre-cal followed by AP Physics C.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP Physics 1 is MUCH MUCH harder than Honors Physics.

No, they're not very different. Both are algebra-based courses and cover most of the same material.

AP Physics C, with Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism, is faster-paced and requires calculus, with two exams in May. It's considered one of the hardest AP courses offered by the College Board. But for a STEM-minded kid, it's not that hard. It's like AP World History or English Lit for a Humanities kid. Not that hard.

PP is someone who read a description of AP Physics 1 and now thinks they understand it. It is difficult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP Physics 1 is MUCH MUCH harder than Honors Physics.

No, they're not very different. Both are algebra-based courses and cover most of the same material.

AP Physics C, with Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism, is faster-paced and requires calculus, with two exams in May. It's considered one of the hardest AP courses offered by the College Board. But for a STEM-minded kid, it's not that hard. It's like AP World History or English Lit for a Humanities kid. Not that hard.

PP is someone who read a description of AP Physics 1 and now thinks they understand it. It is difficult.

+1 And Honors Physics covers a broader swath of physics than does AP 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes; it will also depend on your STEM coordinator; and no.

Kids who want to take all three STEM APs have to strategize, especially considering AP Chem and AP Bio are double periods and can be hard to fit into their schedule given graduation requirements and other constraints.

We received authorization from BCC high school to skip Honors Bio, because my kid will have taken AP Chem and AP Physics C by that time (the usual track is Bio-Chem-Phys), and they consider that sufficient prerequisites. However they did not waive the Honors Chem or Honors Physics pre-reqs. She took Honors Chem in 9th, and Honors Physics as a summer course. The summer after 8th grade, she also took Health A and B to get rid of them. This leaves sufficient space in her schedule for the three STEM AP plus APs in the Humanities and world languages, and her beloved music elective.

No, AP Physics 1 is not taking the place of Honors Physics, but they are of similar levels of difficulty. A lot of schools do not offer AP Physics 1, because it's just an extra useless exam if kids wish to continue to AP Physics C. College admissions officers know which APs are challenging and which are not.

Please double check with your STEM coordinator whether the AP Physics C course will really cover E&M in the second semester. We were surprised when BCC told us that they had only done Mechanics in recent years. This year they hired a new teacher for that course, who assured us he would go as far as possible into E&M. We'll see... DD really wants to take both the Mech and E&M exams.

My kid will be taking MV Calc next year. While Churchill seems to offer MV, I'm not sure how it codes--as a HS course or as a college course. If it codes as a HS course, I'd rather him take it at MC. And in that case, he might as well take Physics while he's over there.

You shouldn't care about that - colleges know what the caliber is, roughly, of courses taken by high schoolers. They recalculate GPA using their own formulas. Choose which course works best for your kid based on quality of instruction, scheduling, commute, whatever. But not "codes".

I want the college credit so he doesn’t have to take it again once he gets to college. There is no AP MV test and if it’s a HS course, he will have to take it again for credit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP Physics 1 is MUCH MUCH harder than Honors Physics.

No, they're not very different. Both are algebra-based courses and cover most of the same material.

AP Physics C, with Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism, is faster-paced and requires calculus, with two exams in May. It's considered one of the hardest AP courses offered by the College Board. But for a STEM-minded kid, it's not that hard. It's like AP World History or English Lit for a Humanities kid. Not that hard.

PP is someone who read a description of AP Physics 1 and now thinks they understand it. It is difficult.

+1 And Honors Physics covers a broader swath of physics than does AP 1.

"swathe"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:AP Physics 1 is MUCH MUCH harder than Honors Physics.

No, they're not very different. Both are algebra-based courses and cover most of the same material.

AP Physics C, with Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism, is faster-paced and requires calculus, with two exams in May. It's considered one of the hardest AP courses offered by the College Board. But for a STEM-minded kid, it's not that hard. It's like AP World History or English Lit for a Humanities kid. Not that hard.

PP is someone who read a description of AP Physics 1 and now thinks they understand it. It is difficult.

Ha ha! I have an Engineering degree and tried to help my kid with some AP Physics 1 questions. They kicked my behind. Physics in some ways is much easier to do with calculus than with algebra.