Physics & AP test

[Blue Hen]

We're planning for next year and Physics is on the course list. I'm exploring options and have not found an online physics course that has rave reviews to enroll DS in. One option is to supervise the teaching myself which is doabe. I still semi-remember my college calc-based physics. It isn't my first choice but we could make it work.

DS is working through Calculus under my supervision and will be taking the AP BC test in May. Since he'll have Calc under his belt aiming for the Physics C AP test seems like the route to go. Or is it? Should we just stick with the B exam?

I would love to hear from moms who have BTDT, and from the 'don't do that!' camps.

I've looked at the texts listed at the College Board site for Physics B and C and am wondering if their is one that you used that your DC really loved and worked wonderfully? Or is there one you'd recommend we stay away from?

Thank you!

Carole

[Gwen in VA]

Benefits of doing the C-level physics --

1) B-level exam may or may not actually give the student much college credit.
Both my kids got a '5' on the B exam, but the '5' merely got them 3 open college credits. In comparison, ds's '5' on the AP chem exam got him 3 chemistry credits and fulfilled the science requirement (which for him is good news!) Even after getting a '5' on the B-level exam, my dd still had to take physics 101 and 102 to fulfill her major requirements. If your son is interested in actually getting any college credit for the exam, he should do the C-level.

2) The B-level class may not be challenging enough. In my kids' experience, the B-level course is just a rigorous honors-level high school physics class. Both of them took the level B class with no prior experience in physics and found it pretty straightforward. They didn't even spend that much time on the subject!

Since your son is obviously strong in math and has already done calculus, I would definitely go for the AP Physics C option.

I know nothing about the tests, though, so I have NO opinions at to which is better to do.

If you find an online option for the AP physics C, do broadcast it on the WTM boards! I will be trying to figure all this out for my engineering son in a year or two!

[Blue Hen]

Thanks Gwen. DS is going into Engineering or Biology/Chemistry major and already aiming for grad school. He's thinking that getting college credit will help him move to grad school earlier.

Interesting your kids reaction to the Physics B test. DS used Hewitts Conceptual Physics in 8th grade and loved the physics. He loves pointing out the connections between calc and physics as he's been going through his calc book which is why I've been thinking that 'C' would be a better fit for him.

I was just over at the University of DE site checking out what credit hours they give for AP scores. There are two Physics 'C' tests ---- great, $86x2 for the Physics C AP test. But UD does give quite allot of credit for AP scores of 4 or 5.

Carole

[MaryM]

You might take a look at the Physics for Scientists and Engineers offered at Kinetic Books.

http://www.kineticbooks.com/products/textbook/text_levels.html

We recently completed the Principles of Physics course and it offered a good range of problems including very challenging honors level material. Kolbe has a course plan for the intro as well as the Principles of Physics but not the calculus based third level.

Mary

[Kathy in Richmond]

Epgy lists AP physics C courses among its offerings. I don't think that they're too interactive, but you get a tutor if you have questions and to grade tests. I've known a couple of kids who have used their Mechanics and E&M courses successfully to prepare for the AP exams. I believe that they follow the Tipler (calc-based) texts.

My own two kids have self-studied Physics C at home after completing Calc BC. They're very math-science oriented and prefer to learn by reading the book themselves and working the exercises. We used the Resnick and Halliday textbooks (basically because that's what I used in college). My son was able to score two 5s on the exams this way (my daughter will take the exams in May and anticipates no problems). We just threw in a good review book (Barron's) and a College Board released exam for practice.

[Blue Hen]

Thanks Kathy, I looked on the college board site and spotted two books by Resnick & Halliday:
# Halliday, David, Robert Resnick, and Jearl Walke. 2005. Fundamentals of Physics, 7th ed. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons.
# Halliday, David, Robert Resnick, and Kenneth Krane. 2001. Physics, Parts I and II, 5th ed. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons.

Did you use either of these or a different one? Is your text calc based? Amazon lists many physics books by this pair.

Did you also include physics labs for your kids? If so, could you describe what you did.

Congratulations to your son too for scoring those 5s!

Thanks,
Carole

[Kathy in Richmond]

Carole,

We used the second set of textbooks in your list: Resnick/Halliday/Krane, 5th edition, both volumes. My kids found these very readable, and they are most definitely calc-based. Your son should be just fine if he has Calc BC under his belt. Is there any chance that he'd study multivariable calculus next year? We found that it ties in very nicely with physics. For instance, my daughter recently encountered line integrals in math, just as the physics text used them in calculating work done in an electric field.

These volumes contain some 50-odd chapters - a *lot* of material! But I looked at the College Board's syllabus and found that they need to study only about half of them (I'd gladly share the list if you go with these books). Even so, we had to move at a pace of one chapter a week to finish up by April. My main advice would be to start early!!

As for labs, we used the Castle Heights physics labs, purchased through Home Science Tools...very nice and doable at home. Not messy like chem - yay!

By the way, I didn't try to get my class approved as an official AP by the College Board. My son was thrilled to be exempt from freshman physics and to move on with advanced coursework (he's an EE/CS major).

Hope this helps,
Kathy

[Blue Hen]

Any chance you will be selling your physics books at the end of the year? What supporting texts did you purchase to go along with the text? TM? (is there one available?) I might just take you up on your list offer. Did you purchase the Castle Heights Physics Manual too, to go along with the lab?

I won't be seeking approval of the College Board either. I don't see the point of it for an at-home course where DS will take the exam.

We were just talking about his math for next year. DS has not done any computer programming and is thinking that a CIS programming course would be fun for his math course next year. His plan is then to take the AP CIS test in May. Any suggestions there?

[Blue Hen]

Thanks Mary. I'll take a look at it.

Carole

[Kathy in Richmond]

We just went with the R&H textbooks and no supplementary materials (no, sorry, I'm not planning to sell them). It's an area I feel comfortable enough with and I enjoyed working the problems out with the kids.

For the labs, we purchased the Castle Heights Physics Manual (teacher book) and Notebook (student book). The student book alone wouldn't be enough - all the intro material & procedures for each lab are in the teacher book for some reason. Home Science Tools has a nifty lab material order form here that you might want to look at:

physics lab materials (http://www.hometrainingtools.com/articles/castle-heights-order-forms.html)

It saved me some money over ordering the complete supply kit, by not having to buy stuff we already had lying around the house.

My dd is doing the Computer Science AP this year - she's doing the AB curriculum, which unfortunately is being discontinued after this year (the Comp Sci A exam will still be given, though). My son took this class through PA Homeschoolers several years ago. He recommended to her to just self-study - not that the online class was bad, but that he thought that it was a bit overkill in terms of homework. She is self-studying with the Litvin textbook (written specifically for AP) and the Barron's review book. This is one area where I have *no* expertise, but she is finding it easy and fun enough. I bet your son would, also. The "A" part of the course was easily doable before Christmas break. Oh, my son (Comp Sci major) doesn't like Java and recommends that next year she learn another language like Scheme with MIT's OpenCourseWare.

Kathy