Click here to go to the NEW College Discussion Forum

i'm signed up to take AP physics next year but i feel that my 1st year physics skills are lacking because it was at a different school where they only taught us the fundamentals. (there wasn't an AP physics, so the honors physics class wasn't Pre-AP)

So anyways i borrowed "Physics the Easy Way" by Barrons to brush up on stuff and i'm totally overwhemled by all the info. I'm guessing this book covers AP physics stuff as well. (such as the moment of inertia)

Can anyone list a syllabus of all the stuff they learned in their Pre-AP/Honors Physics so i can study only those topics?

thx

By Clickspring (Clickspring) on Saturday, July 26, 2003 - 11:18 am: Edit

Do you know if you signed up for AP Physics B or AP Physics C? Physics C covers only mechanics, electricity, and magnetism, so depending on the course you signed up for, you might have to only review certain subject areas. Also, Physics C is calculus based, so depending on the course you signed up for, you might want to review basic differentiation and integral skills if you haven't had caculus yet. Check the college board's website for the main topics of the class you'll be taking next year and use that as a guideline for your review.

By Clickspring (Clickspring) on Saturday, July 26, 2003 - 11:35 am: Edit

To answer your question about key first year topics, here is what the main focus of my pre-AP fist year physics class focused on:

Motion in one dimension:
-distance
-average speed
-displacement
-average velocity
-graphical representations
-vector vs. scalar

Projectile motion
-kinematic equations

Motion along a curve
-angular velocity
-angular acceleration

Newton's laws:
-accelerating vs. inertial frames of reference
-1st, 2nd, 3rd laws
-tension
-torque
-resistive forces
-terminal velocity

Work-Energy
-power
-efficency
-momentum
-impluse
-elastic collisions
-inelastic collisions
-moment of inertia
-parallel axis theorm

Rolling motion
-angular momentum

Equilibrium
-static equilibrium
-center of gravity

Simple Harmonic Motion

Gravity
-gravitational field
-Kepler's laws

Conductors/Insulators
-electric field
-charge/flux density
-electric potential
-capacitance

Electric Circuts
-resistance
-voltage
-current
-series
-parallel
-RC circuts

Magnetic fields
F=vXB
-right hand rule
-magnetic flux
-Faraday's law

Sound

Light

Mirrors and Lenses

By Jason817 (Jason817) on Saturday, July 26, 2003 - 11:44 am: Edit

Most people have never taken a physics course prior to Physics AP

By Heatwave345 (Heatwave345) on Saturday, July 26, 2003 - 08:58 pm: Edit

thx clickspring

By Thefuture (Thefuture) on Saturday, July 26, 2003 - 11:00 pm: Edit

Clickspring: Isn't that like Integrated Science stuff??? I took Integrated Physical Science and all the stuff you mentioned was taight in that course... It wasn't a Pre-AP Physics course or anything either...

Anyways, I'm taking AP Physics B next year and know most of the stuff Clickspring mentioned... Will I have any problems in the course??? I do have a pretty decent understanding of Physics...

By Clickspring (Clickspring) on Saturday, July 26, 2003 - 11:40 pm: Edit

Well, physics IS physical science, so no matter what title you put on the course, the fundamentals of physics remain the same.

By Stanfordhopeful (Stanfordhopeful) on Sunday, July 27, 2003 - 12:23 am: Edit

Physics is God. You'll love the course... atleast I did, thats why I am taking AP Physics C in school and an Advanced Physics course at a local college (hopefully NYU) next year.

By Pat57575 (Pat57575) on Sunday, July 27, 2003 - 05:56 pm: Edit

You better like math (especially trig) or you're going to hate physics.

By Heatwave345 (Heatwave345) on Friday, August 01, 2003 - 09:16 am: Edit

You better like math (especially trig) or you're going to hate physics.

good, math is my favorite subject. i took Calculus BC last year and got a 5.